Pre-Planned Obsolescence

[marc hildebrant]

Besides the Model A, I enjoy fixing up old radio's and old clocks.

The idea that all things were built better in the past just is not true. Many of the old clocks from the 1800's were made very poorly and were low cost. Also, radio's from the 1930's had poor mechanical construction and often poor electrical designs.

During WW2, the same manufactures made outstanding quality products when they needed to.

The Model A was made well only because Ford made a choice to do that. It had nothing to do with the time period.

Marc

[jim galli]

Oh, you guys are all weepy about your Model A's. Heck they put a cork from a wine bottle on those things and they knew full well it would quit working 83 years later! Sounds like pre-planned obsolescence to me!!

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Originally Posted by jim galli

Oh, you guys are all weepy about your Model A's. Heck they put a cork from a wine bottle on those things and they knew full well it would quit working 83 years later! Sounds like pre-planned obsolescence to me!!

Yep!
And I'll bet "THEY" made a FORTUNE jist sellin' CORKS!!!!!! Buster T.

[dumb person]

Originally Posted by dennisonk1957

I find the gas gauge a thing of beauty and want one for my desk top in my high school English class...I think it would make a great conversation piece.

Maybe if you can get a strip of alloy and a few numbers stamped on it for the gauge readout you could cut one the rest from some foam and paint it silver as a display piece until you can find a real one.

[bgarrett]

There is no such word as 'pre-plan'. There is no such concept as 'pre-plan'. All of that is covered under the definition of the word 'plan'. Spell check agrees with this.

I used POR15 in the letters of my gas gauge. Its been holding up well for 10 years

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

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Originally Posted by bgarrett

There is no such word as 'pre-plan'. There is no such concept as 'pre-plan'. All of that is covered under the definition of the word 'plan'. Spell check agrees with this.

I used POR15 in the letters of my gas gauge. Its been holding up well for 10 years

B.G,
I know about POR15, but what the hek is Spel-Chek??? Somewhere on my computor, I saw grammar chek, but was afraid to click on it. I'm ALSO afraid to EVER click on anything that says DEFAULT!! (sOUNDS bad!!) BILL w.

[Special Coupe Frank]

Originally Posted by bgarrett

I used POR15 in the letters of my gas gauge. Its been holding up well for 10 years

How did you apply the POR-15 to the gauge lettering ?

[hoss73ford]

In 2005, I bought a new Maytag made in Mexico fridge. Within 4 years it was junk, needing over $400 in repairs. Around that time I bought an old Coca Cola cooler from a flea market built in 1937. Its still cools whatever I have in it as all I did was change to a modern plug & wire. I plan to add more of the same stuff from the era in the future. Ok--so they may not be energy efficient but I'm paying the bill.

[Shadetree]

I could be wrong and I have no way of knowing for sure but the factory gas gauge in our `46 Aeronca Champ is the same as the Model A.

Bud Reynolds

[Blownflatheaddeuce]

I remember reading it was Alfred P Sloan who "introduced" planned obsolescence realising that margins on new car sales would decrease and that the real $$$ was in the parts/servicing/maintenance.

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by marc hildebrant

Many of the old clocks from the 1800's were made very poorly and were low cost. Also, radio's from the 1930's had poor mechanical construction and often poor electrical designs.

200 year old poorly made clocks and they are still around?
80+ year old poorly constrcted radios and they too are still available to work on?

Why would anyone save junk for all those years?

[Special Coupe Frank]

Originally Posted by Mike V. Florida

200 year old poorly made clocks and they are still around?
80+ year old poorly constrcted radios and they too are still available to work on?

Why would anyone save junk for all those years?

And the above are "fixable"...

(Just sayin'...)

[Fe26]

Originally Posted by bgarrett

There is no such word as 'pre-plan'. There is no such concept as 'pre-plan'. All of that is covered under the definition of the word 'plan'. Spell check agrees with this.

I used POR15 in the letters of my gas gauge. Its been holding up well for 10 years

Thank you bgarret, I'm over here from the V8 Forum and was going to finally vent on the thing that's been bugging me ever since this 'post' went up. Every time (daily) I log into Fordbarn I'm annoyed at the title of this post. I've ignored it hoping it would go away soon enough, but it finally got to me.

I've even tried to amuse myself wondering what a Pre-Plan might actually be, I have decided that the only people who could make any sense out of such a notion would be comedians. I am not one of those, so Pre-Planned remains senseless to me.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Fe26, it (pre-planned) always bugs me too, and I was hoping this thread would get lost in past pages, but now you brought it back to the top!

[dumb person]

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

Fe26, it (pre-planned) always bugs me too, and I was hoping this thread would get lost in past pages, but now you brought it back to the top!

i think it means "Before planned obsolescence".

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by dumb person

i think it means "Before planned obsolescence".

You're right, it would have to, since there is no such thing as pre-planed obsolescence, as it first seems to read.

[Fe26]

See...We're into the comedy already. 'Pre' used as a prefix dosn't work gramatically in the description of what follows. If the author wished to convey the notion of finite durability as a plan then he could have said 'Before planned obsolesence...' or similar words.

Sorry about the resurrection Tom.

[moefuzz]

I inadvertently stumbled upon this blog/article and the subsequent replies.



....The few words written were inspiring in that it helped to renew my faith in this group (of forums)
and especially in those who work tirelessly and who immerse themselves in of each every waking hour
to make this place -a better place to be-


(I confess, I begrudgingly spend too much time reading and battling within the likes of the -other- main forum).


moe




.

[bgarrett]

Thanks for the comments guys. I was afraid I might get banned for saying it. Another is 'signage'. What the heck is wrong with 'signs'? Something undesirable is happening to our language. On another forum a guy got very upset when I pointed out that the car had no bumpers, after he commented that the bumpers were painted. Turns out he was talking about the grille. Our ability to communicate depends on accepted definitions and we seem to be losing that. To a teenager the word 'gay' means 'there is something wrong'.

[studearch]

Why is this idea obsolete today? I wish Ford, among others, would bring it back! Why? Because I got a quote to replace the heater blend door of my 2001 F150. It's a plastic door buried in the heater mechanism that could be just as cheaply built with steel or aluminum. To get to it, you have to drop the steering column and remove the entire dashboard, detach a myriad of plastic clips, and go through the glove compartment. Who designs this stuff? Replace the $12 door, put it back together again, 10-15 hours and $1200 later it's fixed. This is a utility vehicle! Gimme a box on the firewall that I can remove and replace myself with a screwdriver.
I've been told they do this so I have to return it to the dealer to help his profit margin. Do you think this will convince me to buy another F150? Not likely. I think there's a market for vehicles that last and are easily, cheaply repaired by the owners with simple tools. It worked once and it's time has come again.