DIY dashmat

[jsmith]

Some years ago, I had a Bosch dishwasher with a known issue: the board would heat up in one place, melt the solder on a resistor leg, and the water would never heat. All I had to do was clean the board and dab a bit of silver solder on that one resistor leg, and the water would heat up again. I kept that dishwaser for about 14 years I believe until it got replaced by another Bosch in a kitchen remodel.

As for my car, with the cost of a new car, I am seriously considering spending the money to replace the cat converter, reupholster the driver's seat, and a few other items. That is much less expensive than a new car and associated sales and property taxes, along with an increase in my monthly insurance bill.

My grandparents had the same stove / oven for 50 years along with other appliances that lasted decades. Things were simple and built to last. Companies realized you can't make huge profits if products never fail. Today, you run into the issue of "new features and gadgets" that previous models lacked. People don't plan to own products long term. Look at smart phones, computers, etc. After a few years, they become slow and obsolete. Even dashcams age out. 720p, 1080p, 2k, and now 4K. Image sensors improve, resolution increases, processors get better, etc.

Times we're in now...