Consumer product safety

This is definitely a first world problem. A guy bought a $3.5 million hypercar, then complained it was so loud that it was dangerous to drive and too expensive to maintain, so he's naturally suing the manufacturer.

We've all seen a new hypercar and dreamed that, in the right circumstances, we'd gladly make numerous comfort and practicality concessions to experience their brilliance in other areas. But one such buyer in Germany believes the incomparable Aston Martin Valkyrie pushes the limits of one's compromise beyond all reasonable measure. With a Cosworth-developed naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12 capable of delivering over 1,000 horsepower at 10,500 rpm (with a redline at 11,100), it's to be expected that the highly strung engine will be fairly loud, but a new lawsuit suggests that the visceral noise it makes is dangerous, and wearing the protective headphones that must be used whenever the car is driven could actually put drivers of the Valkyrie in danger. And that's far from the only issue he's faced in his time owning the car, reports local publication Handelsblatt.

There were some other problems too, which sound about right to me for such an expensive hypercar; these are not meant for commuting or getting groceries. I remember reading 20-30 years ago that some "ordinary" $100,000 supercar's routine 5000 mile maintenance cost $15,000. Also read that some full-blown race cars get a new engine for every race. Not hard to imagine that a 1000 horsepower V-12 could be mighty expensive to maintain.

Kunze bought the car in February 2022 for €3 million, or around $3.5 million. But in the three years and 271 miles since, he's allegedly had numerous issues. One of the biggest was an issue with the "Rocket Locker," a locking system that keeps the car's hydraulic suspension from sagging when power is cut off. This was allegedly removed without Kunze's knowledge, causing the car to rest on its wheels. He claims this led to visible damage "during transport and visits to the workshop." Following this, and a claim of numerous warning lights related to the high-voltage hybrid system shortly after taking delivery, he wanted to return the car, but then Aston Martin told him to pay a usage fee of roughly €55,000 (~$63,000) for the 441 km/271 miles he'd done.

Moreover, Aston Martin says that the blame for the damaged wheels lies not at the feet of the Rocket Locker system, but with the owner himself, saying that the car's issues are "typical signs of wear or marks that arise from improper wheel replacement. In this context, we point out that the plaintiff insisted on changing the wheels on the vehicle himself and even purchased a jack set from the defendant specifically for this purpose."

Hard to say how this would play out in Chartertopia. A car so loud that it comes with protective headphones for the driver is surely too loud to drive on city streets or even on a freeway; but is it really? This thing would just be loafing along even on the freeway, barely idling; is it really so loud on a city street that he couldn't hear an ambulance? I don't know any more about this car than what's in the article, but it sounds like it's only meant for track racing, and maybe driving to the track. The headphones were probably only for the track, not around town. It's been three years, and apparently no other owners have complained.

My instinct is to say caveat emptor. He bought it, he owns it, and it doesn't sound (ha ha) like it's behaving abnormally. Considering how naive he was about such an expensive car, it seems plausible that he's responsible for the other problems too. Face-to-face negotiations would go nowhere and they'd probably end up hiring an impromptu jury. Would any jury believe him beyond a reasonable doubt? Did he think $3.5 million was the end of paying for it? A fool and his money are soon parted.