[dodge trucker]

I just came down from the attic of my house after having had to replace the attic vent fan.

This was a brand-new fan in fall of '09 when I did a complete roof job. I removed what may have been the original fan from when the house was built in 1965. I only replaced that fan because it "looked old" and had remnants of 4 past reshingle jobs, bit corners of 4 different colors of shingles on it.

I went to Menards (Lowes carried the exact same brand fan) I remember complaining to the company back then as the box stated in HUGE letters on the front face, "MADE IN USA"... just to pull the unit out of the box and see a Made in China sticker on the motor.... false advertising.
The company told me that there was "enough" content in the fan to make the "USA" claim. the company is based in Texas. but since Menards' only competition within 30 miles was 1/2 mile away and they carried exactly the same fan there was no point in returning that one to go buy the same thing elsewhere.

so basically "stuck" with this unit. They sell 3 different sized models, I bought the largest; claims to be suitable for 2100 SF under roof, I have 1850... the middle size one was 1800 SF as I remember. I figured it would not have to work as hard so should last longer.... that idea blew up on me.

Also this unit had a twin control, both a thermometer and a humidistat so dual control over when it would run, the smaller ones didnt have.

About 3 years ago it died the 1st time. I bought a whole new fan unit and since I didnt feel like pulling up my metal roof to replace the whole housing, I just used the motor and control from it and scrapped the new housing.

This time I saw that they now sell "just the motor" for about 1/2 the price of the whole thing. so that was the route I took this time.

Problem being is that although it says "universal" fits all of this company's units, the replacement motor is visibly smaller and is rated at 3.4 instead of 4.3 amps so I don't expect this one to even last the 3 years that each of the 1st 2 have....

The He11 of it all is that the old one was still working when removed, I just replaced it as a preventative measure "while I was in there" and lasted 40-some years to that point and now I am on my 3rd replacement of it in just over 6 years.... not the kind of "job security" I want.. I dont get paid to make repairs to my own house. This company did have a "lifetime" warranty" but to use it I have to hire an electrician for what ~300? to replace a $60 fan.... and they won't pay the electrician's portion of the replacement bill... so that renders the warranty useless.

 

[classic]

That's why I restore old garden tractors and use NOS parts. I don't think I'll ever own a garden tractor that was built with China junk. It's amazing how greed has forced us to have to buy this garbage in this country today.

 

[Bolens800uk]

It's amazing how far China's junk travel to all four corners of the Globe! I like to repair if possible or replace using genuine parts or NOS. a friend of mine bought a cheap lawnmower from B&Q for £99; it lasted just about a season even though he tightened or replaced nuts and bolts. I said he could get a good quality second hand Honda 8zzy for around £120 that would be virtually trouble free. He now heeded my advice and this will be his third season.

 

[karel]

I cry for the good old days when everything was made in JAPAN!

 

[Phluphy]

Something pondered for a long time: Where did American ingenuity and quality fall off the track? Can it not be put back?

Not unlike the subject of original post, we never fully realize what we have purchased until it's actually used, then it will more than likely fail to hold up to what it was intended for, especially if it was "Made in China". There was a time "Made in Japan" was of questionable quality, now I would prefer that label over the previous, both for quality of material and workmanship.

But, overall, products made in America, with 100% American materials and labor, would be preferred. Heck one can hardly attempt to contact customer service for products anymore without the proverbial, "All of our representatives are currently blah, blah, blah. Please hold...", message in clearly understandable English, then end up attempting to understand someone referring to a scripted response they are reading from their screen, who has barely a grasp on syntax etc. End result being, nothing of your complaint has been prudently addressed.

IMO, this Country still has the resources and ability, the tenacity to produce seems to have gone the way of the dinosaur, although unlike them, America still exists.

 

[IHCubGuy]

And most companies are not immune to it. I saw a new John Deere last summer at a fair and the 4WD front axle which was made by a different company, (I wanna say ZF but I don't think that is right,) had a tag on it that said made in China. I just could not believe it.

 

[Diesel1050]

And most companies are not immune to it. I saw a new John Deere last summer at a fair and the 4WD front axle which was made by a different company, (I wanna say ZF but I don't think that is right,) had a tag on it that said made in China. I just could not believe it.

If it was made by ZF it better be darn good. I have a ZF tranny in my truck and it's a solid unit!

 

[HANKG]

Remember the signs buy American buy Union the job you save may be your own we have been sold down the river with bad trade agreements and worse one's coming.

 

[KennyP]

Something pondered for a long time: Where did American ingenuity and quality fall off the track? Can it not be put back?

Not unlike the subject of original post, we never fully realize what we have purchased until it's actually used, then it will more than likely fail to hold up to what it was intended for, especially if it was "Made in China". There was a time "Made in Japan" was of questionable quality, now I would prefer that label over the previous, both for quality of material and workmanship.

But, overall, products made in America, with 100% American materials and labor, would be preferred. Heck one can hardly attempt to contact customer service for products anymore without the proverbial, "All of our representatives are currently blah, blah, blah. Please hold...", message in clearly understandable English, then end up attempting to understand someone referring to a scripted response they are reading from their screen, who has barely a grasp on syntax etc. End result being, nothing of your complaint has been prudently addressed.

IMO, this Country still has the resources and ability, the tenacity to produce seems to have gone the way of the dinosaur, although unlike them, America still exists.

It's not the workers causing this, it's the greed of the management taking things out of the USA!

 

[DougT]

This thing could get political real quick! I'd have to give myself warning points if I respond!! :wave: :wave: :wave: :wave:

 

[Cat385B]

This thing could get political real quick! I'd have to give myself warning points if I respond!! :wave: :wave: :wave: :wave:

With all the spammers last week, we're fresh out. Have at it.

 

[toomanytoys84]

We have done this to ourselves. 2 units on the shelf. American made 200 dollars. Chinese 100 dollars. The China units would sell 2 to 1 to the American unit.

This is the American consumers fault. No matter what you say we are all guilty of this!

 

[propane1]

When I worked at the propane company, they sold Lennox heating and cooling products. On the boxes was a picture of Dave Lennox, is he Chinese??? All the boxes said, made in china. I thought Lennox was a US company. I could be wrong, sorry if I am. Just my opinion. Don't mean to upset anybody.

Noel

 

[KennyP]

This thing could get political real quick! I'd have to give myself warning points if I respond!! :wave: :wave: :wave: :wave:

I thought I would get zapped with my statement!

 

[gopher]

That's global economy it's all about the bottom line. And for companies to compete and make a profit got to cut cost somewhere. Cutting pay not so popular outsourcing another way around it. You would be hard pressed to find anything tag American Made that is one hundred percent made with American parts. As for the china made the Chinese people are not stupid they produce what the companies want. If that's low cost cheap product or a higher quality product. I've lost jobs to outsourcing. I may not agree with what companies do I can not fault them for trying to keep a business going after all we are a democracy.

 

[IHCubGuy]

China is not the only one anymore either. Just bought a new car for the wife in December. A new Chevy Trax. The window sticker says 75% foreign components and the 75% foreign components are ALL from Korea. And it is manufactured there and then shipped over here. It has only 4% U.S. made parts in it. If I'd had looked at the window sticker harder before we bought it I may have left it on the lot. Hopefully it will be a good reliable car for the Mrs..

 

[classic]

American consumers fault?....I don't think so. Free trade agreements caused this. The working middle class is getting robbed, and that money is given to the working poor and to those who can't find work, or don't feel like working. Free phones, food and shelter keep them quiet. Huge profits by more than a few are being made from cheap imports. It's a sick game that shouldn't exist in the USA.

 

[dodge trucker]

China is not the only one anymore either. Just bought a new car for the wife in December. A new Chevy Trax. The window sticker says 75% foreign components and the 75% foreign components are ALL from Korea. And it is manufactured there and then shipped over here. It has only 4% U.S. made parts in it. If I'd had looked at the window sticker harder before we bought it I may have left it on the lot. Hopefully it will be a good reliable car for the Mrs..

the land of Hyundai and Kia. Maybe if more would maintain what they have and keep their cars/tractors/mowers longer this overseas crap would languish at the docks longer to a point of having to send it back on account of lack of storage space? Then maybe these other places would not ship so much of their garbage products here?

Cars trucks mowers etc are machines. Machines need maintenance to stay dependable. "having to work on it" does not necessarily make a machine a piece o' crap. but it definitely extends the life of said machine. Being that I have never bought a vehicle made in China (not sayin that it couldn't have had a component here or there that was sourced from there especially these days) but it makes me mad that when I need parts even going to the dealer, that I have no choice what so ever, in being forced to buy replacement parts that came from there. I bought rotors for the front of my Cherokee from the dealer about 5 years ago.. right across the dealer counter thinking I would avoid getting Chinese parts but um, nooo. I paid 2-1/2 times what the local parts places want, but same Chinese rotors that warped on me in less than a year. dealer sticker just slapped over same brand sticker carried at parts store. Not good, I have had several Jeeps, all were made in Toledo, which, last I knew was still in the USA...
Though I paid the same price as those dealer rotors, (and it takes the exact same ones as that old Cherokee did) I was able to find EBC ones when my Wrangler needed a set last summer, which are made either here or Britain. (NOT CHINA!)

We have lots of Chevys and Fords at work (I am a fleet mech. for the state of IL) and we get alot of OEM Delco and Motorcraft parts to maintain them... same thing. American car, forced to use imported parts to maintain.

 

[dodge trucker]

Growing up, I had lots of influence from Dad and my older brother. I was the kid pedaling a 10 speed around town, dragging a mower behind me with one hand and carrying my gas can and steering the bike with my other hand.

My Dad put up quite a fuss if I went and mowed someone elses yard and ours was shaggy. Even though these other people paid me and Dad never did I could not do anything for anyone else if ours wasn't done.

and my brother, well, you know the schoolyard fights where someone goes home and comes back with an older sibling to fight their battles for them? My brother was quite stubborn and would never "back me up" I was told to "fight my own battles" more than once.

The world might be a better place if these ideas were applied on a larger scale.

 

[boyscout862]

The china junk is biting everyone. In the last year, a new bridge in San Francisco and a new bridge in Canada have serious problems because of inferior hardware. The SF bridge was from china and the Canadian hasn't been reported yet but with low bidders most of the stuff comes from china. The quality assurance inspections are being skipped to save money.

Our current state of the art mismanagement only looks at the very short term bottom line. Sell things as cheap and quickly as possible. They figure the heck with the long term consequences.

Many states are now using a new "environmentally friendlier" road salt. It has the added benefit of eatting steel in 10 years. Many truck frames in my area are ruined by 12 years old. Bridges are suffering significant damage to beams and reinforcing in the concrete decks.

I fight the current "norms" by preferring older equipment that I can fix up and use. My 85 C10 will be restored this spring. My 1955 AC HD6G will be resurrected this spring too, along with a bunch of tractors. Remember: we are all in this together. Good Luck, Rick