Tony,

Simple question:

Should Firestone be asked to take a bath on something they looked at and called "finished"?

The cost of making good on faulty manufacture or faulty design is a "cost of doing business". It's something that a business builds into their overhead (or at least, they do if they want to survive). I don't have lot of compassion for a company that took $2,000 of my money crying over how much it costs to replace a $30 item that's -- essentially -- hosed.

In reality, US consumer laws (and potentially UK) would permit owners to simply demand refunds (usability for marketed purpose type laws, since cars are exposed to the sun, you could make a case that it isn't usable on a sunny day with the top down). Which hurts more? People asking for refunds or spending $30.00 on replacing the part?

Which hurts more? Thirty dollars in replacement parts, or the potential lost sales from bad word-of-mouth about customer service?

D