I had a problem with a garage door opener. The toothed wheel that drove the chain broke.
As it was past the warranty, I contacted the manufacturer to order the part but they refused to sell me a replacement.
So I found an independent garage door installer who happily sold me the part for a few bucks more than the manufacturer charged him for this spare part.
Fixed.
3 Likes
I thought many users on this forum might enjoy this cartoon - and many of the comments BTL (below the line)âŠ
PS I realise this probably shouldnât be a newly created topic - but it is a cartoon!
5 Likes
I agree so I moved it to the recently created thread on right to repair. The cartoon is relevant, and may add some levity to the thread.
4 Likes
- pfffff *
Tell me about it. My trebuchet started to go floppy after about 7 months, and wouldnât even skrip a sippernip after less than a year. 
1 Like
That doesnât surprise me. The TV we just replaced was probably 20 years old but now again weâve been advised that most products like this only last about 5 years and thatâs if its environmental is perfect. Technology is great when it works 
1 Like
Absolute classic.
The Pommegranate Pommephone is obviously a none too subtle shot at Apple.
2 Likes
Go âFirst Dogâ. 
The opening reminds how far ahead the EU is with legislation. In particular setting longer warranty periods for key consumer products. EG 10 years for washing machines, dish washers, fridges, monitors.
The Republic of France (note just how progressive a republic can be) has also introduced further measures to encourage the idea of repairability. Itâs introduced a system to score the repairability of products, with a single digit score from 1 to 10.
Should we suggest what Australiaâs response will be?
One option is to copy the EU promptly and move on.
The second option is to do it the Australian way and put it off.
The second option has been a path well trod, with not enough room here to discuss all the excuses.
4 Likes
I have a similar problem that is going to cost an arm and leg to fix. I bought a light fitting from Beacon Lighting (6 spotlights on a single rack that can be individually positioned). The actual fitting is fine BUT I can no longer get the globes for it. They have been discontinued by Beacon Lighting and they were the only outlet I found that has the right globes (I would not have bought the fitting had I known this). The globes now are longer and donât fit flush with the fitting. I am in the unenviable situation that when I have to replace a blown globe, I will have to replace the entire fitting!
1 Like
Try Online Lighting, they are the only sellers we have found for our style of bulbs.
3 Likes
Another option, one I have used recently for older bulbs the big guys donât sell any more.
Ultimo Sydney, Bowen Hills Brisbane, or they will send to you.
There is a point where the cost of replacing your 6 bulb track lighting will pay for itself in power savings if itâs replaced with a LED based alternative.
The bulb I needed was for the 20+yo Miele range hood. Itâs possible to do a LED upgrade, but will need an electrician for the obvious reasons. Will add that job to the list for when I have enough work to make it worth the two guys and van turning up. In the interim the bulb I needed I paid cash for out of change in the pocket.
4 Likes
Mine are a L47 that is shorter than any other make, in the downlights they are the only bulb that fits and we are still able to put the cover over it. Previously they were CCFL but now only come in LED which we donât mind. The change to another make would be expensive, but we may yet entertain the added cost of doing so. In regards to this topic it has become a lack of spares which inhibits our use of the lighting in the house. This lack of spares leads to a contemplation of an expensive refit of our current lights. In the future will this also become another situation of no spare bulbs to use with the newer fittings and so another expensive refit? Standardisation in some respects would be a welcome change to this somewhat proprietary manufacture.
3 Likes
When we had our previous residence built, we had incandescent down lights installed throughout, of which only 4 had glass covers.
When we replaced all the incadescent globes with CCFL units, we had to replace all the fittings with the same model as the 4 with glass covers for aesthetics.
When we bought our current home, the cheapskate owner had replaced all the incadescent downlight globes with CCFL units, of which no two were the same length, design, or colour, with many of them extending way below the fittings.
We replaced them all with the new Philips LED globes which look like the old incadescent down light globes.
They look good, no glass covers needed nor having to be removed to clean and dispose of dead insects, unlike our previous residence.
I also cannot recall replacing any of the LED globes in the past 6 years, unlike the CCFL units at our previous residence which regularly failed.
3 Likes
Thank you @grahroll and @MarkM. I have tried both your suggestions and neither sells the globe I need. Mine are also shorter than the currently available globes at 74mm and there is no glass covering needed because the globe fits flush with the unit acting like a cover. And yes they are CFL
3 Likes
Could you post a photo of the bulb and itâs plug? There may be LED equivalents depending on whether the plug is a standard one.
2 Likes
and a photo of the fitting @karen_seager? Sometimes it is not too difficult to have a âvanity surroundâ made so a non original part can be used that would otherwise look ludicrous.
We had to replace a 74.5cm wide oven (originally sold as 75cm!) with a 70cm model since 74.5cm ovens no longer exist in the market and there was no way to make the cavity wider. We had suitably brushed stainless side panels made to fill the gap on each side. Few would recognise it was not âthe designâ. They did not cost much.
You might get lucky being able to do similar with the light fixture?
3 Likes
Screwed over: how Apple and others are making it impossible to get a cheap and easy phone repair
A good summary of the local situation and describes how the French have had a go at introducing a repairability index.
3 Likes
âdix sur dixâ 
Eg For Apple
The iPhone 12 a mediocre âIndice de Reparabaliteâ - six sur dix, (6 out of 10).
2 Likes
Terrific that you have raised this issue⊠Long overdueâŠ
I have tried to keep items for as long as possible but living in Canberra, itâs sometimes hard to get good diagnosis and repairs.
For me, the classic worst case was the Westinghouse extractor fan over the stove. One tiny bit of plastic wears out in the on-off switch and the whole unit needs to be replaced. (And Westinghouse make nuclear power plants. Is there a connection?)
Also Samsung Warranties donât cover wear and tear. What wears out? The USB port. To get it replaced by an authorised repairer it costs around $450.00. A normal repairer charges $150.00 but you lose your warranty. What we need is a government to regulate stuff like this.
3 Likes
An interesting article regarding Toyota giving Apple some sage advice on building electric vehicles.
If Apple does start selling electric vehicles, and tries the same shonky repair behaviours that do with their phones, it will be an absolute disaster for customers.
1 Like
Getting parts is another issue.
Using the simple bicycle as an example. Bicycles have historically been designed to be self maintained, if you breakdown on the road kms from home, you have little option but to be able to repairs it. As a cycling coach adult training always includes wheel removal and puncture repair, how the different brakes and gears are operated also entails explaining how they work and are adjusted, ie, basic riding technique. That said getting parts is another matter. The 3 major component manufacturers Shimano, Campagnolo and Sram now all seem to have international restrictions on buying online from overseas, and yet donât supply many components ( I think Sram none) in Australia. You can buy a bike made of parts from these companies OEM, but some entire component models are not, and never will be, available locally.
A Shimano model of hydraulic disc brake, is well known to suddenly fail, ie, squeeze the lever no brake, next time might be back to normal. There are many posts online about this, with potential, but no fool proof solutions, but no safety warning in Australia and no product recall! Many off road cyclist have crashed with the failure, (less road bikes use disc brakes although that is changing) if it had been a car or m/bike, it would not be treated so dismissively.
What ought the lifetime of a bicycle be? 20 years? Many white goods in the past were equally long, eg, fridge.
IMO opinion removing the international purchasing restrictions for everything not just the parts and goods mentioned by others here, should be the first thing tackled. That will trigger other reactions within Australia. The feds need to lead this, although expecting the coalition to lead seems a pointless aspiration.
7 Likes
