Open letter to Sir Jim and Lynne Calder at Ineos automotive

[Tenac]

I think some people should just sell the car. I don’t mean that in the “love it or leave it” blind faith sense, I just mean, it’s a shitty problem that is a real issue, but miles are racking up on lots of trucks and if it’s going to be something you perseverate on to an unhealthy extent to the point you can’t just mindlessly drive the car, sell the fucking thing. it’s the smart bet right now anyway.

You do have a point here. When I speak to our local dealer there is a lot more people who will never use this vehicle for what it is really meant for but rather for school runs, groceries, daily commute. When that market starts to take off the typical individual in today's market that has a front drive shaft let go even covered under warranty will drop it quickly. I don't expect my mother to have full confidence if something that major fails. And hoping it is a minor fail not total loss version lol. When that starts to spread Ineos will really have an issue on its hand to getting to new customer markets. Reality is they just need to spend some engineering time into finding a solution or redesign and get it done.

 

[AngusMacG]

Is the replacement boot any different than the original oem one ?
You’ve put on over 60k miles on the new one alone. How is that lasting significantly longer than the original?

I doubt there is any difference in the boot material between my original and current one. It was early on so I imagine no modifications were made. I would hedge to say it may be an issue with the lot on the molding at the manufacturer. It could also be the compounding of the rubber as well.

 

[MileHigh]

Been awhile since I delved into the front drive shaft issue, but it seems as ‘original sins’ for vehicles, there are lot bigger issues with the modern ‘psycho’ engines grenading themselves- that seems to be a far bigger issue and more expensive.

It seems a system of:
-Better boot inspections every oil change
-Pre-emptive replacement, especially for mod’d trucks
-Optimized boot material for replacement

Not downplaying the issue, but in the grand scheme of auto issues lately, this doesn’t seem to be the worst thing out there. They need to address it.

 

[CrazyOldMan]

Been awhile since I delved into the front drive shaft issue, but it seems as ‘original sins’ for vehicles, there are lot bigger issues with the modern ‘psycho’ engines grenading themselves- that seems to be a far bigger issue and more expensive.

It seems a system of:
-Better boot inspections every oil change
-Pre-emptive replacement, especially for mod’d trucks
-Optimized boot material for replacement

Not downplaying the issue, but in the grand scheme of auto issues lately, this doesn’t seem to be the worst thing out there. They need to address it.

That’s how I see it - it’s disappointing for sure and an extra hassle- but the issue could be worse. I would consider, if I were IA, some sort of warranty extension for this issue. It’s just not acceptable that the boot should go under normal use without a lift in just 2 years. Where they will REALLY have a problem is if someone has catastrophic drive shaft failure and an injury results. Then the FACT that they had stock failures and no maintenance guidance will become a problem in discovery, even if the driver making the claim had a lift.

 

[MileHigh]

Not to be too trendy, but the dealer should start taking a picture of the boots on every vehicle that comes in for any kind of maintenance. Then correlate those pictures with failures, maybe even run them through AI, to try to find if there’s some kind of predictor.

How much would it be to replace a boot preemptively? Considering all the other money I throw with this thing it may be worth it. I am slightly concerned that the quality of the install affecting the long entity, so in some ways, I don’t want to replace a part that’s actually not compromise, and potentially put a new part in and add a liability.