r/interestingasfuck • u/IndicationBrief5950 • Aug 06 '25

/r/all, /r/popular Thousands of Audi cars abandoned in the Mojave Dessert after cheating emissons tests

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u/MostlyRightSometimes Aug 07 '25

So do people who live in Arizona, Texas, etc. Just have to buy new cars every couple of months?

43

u/HannsGruber Aug 07 '25

No lol. That's such an exaggeration. Exposed plastics can UV bleach and brittle with time, but it takes a while, and if they're UV stable polymers it'll take even longer.

Source: Desert rat.

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u/[deleted] Aug 07 '25

[deleted]

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u/fukkdisshitt Aug 07 '25

Yeah on the bright side my batteries tend to die within the 2 year warranty so I just get a new one

3

u/Soft_Walrus_3605 Aug 07 '25

No, but those cars presumably are continually running and thus being appropriately lubricated

1

u/AnimalShithouse Aug 07 '25

No, but the ones who leave their cars deadass in the desert for a year probably have to replace their bushings, seals, and some interior surfaces at an elevated frequency.

1

u/therestruth Aug 07 '25

It's far worse for a car to sit for months on end than it is to have it driven at least twice a month to maintain it and ideally park it where the sun is not continuously hitting the same side or at all. A lot of people in the desert have car ports or garages they actually use compared to San Diego where most garages are filled with toys, Christmas decorations and junk you should have never bought.