On 1/19/2017 7:46 PM, J. Clarke wrote:
In article ,
says...

Being one of the expensive metals it is a major cost.
Being a heavy metal it is a major cost.
Battery cables are not thin.

So what? I haven't seen a _number_ from you,
just arm waving.

What percentage of the cost of a $20,000 car is
battery cables? What percentage of the weight
of a 2000 pound car is battery cables?

It has been a long standing practice that if a car company could save
two or three cents doing something differently that works they will
reengineer to make that happen. Many vehicle recalls are to undo what
saving a few cents during manufacturing caused to be problematic.
Probably with out exception the G body GM vehicles from 1978 on had a
campaign to replace every every rear control arm bolt, both sides. The
cost of the replacement bolt kit, 2 bolts and 2 lock nuts, $1.35.
Every G body vehicle that came into our shop automatically had these
bolts replaced if it had not already been done. It was about a 15
minute procedure that we often never told the customer about.