Would you be willing to spend perhaps 10%
more on a new vehicle to achieve greatly enhanced roadworthiness in terms of
the following?
-
Improved reliability
-
Improved drivability and safety
-
Better serviceability and cheaper
maintenance
-
Higher performance with lower fuel
consumption
-
Greater resale value
Doesn't it seem strange that expensive luxury
marques are designed to the same basic standards as the least expensive cars
except for cosmetics such as Corinthian leather, multi-way power seats, landau
tops, tilting steering wheels, talking instrument panels, fancy stereo sound systems and satellite
navigation?
As you read on, you will quickly realize that
you are entitled to and should demand more for your money...a lot more. If you
recognize that a vehicle deficiency described in this web has caused you or others personal injury, liability for property damage, or significant
consequential loss, you might consider legal action based upon the theory of
inherent vice, defective product or disregard of potential liability with
prior knowledge; the motive for such legal action is not
pecuniary gain, but a powerful incentive to get the various automotive
manufacturers to seek a two-way dialogue with you, the user, and implement
known or feasible engineering solutions to long-existent problems. In the
spirit of libertarianism, it is hoped that private remedies for damages due to
industry negligence will act as a powerful incentive on industry decision
making, precluding the need for government intervention.
Some of the solutions suggested add negligible
manufacturing cost. Others will add to the retail price of new car purchase. I
estimate redesign to state-of-the art standards will cost 10% of the current
price of vehicles across the board, with
full recovery to the purchaser at trade-in due to resultant higher desirability
as a
used car. There exists now, using today's technology, to engineer out perhaps
nine out of ten sudden mechanical breakdowns which are at the least
inconvenient and expensive and at worst, life-threatening. From a libertarian
viewpoint, it is my hope that this web as well as efforts by others will prod
the manufacturers into gradually incorporating the technology to be presented
here into new models as they appear. Some suggested engineering solutions may
at first appear daunting, but rest assure that most have been used for many
years in the aircraft industry to achieve the ultra-high reliability and
durability needed for airborne travel; nothing here is truly inventive, and
everything in this web is public domain. The automotive industry should be
aware of virtually all the issues to be discussed, but to avoid the plea of
ignorance in private litigation matters, it is encouraged that legal
professionals bookmark this page for reference and dissemination to the
industry and government agencies.
In the event of government intervention, as in the historical cases
of requiring dual tail lamps and dual master brake cylinders, the added costs
involved to incorporate mandated equipment were burdened by all manufacturers, thus causing no one company a
competitive disadvantage. Such would be the case in the event that any of the
suggestions in this web may be incorporated into public policy via regulation. Of
course, it is always desirable for such government control to be a last
resort, with voluntary and spirited competition in the private sector being
driven by market forces...you the customer.
Topics to be discussed will include: