Is there any DMV that will flunk a car's safety check if the airbag light is on? If so, that seems like a regulatory catch-22 if the OEM and its suppliers won't make parts available.
I did a search on that a few months ago. Most but not all states have their safety test standards on the net. Actually not that many states still do safety checks and the number is smaller every year. I found 3 or 4 that will fail a car for a non functioning airbag but of those only 2 required a test of it specifically. I remember one was Virginia. New York requires a test but only to inform the owner. Car will not fail for that. California has no safety test and never has. Texas is considering doing away with it.
When I registered my out-of-state 550 in California, the inspection consisted of checking the VIN number and validating the smog check. No safety check, no check for lights...
This really depends on what fails inside the unit and what that rebuild consists of. If it is a simple CMOS chip that gets damaged because of a voltage peak, a repair is easy and 100% reliable. When I rebuild a radio with new caps, fix a Macbook Air motherboard instead of replacing it, or fix a medical device that is out of support by the factory then none of those will qualify as an industry- or manufacturer accepted repair. That does not mean the finished product is less safe, reliable or functional than a new one, however. If you are so scared of liability (we have been here before), then have the customer sign a waiver that the unit is repaired and liability is excluded and on his own account. That should do it. If you replace a wheel bearing, tire or ball joint, even with original parts, can you guarantee that the repaired product is as good as a factory installed item? Very close to that, will be your answer. I am sure the same will go for these airbag rebuilders. If they are true professionals their guarantee is no worse than the guarantee you provide yourself on the repairs you do. Whether the repair has a manufacturers seal of approval does not mean it is unsafe. One can go too far in liability and safety thinking.
Not when it comes to American civil courts and the fact that my business insurance will not support me if I do that type of repair. What my insurance will or will not accept and legal precedent is all that really matter. Your opinion or mine means squat. Sorry but destroying my business and my own economic well being is not worth having a customers gratitude. You really should stick to something you understand.
Allthough I agree with you the fact is Brian is correct from my ownexperiences. Small buisnesses do not have the capital to go to court and prove that all you did was replace a capacitor and all he did was install it. Sure Brian may win the lawsuit but at a cost that is so prohibitive it is not worth it for him. Even in canada now we have people signing wavers and then turning around sueing and winning. Off topic but this even happens for racetracks and is becomming a problem for owners. At the end of the day some random judges may decide your fate and that is not so ething most of us will take to chance.
I wish someone would figure it out and just sell the parts and let us put them in that way they would reduce their liability.
I believe that such lawsuits and liability are killing for an economy. All that it does is put business in the hands of corporations that either have the means to make five-nines or better products, or will always be able to out-sue you. Often that will become the latter which means that they can get away with so-so products which purposely break before they might become a liability... as a consumer you are worse off. If this continues and we accept this then we may find ourselves one day scrapping cars because the brakes are worn and nobody dares to repair them anymore. Surreal.
Absolutely correct and legislative limitations are right behind it. My own home state which I recently left seriously considered a law that would have prevented me from repairing or rebuilding any brake component. Replace with new is all that would have been legal. If I was restoring a 1932 Delage I would have had to find a way to adapt modern brakes to comply with the law.
I think your lucky you left. I only holiday there but many people seems to have the old "entitlement" attitude. We have a similar place in canada its called British Columbia. Dont get me wrong I have met hundreds of great people in both places.
