Packard Forum Index » Studebaker Built Packards (1957 - 58)

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This is why so far I have managed to keep my '83 Volvo 240 on the road. I suspect that the government will force me off the road someday with regulations designed to force me into one of these new fly by wire pieces of junk but I hope by then I will be too old to drive anyway.

Howard, I see your point, but failures WRT electronic signals used for steering, accelerating, braking that override, if not do away with, a mechanical linkage in motor vehicles have much more severe consequences - as we're now seeing.

Imagine the mess we'd be in if those old educational films from the '50s and '60s that predicted a future with vehicles following a wire embbeded in concrete interstate highways - without any hands on the controls - had become reality in this age.

Now, combine that with GPS devices that have been known to direct some people into a river or lake. Maybe some think those poor souls weren't terribly bright, but I've personally seen where GPS can't keep up with the tangle of concrete ribbons that run through the heart of city like Pittsburgh. Accuracy of destination locations as plotted by the GPS device often leave something to be desired, as well.

Yet, even Packard's ill-fate courtship with radar-braking did not seek to eliminate the pedal connection. In spite of the precision afforded by solid-state technology over those old vacuum tubes, it still scares me that there's been talk of such a feature in the industry in more recent years.

My point is that the vehicle electronics should never completely take control away from the driver.

I'd like to think consumers will put more value on their lives than any cost savings from the use of microprocessors - especially when those savings never seem to be reflected in the price of a vehicle, but I could be wrong.

My only choice will be to rely on older vehicles.

This could prove to be an interesting test of Darwin's theory of evolution; the technology could ultimately extinct those who fostered it.

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Ditto!

I agree with your concerns but still think it's only a matter of time.

I do suspect that there will be an attempt to say they will build or already have some redundancy in the systems by mfgs after the fallout this has generated. Some might actually do something along those lines but unless some authority & probably a lot of court action dictates a fail safe or mechanical connection, as soon as the technology has advanced a bit & the temperature has cooled a bit, the electronics will proceed as usual. The brake situation already has them saying it is a "perception of failure", not an actual one and at no time was there any danger --which may be true but nerve wracking nevertheless.

The steering situation is really interesting. I would have thought there was no way to build that without a mechanical connection --I mean what happens if there is no battery and you want to move a car --so the lane changes must have wrenched the wheel out of the hand. I do know a Packard with a loose front end can also change lanes so guess electronics not the only thing to blame.

There was an interesting headline earlier today that some politician here in Calif is introducing something trying to ban the cars. The actual article wouldn't download so not sure which, what, who & if serious or just some knee jerk reaction our politicians here usually foist on us to get a headline.

Yes, only time will tell.

Now, I must admit that those Cobalts have only an electric power assist on top of a mechanical connection - merely replacing what was formally accomplished with hydraulics. However, it is applied within the column, rather than the steering rack or gearbox. Not sure how the loss of that electric assist would affect feel compared to same in a conventional hydraulic system, as I only ever drove a Cobalt sedan once - as a rental, one day when my Monte was in the shop for (another) intake reseal.

However, before I left my employ with the GM store, it seems like we had been replacing plenty of those electric column assemblies (some even twice) due to complaints of noise and vibration. I'm guessing the electrically-powered assist might be kicking in when it shouldn't and the driving wouldn't expect it.

It sure is surprising how the thread has taken course it has taken, but I don't mind. LOL


Randy: Thanks for getting off the far right wing soap box.
Now lets get back to how those few problems on the 55 Packard help kill them.

Since the average warranty cost to Packard in 1955 was $ 30.00 per unit and Packard produced 55,000 cars, that amounted to about $ 1.6 million in warranty costs. Which I feel Packard couldn't really afford at the time.


John F. Shireman

Yeah. But for every dollar any manufacturer spends on warranty work the customer is also charged for other work not covered under waranty while the car is in the service bay. They actualy make money from the warranty work and recalls by selling other service at the same time.

BOTTOM LINE: Get the customer in the door and then u'll get in his wallet!! THose car companies and dealers KNOW HOW TO DO THAT!!


As a side note i am suspicous that this entire Toyota gas pedal fiasco is an antithesis for nearly dead sales volumn.

Rather than shut down production for a REAL problem due to no sales (something they can't fix) the line is shut down AS AN EXCUSE for something they CAN FIX, gas pedals. It's a mascarade!!!

That mascarde is easy enuf to smell even in the middle of Times Square on New Years Eve.

G'day all, Is the $30 per unit warranty cost the cost per unit warranty claim or per unit production? I would doubt if the warranty claims on the 55 exceeded 20% of production as evidenced by the results of the Owners Survey results. In any case I believe you will find that all manufacturers include a "warranty' charge in the purchase price. For example. I was involved in the introduction of the Mack truck ( EM6-285) into the Australian Army and the cost of warranty, included in the purchase price, was $1,500. I believe that every manufacturer includes a margin in the pricing to account for callbacks or warranties. It is a part of business. Best regards, Peter Toet

John, I don't appreciate your characterization of me as "far right wing". If that is your idea of humor, please do not post to me again.

What's wrong with being far right wing????