On Jun 19, 4:35*pm, "Allen" wrote:
wrote in message
* * * The fuel pump in the tank of my car has now quit, and a new one
is $400 or so. The little car gets 42 mpg. The 1962 VW Beetle that was
my first car, got 45 mpg. The 1951 International pickup I restored,
and in which I put a Ford 300 six-banger, gets just under 25 mpg, much
better than most brand-new pickups are getting these days. It has a
$25 mechanical fuel pump and a carburetor with a manual choke. The
ignition uses points and a condenser, and when they get worn they'll
tell you that they're worn but they'll keep going until you get home
and won't stop dead in the middle of the freeway. Just what did all
this electronic stuff get us?

* * * *Dan

Remove and replace mechanics that can't troubleshoot unless the car is
hooked up to a diagnostic machine (oops, that's another $80 charge).

Part of that is good-ole-fashion predation, and part of that is
reselling pig intestines and pasta for $100/serving.

It is known by the manufacturer of the device that the mechanic will
pass on exhorbitant costs of using the device to the consumer, so the
manufacturer inflates the price also. This behavior continues up the
food chain.

Ideally, the diagnostic machine could be nothing more than a PDA or
notebook compuer with a USB port. Then, all the excuses about why the
diagnoses or the machine itself are so expensive would be invalid.

That's what so wonderful about computers - untruths about "necessary
costs" and "unavoidable overhead" are quickly revealed to be such.

A CDROM drive is one of the most complex machines ever built if one
considers all what one needs to know to build it from basic
components, but it can easily be had for $25US.

That's the power of true commoditization.

Of course, if the vendor determines that you intend to mount the drive
in your Gulfstream, then adding a couple of 0's to the price would be
in order.

-Le Chaud Lapin-