Originally Posted by Mark Kovalsky

There may be 1000 or more places where the engineers would like to spend $1 to $10. That adds up to $1000 per vehicle. Vehicle prices are not set by adding up the costs and then a profit. Prices are set by market conditions. So if they add $1000 to each truck that just reduces the profit.

On the torque converter alone, Ford sells maybe 2 million torque converters per year. If it cost $1 to install a drain plug that's $2 million less in profits. Multiply that by 1000 places in the truck that $1 could be spent and you've reduced profits by $2 Billion!! That's not pocket change.

You can't look at pricing one truck at a time. That's not how it works in mass production.