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Re: US vs. UK

To: Allen Nugent <A.Nugent@unsw.edu.au>
Subject: Re: US vs. UK
From: Odd Hedberg <odd@triumphclub.se>
Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1998 18:36:18 +0200
Cc: 1-Triumph List <triumphs@Autox.Team.Net>
References: <199808120148.LAA16066@sam.comms.unsw.EDU.AU>
Allen, 
we don't have that 'murrican  way of recalling cars in Europe... 
At least not in Sweden, I'm sure. Over here the service garages 
gets a notice about what is expected to be done, and then when 
a car of the type concerned shows itself on their doorstep they 
tell the owner about it and then do the job - and the importer/
factory picks up the bill... 
In the 12+ years I have had my '86 Jetta II [since new] it has 
happened twice to me. The first time was when the car was some 
8-10 years old when it was expected to have its heater core and 
piping changed to a new type not prone to rupturing and frying 
the legs of the occupants... Had happened it tropical heat they 
said. The second time was this spring when they had developed a 
new, better valve cover seal that doesn't leak oil on top of the 
manifolds... 

And in all fairness: the best fighter in W.W.II wasn't the Mustang. 
It was most definitely the Messerschmitt Me 262 A-1a Schwalbe. 
[Remember we're talking World war here, not only Anglo-American 
war.] 

The 262 was faster [top speed some 870 kph - the second fastest 
fighter of WW2, beaten only by the Me 163 Komet with its 960 
kph], it had heavier armament [with 4 30 mm automatic cannon], 
it had swept wings [5-10 years before the rest of the pack...]
etc etc. But, fortunately for all of us in the free world, the 
Luftwaffe and the Germans had such problems with the development 
of this splendid fighter that it entered front line service far 
too late to have any significant bearing on the outcome of the war. 

The P51D Mustang with its British designed [but Packard built] 
engine was probably the best Western fighter of the second world 
war.  To that I can gladly agree...  :-) 
Yours
/Odd 


Allen Nugent wrote: 
> This thread has the makings of quite a can of worms. ...
> However, by way of quantitative comparison, it would be 
> illuminating to compare the recall histories of British vs. 
> American cars (does anyone have figures handy?) I don't 
> think I've ever heard about British-car recalls, although 
> it must have happened from time to time. As for American 
> cars, just pick up a used-car buyer's guide and see how 
> many models you can find that haven't been recalled!
> 
> (BTW the P51 was probably the best fighter of WWII, but it was a pig until
> they fitted Rolls Royce engines!)
> 
> Allen Nugent
> Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering
> University of New South Wales
> Sydney  2052  Australia

-- 
Odd Hedberg
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