Re: Class action lawsuit re: Jetta's front-end spolier

Heh, you want to sue/are sueing (class action, no less) because you hit your widdle airdam on a widdle parking curb?

Idiot.

Cross-posting.

Idiot.

Please do us all a favor and don't reproduce.

BK

Hey, according to his web site, the guy had some *SERIOUS* manufacturing defects with his 99 Jetta. To quote:

Some of the more significant problems include having a.. to replace the battery twice b.. the drain plug to the oil pan fall out on the highway shortly after Volkswagen of Springfield performed an oil change c.. the tires wear out after only 35,901 miles d.. the front windows get trapped inside the doors These are "significant?" Hey, my tires wore out after 42K miles-- that's a serious defect!! Tires aren't supposed to wear out!! And batteries aren't supposed to fail either! I'm on my third after almost 10 years!!! And it's VW's fault the mechanic didn't fit the oil plug properly!! I want my money back!! My 95 Passat only has 110K miles and the lamp just burned out for the high-mounted stoplight!! Defect!! The oil cooler seals failed!!! Safety defect!! Brake pads went at 85K!! Lousy product!!

The window regulator, well, he got a $500 settlement for that...

No, not laughing anymore. Just slowly shaking my head all quiet.

LOL!

Over use of the ability to sue is a detriment to society- but it's up to the people to restrain themselves, not pass another law to keep access to the courts away from the people.

I do think people are stupid by default- it is through mistakes we learn and grow, although instruction helps to avoid trouble, in most cases the answer to this avoidance was not aforethought it was through passed histories, and surviving mistakes.

The Moon may be a harsh mistress but Nature is a Mother, to quote someone. Life is mostly unforgiving of many mistakes however much we have pushed back the lions & tigers & bears. A broken leg used to equal a death sentence, but now it invites witty sayings written on the cast and a brief vacation.

We as a people have gotten a lot safer overall, but softer in the process. Lots of child mortatily, gangrene, VD, and respitory disease has been beaten back but in the process we sue if we stub our toe on a blade of grass, "...And SOMEONE MUST PAY!"

otoh, corporations would be very happy to be shielded from liability, how much of this is lack of responsibility and how much due to self preservation? Make no mistake- those with power as much as those without should be accountable.

(Funny, while writing this Johnson & Johnson just put a psa on the TV during the late afternoon time slot re: keeping kids safe around water, always wearing a helmet, and turning down the hot water thermostat.)

Anyway, I don't think it's a design flaw that VW should have to pay for. It wasn't hidden from the buyer prior to purchase and has a good reason for being so low.

TBerk

Same thing happened to my Ford Escort when it was new (and a new model). It was replaced free. The design was very fragile. Of course it broke again and lived the rest of the life of the car patched with duct tape.

Prior to that I had an American Motors Encore (for 100,000+ miles). Its spoiler would scrape in parking lots, but it was better designed and wasn't damaged by these events.

Look under the front of cars around you, a lot of models have poorly designed spoilers.

Anyone who owns a low-clearence car, especially sports cars, should understand when they buy the vehicle how low it is and the neccesary precautions that come with that. My GTi definitly scraps it's front bumper if I drive the front end over parking-curbs but I know that, and take precaution. If I rip the front bumper off, it's MY fault! I wonder what would happen if every Ferrari, Porsche and Lamborghini owner went threatening lawsuits every time they scraped on a parking curb or coming in and out of driveways.

Hi Volks!

This, children, is why you 'Merkans don't get such great cars as the Peugeot 607, VW Touran, Skoda Superb, Citroen Pluriel, or Seat Altea: lack of resources and motivation to make them class-action-lawsuit-proof. Your loss. Maybe you'll wake up when VW pull out of your market too, and leave you with Neons and Civics to choose from?

Meanwhile, look out for the stickers on the dashboards of

SCNR, Erik.

The Washington Post newspaper

A few years ago the subject of the contest was "silly warning labels".

Example warning label for: grand piano - "Dangerous if swallowed" Fisherman's Friend cough drops - "Not a substitute for human companionship"

The conductor said that he was going to declare the warning "Do not operate vehicle with sunshield in place" the first prize ... until he found that the cardboard windshield sunshields really carry that warning.

If I had a job lined up in Germany and had the German Job Visa, I wouldn't think twice moving over there in a heart beat. I've lived there for 9 years and I liked it.