Thread: "Older" Electrical Appliances.....Parts "Unavailable"?

Look up the Hamon Law in France which was introduced specifically to stop planned obsolescence and force manufacturers to make their products easier and more cost-effective to repair.

There are laws in planning in the States which will ensure a 'Right to Repair' and stop companies claiming that software inside machines etc is proprietary and non-available to anyone outside their own repair network.

Send me the model numbers. I have a few contacts in the domestic appliance game...

Name brand means nothing these days with the majority of electrical goods as most are made in the land of the largest photo copier
Only the quality of manufacturer will differ slightly
Even your favourite quality auzzie gm product had a massive asian content

Originally Posted by Tombie

Send me the model numbers. I have a few contacts in the domestic appliance game...

Thanks a lot,...P.M. sent.
I've rung up several places, all with the same result,.."No longer Available"!
Regards, Martin.

We find this all the time,try to get a part for a Panasonic 10yr old AC.

NLA is their usual reply

Many of the no name brands had NLA for all parts,once out of warranty.i don't know how they got away with it.

Martin, you sound like a slow version of Ron.

So true. Have a neighbour Robert who used to run a tv repair business. He wanted to retire so closed his shop. But people in the trade still send him massive expensive TVs to fix at his home, as the Australian distributors can't fix them . He can repair absolutely anything electrical and diagnose faulty boards etc. But people with skills like Robert won't be around in 10 years, they are so rare in this throwaway society.

I was pretty much unimpressed with parts availability for my Falcon ute. Too many bits being NLA. Honda likewise have a ruthless attitude to obsolescence. Toyota are bad but not as bad as Honda. In fact, I would sell an aging Honda as they are good whilst new but expensive to repair with super expensive parts many of which are NLA. I found with the Ford Ranger that it was cheaper to buy parts from the Ford dealer (surprise, surprise) than the Mazda dealer. Same car, different badges, and both spare parts listings use the same part nos. If you can wait, then getting parts from the USA is cheaper again.

A national distributor of industrial engines & construction equipment I briefly worked for 20 years ago had a policy something like this - current models, most parts available, bulky, heavy, or very slow turnover parts, client may have to wait while overseas order arrives. One model old, most parts available but not as complete coverage as current model. Two models old, fast moving parts stocked and parts remaining in inventory plus parts still applicable to current models. Three models old, only current inventory stocked, will order in on a "no return" basis. Four models old, only old stock still remaining, nothing ordered except on "no return' basis, go to wrecking yards if you need parts.

Their justification was their business was selling new plant. not keeping old crap going. Buy a new one, you cheap charlie.

Their used equipment yard kept no trade ins over 8-10 years old or three models. Older trades were sent to scrap metal not wreckers where they would be used to keep another old junker going.