you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 71 points 2 years ago (5 children)

I could see an argument about medical devices, HVAC, and vehicles... But I don't think I'd agree with them. Except maybe medical.

Consoles and toothbrushes though? What the fuck?

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 10 child comments
  • [–] 19 points 2 years ago (36 children)

    I don't see any argument for vehicles, tbh. HVAC tinkering is almost exclusively high voltage so that makes just a little sense, don't want people swapping a 350 volt AC capacitor with a 250 volt DC capacitor and having it blow up, but Vehicles means a manufacturer can do everything imaginable to limit part availability and kill aftermarket parts purely for profits.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 37 child comments
  • load more comments (35 replies)
  • [–] 10 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    For toothbrushes, are they worried repair won't re-seal it effectively so make it unsuitable for use in the wet environment?

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago

    I hope you're right and this isn't about them getting ready to DRM brush handles to brush heads. Sonicare brush heads are ridiculously overpriced compared to the knock offs

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 7 points 2 years ago (2 children)
  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    I mean, I don't want the thing supplying the air I'm breathing to accidentally not burn all the gas and lead to carbon monoxide poisoning etc.... Things like the ductwork and shit, for sure, but not like, a burner.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] 7 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    The great irony is it's frequently the "ductwork" that's the problem: plugged or badly installed exhaust pipes, which the manufacture has no control over. The rest are the appliance itself wearing out or failing with no warning.

    I've repaired furnaces myself several times including replacing burners and exhaust fans -- it isn't rocket science. It's no different than working on any other "dangerous" thing like a car. If someone somehow manages to fuck up so badly it hurts or kills someone that's on them.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • Yeah that's totally valid. Agreed.

    But I also wouldn't really trust third party parts for the appliance itself. I think once you do, that immediately becomes a possible problem. If it was in my house, I'd only buy from the manufacturer for something like that.

    But on the other hand, Idk that it's necessarily wrong to legislate forcing these companies to allow it. I generally believe consumers should have the option on their own, but some things are too dangerous. I'd pretty much be against medical devices but HVAC is a little more uncertain to me.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago (2 children)

    So you want to be stuck with the same thermostat forever? Imagine it comes with one of those Amazon ones with a persistent camera and microphone in it that you can't opt out of.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    A thermostat doesn't have refrigerants/gasses in them. It's nothing more than a complicated on off switch

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [+] -1 points 2 years ago (2 children)
  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago (1 child)

    What... The.. Fuck?

    If your thermostat could cause a fire or gas leak, your HVAC system is flawed. This is entirely a fabricated concern. If anything, I'd chalk it up as reasons why maybe right to repair the HVAC isn't a great idea. A properly setup HVAC wont let anything tell it to do that.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago (1 child)

    Firstly, I said this one was iffy to me.

    Second, the subtopic was HVAC and thermostats are like, the electronics that control the HVAC which I wouldn't even really necessarily bucket into HVAC. It's like HVAC adjacent.

    Third, this whole topic is about right to repair, not right to replace. So the on topic argument is "you want to be able to repair the same thermostat with off brand parts", to which I say, yes? Probably? I don't see how that's a problem.

    And fourth, who the fuck would buy an Amazon thermostat, lmao.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [+] 0 points 2 years ago (1 child)
  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago (1 child)

    That's more "device" pairing than "parts" pairing. The thermostat to HVAC communication is a standard. Sure, if someone started forcing that, that'd be bad. But that's more akin to Apple's "iOS only works with MacBooks" type shit with Airdrop and such than it is to their "you can't replace the camera in your phone unless it's from us". They're both problems, but the one you're describing is both not happening and a different issue. I'm not saying it won't happen but it's a different topic.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago

    You need some sort of licensing to do most HVAC work anyways. Theres no point in forcing companies to make all the parts available to the average joe when the average joe can't legally do the work anyways.

  • source
  • parent