transistor

Basically fluff and dust clog the vents in their enclosure and the poor little fellas just suffocate.

Rheilly

Any idea what happens to them after they die?

Someone told me they come back as diodes.

Obviously a figure of speech - usually excess voltage or current can damage a transistor, some types are vulnerable to static discharge.

With automotive equipment you have to consider vibration, corrosion or ingress of road grime making connectors unreliable.

Its unusual for auto electricians to delve into component level fault finding, they more often check connectors and other obvious things - then swap out the unit.

More than likely the bloke told you; "a transistor died" because it sounds like he knows what he's on about.

I've heard that in an "Immboliser" sometimes they get "Immbolised" but have never seen it myself.

Rheilly

Ian has probably identified the true source of the comment.

Your obvious response though is to ask the auto-electrician to replace the transistor. Be interesting to hear his excuse for not doing so.

Sylvia.

For all I know he could be right about a transistor died, but automotive electronic modules are more often than not potted so component level repair is impossible, and they're notoriously expensive to replace.

Could be interesting when the bill is presented for; 'that transistor'.

My immobiliser died some years ago. Easy to access the pcb after all the cable ties are cut, and if you are a contortionist artist. It could have been a transistor, but it wasn't.

It was only the solder joints of the relays on the pcb. Vibration and temperature changes have made them brittle. If I hadn't taken some time to locate the fault, the repair job would have been a 30 minute one. Re-soldering took only minute. I posted a heads up on this group at the time.

Tony

Given the legal (The Australia Consumer Law) requirement that spare parts be "reasonably available for a reasonable period", one would have a case against the manufacturer or importer where the price is excessive.

Mind you, I suspect that no precedents ever get set - anyone who starts down that path will likely get the part at a reasonable price.

Sylvia.

"reasonably available for a reasonable period", one

excessive.

Would you please provide a link to the specific section of the 'The Australia Consumer Law' that you refer to. If you are dealing with Aldi etc. you can just take the faulty thing back and they will refund the purchase price (only within a month or so, unless covered by a manufacturers warranty?).

that path will likely get the part at a reasonable

ser

the

pair

Yes, as long as they are silent about it ? - the manufacturer does not want bad publicity from a court case, or a precedent set, and probably will do a deal just to make it go away. (99% would just pay and not argue) Would this be done by the person in a "small claims" type court or on your behalf by consumer affairs ?

Consumer Law' that you refer to.

they

manufacturers warranty?).

that path will likely get the part at a reasonable

The right to return faulty goods, within a reasonable time, is a separate matter. But long after any right to return the goods would have expired, the company has to make spare parts available, so that the consumer is not faced with discarding goods just because they have developed a fault.

Unfortunately, Austlii has problems with schedules, and cannot provide links to individual sections.

-------

(1) If: (a) a person supplies, in trade or commerce, goods to a consumer; and (b) the supply does not occur by way of sale by auction;

there is a guarantee that the manufacturer of the goods will take reasonable action to ensure that facilities for the repair of the goods, and parts for the goods, are reasonably available for a reasonable period after the goods are supplied.

-------

Now, there is a possible ambiguity as to what "reasonably available" means, but I think a court would find that a spare part that was unreasonably priced, by reference to the cost to the company of making it available, then the part would not be "reasonable available".

Sylvia.

Most likely via the small claims route. Just a matter of filling in a form and paying a modest filing fee (typically a few tens of dollars). If the company is really trying to gouge consumers on spare part prices, the matter would probably not even reach a hearing.

Consumer affairs would be unlikely to have the resources to chase such things up, being more concerned (and rightly so, IHMO) with products that endanger lives.

Sylvia.

Not an option now. The guy snipped the wires presumably going to the indicator lights which had been staying on incorrectly. Problem solved but functionality now reduced.