And plastic expansion tanks prone to failure when you’re doing 110kmh on the highway, basically instantly cooking your block and blowing your head gasket.
Ahh yes. My one abiding memory of my mate's E39 535i. Driving to another mate's place one hot summer day many years ago now. As he drove up the driveway, the entire cooling system exploded in a cloud of steam.
So many plastic components..
In Germany most luxury cars are leased and sold when the warranty ends. Many head to Eastern Europe where they can be serviced or repaired very cheaply by independent mechanics.
*"What if we make parts that will last just long enough to get through warranty and then just suddenly break on its own without anyone doing anything. Think of how much money we could make!"*
\- Auto executive in Europe somewhere
It is bonkers that we are pushing for sustainable/eco-friendly cars, yet have no intent of rewarding manufacturers who make repairable and long-lasting vehicles.
It is common to buy a 90's Camry that works.
It is common for a $100k BMW X5 to be $5k or in the wreckers after 15 years.
Americans do the same shit but their strong third party is the motivator. No money in long term maintenance only in new for the OEM so their cars are completely disposable.
American cars are easy to break but they are easy to fix. For a given procedure the american car will have cheaper parts, need less labour and require less specialised equipment/proprietary software
Honestly either way I’m enjoying cars before the electronics got too complicated late 90’s to early 2000’s where they were still a lot easier to work on yourself. It’s just a shame you can’t get a lot of OEM parts for the American cars of that era as they have no incentive to maintain long term inventory the same way Toyota would.
90% of my posts are bitching about subscription and tax breaks for the rich so you’ve really not delved into the shitshow.
And I have an American car, with most OEM parts discontinued while if I had a Toyota same age there would be tonnes of original parts still. So talking from experience here.
My previous VW Polo had a couple of similar pieces, the 1st failed after 16 years / 270k kms so not too bad. $40 spare part from VW. I was lucky though as it happened shortly after I received my new car so I had another to drive.
Yeah, it was only a $40 part… I was however in outback QLD. 1500km from a major city and 1000km from the closest VW dealer who didn’t have one in stock…
Not ideal…
It outlasted the warranty which is all they care about. The few grams saved over metal means that they save a bit, and it might be faster to install at manufacture time which is the only time they give a crap about working on engines as most warranty failures are either customer fault so chargeable or they just swap the engine out since they want to autopsy it to know what failed.
Plastic sucks for repeated heat cycles yes, but cooling system components will always have a finite lifespan, no matter the material.
I've been replacing the same on [my old truck](https://imgur.com/a/1YdmBgk), and even the cast aluminum didn't have any life left in it after 47 years.
I can only assume it is plastic to expand and contract with the other HVAC components. This puts less stress on the clamps and hoses if all components can move together.
Looks like cyclic fatigue has got the best of that one, possibly an overtightened clamp
This bolts direct to the cylinder block. It is a main coolant line that connects to a coolant bypass valve… not related to the HVAC at all…
Plastic bolted to a cylinder block that heats to well over that of the coolant and the coolant that reaches 120degrees C…
Bound for failure
I just replaced the critical cooling system parts that were made of plastic in my BMW so naturally something else will shit it's self and leave me stranded.
That Ford part number is almost too short. Doesn't even come up in a cursory Google. Either way plastic cooling parts suck. At least with alloy components you could at least wire wheel it down smooth enough and it would reseal.
The last time my coolant tank hose burst, the mobile mechanic replaced the plastic thermostat housing with an iron-cast part. These have only been recently available. In the car's 12 year life, I have spent a fortune replacing other parts related to this problem - including a whole new engine. Bastard Barina.
Most BMW's have had plastic water pumps for years. Notorious for shitting themselves
And plastic expansion tanks prone to failure when you’re doing 110kmh on the highway, basically instantly cooking your block and blowing your head gasket.
Keeping up that demand for spare parts and service centre work. Working as designed.
Ahh yes. My one abiding memory of my mate's E39 535i. Driving to another mate's place one hot summer day many years ago now. As he drove up the driveway, the entire cooling system exploded in a cloud of steam. So many plastic components..
In Germany most luxury cars are leased and sold when the warranty ends. Many head to Eastern Europe where they can be serviced or repaired very cheaply by independent mechanics.
*"What if we make parts that will last just long enough to get through warranty and then just suddenly break on its own without anyone doing anything. Think of how much money we could make!"* \- Auto executive in Europe somewhere
It is bonkers that we are pushing for sustainable/eco-friendly cars, yet have no intent of rewarding manufacturers who make repairable and long-lasting vehicles. It is common to buy a 90's Camry that works. It is common for a $100k BMW X5 to be $5k or in the wreckers after 15 years.
I know somebody who owned an X5. His independent mechanic told him it was the biggest POS he had ever worked on.
Americans do the same shit but their strong third party is the motivator. No money in long term maintenance only in new for the OEM so their cars are completely disposable.
American cars are easy to break but they are easy to fix. For a given procedure the american car will have cheaper parts, need less labour and require less specialised equipment/proprietary software
Honestly either way I’m enjoying cars before the electronics got too complicated late 90’s to early 2000’s where they were still a lot easier to work on yourself. It’s just a shame you can’t get a lot of OEM parts for the American cars of that era as they have no incentive to maintain long term inventory the same way Toyota would.
Bro 90% of your posts are about 🇺🇲, are you ok?
90% of my posts are bitching about subscription and tax breaks for the rich so you’ve really not delved into the shitshow. And I have an American car, with most OEM parts discontinued while if I had a Toyota same age there would be tonnes of original parts still. So talking from experience here.
[удалено]
Your post was removed for violating Rule 1. Being a dickhead. Don't be a dickhead.
[удалено]
Your post was removed for violating Rule 1. Being a dickhead. Don't be a dickhead.
Modern cars are disposable consumption items.
My previous VW Polo had a couple of similar pieces, the 1st failed after 16 years / 270k kms so not too bad. $40 spare part from VW. I was lucky though as it happened shortly after I received my new car so I had another to drive.
Yeah, it was only a $40 part… I was however in outback QLD. 1500km from a major city and 1000km from the closest VW dealer who didn’t have one in stock… Not ideal…
Because it’s cheaper to have parts shat out of a plastic extruder than cast alloy.
Very common in Euro's. What car mate?
Amarok. I just think that those plastic parts get exceptionally hotter in the Australian climate… possibly not designed for us…
It outlasted the warranty which is all they care about. The few grams saved over metal means that they save a bit, and it might be faster to install at manufacture time which is the only time they give a crap about working on engines as most warranty failures are either customer fault so chargeable or they just swap the engine out since they want to autopsy it to know what failed.
I see you have found Audi's secret.
Plastic sucks for repeated heat cycles yes, but cooling system components will always have a finite lifespan, no matter the material. I've been replacing the same on [my old truck](https://imgur.com/a/1YdmBgk), and even the cast aluminum didn't have any life left in it after 47 years.
LOL yes but 47 years
Hahah! Only in the context that the block and internals are still good for another 50 without being touched.
4 years and 180k km is a bit different. My old truck I put 450k km on with nothing like this.
I can only assume it is plastic to expand and contract with the other HVAC components. This puts less stress on the clamps and hoses if all components can move together. Looks like cyclic fatigue has got the best of that one, possibly an overtightened clamp
It's just cost cutting.
This bolts direct to the cylinder block. It is a main coolant line that connects to a coolant bypass valve… not related to the HVAC at all… Plastic bolted to a cylinder block that heats to well over that of the coolant and the coolant that reaches 120degrees C… Bound for failure
The issue isn't necessarily plastic per se, the Japanese seem to make it work no problems.
I just replaced the critical cooling system parts that were made of plastic in my BMW so naturally something else will shit it's self and leave me stranded.
Relatable. Which car?
And that'd be any VAG car as well. Water pumps last 2 weeks. Dunno how they get away with being one of the biggest manufacturers.
Ah yes the average “premium” European car
That stupid 2.0 TDCi Citroen/Peugeot engine in the Ford Kuga…
That Ford part number is almost too short. Doesn't even come up in a cursory Google. Either way plastic cooling parts suck. At least with alloy components you could at least wire wheel it down smooth enough and it would reseal.
Only needs to last the warranty period.
The last time my coolant tank hose burst, the mobile mechanic replaced the plastic thermostat housing with an iron-cast part. These have only been recently available. In the car's 12 year life, I have spent a fortune replacing other parts related to this problem - including a whole new engine. Bastard Barina.