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[–] • 10 pts

Automotive engine parts were better when made from metal.

[–] • 6 pts

There are severe differences in the grades of plastics. If you ever have the opportunity to work on something like a LS430, then you'll see what good plastics can do. Half the radiator is plastic on those and I've never seen one leak. I've seen them in accidents and still hold pressure. Then you look a a modern ford and see them leaking from the seams when they're brand new and need a warranty replacement. Getting 20 years of use out of an all brass radiator without any repairs is pretty special. Getting 20 years of use out of a LS430 radiator is normal.

[–] • 3 pts

I ordered a radiator for a 1996 4runner for a friend a few years back. It arrived via UPS and when I opened the box, the plastic overflow hose nipple near the radiator cap on the upper plastic was busted off. It wasn't in the box. I contacted the vendor, they shipped another out that day and sent me a return ups label for the first. When the second arrived, the same nipple was busted off but not in the box. They sent me another return shipping label and my friend ended up buying a new radiator locally. I think someone in the parts department was sending out factory rejects.

So, other than that weird experience, I agree, radiators are better these days, they are an exception and generally much cheaper to replace than the copper versions of yesteryear.

[–] • 1 pt

Lived it. New rads can take a beating. That's why you don't see a lot of radiator shops anymore

[–] • 0 pt

are they really making engine parts from plastic? like glock materials?

[–] • 5 pts

Yes. Puts a replacement expiration date on most anything plastic under the hood between 8 and 15 years.

[–] • 4 pts

Yes, plastic intakes, plastic sensors, lots of plastic everywhere they think they can get away with it. After years of hot/cold, the crap gets brittle so engine repairs can be very delicate operations in order to not break any plastic parts while performing surgery to fix what is broken.

[–] • 2 pts

That's another thing I hate about plastic -- in the cold it gets as brittle as glass. Bang against it and it will crack.

[–] • 1 pt

ah I thought the block, pistons, valves, cams, etc.

[–] • 4 pts

The valve cover on my 2007 is plastic. I think intakes on some are also plastic now.

[–] • 3 pts

I watch those automotive videos where mechanics take engines apart -- yet, car makers are really using plastic parts in engines.

[–] • 1 pt

YEs its the devil. Espeaccliy coolant parts. Its the worst.

[–] • 5 pts

Shampoo bottles are better made of plastic. Also ketchup and mustard bottles. I hated getting mustard with a knife.

[–] • 1 pt

Toothpaste too. The metal tubes feel nostalgic, but they are heavier, more expensive, and harder to get the last bits out of.

[–] • 3 pts

Kitchen appliances like toasters and blenders were better when they were entirely made of metal and wood. Woodworking tools were better. D-handles on shovels were better made of wood and metal. Car parts were better when they were all steel.

Personal story: I owned a car with a hood supported by pneumatic struts. The ends of those struts were plastic. One end split and broke. I was told I couldn't get a fifty cent piece of plastic to replace the end, I had to buy the entire strut for a hundred dollars.

Plastic dries out, it becomes brittle, and it cracks. That's just the reality of it. I had a photographic enlarger with plastic knobs. It sat in the closet for a few years. When I went to use it, the knobs broke into pieces. All the strength had gone out of the plastic. (Word to the wise, never buy something such as a photo tripod with plastic knobs to lock the legs into place. The plastic will fail, it's only a matter of time.)

I hate plastic.

[–] • 3 pts

Glass soda bottles taste way better

[–] • 3 pts

Bottles made of glass. Glass doesn't leach estrogen into food like plastic does.

[–] • 3 pts

Caps, Closures, Containers, Automotive, Medical, Appliances are the biggest winners when it comes to Polymers. The pro's of plastics come into play when trying to minimize weight and corrosion. My job is in the plastic industry. Mainly for Injection Molding. I am pretty certain that everyone on POAL has used at least one of the components I have worked on in my past.
I have seen a working engine with the block molded in plastic. However the cylinder walls were metal. Much of the medical industry drives the plastic industry and a multitude of procedures are only possible because of plastic. I have personally built over 100 molds in my career. Most were single cavity molds in the developmental stage of a product. I often wonder about the misinformed SJW that would find themselves in the emergency room and say "I don't want any plastic devices to be used on me". That is when the staff will make them aware that they are about to die. One of the biggest problems with plastic is that some designers like to use the least expensive polymer that they can. Polymer choice is a large portion of manufacturing a successful component. Polypropylene and Polyethylene are at the low end of cost. Currently around $1/lb. and Polycarbonate around $3/lb. BTW those prices are when you buy a large quantity of material (Railroad Car Full). A more expensive material called PEEK is $400/lb. PEEK is a high heat injection moldable material that is sometime classified as a Thermoset. Thermoset materials are not recyclable.
The only product that comes to mind that was better in metal than plastic, is a SLINKY.

[–] • 2 pts

Fascinating. Complete respect for y'all in the chemical and plastic industries. The world would not be as advanced as it is without you.

[–] • 2 pts

Plastic straws are pretty much the best straws.

The fiber reinforced plastic in modern high quality (hilti, dewalt, milwaukee) cordless drills is hard to beat. Sure the aluminum ones were indestructible, but if you're on a ladder all day working with it the light weight more than makes up for it. I've never seen one break before all the other component become trash first. You could drop them from a height and break them, but the aluminum ones would break from that as well.

Hard hats and helmets made from plastic are superior in my opinion. Same with safety glasses.

[–] • 2 pts

Metal is always better.

[–] • 0 pt

kayaks?

[–] • 2 pts

Aren't kayaks fiberglass?

[–] • 1 pt

I think canoes are but kayaks are definitely plastic, all the ones I've used/seen.

[–] • 2 pts

Old school aluminum canoes are pretty cool. You could bounce those off rocks and they'd hold strong.

[–] • 2 pts

Honey jars made out of plastic are the dumbest thing ever. When that honey crystallizes after a few months, you either have to toss is or heat up the plastic to unsafe levels to free the honey.

[–] • 1 pt

Phone top screens would be better made out of plastic so they don't shatter. Put a nice brittle tempered-glass cover if you want something that will crack.

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