When I first
invented my locking header bolts,
I went to the top three automotive
manufacturers, and showed them my
product. A way to keep bolts from
coming loose and falling off—who
wouldn’t want that? The company
reps looked me right in the eye and
lied,
“Our bolts don’t come
off,” they said. “Whose
bolts are lying all over the nation’s
highways?” I asked, exasperated. They
each named one of their two competitors.
There are two reasons companies lie
about their bolts. One is about the
impact on sales of admitting any
imperfection in the product. You
just don’t do it—unless you’re
forced to by a product recall! The other
is about planned obsolescence. If you
replace your exhaust system but the bolt
loosens up, you’ll be buying a
new header gasket long before you would
have otherwise. Manufacturers want to
sell you stuff on a regular basis—not
just once. A truly satisfied customer,
when sold something built to last, doesn’t
need to buy another one next month or
even next year. People in sales hate
that. Fifty years ago, things like washing
machines and ovens were built to last
twenty years: they were major purchases.
Now, you’re lucky to get a one
year complete warranty on appliances,
computers or cars. Planned obsolescence
is built in; things fall apart because
of inferior components that don’t
last. It costs more to repair some items
than it does to buy a new one, so more
things end up in landfill when they should,
by all rights, still be operational.
When a car manufacturer uses lower grade
steel on something as simple as a bolt,
it can end up costing a lot in time and
associated repairs. It’s also a
safety hazard, because when bolts work
loose, people can get hurt. It happens
all the time—cars, lawn mowers,
boats, airplanes. And there’s no
reason for it, beyond corporate greed.
