On Saturday 24 October 2009 15:46:48 jon@dakota-truck.net wrote:
> Matt Beazer <teseract@moparhowto.com> wrote:
> > The main problem from what I've read with the stock ones is that they're
> > supposed to be "lifetime sealed", but the seals fail and let grit and
> > water in, and since they're not greasable to flush the crud out, you end
> > up with premature failure.
>
> This seems to be a theme in automotive design - reducing
> maintenance requirements, however its difficult to circumvent the laws
> of physics, so barring some radical redesign, folks just end up
> trading the maintenance hassle for the replacement hassle.
I see it as a reaction, not a cause. People don't maintain stuff they own, so
the engineers are tasked with finding ways to make it survive anyway, despite
the neglect. As you say, though, that has a cost as well.
> Another excellent example is the "maintenance free battery".
I hate those. "Ticking time bomb that will eventually leave you stranded
somewhere without warning" would be a better name for them.
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