Opinion article- Landfill economy

[GON]

"Opinion article" from Zero Hedge.

Last Gasp Of The Landfill Economy​

Article's premises is that we have been living with products that are disposable on purpose. Unrepairable, poor parts, cheap design. It is amazing how I understand many of the author's assessments. Most noteworthy that even items under warranty that fail, and they do, and often an extereme challange to get serviced, making warrantys somewhat without true value. I myself had a recent episode with a months old Samsung washer, with all reciepts, unable to register the product, thus unable to file a warranty repair. Chats, emails, phone calls, did not allow the system to work becuase of a serial number problem. When I was a kid, new washers didn't break, and if the new washer did break one could drive to the selling store, report the issue, and they would send a repair from their store out.

From the article:
Globalization's great gift wasn't low prices--it was the collapse of durability, transforming the global economy into a Landfill Economy of shoddy products made of low-cost components guaranteed to fail, poor quality control, planned obsolescence and accelerated product cycles--all hyper-profitable, all to the detriment of consumers and the planet.

Globalization also accelerated another hyper-profitable gambit: . Since all the products are now made with the same low-quality components, they all fail regardless of brand or price. The $2,000 refrigerator lasts no longer than the $700 fridge. Since the manufacturers and retailers all know the products are destined for the landfill by either design or default, warranties are uniformly one-year--and it's semi-miraculous if the consumer can find anyone to act on replacing or repairing the failed product even with the warranty.

A friend was showing us his 1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air. Unlike the stainless steal and low-quality chrome of today, the original parts are still untarnished. Since the entire vehicle is analog, parts can be scrounged or fabricated or swapped out with a similar set-up.

Does anyone seriously believe that a chipset-software-dependent vehicle today will still be running 68 years from now? Analog parts can be cast or welded; customized chipsets and firmware coding cannot. The original components will all be history.

Our friend recounted a very typical story about repairing his recent-model pickup truck. Since the engine was no longer responding to the accelerator, he borrowed a diagnostic computer (horribly expensive to maintain due to the extortionist monthly fee to keep the software upgraded) and came up with zip, zero, nada.

After swapping out the fuel pump at great expense and finding the problem persisted, he went online to YouTube University and found one video that explained the relay box from the accelerator to the engine didn't show up in the diagnostic codes, so the problem could not be identified.

The relay box cost $400, and likely consisted of components worth no more than a few dollars each. So after $1,000 in parts and his own labor, the problem was finally fixed. If this qualifies as "super-reliable and maintenance-free," then the diagnosis is obvious: mass delusion.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/last-gasp-landfill-economy?

 

[fdcg27]

You make a good point.
Many of the durable goods products we buy are not easily repairable and repairs often involve complex component diagnosis. HVAC systems? Replace, not feasibly repairable.
As a result, we junk what would have once been easily repaired appliances and just replace with new.
A part of the problem is the severe shortage of heads-up techs upon whom we could once rely to diagnose and fix this stuff as well as the indie shops they ran or worked for.
Let's not forget that the '57 Chevy you mention might have been easily repairable, but it would rust away to nothing in five northern winters and by modern standards it was slow, thirsty, poor handling, poor braking, poor riding and left its passengers quite vulnerable in any collision.
Certainly easier to repair than any modern car, but current offerings do offer many advantages and have far less need for repair anyway.

 

[SumGuy]

The US Federal Gov't, and to some extent certain state gov'ts, are directly responsible for this phenomena when it comes to the larger durable goods (washer/dryer, dish washer, home furnace / hvac system, consumer vehicles).

Gov't mandates on energy efficiency (and for cars, loads of electronics for so-called safety reasons) has caused these products to throw durability and repairability out the window. Washing machines that no longer have agitators and must sacrifice actual cleaning results so they can conserve on water, forcing the user to go through a second cycle (like the low-flow toilets that require a second flush). Heat exchangers that are so thin that A/C systems lose refridgerant due to erosion from gases emitted from building materials, carpets, insulation, etc in air-tight homes.

 

[PandaBear]

"Opinion article" from Zero Hedge.

Last Gasp Of The Landfill Economy​

Article's premises is that we have been living with products that are disposable on purpose. Unrepairable, poor parts, cheap design. It is amazing how I understand many of the author's assessments. Most noteworthy that even items under warranty that fail, and they do, and often an extereme challange to get serviced, making warrantys somewhat without true value. I myself had a recent episode with a months old Samsung washer, with all reciepts, unable to register the product, thus unable to file a warranty repair. Chats, emails, phone calls, did not allow the system to work becuase of a serial number problem. When I was a kid, new washers didn't break, and if the new washer did break one could drive to the selling store, report the issue, and they would send a repair from their store out.

From the article:
Globalization's great gift wasn't low prices--it was the collapse of durability, transforming the global economy into a Landfill Economy of shoddy products made of low-cost components guaranteed to fail, poor quality control, planned obsolescence and accelerated product cycles--all hyper-profitable, all to the detriment of consumers and the planet.

Globalization also accelerated another hyper-profitable gambit: . Since all the products are now made with the same low-quality components, they all fail regardless of brand or price. The $2,000 refrigerator lasts no longer than the $700 fridge. Since the manufacturers and retailers all know the products are destined for the landfill by either design or default, warranties are uniformly one-year--and it's semi-miraculous if the consumer can find anyone to act on replacing or repairing the failed product even with the warranty.

A friend was showing us his 1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air. Unlike the stainless steal and low-quality chrome of today, the original parts are still untarnished. Since the entire vehicle is analog, parts can be scrounged or fabricated or swapped out with a similar set-up.

Does anyone seriously believe that a chipset-software-dependent vehicle today will still be running 68 years from now? Analog parts can be cast or welded; customized chipsets and firmware coding cannot. The original components will all be history.

Our friend recounted a very typical story about repairing his recent-model pickup truck. Since the engine was no longer responding to the accelerator, he borrowed a diagnostic computer (horribly expensive to maintain due to the extortionist monthly fee to keep the software upgraded) and came up with zip, zero, nada.

After swapping out the fuel pump at great expense and finding the problem persisted, he went online to YouTube University and found one video that explained the relay box from the accelerator to the engine didn't show up in the diagnostic codes, so the problem could not be identified.

The relay box cost $400, and likely consisted of components worth no more than a few dollars each. So after $1,000 in parts and his own labor, the problem was finally fixed. If this qualifies as "super-reliable and maintenance-free," then the diagnosis is obvious: mass delusion.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/last-gasp-landfill-economy?

I don't know the author but I'm an engineer, so I'll give my worthless 2 cents on the article's point:

1. Globalization's great gift wasn't low prices--it was the collapse of durability
I don't think that was ever promised, but the fundamental is that trade is a human nature before we have cold wars, and globalization is just a marketing term for better or worse. Is the goal low price? I don't think it always is, but the point is whenever there is an unbalance across different area, trade tends to balance the equation if both sides agree to a deal as long as it benefits them. Nobody would willingly agree to a money losing deal, both on our side or their side. Sometimes it solves a shortage problem, sometimes it solves a know how problem, and sometimes it is a better deal on one side than the other because we want to keep the other side away from trouble because they are too poor. It has nothing to do with durability because it is the consumers who decide what they want and how much to pay. I have bought a bunch of made in US stuff that's just as bad because the business is in poor condition run by private equity, and customers are short sighted and don't want to keep things for long anyways (fast fashion anyone? people throwing out old appliances and furniture because of fashion anyone?). The main reason for lower durability is because of inflation: we got poorer and want lower durability products and we will replace them as they go out of fashion before durability is the problem anyways. Want durability? buy more expensive stuff for commercial use, they tend to last way longer because people's income depends on it.

2. Globalization also accelerated another hyper-profitable gambit:
No, not everything is made of the same low quality components, only the fashionable one your fashionable wife wants. Many people don't want durability if they don't look fashionable, so businesses sell on fashion and not on durability (why do washers and driers come with various color and matching set?). Buy commercial grade stuff and they will last even if they are made in Vietnam or India, let alone China. They won't come cheap even if they are made oversea though, mind you.

3. A friend was showing us his 1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air.
People don't want the same thing from the past. Part of the durability is a compromise on fashion over quality and what is needed today (air conditioning, automatic transmission, 40mpg, 200hp, etc). You can keep selling that same car from the past and keep rebuilding it to last 1M miles, but most people would rather buy 4 base model Corolla instead, and get better mpg, air conditioning, etc. It won't be cool like a 1957 Bel Air but adjust for today's USD it is a better car and cheaper. That 1957 is not a higher quality car, not because it is made in US or not, but because it is just obsoleted, like a $3000 386 computer from 1992. The 1992 386 was durable though, but useless today.

4. Does anyone seriously believe that a chipset-software-dependent vehicle today will still be running 68 years from now?
If the demand is there yes you can build a replacement controller that's compatible for it. We have emulation that can run Playstation on PC, emulating old 6502 processor from 8 bit era in the 1980s on a $5 processor today, heck we still have some processor that is designed to be backward compatible to the old stuff 30 years ago because the demand is there and they are sold by the millions every year.

The problem is, nobody wants to keep a 30 year old car alive, and they are junked not because the ECU died. They are junked because transmission wears out, the body rust, the head gasket leaked, etc. People who happen to have a bad ECU can just pull another one from a junkyard (or pay a guy who pulled one from junkyard and sell it on eBay). Nobody is junking a car because an ECU broke. My car had an airbag computer broke and it is a 27 year old car, I can easily get one from ebay for $25 with a guarantee (because if it doesn't work the seller will pull another one off for me).

I can tell you what you cannot repair: a 1957 Bel Air will not have parts from a junkyard, because everyone got rid of them already. You have to custom build another part yourself if you want to keep fixing it today, costing you more than a 20 year old Corolla and is less durable. It is fine for a collectible but not for someone depending on it going to work on time every day.

Oh, BTW, I spend most of my work redesigning updates for old stuff to use new processors when those were obsoleted, basically updating the controller for new + existing functionality so they don't have to throw away old tools. I also have seen engineering lab of an R&D company building custom ECU for an engine they pull of a VW, Ford, GM, etc. There were no engine computer that would work for what they need so they just build one themselves. It is pretty easy if you buy the same parts and hire a couple software guys. There are companies licensing their framework and you just pay them to use it.

5. Our friend recounted a very typical story about repairing his recent-model pickup truck.
I don't know where you friend "borrow" that "diagnostic computer" from. Most cars can use a free phone app with a $5 OBD bluetooth connector to read code, and if you insist on buying a real tool, probably can use a $200 OBD scanner (and return it afterward if you insist). It is much easier to diagnose than a vacuum leak in an old car before computer era in terms of labor hours.

BTW many shops these days turn away old cars because they tend to be having problem one after another, and they can keep diagnosing them for free because customers blame them for everything after one ATF change or replace the spark plugs.





The biggest problem with durability is fashion and people not wanting to spend. There are good quality products if people want to pay for it but we are addicted to cheap and fashionable stuff instead of durability. When is the last time you see people buying a fridge because of a 15 year warranty and when is the last time you see some "must have refrigerator" because of a glass window? Things were more expensive back then so they were made better, and people tend to focus more on how long they last instead of how good it looks and throw away when things are out of fashion.

 

[eljefino]

We've been planning obsolescence for decades now. Consumer Reports called companies out for it in the 1950s. They've been figuring out how to make light bulbs burn out at a preset time since they started making light bulbs. I wouldn't blame "globalization", whatever that is.

Your washer example is a good one-- LG and Samsung have been using magnesium castings in parts that contact bleachy water. This corrodes and fails quickly. Do they know? They must. Is it cheaper? I'm not a metallurgist/ casting guy. Does it create a failure at a predetermined time? Seems like it.

My state, Maine, has a 4 year implied warranty on all new durable consumer goods. I used it once, on a Quick-Jack. It seems like a reasonable standard.

 

[Sam_Julier]

Folks,

Please keep politics and rant out of this thread.

Sam

 

[macarose]

It's not true. If anything, globalization in the auto industry has given us Japanese quality, German engineering standards, developing world affordability, and 'global' automakers that compete for the best talent available in dozens of countries instead of only a chosen few.

What has changed? Government regulations.

I am the co-developer of the Long-Term Quality Index. Our database has well over five million vehicles that have been inspected and appraised by mechanics all over the the USA. Model years stretch from 1993 to 2019 and this has been an ongoing study since 2013.

I can't speak for every industry. But the auto industry in particular has absolutely buckled under the weight of CAFE, EPA and other countries regulations that force customers to buy products that 'pollute' less, but 'consume' more.

It's not the modules or the computer systems that are the cause. It's the need to squeeze out every little MPG and safety standard that can be foisted on by government bureaucrats who don't really care about the long-term cost or quality of that product.

It's legislating mediocrity and obsolesence. Quality is no longer a given. Even with those automakers who have a solid reputation.

Every year since 2017 our results have become worse.

Every... single... year...

Direction injection. CVTs. Small-engine turbocharged cars. Dual-clutch transmissions. It's not that they are all junk. It's that automakers are forced to use these technologies along with multiple computer systems in ways that eventually reduce the durability of a vehicle.

What scares me is that HVAC systems, accident avoidance technologies, and safety equipment is becoming as expensive as the engines and transmissions. I won't even go into the higher cost of EV powertrain and body repairs, or the intentional use of expensive diagnostic equipment to keep independent shops and auto enthusiasts away from the vehicle.

It's a pointless situation. Government is causing most of the problem. Globalization if anything allows more highly skilled workers to overcome that burden.

 

[CarbonToast]

I'm pretty sure landfills and junkyards have existed for >100 years.

I wonder if cavemen ever made a new spear instead of repairing their old one?

Warranties are out of control. You have to be savvy and determine if you will actually be able to use the warranty.

Consumers are also out of control in their thinking that a product should be warranted forever and never break.

 

[SC Maintenance]

A lot of it is value engineering. If they make something that lasts a long time, that means the next generation can be made cheaper - ie more profit.

Remember the original Prius. Everyone said the battery would fail early causing the car to be scrapped. Toyota really didn;t have a lot of run time data to rely on so they over-designed the hybrid system. A lot of original Prius still run today, and many went hundreds of thousands of miles on the original battery.

Every generation since has been a value engineered, cheaper version of the original designed to cost less.

Still, remember in 1957 every gas station had a service station, and that 1957 Chevy used as a daily driver was in there often. They might have been easier to fix, but they needed fixing far more often.

 

[4WD]

It's not true. If anything, globalization in the auto industry has given us Japanese quality, German engineering standards, developing world affordability, and 'global' automakers that compete for the best talent available in dozens of countries instead of only a chosen few.

What has changed? Government regulations.

I am the co-developer of the Long-Term Quality Index. Our database has well over five million vehicles that have been inspected and appraised by mechanics all over the the USA. Model years stretch from 1993 to 2019 and this has been an ongoing study since 2013.

I can't speak for every industry. But the auto industry in particular has absolutely buckled under the weight of CAFE, EPA and other countries regulations that force customers to buy products that 'pollute' less, but 'consume' more.

It's not the modules or the computer systems that are the cause. It's the need to squeeze out every little MPG and safety standard that can be foisted on by government bureaucrats who don't really care about the long-term cost or quality of that product.

It's legislating mediocrity and obsolesence. Quality is no longer a given. Even with those automakers who have a solid reputation.

Every year since 2017 our results have become worse.

Every... single... year...

Direction injection. CVTs. Small-engine turbocharged cars. Dual-clutch transmissions. It's not that they are all junk. It's that automakers are forced to use these technologies along with multiple computer systems in ways that eventually reduce the durability of a vehicle.

What scares me is that HVAC systems, accident avoidance technologies, and safety equipment is becoming as expensive as the engines and transmissions. I won't even go into the higher cost of EV powertrain and body repairs, or the intentional use of expensive diagnostic equipment to keep independent shops and auto enthusiasts away from the vehicle.

It's a pointless situation. Government is causing most of the problem. Globalization if anything allows more highly skilled workers to overcome that burden.

I would absolutely love to buy a Tahoe without DFM so it would last like the 6.0L in the hard working Chevy panel vans …

 

[ecotourist]

Cheap "durable goods" aren't cheap. I'd be prepared to pay 50% more for durable goods with a real 10 or 15 year warranty, meaning the manufacturer will make rapid repairs if anything does go wrong. If something has a real 10 or 15 year warranty it'll probably last longer than that, which is what I'm really after.

I like stuff to last. Thus my 18 1/2 years with a Volvo, 18 or was it 19 years with a BMW, and my current Honda Accord - still going strong at 18 years old. If you buy a quality car and take care of it, it will last a very long time - or at least it used to. I can't imagine buying a new car every 2 or 3 years.

 

[Owen Lucas]

A good example of built in obsolescence / greed is the paper containers with crummy stickers to cover the dispenser holes for products such as Ajax and Barkeepers Friend.

What better way to sell a product that clumps up with exposure to air and humidity than by putting it in a poorly sealed paper container?

 

[PandaBear]

A lot of it is value engineering. If they make something that lasts a long time, that means the next generation can be made cheaper - ie more profit.

Remember the original Prius. Everyone said the battery would fail early causing the car to be scrapped. Toyota really didn;t have a lot of run time data to rely on so they over-designed the hybrid system. A lot of original Prius still run today, and many went hundreds of thousands of miles on the original battery.

Every generation since has been a value engineered, cheaper version of the original designed to cost less.

Still, remember in 1957 every gas station had a service station, and that 1957 Chevy used as a daily driver was in there often. They might have been easier to fix, but they needed fixing far more often.

To be fair. I was in a classroom analyzing the first Prius' feasibility in cost and gas saving, I think that was 1998. The conclusion we got was, this thing will never save you enough money in its lifetime on the gas saving over a Tercel.... ever.

Guess what, due to value engineering it is able to get 55mpg eventually instead of 44 or so, and sold a bit less, no longer costing that much over a gas car. It eventually stood on its own feet. Sometimes you don't know where you can cut cost with no consequence, and sometimes you went a bit too far. It takes time and experience.

 

[PandaBear]

It's not true. If anything, globalization in the auto industry has given us Japanese quality, German engineering standards, developing world affordability, and 'global' automakers that compete for the best talent available in dozens of countries instead of only a chosen few.

What has changed? Government regulations.

I am the co-developer of the Long-Term Quality Index. Our database has well over five million vehicles that have been inspected and appraised by mechanics all over the the USA. Model years stretch from 1993 to 2019 and this has been an ongoing study since 2013.

I can't speak for every industry. But the auto industry in particular has absolutely buckled under the weight of CAFE, EPA and other countries regulations that force customers to buy products that 'pollute' less, but 'consume' more.

It's not the modules or the computer systems that are the cause. It's the need to squeeze out every little MPG and safety standard that can be foisted on by government bureaucrats who don't really care about the long-term cost or quality of that product.

It's legislating mediocrity and obsolesence. Quality is no longer a given. Even with those automakers who have a solid reputation.

Every year since 2017 our results have become worse.

Every... single... year...

Direction injection. CVTs. Small-engine turbocharged cars. Dual-clutch transmissions. It's not that they are all junk. It's that automakers are forced to use these technologies along with multiple computer systems in ways that eventually reduce the durability of a vehicle.

What scares me is that HVAC systems, accident avoidance technologies, and safety equipment is becoming as expensive as the engines and transmissions. I won't even go into the higher cost of EV powertrain and body repairs, or the intentional use of expensive diagnostic equipment to keep independent shops and auto enthusiasts away from the vehicle.

It's a pointless situation. Government is causing most of the problem. Globalization if anything allows more highly skilled workers to overcome that burden.

I think government is only part of the problem. The other part is consumers want something other than durability. They want infotainment, sensors, touchless trunk open, 300hp, a lot and a lot of room, 5% better mpg every couple of years, towing, crew cab, alloy wheels, leather seats, and they don't want to pay more than 10 years ago after adjusting for inflation.

When was the last time someone drove a Camry till 250k miles and not trade in for another newer car? Between something that will last 300k vs 150k but 30% cheaper, most people would buy the one that last 150k and 30% cheaper. After all the low income used car buyers won't pay him back 30% more for a 150k car that's going to last another 150k vs a 150k that's a "who knows"?

About repair cost, these days it seems like most impossible to repair problems are because of labor cost per hour. It could be ok if we export them oversea and keep buying new cars.

 

[macarose]

I think government is only part of the problem. The other part is consumers want something other than durability. They want infotainment, sensors, touchless trunk open, 300hp, a lot and a lot of room, 5% better mpg every couple of years, towing, crew cab, alloy wheels, leather seats, and they don't want to pay more than 10 years ago after adjusting for inflation.

When was the last time someone drove a Camry till 250k miles and not trade in for another newer car? Between something that will last 300k vs 150k but 30% cheaper, most people would buy the one that last 150k and 30% cheaper. After all the low income used car buyers won't pay him back 30% more for a 150k car that's going to last another 150k vs a 150k that's a "who knows"?

About repair cost, these days it seems like most impossible to repair problems are because of labor cost per hour. It could be ok if we export them oversea and keep buying new cars.

I started Mileage Impossible thinking the exact same thing, "How many people out there are like me and want to keep a car forever and a day?".

Turns out there are millions according to the Facebook stats. A lot of auto enthusiasts are really just frugalists in drag. Even those who aren't into cars often times want to be long-term owners instead of perpetual traders or debtors.

I sold a 30 year old Camry wagon yesterday for $7000. Little old lady had it in the rust free area of the world and had it garaged. Maintained beautifully. If everything I buy wasn't food on the table for my family, I would have kept it.

We nailed the enduring goodness of cars decades ago.

 

[97prizm]

"Opinion article" from Zero Hedge.

Last Gasp Of The Landfill Economy​

Article's premises is that we have been living with products that are disposable on purpose. Unrepairable, poor parts, cheap design. It is amazing how I understand many of the author's assessments. Most noteworthy that even items under warranty that fail, and they do, and often an extereme challange to get serviced, making warrantys somewhat without true value. I myself had a recent episode with a months old Samsung washer, with all reciepts, unable to register the product, thus unable to file a warranty repair. Chats, emails, phone calls, did not allow the system to work becuase of a serial number problem. When I was a kid, new washers didn't break, and if the new washer did break one could drive to the selling store, report the issue, and they would send a repair from their store out.

From the article:
Globalization's great gift wasn't low prices--it was the collapse of durability, transforming the global economy into a Landfill Economy of shoddy products made of low-cost components guaranteed to fail, poor quality control, planned obsolescence and accelerated product cycles--all hyper-profitable, all to the detriment of consumers and the planet.

Globalization also accelerated another hyper-profitable gambit: . Since all the products are now made with the same low-quality components, they all fail regardless of brand or price. The $2,000 refrigerator lasts no longer than the $700 fridge. Since the manufacturers and retailers all know the products are destined for the landfill by either design or default, warranties are uniformly one-year--and it's semi-miraculous if the consumer can find anyone to act on replacing or repairing the failed product even with the warranty.

A friend was showing us his 1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air. Unlike the stainless steal and low-quality chrome of today, the original parts are still untarnished. Since the entire vehicle is analog, parts can be scrounged or fabricated or swapped out with a similar set-up.

Does anyone seriously believe that a chipset-software-dependent vehicle today will still be running 68 years from now? Analog parts can be cast or welded; customized chipsets and firmware coding cannot. The original components will all be history.

Our friend recounted a very typical story about repairing his recent-model pickup truck. Since the engine was no longer responding to the accelerator, he borrowed a diagnostic computer (horribly expensive to maintain due to the extortionist monthly fee to keep the software upgraded) and came up with zip, zero, nada.

After swapping out the fuel pump at great expense and finding the problem persisted, he went online to YouTube University and found one video that explained the relay box from the accelerator to the engine didn't show up in the diagnostic codes, so the problem could not be identified.

The relay box cost $400, and likely consisted of components worth no more than a few dollars each. So after $1,000 in parts and his own labor, the problem was finally fixed. If this qualifies as "super-reliable and maintenance-free," then the diagnosis is obvious: mass delusion.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/last-gasp-landfill-economy?

Yeah way too much is disposable in this country. However due to electronics cars are the cleanest and safest they've ever been. Add in the fact that computing power is many times more powerful than a few years ago. When I graduated high school in 2001 my environmental science class went to a newly opened landfill. They said it would be open for 30 years. there apparently is a north and south side. I was told it stopped accepting waste in 2020. Due to so many people moving to Colorado probably sped that up.

 

[Fed_Fuel]

Landfill economy seems about right. I repair as much of my stuff that's feasible to do, including phones.

I've noticed that sometimes the cost of replacement parts makes a repair not worth doing. The parts can be purchased, but often at a similar cost as a new unit. I wonder if this is partially because the supply chain is thousands of miles away.

 

[ecotourist]

My decision to repair or replace is based on the cost of parts, whether repair is feasible (often meaning, by me), my impression of how good the article is, and the cost of a new one. Two examples:

I junked a dishwasher of a non standard brand, of an unknown age - but seemed quite old, that wasn't doing a very good job when it was working, when the needed part alone was $200. I replaced it with a Bosch dishwasher.

I repaired a washing machine that was a good model of a reasonably good brand (Maytag), was fairly new, that did a good job when it worked, and I found a website that described how to do the otherwise expensive repair and offered the needed parts for $25. The repair estimate for a professional was $350 - $400. Took me one Saturday morning and I saved about $1200 which is what a replacement would have cost. It was still working fine 10 years later when we sold the house. In retrospect paying for the professional repair would have been a good idea too but you don't know that at the time.

 

[PandaBear]

I've noticed that sometimes the cost of replacement parts makes a repair not worth doing. The parts can be purchased, but often at a similar cost as a new unit. I wonder if this is partially because the supply chain is thousands of miles away.

I can probably speak for phones but not others (only guessing that they are similar).

The overhead cost of selling you 1 unit at a time is a lot higher than selling you 1000 unit, and 1000 unit at a time is slightly higher than selling you 1M unit at a time. I remember Foxconn's total profit margin on the labor cost (that's what their customers pay them subtract their cost like labor, factory, etc) was about 6%, and even lower for those other contract manufacturers like Compal, Quanta, Pegatron etc. If someone has to sell you 1 unit at a time they need to charge you at least 23% if they want the economy of scale of Target or Safeway, and for a small phone repair company probably 50% if they are cash only mom and pop (compare to the manufacturing cost not their import cost). Remember they are sitting in a strip mall replacing one phone screen at a time when the factory is assembling with robots.

Maybe you can factor in minimum wage labor cost difference being $3USD/hr vs $17, but that's only one part of the equation. I don't think it is possible to collect 1M phone at a time to do screen repair hence the economy of scale disadvantage. Even if things are made in the US, unless it is a self repair kit you are still going to have a cost disadvantage, and that's why it still make sense to sell broken stuff to 3rd world for repair then used in their local market.

 

[4WD]

A good example of built in obsolescence / greed is the paper containers with crummy stickers to cover the dispenser holes for products such as Ajax and Barkeepers Friend.

What better way to sell a product that clumps up with exposure to air and humidity than by putting it in a poorly sealed paper container?

View attachment 273394

Yep, opened like a biscuit tube for that final 1/3 contents scrub