3 ms·

Don’t we already have that right to repair in practice for ACs and related? In the last 3 years, I’ve repaired 1 window AC (bad bearings on the motor shaft),

Don’t we already have that right to repair in practice for ACs and related? In the last 3 years, I’ve repaired 1 window AC (bad bearings on the motor shaft), 1 free-standing AC (bad bearings on the motor leading to motor failure), and 2 portable dehumidifiers (low refrigerant charge). None were particularly difficult and I could source a used motor ($18.50 shipped from eBay), source the bearings by measurement (under $16 shipped for 8 bearings though I needed only 2), and R410a is a commodity ($300 for a 20# tank, used about 1.5 pounds total). Would it be easier if Fuji and Samsung and LG and others ran a parts depot that I could buy from? Maybe, but I’m probably not going to buy new parts from them anyway.

ehnto 3y ago
Yes certain commodity parts are pretty easy to get and replace, in fact the wear items I usually find are quite available on big appliances in particular. But getting a replacement circuit board or perhaps a proprietary bracket is often not possible. I don't think manufacturers should have to offer support in perpetuity though so it becomes an interesting problem. Like samsung shouldn't need to stock the front face of a washing machine for 15 years. Perhaps a better approach is making items that aren't possible to stock long term be made out of repairable materials so at least it can be repaired by a repairman. Repairmen are expensive now because the skillset disappeared, when everything became so cheap that it was easier to buy new. But I think we can and should bring local repair services back.
- PeterisP 3y ago
  Repairs are expensive because of extreme economies of scale. The marginal cost for Samsung to make another injection-moulded plastic front face for a washing machine is literally a few cents, including both material and labor; the cost for repairing it (no matter how repairable the materials are) or making a single new one in any other way than a mass-produced injection mold is easily at least 100 times more expensive, simply because it takes uncomparably more labor. This is a part where making and storing a huge excess of stock for the next 50 years is still cheaper than repairing even a tiny fraction of the parts. Perhaps requiring the manufacturers to provide either spare parts or if they are out of stock and no intent to sell them anymore, then requiring to provide STLs to 3D-print them could be a reasonable option. It still would be an order of magnitude (or two) more expensive compared to making the original parts (due to the immense economies of scale for plastic manufacturing), but it would still be cheaper than custom repairs locally.

ehnto 3y ago

Yes certain commodity parts are pretty easy to get and replace, in fact the wear items I usually find are quite available on big appliances in particular. But getting a replacement circuit board or perhaps a proprietary bracket is often not possible. I don't think manufacturers should have to offer support in perpetuity though so it becomes an interesting problem. Like samsung shouldn't need to stock the front face of a washing machine for 15 years. Perhaps a better approach is making items that aren't possible to stock long term be made out of repairable materials so at least it can be repaired by a repairman. Repairmen are expensive now because the skillset disappeared, when everything became so cheap that it was easier to buy new. But I think we can and should bring local repair services back.

PeterisP 3y ago
Repairs are expensive because of extreme economies of scale. The marginal cost for Samsung to make another injection-moulded plastic front face for a washing machine is literally a few cents, including both material and labor; the cost for repairing it (no matter how repairable the materials are) or making a single new one in any other way than a mass-produced injection mold is easily at least 100 times more expensive, simply because it takes uncomparably more labor. This is a part where making and storing a huge excess of stock for the next 50 years is still cheaper than repairing even a tiny fraction of the parts. Perhaps requiring the manufacturers to provide either spare parts or if they are out of stock and no intent to sell them anymore, then requiring to provide STLs to 3D-print them could be a reasonable option. It still would be an order of magnitude (or two) more expensive compared to making the original parts (due to the immense economies of scale for plastic manufacturing), but it would still be cheaper than custom repairs locally.