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The Pub For General Automotive Related Talk |
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#31 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: In Front of a Monitor
Posts: 1,640
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My dad bought an 4Amp Arlec Battery Charger that is the same model as pictured below in 1988 for $49.99.
It has been in my possession now for a while and still keeps my XR6T battery ticking along. Designed in Australia and made in Hong Kong with a 2 year warranty. I think we have just got our moneys worth out of it now.
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2004 Mercury Silver Falcon XR6T - 5 Speed 2017 Platinum White Mustang GT - 6 Speed 2022 Blue Thai-Special for Daily Duties - Auto |
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#32 | |||
praek tih kl jo kr
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Atwell W.A.
Posts: 1,649
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Quote:
I remember my parents buying a new 6 cylinder TC Cortina in 73, they kept it for 25 years, only had tyres, service and brakes its whole life, they never replaced a component on it at all. Now I know from experience that I will not get the same service from a 2020s car, if I get 10 years without a major mechanical or electrical component failure I would be doing well. Don't kid yourself, the product may be designed by the big name brand, but they are made elsewhere to fit a wholesale price, and if they have to skimp on using top of the range components in a item to get the product for a fixed price that's exactly what they will do, then they will charge the consumer a premium for the brand name, any warranty issues would be factored into the manufacturing price, so whatever comes back failed in the warranty period just gets a new one, Not saying Ozito is a big name brand, but much like Ozito's 3 year warranty, most people would throw it in the bin if it failed after a year, a small amount would bring it back, that percentage is well and truly covered in the sell price, buy 1 but pay for 4, all the major big names work on the same principle. I wont by the cheap and nasty Chinese stuff, but I do buy the cheaper Chinese product over the more expensive brands, I look at it as I can by 10 Ozitos to 1 Dewalt, it comes with a 3 year warranty and if it dies I take it back and they hand me a new one, where as the Dewalt will have to go to a service outlet and be checked for failure before warranty is given, its a no brainer |
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#33 | |||
Rob
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Woodcroft S.A.
Posts: 21,504
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Quote:
I prefer to pay extra for something that will last longer. I don't agree with the mindset that I can buy 3 cheap items for the same price as a quality item. It just creates a throw away society. Waste is a real issue in the developed world. I'm not a greenie, but there is only 1 planet.
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UA2 TREND 4WD BI TURBO |
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#34 | |||
Thailand Specials
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Centrefold Lounge
Posts: 49,028
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Quote:
I've still got my original DeWALT 10.8V drill and impact driver I started my apprenticeship with, though the drill has seen better days and its probably due for replacement. I thrashed the crap out of that drill, using the drill with small holesaws like 19mm through steel until it would stop and get super hot ![]() But I know what you're saying re warranty - for a customer just giving them a new replacement without needing to go through all the BS over the investigation is a way to win customers as its being easy to deal with. I find with t-shirts the quality varies massively, I own a ****load of 1320 video t-shirts, as in circa 30 of them, they're all from the same supplier in the same size and they fit differently and some are thinner than others ![]() |
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#35 | ||
praek tih kl jo kr
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Atwell W.A.
Posts: 1,649
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I don't agree with throw away either, but I also don't believe in paying a premium for a name brand when its more than likely only cost a few measly dollars more to produce over the cheaper brands, but you have to pay 10 times the price.
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#36 | ||
Regular Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 348
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I don’t like the tactic of the MG brand being infiltrated and turned over into a cheap throwaway car. I’m fairly sure there are those smitten with the low price, see the name and draw an illogical conclusion.
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#37 | ||
HSV - I just ate one!
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Middle of nowhere
Posts: 3,111
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something something fools and money....
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I dont care if some prius driving eco-hippy thinks its politically incorrect for me to drive a V8..... I'm paying for the fuel! |
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#38 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 2,806
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Quote:
if all you want is something to go shopping why wouldn't you? car sales are nothing like smaller consumer goods. there is a lot of consumer protection for lemons |
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#39 | ||
Regular Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 348
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I wouldn’t buy one.
I’ve never been accepting of the mentality of the throwaway item. It’s so wasteful and unsustainable. When you actually itemise the raw materials used to build a car then throw it away (trade it) when the warranty is up… Yes they’re cheap transport and have their place in society I suppose. |
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#40 | |||
Thailand Specials
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Centrefold Lounge
Posts: 49,028
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Quote:
![]() They're like the prestige MG. |
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#41 | |||
*barks incessantly
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: SA
Posts: 1,554
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Quote:
Can confirm that the design is nasty bull**** |
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#42 | ||
BANNED
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 2,886
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Jaycar sells decent chinese stuff.
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Please press the "Like" button if you enjoy my posts. (It's the red triangle with exclamation mark on the left) |
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#43 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Sydney
Posts: 2,530
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Quote:
China can produce a quality product, and will do it when asked, and the price is fair. But we have many horror stories from the late 90s and early 2000s, prior to the staffing strategy, where the samples were fantastic. But as soon as production was signed-off and they were left to their own device, quality slipped almost instantly. The problem with our setup, is the costs aren’t rock bottom, and people expect a rock bottom price for something made in China. The arguments for “I’d pay more for quality” don’t wash with me when for the last 15 years, I’ve heard countless people whine about an AU$120 item of ours that’s made in China vs the same item of ours made in the USA that’s AU$200, but the questionable competition from China is AU$100 for an equivalent. The amount of moaning over $20 is incredible. I tell the inside sales to not even bother arguing - let them go buy the crap. Some even have the hide to suggest ours come from the same factory as the cheaper ones. I can tell you they don’t! Those cheaper ones tend to fail, pretty quickly too, and then they come back to us wanting the decent ones. Cost them more than buying the US ones now they’ve spent their money twice…. But how do you pick that? Generally a lot of the quality brands will have decent QA in China, and the price won’t be rock bottom. The other hassle is the inability to outright own a factory in China and operate independently. Unlike Australia, where we let anyone buy real estate and build crap, in China there are so many restrictions on overseas companies. Many of our plants started as a joint venture, as that was the only way to get in there. The people I met in our factories were so grateful for things we take for granted, like indoor toilets, microwaves in the lunch rooms (indoor lunch rooms too) and some even provided lunch for the workers. One lady told me how she does similar labouring work to her husband, but he has a tarp and dirt floor for a lunch room, and outdoor pits for toilets. I asked if he was out in the countryside and she said no, only 200m up the road! They really appreciated the amenities offered by a western run facility. Sadly, as soon as she got pregnant, she had to give up work, and told us she won’t ever work again. |
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#44 | ||||
Thailand Specials
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Centrefold Lounge
Posts: 49,028
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There's multiple levels of China, from the dirt cheap to the quality,
Depends on how cheap you want to go, everyone makes you sign ethical supply agreements for them to buy from you as a supplier, but then the same companies turn a blind eye when they know someone is supplying products from slave labour: Quote:
Are you happy to save a couple bucks knowing you're supporting slave labour? What about using child labour working in abhorrent conditions in dirt floor factories? Thats what I say when someone asked me to source something from a cheaper supplier in China than the existing Chinese supplier, I'll get it but it'll be kids making it on dirt floors or using Uighur slaves in prison camps - your call. The one thing I can say about American companies vs the Chinese ones is that the Chinese ones are keen for your business and they will respond very quickly to your requests, getting a response out of an American company is like pulling teeth as they think the world ends at their east and west coasts and they act like you're privileged to be buying from them. Americans don't do customer service for ****, where as Chinese companies bend over backwards for your dollar. I'd rather jam a pinecone up my *** than deal with Honeywell or Walbro ever again. We had crisis meetings with Honeywell because we were about to dump them as a supplier, they sent out their new rep to come out to visit us and they hadn't even provided her with a company car, she had to come out to us by train and then walk ![]() Then she was ****ing useless, the local reps and Australian based team had to defer everything to the US for responses. Then they'd quote lead times and then it would be their quoted lead time +150 days. Walbro was the same except they decided to blame the Michigan Governor for everything. China is very responsive and forthcoming to information requests, but that might be to their silly '996 culture' that their government is trying to put an end to: Quote:
Last edited by Franco Cozzo; 21-04-2023 at 11:04 PM. |
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#45 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Sydney
Posts: 2,530
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Quote:
At least Atto/BYD/LDV/Haval/Great Wall etc aren’t riding on the coat tails of a classic name. |
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#46 | |||
Thailand Specials
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Centrefold Lounge
Posts: 49,028
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Quote:
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#47 | ||
Cabover nut
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Onsite Eastcoast
Posts: 10,827
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Love the new advertising Great Wally are using, only referring to them as GWM now.
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heritagestonemason.com/Fordlouisvillerestoration In order that the labour of centuries past may not be in vain during the centuries to come...... D. Diderot 1752
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#48 | |||
Thailand Specials
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Centrefold Lounge
Posts: 49,028
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Quote:
Our local postie had one and was a customer of mine, bash my head against the wall trying to get stuff to fix it. |
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#49 | ||
Shenanigans..............
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Footscrazy
Posts: 12,313
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Bought a $2 shop #2 Phillips sd to tighten a metal gate latch. When I tightened the screw I thought it was threaded, so went to undo and check- nope, the tip of the sd had smeared itself inside the screw head
![]() There are cheeses harder than this! ![]() |
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