"Shortwave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 13 Dec 2005 13:48:40 -0500, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Tue, 13 Dec 2005 17:36:53 GMT, "Doug Kanter"
wrote:

Should we assume the Ford engineers also knew plastic could melt?

Someone did an analysis that showed the plastic would not melt until a
month after the warranty expired. After being hailed as a cost saving
genius, they were promoted into senior management to look for other
similar "opportunities". And so another once great industry slid into
decline...

You laugh - did you know on the newer Ford mid-size cars and smaller
like the Focus, that you can't just remove the brake rotors and turn
them? They have to be replaced? The last time I did the brakes on
the F-250, it was cheaper to buy new rotors rather than have the old
ones turned.

Marketing run amok, my friends. :)

Not so much marketing, as cafe standards. The fuel efficiency of engines
has not increased enough to keep up with the standards, and there is only so
much aerodynamics they can work with, so as a result they lighten the
load....I know several ford engineers (part of our local alumni group) and
they talk about the infights they get into over fractions of ounces for
individual parts, when it is all added up, the weight of the vehicle
decreases, increasing the fuel economy, the down side is, the parts wear
out quicker and break easier which equates to higher repair
costs........damn guvmint.