Or would you prefer the poisonous version?
No, I’m not planning an attack. Even in my darkest corners, there’s no need for a quick or slow death. That said—a quick death? What I and some of my fellow tinkerers have noticed is the surprisingly short lifespan of modern rubber products. It’s a huge annoyance that these days, you have to replace expensive rubber boots, trim strips, and other rubber parts after just a few years.
A good example is the axle boots for Volkswagen’s swing-axle models. The old ones that were already on my 1965 Transporter when I bought it in 1991 are still in good shape, while some of my colleagues have already had to replace their aftermarket parts twice or more because they started cracking after just a few years. The same goes for small parts like the little boot that seals the opening of the throttle cable in the floor panel.
My guess is that today’s materials—to put it simply, “the rubber”—are manufactured, or must be manufactured, according to different criteria. Could they be lacking stabilizers or the necessary plasticizers, which might pose a health risk under certain circumstances? I suspect this is the case. And of course, it’s right to ban these substances from all processes, from manufacturing to use. This is to protect everyone who might come into contact with them. That’s also one reason, for example, why I avoid using NOS brake pads. I’d rather have old brake shoes re-lined. I don’t even want to imagine asbestos dust flying everywhere when the brakes are opened.
And yet, shouldn’t it be possible to make those rubber parts durable too? After all, it’s possible with water hoses—using silicone—or suspension parts—using polyurethane (PU)—isn’t it?
Well then, this is probably the price we pay for wanting to drive our cars long past their estimated “expiration date.” It’s just surprising that while some components in old cars wear out prematurely, rubber was apparently an exception: The old one lasts, but the new one doesn’t.
By the way, what applies to rubber parts also seems to be the case with capacitors. They seem to last less long today than they used to, and sometimes it’s worth buying two new ones right away because one of them will give out prematurely. True, electronic ignition systems are available as a solution, but in the event of a breakdown, I can repair a classic ignition system with just a few spare parts I’ve brought along, whereas with those little electronic bugs, I sometimes don’t know exactly if or where they’re crawling through.
