Indeed we do. Engines long outlast their chassis in most cases. I wish they would de-sophisticate automatic transmissions or refine them enough to go the distance.
The average ownship is stretched out to about 12-13 years. Most major systems start needing service shortly after this time. Racks- Power steering, the air conditioning is probably shot. ...radiator (not a biggie) ..heater core (biggie) and all the parts are long obsolete and expensive.
I'd love to see the domestically designed engine that grenaded anywhere near the warranty end. Most cars could drive to the junkyard ..other than a bad trans or a snapped timing belt.
They're worth more in scrap. The reason is due to one simple thing. They produced too many units. Why do you think a Honda Civic is worth almost as much as you paid for it when it is paid off (used to - but the value is still high)?? It's because they built to demand and sold every one that they made. They charged a reasonable ROI on the product. A domestic car, otoh, had to sell so many units to "pay the bills" ..that's why they were leasing high end Explorers for $269/month with some trade/cash of the sales cost (somewhere around $2500). How much would a used Explorer be worth if 1/4 of the units were produces ..as oppose to them giving them away??
That's what retires a domestic automobile. Commonality and that there's no reason to fix the thing. Just buy another one in better shape for less money.
For anyone interested, here's some real good papers on many aspects of oil/lubrication. #10 is on base oils. It gives a time line for many landmark developements. I just read #11 today. #11 is on the various states of lubrication (hydrodynamic/mixed/boundary). A good bit on journal bearings. Very easy to follow (I understood it). These are much better than SAE technical papers in that they aren't trying to endure peer review and impress their contemporaries with how complicated they can present the information.
http://www.zddplus.com/TechBrief10%2...e%20Stocks.pdf 
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