Ethics Question, Removing ABS from a Street Boxster |
|
Porsche, and the Porsche crest are registered trademarks of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG.
This site is not affiliated with Porsche in any way. Its only purpose is to provide an online forum for car enthusiasts. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. |
|
Ethics Question, Removing ABS from a Street Boxster |
Series9 |
Oct 20 2011, 07:13 PM
Post
#1
|
Lesbians taste like chicken. Group: Members Posts: 5,444 Joined: 22-August 04 From: DeLand, FL Member No.: 2,602 Region Association: South East States |
I have a Boxster customer with a brake problem. She's had the car for 140k miles and has taken it with her to Hawaii and back.
Late in August, she experienced a very strange brake failure about 50 yards from her driveway. The pedal went to the floor. She stopped with the parking brake. Immediately after stopping, the brakes worked normally again. She took the car to her old mechanic, who replaced the master cylinder. Last week, it happened again. This time, she was going 45 and had to swerve to miss traffic. She ended up in the grass, facing the other way by the time she stopped. Once again, the brakes were back immediately and she drove home. When she returned to her mechanic, he told her the car was a liability and said he couldn't help her any more. That's when she found me. There are no fault codes stored or active for the ABS and she is now afraid of the car. She wants to keep it, though. She's a school teacher who can't afford the $4000+ bill to replace the ABS (if that were to become necessary). We have discussed bypassing the ABS hydraulically, but I told her I have ethical questions I have to ponder before doing so. I would like your opinions, please. |
r_towle |
Oct 20 2011, 10:27 PM
Post
#2
|
Custom Member Group: Members Posts: 24,624 Joined: 9-January 03 From: Taxachusetts Member No.: 124 Region Association: North East States |
Ethically you should do what is right for the customer, and advise her of the risks of each choice.
Legally...you could lose your business and house if you don't get a waiver from her. Rich |
DBCooper |
Oct 21 2011, 06:14 AM
Post
#3
|
14's in the 13's with ATTITUDE Group: Members Posts: 3,079 Joined: 25-August 04 From: Dazed and Confused Member No.: 2,618 Region Association: Northern California |
Ethically you should do what is right for the customer, and advise her of the risks of each choice. Legally...you could lose your business and house if you don't get a waiver from her. Rich This is the best answer. The question was about ethics but most answers have been about about liability, something totally different. To answer the original question about ethics you can't let the lady drive that car the way it is now, you need to fix it. Explain the situation to her, let her both make the decision and accept the consequences. That's no different that what doctors do in difficult situations, counsel the patient, explain the alternatives and consequences, make recommendations, then let the patient decide. And she signs the waiver. As observation this is already an old car and all old cars get modified, if for no other reason than aftermarket parts are cheaper than OEM. Anyone here using OEM brake pads? Anti-lock brakes may be a safety feature when they work, but when they don't they're dangerous. Register the complaint with the NTSB (www.nhtsa.gov) and see what they have to say, or have the owner give them a call. Were Boxter's also sold without ABS? If so you're just removing an option. As a parallel BMW motorcycles came with ABS as an option since the early 90's. Most of those units don't work any more, are hugely expensive to fix, and are regularly disabled and removed by mechanics and by owners. Give your local BMW motorcycle dealer a call, see what they do. It might give you some professional guidance about handling the liability. |
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 24th September 2024 - 12:56 PM |
All rights reserved 914World.com © since 2002 |
914World.com is the fastest growing online 914 community! We have it all, classifieds, events, forums, vendors, parts, autocross, racing, technical articles, events calendar, newsletter, restoration, gallery, archives, history and more for your Porsche 914 ... |