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Cars have been so well-built for so long that car companies doing this crap with data (remember that Ford's outgoing CEO talked about monetizing driving data) s

by OldHand2018 6y ago

Cars have been so well-built for so long that car companies doing this crap with data (remember that Ford's outgoing CEO talked about monetizing driving data) should cause people (that care) to just stop buying new cars. Bonus: you don't have to agree to forced arbitration for any defects you encounter!

jkaplowitz 6y ago
In much of the world, the forced arbitration clauses are illegal and unenforceable anyway for consumer contracts (though often not when the purchase is for business rather than consumer purposes). And there is a bill in Congress that would apply a similar approach to the US if the Democrats manage to take control of the federal government and don't lose their desire to enact the law once they gain the ability to do so. I admit I'm not sure what the situation would be if I buy a new personal Toyota in my current residence (Quebec, Canada - forced consumer arbitration is illegal) and then later import it into the US as part of a move there. But I'm hoping I'd avoid the trap. At least the current version of the congressional bill is retroactive in its restoration of access to the courts. I hope that stays true in any final version.
TheGrim-888 6y ago
The problem is that it's such a slim majority of the people that care. The sad truth is that the vast, vast, majority of people are completely uninformed. A significant percentage of them wouldn't even understand your concerns if you tried to explain it. All they care about is what vehicle has a big shiny entertainment screen, where the salesman has promised a low enough monthly payment. That's it. 99.99% of people buying a car don't care what the drivetrain is, what differentials are in it, what engine is in it, how anything works, nor do they care. I wonder what percentage of buyers know whether the car they just bought is a FWD/RWD/AWD/etc vehicle, or even know the difference. I think the sad truth is that because of this there's no market pressure to do things right. There's also the problem of regulation and vehicle manufacturers basically being forced into doing stuff like this as time goes by.

jkaplowitz 6y ago

In much of the world, the forced arbitration clauses are illegal and unenforceable anyway for consumer contracts (though often not when the purchase is for business rather than consumer purposes). And there is a bill in Congress that would apply a similar approach to the US if the Democrats manage to take control of the federal government and don't lose their desire to enact the law once they gain the ability to do so. I admit I'm not sure what the situation would be if I buy a new personal Toyota in my current residence (Quebec, Canada - forced consumer arbitration is illegal) and then later import it into the US as part of a move there. But I'm hoping I'd avoid the trap. At least the current version of the congressional bill is retroactive in its restoration of access to the courts. I hope that stays true in any final version.

TheGrim-888 6y ago

The problem is that it's such a slim majority of the people that care. The sad truth is that the vast, vast, majority of people are completely uninformed. A significant percentage of them wouldn't even understand your concerns if you tried to explain it. All they care about is what vehicle has a big shiny entertainment screen, where the salesman has promised a low enough monthly payment. That's it. 99.99% of people buying a car don't care what the drivetrain is, what differentials are in it, what engine is in it, how anything works, nor do they care. I wonder what percentage of buyers know whether the car they just bought is a FWD/RWD/AWD/etc vehicle, or even know the difference. I think the sad truth is that because of this there's no market pressure to do things right. There's also the problem of regulation and vehicle manufacturers basically being forced into doing stuff like this as time goes by.