The Junk Age

[IQS.RLOW]

The chrome might be good but the rest of thing isn't.

Getting 500k+ out of a petrol engine was unheard of until tooling tolerances managed to significantly increase. Now even the cheapest cars will do that as long as they are treated carefully. Can you imagine a 5 year warranty on a Ford XD? Just the rust problems would have sent Ford broke.

[Outlaw Yogi]

The chrome might be good but the rest of thing isn't.

Of course, but then I did state steel's pitfall is it rusts.
My point was regarding the quality of the chrome plating. Good quality many decades ago, but crap in recent decades and still today. And the reason is because these days it's almost always a half-arsed job.
In the old days the steel was copper plated before chrome plating applied.
These days it's nickel plated, then chromed. That's 1 aspect, but the trick to good chrome is the metal polishing. While working at a custom wheel (for cars) business in Sydney we used to send our rims to Melbourne for chroming because no one in Sydney would do the polishing properly.

Upon closer inspection I figure the car I mentioned was probably a 1950s or 60s model, not 1930s or 40s as originally claimed, anyway this is it ...

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Now go to any wrecking yard that would keep 70s or 80s model vehicles, or a bushland car graveyard and find one with chrome plated parts (bumper [til late 70s] or strips around window [in 80s] like on an XD) that hasn't rusted. You'd be wasting your time, because they're not to be found.

This reduced quality regime I'm bitching about applies to almost anything, and it's all about most volume for least cost. Victor lawn mowers were of reasonable quality, now they're throw away Chinese junk. I had a Century car battery in a Falcon panel van that lasted 9 years. That was when battery cell plates were all lead. Buy one of these lead-aluminium alloy plate betteries Century flogs off now and you'll get about 1 year out of it, if you maintain your electrics.

The mine ruin, just 'coz I mentioned it ...

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Getting 500k+ out of a petrol engine was unheard of until tooling tolerances managed to significantly increase. Now even the cheapest cars will do that as long as they are treated carefully. Can you imagine a 5 year warranty on a Ford XD? Just the rust problems would have sent Ford broke.

When I was a kid my oldies had a 1966 XP falcon that did over a million miles.
I always knew when the old lady was coming because of the leaky manifold.

[Super Nova]

This reduced quality regime I'm bitching about applies to almost anything, and it's all about most volume for least cost. Victor lawn mowers were of reasonable quality, now they're throw away Chinese junk. I had a Century car battery in a Falcon panel van that lasted 9 years. That was when battery cell plates were all lead. Buy one of these lead-aluminium alloy plate betteries Century flogs off now and you'll get about 1 year out of it, if you maintain your electrics.

Yes. Noticed this. I would just top up the water or you could add some H2SO4 and good as new. I don't get more than 2 years out of a battery now.

Then again I could tune my car, change the petrol pump internals, replace the welsh plugs and even see the ground through the engine bay.

I need an expert for everything now.

However, car are much more reliable as IQ said if you do the regular maintenance.

Yogi... looks like the perfect candidate for a "Pimp my Ride" episode.

[Outlaw Yogi]

The car in the pic is well past restorinng. Has weeds growing through holes in the floor pan, but the rear bumper is in good nik. They can pimp my ute so long as they don't put in some whopping big stereo system that'll be obsolete in a few years, or give it a poofy paint job.

[Outlaw Yogi]

Well it seems the junk manufacturers have won.

Once upon a time Century batteries were a quality product.
I got 9+ years out of a Century car battery, so kept buying them.
Now Century batteries are junk, you're lucky to get 12 months out of one.
(now use calcium batteries - had one in my ute for 5 years now with no dramas)

Once upon a time Victa lawn mowers and brush cutters were a quality product.
I bought a new 2 stroke brush cutter in 2012 and had nothing but trouble with it.
Turns out Victa is now made in China, so junk!

I bought a new 4 stroke Masport brush cutter with a Honda motor, believing
Honda motors go forever. I've had nothing but dramas with it.
The casting cracked, the muffler falls of.
I ran it with too much oil and thought I blew the seals.
Had it worked on and wouldn't start.
Took it to different mob, who actually sell Honda brush cutters.
Said they put another carby on it. I ran it once, then wouldn't it rev hard enough to cut.
Took it back, they said they retuned it, now it'll start and run til I pull the trigger
and stalls. I looked for the fuel/air mixture screw and there isn't one.
Now I hear Hondas are made in China too, so junk!

I wont bother wasting time looking for a quality product anymore, because nobody
makes them. I'll just buy the cheapest junk available, thrash the phuk out of it and
chuck it away like a Bic shaver.

[Super Nova]

I purchased a battery 1 year ago for the 4x4 her in Dubai. Wife took it in for service, they said, it was at 96% when they tested it. I laughed and said, leave it. 2 weeks later had to buy a new battery as it started to appear to be having trouble turning over the car.

I was appalled and discussed the exact same thing. In the old days I got years out of a battery. It is a joke now. I cannot add water, acid or anything to extend it life. There must be just enough lead to last a year.

[Outlaw Yogi]

Lead/acid car/truck batteries have reduced their life span because the plates are now a lead-aluminium alloy to save on manufacturing costs.
The aluminium allows them to charge quicker and put out a strong charge, but they run down quickly and the plates dissolve quickly.

Apparently a British company bought up most of the world's lead mines and cut supply to drive up the price.

Calcium batteries are to go. I paid $300 for one in 2012 (apparently cheaper now) and it's never let me down.