No worries from this Canuck. :laugh: You may be surprised to learn that the Oshawa Ontario GM plant builds Chev trucks for the entire Canada/US market.
i owned a '79 chrysler cordoba, that was made in canada, not sure where though. was good car, sold it because it just quit running
20+ years? Jeez. That's just silly. I feel sorry for their significant others. God help them when they screw up. My familly and friends had a cicada like cycle with GM stuff. We might try one every 5-10 years hoping we would have good luck. We'd get burned and go Japanese for a while. I can understand the frustration of the guy who started this thread. I've fought with 1995-2000 Pontiacs and all I can say is @#$%^ :rant: You see, Pontiac has 2 of the 3 important qualities a car needs. Power and styling. Sadly, what's missing is reliability. Is it just me, or does anyone else think they should have kept the Regal name? People knew what a Regal was. The LaCrosse stying isn't too bad, though. I like the front, but they have got to give it some power. The top of the line LC is getting very good reviews for it's handling. Then they immediately turn around and complain about the power. Ohhhhh GM, HINT!!!!
Toyota just announced another 1.27 million vehicles recalled...and there were more earlier so 3 million vehicles recalled in the last 6 months so for people who think they are great do some research first, you might be surprised. later Tim PS the 06 Toyota Corolla just made the 'most dangerous list" too... http://www.autoblog.com/entry/1234000130064749/
But the point is, everyone puts the japanese cars on pedestals and praises them up and down but the reality is they have problems too. Acura can't build a tranny to save its life. Look at VW and Mercedes too, more problems per vehicle than anyone but their owners wouldnever admit that...and up until a year ago they were the cars "to have". You could put a toyota badge on a pile of cow dung and sell it as safe and reliable, and buyers would line up no doubt. Its very in style to bash the domestic guys right now. I'm not defending them or their products, but its pretty obvious if you cruise the other car websites that no car out there is perfect, including Toyota. later Tim
While the labor paid for producing the car may go into US or Canadian hands, the PROFIT made from the SALE of the car goes to a non-US based corporation, so, ultimately, that money is "skimmed" out of our economy.
We are talking about reliability, NOT crash test safety. No one said the Japanese stuff was perfect either. We did say two brands in particular were superior. I will give Toyota credit in that when a crash test reveals something is wrong, they fix it. If a problem rears it's head for some other reason, they fix it and usually on the first try. From what I understand, GM has improved in this area. Compare: http://www.automotive.com/new-cars/recalls/01/honda/ http://www.automotive.com/new-cars/recalls/01/toyota/ http://autonet.ca/Maintenance/Recalls/story.cfm?story=/Maintenance/Recalls/2005/04/25/1012357.html -- More than 330,000 1500 Series Chevrolet Suburban and Yukon XL from the 2000-2001 model years for potential overheating of fuel pump wires that could lead to engine stalling. There were no known crashes or injuries related to the problem. -- More than 142,000 1500 Series Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups from the 1999-2002 model years and 2500/3500 Series pickups from the 2001-2005 model years with manual transmissions for parking brake friction. Adler said 26 crashes and one minor injury were connected to the problem. -- More than 69,000 Buick Lacrosse and Buick Allure 2005 models from Canada for a bent clip that holds part of the brake. If the clip comes off, it would lead to brake loss and a crash, Adler said. There has been one minor crash from the issue. -- More than 39,000 Buick Rendezvous and Pontiac Azteks from the 2004 model year for intermittent stalling or failure to start because of a faulty ignition relay. GM said it was aware of one minor crash but no injuries. -- More than 22,000 Saturn L Series Wagons from the 2002-2004 model year because they were built with a center and passenger side rear seat belt anchors that do not comply with U.S. and Canadian safety standards. The company said the problems will be corrected at no charge. GM said in 2005, the company has made 22 recalls accounting for 2.9 million vehicles. During the same period in 2004, the company had 18 recalls for a total of 8.5 million vehicles. (It ends on a happier note at least)
"While the labor paid for producing the car may go into US or Canadian hands, the PROFIT made from the SALE of the car goes to a non-US based corporation, so, ultimately, that money is "skimmed" out of our economy" EXACTLY Alan. Another factor is that Toyota is making BIG profits so it is alot easier to cover warranty or recall repairs. Lady at work here is on her 3rd engine on her Sienna. Apparently totally roasts the oil when she gets stuck in big beach traffic backups in the summer. Doesn't help that she changes the oil on recommended interval rather than the "severe duty" cycle. I told her that stuck idling in gear for 2 hrs in 95 deg heat with the AC on is beyond "stop and go" for which they say it needs to be changed like 3000 miles.
How about imports forcing US companies to cut retirement benefits or go bankrupt? It seems that instead of bringing 3rd world countries living standards up to ours, we are intent on eventually lowering ours down towards theirs! Eventually everyone will wake up :sleep: and support North American products, if at all possible. Canada and the US are even-trade partners so I feel we are all in this together in North America.
Yeah, it's sad to see some old guy and his wife with VFW plates driving a KIA Optima. I guess he will be gone by the time his car starts falling apart.....and our country's ecomomy falls into the hands of the Koreans, Chinese and Japanese.
You are right,Paul. It just seems that we as Americans have to cave in to what the rest of the world has. There is no way no how we can compete with the wages,benefits,and way of life that people in third world countries are used to. If there was life on Mars, and if American industry saw that the people there worked for free,you'd be rest assured they'd be sending stuff up there to be made.
As for the first link, a trial lawyer? Come on. That's weak. Besides, it's their job to make it sound like there is a huge problem. He also said dozens. That's not hundreds of thousands. Even Toyota makes some lemons. Don't get me started on Nissan. I've left them out of the quality ratings for a reason. A headlight switch? Maybe I'm missing the severity of the issue, but that seems minor to me. As for the hybrid, I wouldn't be bashing GM if if was theirs. New technology has issues. What's nice is that according to recalls in 2005 for GM is that most have been minor issues too. Look at some of the past ones... :shock: Could it be GM has finally gotten quality issues under control? I sure hope so. Here's what I mean about past GM recalls: http://autonet.ca/Maintenance/Recalls/story.cfm?story=/Maintenance/Recalls/2003/05/16/511296.html
What I was trying to convey is that there is more out there as far as production failure goes than we normally see. I don't agree with trial lawyers either and it's easy to create an hysteria over a minor problem. I blame the unions more than anyone else for this downfall. I bought my wife a new Lumina in 1997. Leaving the dealership, I heard a clunking noise everytime I accelerated and stopped. Turned out that the large nut that holds the trailing arm on the rear suspension was never tightened at the factory. I actually tightened it myself at home. It could have caused a major accident. When I told the dealer about it, they said thanks. That's all. Sad thing is that that car is now owned by my father and has over 131,000 mile and never had any major repairs (turn signal cancel cam). One weak link; one jerk not doing his job will lose a customer everytime. I've also owned 6 Toyotas and although overall the've operated very well, there were a couple that had issues and especially one which had very major issues (1986 Van) but the sienna was an improvement. Speaking of trial lawyers, I heard Ford just lost a court battle and has to pay 16 million dollars because it didn't warn drivers that driving in a reclined position could cause an accident. ou:
I see. I have to agree that there is more than we see. As for the Ford verdict, I have some suggestions. If there was a jury, make them disappear. Any kids they have over 18 should also be made to disappear. Kids under 18 should be sterilized. The plaintiff and attorney who brought the case to court should also be made to disappear. If a judge made the decision, the same for him and his familly. BTW, I mean disappeared like Hoffa was. The next slogan we'll hear is sue American. :shock:
Call me a glutton for punishment but..... TimR You mean that Toyota has recognized a problem, and are doing everything in their power to fix it :shock: Crazy talk p BTW, hows the recall on GM's V6 intake gaskets coming....... TimR I for one resurve my ''pedestal'' for Toyota. Some of my WORST cars have been imports, nissan, suburu, jaguar, VW and mercedes to name a few of the duds Ive owned. Not ''my brothers' neighbor's cousin's.......'' Mine, as in personal experiance :TU: My best have been Toyota and Buick. 69GS400s So, as long as the guys getting rich are white, it dosnt matter where or who actualy builds them ou: 69GS400s And Joe Lunchbox that builds cars for a living isnt a part of the ''economy''. Gotcha :TU: BQUICK Damn them for making money, thats not what buisnesses are supposed to do!!! paul vilser Carl Rychlik Are you refuring to Japan, Korea or Tawian? Because if you are, you need to reevaluate your use of the word. Now I would LOVE for the US to be the world standard in quality and affordability. I wish we still had the best standard of living and economy in the world. But greatness must be earned not expected.
Wait a minute....if our GM products never failed then we would not get any experience fixing cars.....we would be be like Camry owners and be car-idiots who don't even know how to check their oil! :laugh: If the motor in my GSX never broke I'd never have learned how to rebuild it. ou: :laugh:
All I'm saying is, do your research.....many people I work with slam GM/Ford/Dodge or whoever they are and they'ver never even owned one, its just the cool thing to do these days. It annoys me because I have owned imports, they had problems too (wouldn't go into gear, brakes seizing, won't start in cold) and yet all my GM products have been good. NEVER left me stranded like my Mazda did once (only Toyota I ever owned was bought as a winter beater so a guy can't include that since you expect it to be a POS, but it did ok for what it was). Maybe I've been lucky? I don't know. later Tim
