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How do you know how repairable something is at the time of buy? It would be nice if companies were required to provide information about their products' wear p

How do you know how repairable something is at the time of buy? It would be nice if companies were required to provide information about their products' wear parts, their expected lifetime, whether they're replaceable and what tools are necessary to do so, etc.

pmontra 4y ago
You ask the seller or you research the product. Or more probably buy whatever is on the shelf and has the right price. Surprises are left for later on but people will learn again how to deal with that. Repairing was common not to many years ago and we were no more geniuses back then than we are now.
- zanecodes 4y ago
  What incentive does the seller have to be honest? They could easily claim something is "repairable," and then when someone calls them out for using pentalobe screws, glued glass displays, and soldered-in storage and memory, reply "That's repairable, you just need a pentalobe screwdriver set, a heat gun, spudgers, a high quality soldering iron and flux, and a reflow soldering station." I'd just like to be able to see (before I buy) objective numbers for things like SSD write lifetime, display burn-in rate, and battery capacity degradation next to information about what kind of tools I would need to replace them myself, and maybe how much it costs to have the manufacturer replace them, if they offer that service. That way I can decide that maybe I'm okay with a soldered battery, since it will probably last 10 years with my usage patterns and the manufacturer will replace it for $60. I'm somewhat sympathetic to the idea that companies shouldn't be _forced_ to make their products repairable at the expense of other design considerations, but they should certainly be forced to be upfront about it if they don't.
- supportlocal4h 4y ago
  Reputation is a real thing. Hyundai left the U.S. market in part because a disastrous reputation made sales difficult. When they returned, they knew they had to overcome their existing rep. They offered warranties that meant the consumer couldn't lose. Then they proved that their new offerings were industry best at reliability and maintainability. Even today they put their money where their mouth is beyond anything "Detroit" is willing to match. And they have flipped the field. Now it's competitors like GM that suffer rep problems. Kitchenaid built an amazing rep. More recently they have moved to plastic parts. Their rep will reflect that. For better or worse, Linux and Windows still feel the effects of decades of reputation.
recycledmatt 4y ago
Ifixit has repair ratings on devices. You can look at things like LEED certs on some as well

pmontra 4y ago

You ask the seller or you research the product. Or more probably buy whatever is on the shelf and has the right price. Surprises are left for later on but people will learn again how to deal with that. Repairing was common not to many years ago and we were no more geniuses back then than we are now.

zanecodes 4y ago
What incentive does the seller have to be honest? They could easily claim something is "repairable," and then when someone calls them out for using pentalobe screws, glued glass displays, and soldered-in storage and memory, reply "That's repairable, you just need a pentalobe screwdriver set, a heat gun, spudgers, a high quality soldering iron and flux, and a reflow soldering station." I'd just like to be able to see (before I buy) objective numbers for things like SSD write lifetime, display burn-in rate, and battery capacity degradation next to information about what kind of tools I would need to replace them myself, and maybe how much it costs to have the manufacturer replace them, if they offer that service. That way I can decide that maybe I'm okay with a soldered battery, since it will probably last 10 years with my usage patterns and the manufacturer will replace it for $60. I'm somewhat sympathetic to the idea that companies shouldn't be _forced_ to make their products repairable at the expense of other design considerations, but they should certainly be forced to be upfront about it if they don't.
supportlocal4h 4y ago
Reputation is a real thing. Hyundai left the U.S. market in part because a disastrous reputation made sales difficult. When they returned, they knew they had to overcome their existing rep. They offered warranties that meant the consumer couldn't lose. Then they proved that their new offerings were industry best at reliability and maintainability. Even today they put their money where their mouth is beyond anything "Detroit" is willing to match. And they have flipped the field. Now it's competitors like GM that suffer rep problems. Kitchenaid built an amazing rep. More recently they have moved to plastic parts. Their rep will reflect that. For better or worse, Linux and Windows still feel the effects of decades of reputation.

recycledmatt 4y ago

Ifixit has repair ratings on devices. You can look at things like LEED certs on some as well