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Honestly from my perspective as an ex-gearhead, older cars die from engine failure but newer cars just tend to wear out (assuming maintenance). The whole suspen
by ip26 8y ago
Honestly from my perspective as an ex-gearhead, older cars die from engine failure but newer cars just tend to wear out (assuming maintenance). The whole suspension starts to go (shocks, springs, ball joints, rubber bushings everywhere) and body welds, door joints, etc start to crack and sag. All of this is fixable, but at too high a cost. Thus electric cars won't really help this, to my eyes.
Although, it's very possibly a legacy of planned obsolescence (the good cost-saving kind) where the engine would last 200k so the rest of the car was only made to last 200k as well. Perhaps as engines start to last far longer, the rest of the car will be built to match.
- Analemma_ 8y ago> Although, it's very possibly a legacy of planned obsolescence (the good cost-saving kind) where the engine would last 200k so the rest of the car was only made to last 200k as well. I think this is the answer. If a critical component of the car only lasts X miles, then building any other piece to last more than X miles is pure waste. As counterintuitive (and annoying) as it might seem, having all the parts of the car fail around the same time actually indicates that it was engineered perfectly.
- Aloha 8y agoYeah, this. Right around 2-300k you need to replace almost everything rubber in the suspension all at one.
- CamelCaseName 8y agoIs this because of the rubber drying out? My understanding is that this is why tires need to be replaced after 5-6 years and are not safetiable thereafter. The dried out rubber is much harder than when it was first made and no longer grips the road as strongly.
- bluedino 8y agoIf you drive 10-15,000 miles a year (about average), your tires will probably be bald anyway in 5-6 years
- Aloha 8y agoYes, largely, the rubber hardens or has otherwise become worn
- Aloha 8y agoTires actually dry rot from ozone exposure, theoretically, if you store a tire in an airtight container - it won't have a problem.
- imglorp 8y agoEven brake pads will last longer due to regen braking. A mechanic told me just today he's seeing Priuses in his shop at 80-100k with original pads.
- wbond 8y agoOr Toyota just makes high quality pads. The pads on our Sienna lasted 92k miles over 6 years.