New Refrigerators, Washing Machines, Furniture and Tires Will All Have to Last Longer, Europe Mandates
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That's weird. I'm changing tires every 2 to 3 years and so is the norm in Europe.
They did mention being a driving instructor. Driving (and teaching students to drive) all day every day is going to put a lot more wear on the tires than a typical driver.
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A welcome mandate, especially for electronics. However people are already throwing away so much perfectly fine furniture that I don‘t think it will help much in that regard. A lot of people want something new, not something that just works.
This is absolutely true and sad, though I get a lot of free electronics to dismantle by rummaging through trash. People have no appreciation of the value of "used" items that either work perfectly fine or have a minor issue that prevents them from working but is easily fixable, e.g. a broken cable (I have many working devices that were thrown away because the cable is severed, which I could easily fix). I think only proper education in this regard will improve things long term.
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That last point sticks with me.
I always used to get the cheapest, shittest tyres just because cost, but since I became a driving instructor a few years back I got into the mentality of thinking "I need decent tyres because I don't want my learners to lose control of the car"
Normally I'd buy tyres once every 6-8 months after squeezing out every morsel of life from them, but my current Bridgestone tyres have been on for nearly a year now - doing driving instructor mileage on top of my usual - and they're not showing any signs of needing replacing yet.
The fact is I'm actually saving money doing it this way, because whilst the tyres are more expensive, I'm replacing them much less often.
I'm going to try out Pirelli next because it sounds like they've started lining the inside of some of their tyres with that puncture repair stuff and padding them out with foam to significantly reduce road noise.
Obligatory Pratchett:
The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money.
Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles.
But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.
This was the Captain Samuel Vimes 'Boots' theory of socioeconomic unfairness.
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That feels like a move on the slippery slope from a market economy to a planning economy.
The objective is honorable, but better value should come from customer choices, not from regulations.
Instead of making those rules and establishing institutions that enforce them, the EU should create infrastructure that allows consumers to compare products objectively. Add the opportunity to finance more expensive but also more durable products easily and there is no need to suffocate everything in regulations.
but better value should come from customer choices, not from regulations.
You mean lower value should come from misleading advertisement, incomplete information, irrational behaviour of actors, and other forms of market failure. Because that is how it works out in the real world.
Also, quoth the constitution (or well what passes as one for the EU), Article 3(3) TEU:
The Union shall establish an internal market. It shall work for the sustainable development of Europe based on balanced economic growth and price stability, a highly competitive social market economy, aiming at full employment and social progress, and a high level of protection and improvement of the quality of the environment. It shall promote scientific and technological advance.
Get out of here with Ayn Rand's fever dreams.
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Well this mandate all but guarantees no trade deal will be made with the US. The things we do make don't last long.
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Yeah they buy new because the advertisements give you idea that new is cool, brainwashing one into consuming. We should ban ads
Disposable culture is a blight on society...
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Some stuff are just ridiculously tedious to service due to their design.
Asus laptops are notorious for this. I remember having to take apart everything including the mainboard just to replace the RAM module.
On a similar note, in car context, I've read about instances where one needed to take out the whole engine just to replace the spark plug. I think it was Mercedes A series, as well as some Wuling.
Spark plugs hit home. The back 4 in my Lexus are a real pain in the arse to get to. they're iridium so they dont have to be done as regularly but when they do it's a good few hours work even for a professional
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Do like Dubai (for this instance) and demand better LED bulbs too.
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Spark plugs hit home. The back 4 in my Lexus are a real pain in the arse to get to. they're iridium so they dont have to be done as regularly but when they do it's a good few hours work even for a professional
To be honest anything on a modern engine is impossible, I had headlights that needed part of the bumper and wheel arch removing, just to change a bulb
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Do like Dubai (for this instance) and demand better LED bulbs too.
This drives me nuts. I only buy Philips LEDs now since the others only seem to last a year, which is infuriating.
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Or impossible to buy spares for, or when you can get the spare part it's often so expensive with shipping that it's almost worth buying a new appliance on offer with the warranty that comes with it.
Exactly this. I recently had my clothes washer break. Spent days researching the problem, taking the thing apart, figuring out the cause was the spindle on the back of the drum having a crack and eventually breaking. I eventually found a replacement part which had a slightly different part number but research showed it should be compatible. $400 for the part. $130 shipping, plus tax came out to just shy of $600. 2 week lead time to get the part, and no certainty I’d be able to put it all back together. Professional appliance repair wouldn’t have made financial sense either, I called around.
I ended up ordering a new one for $800 all in, saving many headaches. Had it two days later and was able to catch up on laundry.
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This drives me nuts. I only buy Philips LEDs now since the others only seem to last a year, which is infuriating.
I only use IKEA, and they last forever for me.
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Do like Dubai (for this instance) and demand better LED bulbs too.
If you read into it, the video is misleading and the bulbs aren't as good as it claims. They don't go out but they suck when it comes to the light they produce
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Or impossible to buy spares for, or when you can get the spare part it's often so expensive with shipping that it's almost worth buying a new appliance on offer with the warranty that comes with it.
Tiny plastic part that holds the handle to my fridge broke. Need a new 50 cent plastic part.
GE wants $200 to replace all 3 metal handle assemblies. Can't just get the plastic part, it comes in a bundle with all 3 metal handles. Which would immediately go in the garbage.
If we can't get them on the "intentionally gouging customers" angle, we can surely get them on the "creating excess waste" angle.
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And work without apps.
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That's weird. I'm changing tires every 2 to 3 years and so is the norm in Europe.
Yeah I put 30k+ miles on the car just doing instructing, then I often also drive when I go on holiday, putting at least a good 500-600 miles on the car if I go away on the weekend (which is often).
I've had dedicated works vehicles which I've put fewer miles on the clock
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Obligatory Pratchett:
The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money.
Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles.
But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.
This was the Captain Samuel Vimes 'Boots' theory of socioeconomic unfairness.
I've carried that with me for years. I always try to buy long-lasting quality items for this very reason.
Not to mention that, due to inflation, those ten dollar boots themselves will cost 20 to 30 dollars before long.
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Isn't this already a thing in the yearly technical check?
Idk, I'm in the u.s. without any inspections whatsoever. There's an app that works with newer ios devices that can check very accurately because of the finer tuned gyroscope. Hopefully an android variant comes soon. Then trucks, buses etc. can check every trip without a lot of hastle.
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I only use IKEA, and they last forever for me.
That's weird. I tried IKEA first and they died super quick too.
Only thing that makes sense to me is they are somehow overheating which doesn't make sense since they weren't fully enclosed and room temp is normal.Maybe I've give them ago again, it was 5+ years ago I tried them.
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The three biggest things that kill a tyre are;
- shitty roads
- aggressive driving
- heavy vehicles (like EVs and oversized SUVs)
That said, cheaper tyres are typically made of cheaper compounds that age poorly.
Under inflation is terrible for longevity, handling, and safety. You should maintain proper tire pressure.
