How long do USA auto manufacturers HAVE TO keep parts available ?

[3930dave]

A lot of this is due to outsourcing...

There was a time when auto companies make their own parts or at least most of them.

The wood in a Model A came from a Ford forest was transported on Ford rail cars to a Ford ship and then fabricated in a Ford shop for installation on the Ford assembly line... same for iron ore and vanadium steel... Ford made the wheels, transmission, differential, axles etc...

I run into this on a daily basis with medical equipment... today I have a very expensive Nitrous Oxide Hospital gas manifold system and the parts I checked on are no longer made... was told I could have the sales staff quote me for replacement... same with the fluoro scans that use CRT monitors... simply no only made... just like control pendants for 40k OR tables or Patient Monitors that cost 10k a pop...

From a different industry, but the old phrase "We hire contractors, so that we have somebody to blame things on", comes to mind.

One characteristic I find common with my close friends is that they are accountable for their actions.

I find it harder to short-list companies who pass the same test.

Many of those companies would argue that they are accountable in only one respect - To Wall Street. That is one reason that privately owned companies get my attention - unfortunately, the few that make cars are way outside my snack bracket....

Companies can hide behind legal position statements ("Our (now bankrupt, because they were stupid enough to do business with us) supplier screwed that up" or "Naahhh, that was the Evil Captain Kirk talking, don't pay any attention" (oblique SNL reference))..... those, and $2, will get you a cup of coffee.

I started this thread thinking about 10 year time frames..... I'm now coming to think that Part Lifecycle surveys across this industry may turn up interesting results at not much more than 5 years !

(Another one.... recent Avalanche (est. 2010) sitting at my buddy's shop.... no replacement fuel pumps are being made yet, as it's too new. It's now starting to look like with some vehicles, once you subtract the time that it's Too New, from the point where it is Too Old, there aren't that many months that replacement parts are available !).

Rgds, D.

 

[Capricious]

"..I would personally trade complexity for longevity..."




Agreed. 100%




I don't need a truck with rear view cameras, blue teeth, digital surround sound, video monitor displays, 8-way electric seats, remote start, electric lowering rear cab window, alloy wheels, leather, etc. etc. etc.

I need a truck with the correct drivetrain, vinyl seats, rubber floor mats, manual windows & door locks, decent life span, and (in my opinion) a reasonable price.

I don't care if anyone is "impressed" with it or not. I only care that it does the jobs I need it to do, and that it does them for a long time.




EDITED TO ADD: Oh, and I don't particularly care what brand it is, as I have an equally-low opinion of all of them. Most likely my next truck will be whatever brand will allow me to pick and choose what heavy-duty options i want, without having to buy "packages" containing crap i don't want.

 

[crazyal]

You're not going to get a choice. Rear view cameras are going to be standard (yet if they break it's not really a show stopper as far as drivability goes). Traction and stability control are standard and require plenty of sensors to determine g-force, wheel speeds, etc. Air bags require lots of sensors as well. It's actually cost more to make windows with the old crank up handles thanks to the demand for electric windows. Emission systems are getting more complicated thanks tot he EPA. Above all else everything in a car is now controlled by a computer.

The good old days of a 1/2 ton truck with vinyl floor mats and bench seat and a simple AM radio are long dead. Two wires to power the coil and a mechanical fuel pump engines are history. In some ways that's good. Points sucked, tune ups (points, plugs, d-cap and rotor, and plug wires) were too common. Back in the day 100k miles was a good amount. Today 100k is about how far you make it before having to do any service (other than oil changes).

 

[Capricious]

."... Points sucked, tune ups (points, plugs, d-cap and rotor, and plug wires) were too common..."



I agree that I will not have a choice.

I disagree about ignition points, however. Points & condenser ignition systems are great. Even with my old-age-affected eyesight I can tell if points are pitted, or if a condenser has an external short, and even if i can't, the parts are cheap-enough to just replace everything if there is a problem.

I wish the "black boxes" of modern ignition systems were so cheap...

 

[ultrarunner]

I was thinking this on the way into work today with my 85 work truck... crank handles, rubber floor mats and an AM radio... It has done all I've needed for 29 years with a few repairs... 75k on water pumps, 25 years on the Radiator and still using the same brake calipers, discs and rear drums, carburetor... oh, battery every 7-8 years...

AND the non-clear coat paint is not peeling like many newer vehicles...

 

[Capricious]

I was thinking this on the way into work today with my 85 work truck... crank handles, rubber floor mats and an AM radio... It has done all I've needed for 29 years with a few repairs... 75k on water pumps, 25 years on the Radiator and still using the same brake calipers, discs and rear drums, carburetor... oh, battery every 7-8 years...

AND the non-clear coat paint is not peeling like many newer vehicles...

I can't quite get that much life out of a vehicle; too much road salt. The 1986 Toyota pickup i bought new (only option: a step bumper, and i got it cheaper by bolting it on myself) rusted out @ 160,000 miles and about 8 years.

When it comes to options, one question i ask myself: "would I pay to fix it if it broke?" If not, I don't want it on the vehicle. I have lost count of how many times i have ridden in vehicles where someone has jambed a screwdriver or something against the window because the electric windows are broken and the owner won't pay to fix them. Why have them in first place?

 

[DarkBlack]

I don't know about automobiles, but I do know that Harley Davidson has stated that they WILL NOT BE OBLIGATED to provide parts nor repair service for motorcycles over 10 years old. They do say that while they will not be obligated to provide such, parts and service MAY be available based on dealer stock and service availability.

That's funny. Until about 10 years ago I always considered Harley to be a company making millions of dollars on an un-improved design from the 1930's.
I figured a spare part for a 1930's bike could be bought as a part for a new bike. Of all companies to make such a statement:laughing:

 

[ultrarunner]

I'm guilty of not fixing my A/C on the 85... when it went out I decided not to spend the money to update... really have not missed it other than the occasional scorcher.

On the other hand... I would fix it in a heartbeat if my 29 year old truck if it was exempt from Smog testing.

When I bought it, smog was 25 years and then exempt... then legislature moved it to 30 years and now it is anything 1976 and newer... hate to put in the effort only to find out truck won't smog...

California emission program has put many cars off the road... often parts just are not available for a vehicle pushing 40 years old...

 

[3930dave]

"..I would personally trade complexity for longevity..."




Agreed. 100%




I don't need a truck with rear view cameras, blue teeth, digital surround sound, video monitor displays, 8-way electric seats, remote start, electric lowering rear cab window, alloy wheels, leather, etc. etc. etc.

I need a truck with the correct drivetrain, vinyl seats, rubber floor mats, manual windows & door locks, decent life span, and (in my opinion) a reasonable price.

I don't care if anyone is "impressed" with it or not. I only care that it does the jobs I need it to do, and that it does them for a long time.




EDITED TO ADD: Oh, and I don't particularly care what brand it is, as I have an equally-low opinion of all of them. Most likely my next truck will be whatever brand will allow me to pick and choose what heavy-duty options i want, without having to buy "packages" containing crap i don't want.

There seems to be a split on here.... some guys want ALL the bells/whistles/toys etc you can load onto a truck, while the rest want KISS.

I'm betting that many of the ToyBoyz don't keep a new truck much past 5 years, 7 max.

I'd prefer to see time/effort/money going into real driver education and upgrading, but as that's about as likely to happen as me winning a major lottery, we'll continue to see the ongoing penetration of tech into car safety systems. More treating symptoms w/o addressing the disease... but enough of that soap box.....

Aside from EFI and electronic ignition, I'd want the rest of the truck all-mechanical, w. a stick transmission.

Rgds, D.

 

[DuckSlayer1017]

Just curious: are you aware of any difference in the time table for mechanical parts vs. cosmetic parts?

I'm not but familiar with any difference but I don't deal with a lot of the aftermarket in my position.