Unfortunately the throw away society is probably not going to go away unless these shortages go on for a while longer. You might look into more commercial grade stuff but as you said, sometimes the repairs can cost more than the cheapo counterpart. Drive around a college town on the days when students move out. You can probably pickup an entire truckload of cheap vacuum cleaners and many other items just set out at the curb.
The cost of repairs being excessive is coming out as one of the biggest disadvantages of electric cars. I would have been all for trying one of these out several years ago but have been hearing far too many stories of battery failures exceeding the value of the car. The technology needs to mature more.
On a good note, I know someone who owned an electric car they really loved. The battery died and the range was only 60 miles. It was under warranty and the parts were simply not available so they bought it back from him at full purchase price. The car was in great shape and he really loved in so was disappointed he couldnāt just get it fixed. He went back to a gas car at that time.
This is a huge issue in the tech world as well. I have a very hard time with telling some customers, usually older people, that computers are not meant to last 15 years and that it would be a very bad idea to pay me to repair something like that. Often they just wonāt listen and because of the difficulty of finding parts, the cost of repair can far exceed the purchase price of a new computer.
I broke a lid on my crock pot. A new lid cost more than a new crock pot. Anyway, I got a new unit but saved the old one. I found a lid for 50 cents at a thrift store later on so now I have two. It seems that there should be extra lids for sale as that is not an internal part that is hard to replace or anything. It just lifts off.
Folks throw stuff away and buy new at the drop of a hat in this area. Often theyāll put it out on the curb in case somebody wants it. If it is something I already have, Iāll pick it up and use if for parts in the event that the one I own breaks. Rice cooker, sewing machine, lawn mower, bicycle, bread maker, garden tools all remain in service b/c of the parts from discarded versions. Never been able to fix my computer that way, but I use parts from tossed computers for benchtop power supplies, used in electronics hobby. I did use a part from a tossed computer to repair an audio CD player.
I really hope that you donāt do things in a similar manner to my penny-pinching college friend who could well afford to not do the things that he does.
A few years ago, he proudly announced that he now ownedāfor the first timeāa WaterPik dental hygiene machine.
I asked where he bought it, and he informed me that he took it out of someoneās garbage can.
Subsequently, he has gotten replacement āheadsā for it fromāguess where?āGARBAGE CANS.
If you think that this wasā¦ letās just sayā¦ questionable judgmentā¦ his source for facemasks is the sidewalk, from which he picks up discarded masks.
hmmmm ā¦ I doubt Iād use parts from a garbage can WaterPik in my own WaterPik. But I might pick it up for use as a small parts washer. As you might expect from my Corolla/emissions testing controversy, being the type that crawls under the bed at the first sign of danger, really unlikely Iāll be picking up used face masks from the sidewalk ā¦ lol ā¦ I have to say I see old facemasks laying on the sidewalk all the time. Always wonder why someone would think it ok to just throw it on the sidewalk?
lol ā¦ my occupation was in the medical field, and sometimes Iād have to attend a medical procedure at the hospital. One of my coworkers who needed to attend rode w/me, and was saying heās afraid of many things, driving over bridges etc, but the worst was seeing blood. I told him heād likely be seeing some so better steel himself to the idea right away. ā¦ first sign of blood at the hospital, he faints and falls to the ground ā¦ lol ā¦
I have lots of spare parts on hand. One reason is if I need to fix something I need to do now and run all over looking for the part or wait for the internet. Even more so now. Some I have cataloged with the box number and others just in the drawer. I usually keep the old parts the could be used in a pinch. I have spare cabinet hardware if a hinge breaks that are not available locally. Other things like garage door springs and a new opener that I havenāt installed yet. Try getting the car out of the garage to go get a new spring if it breaks. Carb parts, gaskets spare belts for the snow blower etc. I like to be prepared and not find out something has been discontinued. The empty shelf prompted me to get several years worth of oil and filters. Do what you want.
Yes, that would be a good use for an old, discarded WaterPik. Unfortunately, my old friend considers garbage-disposal finds to be appropriate for dental hygiene. I am quite sure that he is in some stage of dementia, and I suspect that his wife agrees, since she has fled to a different state.
+1
But, over and above the thoughtless behavior of those litterbugs, I think itās even harder to fathom why someone would put a discarded facemaskāfrom an unknown sourceāon his own face.
To hoperfully put this dicussion to bed, does a 1/4 the second to a business meeting or a 1 scecond in 0-60 merge time really make any reasonable difference/
My grandfatherās 1940 Omega Seamaster was a state of the art chronograph, my $10 Timex quartz is probaly more accurate but does it really matter?
My point is that new technology is wonderful, more accuurate and degrees much more affordable but when it comes to merging onto the Interstate does 1/4 second 0-60 really matter?
And going futher, does it make any sense for the average consumer to spend $10,000+ more for a car that will do 160 MPH when the speed limit is 60-80 and the consequence is revocation of you license?
Iām a huge fan of performance cars but Iāve never been stupidi/foolish/insecure enough to push my cars on the street anywhere near their capabilities.
To quote a rock sage, āMy car aināt got nothing to proveā. And neither do I!
Iād still rather have the Omega, but I do understand your point. I have an Omega chronometer circa 1945, I occasionally use it to check my speedometer(car related) against mile posts. It is currently running at about +3sec/day, so pretty darn accurate for a 77 yr. old mechanical watch.
Some things belong in the trash! That is disgusting with them picking up face masks and used dental hygiene supplies from the trash or the ground.
Finding an old mower that just needs some TLC or serves as parts for one you own is one thing but THIS is just nasty!
If you have Dyson or Shark vacuums, the trash is a great resource for parts though. They just get soaked and cleaned in disinfectant before hanging outside to dry in the sun before I think of bringing them inside. I even found a couple where the hose or intake to the canister got clogged because they never cleaned the filters and the entire unit was actually just fine. The cheapos donāt even tempt me when you can find the good stuff.
With my IT services, I come across people who donāt want to replace things no matter the cost. Then I get people giving me their old 55 inch TV for free because they paid me to install a new 80 inch and donāt want to have the old one knocking around.
Thanks for ruining my lunch. I do use specimen cups for touch up paint though. When I get done painting a room or whatever, I fill up a specimen jar for any quick touch up. Naturally they seal tight and are easy to store.
I save the large plastic Mayonnaise jars for left over paint . It seems to save well and I can see the color . I actually just opened one with exterior latex trim paint to redo a gutter down spout and it worked just fine.
Nope thatās gone. Since the system is gravity fed, the only parts that remain with the bag are above all the action. More than half the fun is watching peopleās reactions to the bag in use as a drink dispenser. The ones my mother had were used for injection barium dye for fluoroscopic studies on animal intestines. The white barium salt powder coated the inside of the bag so you could tell it was definitely used.
I heard about someone using plastic urinals (unused of course) to dispense sauces and salad dressings at a party of caregivers for shock value of course.
During Prohibition Folks used to make Gin in their bathtubs. Maybe they still do. How to use stuff for which itās not intended, maybe a future Car Talk newspaper column ā¦ lol ā¦
And neither do I!