The sleazy ambulance chasers who hire me to inspect wrecked vehicles for non-standard parts and other defects so they can hang people out to dry who think they are smarter than the manufacturers. They will give a jury a sob story and try to take everything you own, plus a piece of every dollar you ever hope to make in the future, and laugh all the way to the bank, or at least the closest high-dollar speakeasy to the court house. They particularly love to zero in on steering, suspension, or brake modifications, and the quality (or lack of it) won't make a shred of difference. "IT'S NOT ORIGINAL- - - - - -WHERE ARE THE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT RECORDS?"
I have two brothers- - - -one does computer modeling for automotive manufacturers on a contract basis. He designs a part on a computer, and runs it to failure on the same computer, using a program he wrote to predict the cost of manufacturing and failure rates during the warranty period. His fees are reasonable, $1K per day or so, depending on the complexity of the part. If he saves the manufacturer $1.00 a part on a run of a million items, they will pay his fees gladly. Even a 50 cent saving is profitable to them.
My other brother is a criminal defense attorney. He defends robbers and murders, so he's not quite as sleazy as an ambulance chaser! Get to know both of those guys before you start butchering on steering, suspension, or brakes, It might come in handy!
Jerry
