Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/05/15/copyrighted-timing-belts.html
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good story.
VW did something like that in the '70 by suing shops that used VWs logo. it did 3 things
closed competition of privately owned repair shops.
drove business to VW’s maintenance garages.
drove down demand for non original parts.
other car makers have the same policy now but I don’t know when it started. I suspect VWs popularity, simplicity, and easy availability encouraged a lot of modification which created repair underground. It in turn ignored brand copyright, which eventually brought down the lawyers.
Somebody needs to decide whether it’s a timing belt or a timing chain. Chain is used far more throughout the story, but it’s a lot more plausible that a timing belt would be breaking. (Timing chains are generally good for the life of the engine, while belts have a lifespan of 60-100k miles.)
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