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I could write a book about parts, quality, failure, etc., but I'll limit it to saying that parts don't break without reason. Parts break due to lack of maintenance, abuse or poor design. If I do not abuse my car and have the required maintenance done the only thing left to cause the car to break is the design. It is the manfacturer's responsibility to use the best available technology and the customer should accept nothing less.
Now, having said that, don't put all the blame on the engineers, lay a big pile on the MBAs that are only looking at the bottom line and want to cut every penny from the cost. When I get a new car I immediately replace the heater hoses with silicone and brake fluid with DOT5. After 2000 miles the hoses are still in perfect condition and there is no corrosion in the brake system. These two replacements cost about $30 but the MBAs would never allow it.
I think too many people let the manufacturers off too easly. If all failures of automobiles were given the same attention that a failure of an aircraft I think our cars would last much much longer. If all auto mechanics had to be certified in the same manner as aircraft mechanics they would have the knowledge, tools and time to fix cars right. If all automobile executives had to buy their cars from a dealer, handle the scheduled maintenance and keep the car for 5 years, I beleive the quality of the car and service would improve dramatically.
The design of the Magneti Marelli built electronic throttle module has a very definite design defect. The design cannot not (will) fail. Would you put disk brakes in a tightly sealed container that could only be replaced by the dealer for $1000?
see http://vexedvolvo.org
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