You must have a problem with comprehension. I just told you that OSHA did nothing. I know because I was on the phone with them several times. Also the owner of the company was very influential in the community. So where should I have gone from there smart guy? Lawyer? Maybe but they would have fired me for that. Well not for getting a lawyer because that would be illegal but they would have found a way to get rid of me. You must live in a bubble if you think that companies won't break the law just because they are not supposed to.
They are all going into the crapper,just like our country. Saab files for bankrutcy. Things are tough all over. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/feb/20/automotive-generalmotors
Seriously? I think is just a shame that as GM and others finally building some really nice stuff, its all crashing down...have no illusions at least one of them is going away. For my part I can say my 2007 Sierra RCSB 5.3 has been flawless, two years old in a week and I have yet to hear a rattle, thing is excellent to drive and knocks down great mileage (well for a truck anyway). I'll buy another one to replace it if they are still around....
I never thought I'd see the day I bought a Korean car but last spring I bought my wife a Sonata. It cost 16K, nicely equipped and it's been back to the dealer 0 times! That's how you get loyal customers. I've never had an American car come close to that. It's just a better car for the money than anything domestic and it's made in Alabama! It's also a two way street. Buick is huge in China. If China wasn't selling so many Buicks the brand would be gone! Unions are good and bad. Most of the construction unions I work with are great. Well trained people and interested in getting a good job done. Most manufacturing unions I've worked with are horrible.
I have never heard of such a thing. I have been working for a GM dealer for 20 years and I have never seen a rep tell someone with 15k miles they are going to be declined warrenty repairs. There must be more to this story! I have only seen a rep refuse "further" repairs to a syclone and a firebird owner after we streightened out their vehicles from the performance modifications they did to their vehicles that caused drivability issues. The syclone owner had gutted his converter and did some heavy "tuning" that caused it to run like crap and threw a mystery "check engine" light. Gm paid to put it back to original and then shut him off. The firbird owner beat the snot out of his car and then complained of engine noises. He messed up when he forgot to remove his drag videos from the internet-gm would not repair the engine for him the second time around. amazing what you can find out by using "Google".:laugh: The car had extensive modifications and bolt ons that helped throw up some red flags.
Dont worry-if it does break down, you can toss it in the trunk of your buick and take it to the shop!:TU: Made in Alabama? (assembled)-where does the profit for that company go? bet the profits are not staying in the US.----billions going over sea's. The profit Buick is making for selling in China will stay right here in the USA. Best of luck with the Sonata. I beleive in buying American-Im hoping my kids are able to find jobs in the US when they grow up.o No:
Well, you guys have set me off on a rant again. :rant: I work for a union, and yes, they've negotiated me a wage far above the actual job I'm doing. Not as high as the $70.00 quoted for an autoworker on the line, but it beats McDonalds. The other refineries in our area are all non-union, - and lo-and-behold; they all make more money than I do just to keep the union away. In fact our labour contract is the one all the other industries around here base theirs on to beat in order to keep the union out. So it works both ways. The other thing; yes, I work in a dangerous environment full of nickel dust and ammonia. We essentially manufacture nickel out of everyone's toxic waste. OSHA doesn't give a damn about us either, and nor do the various government regulatory bodies who are supposed to be overseeing environment and safety. Nor does the union, even though they pay lip service to it. The company does only enough to avoid potential lawsuits. Now that things are getting tough, safety and training are the first things that fly out the window, followed closely by unionized labour layoffs, and then finally "staff". So there are obviously two sides to this coin, and quite frankly, they both suck. But it pays the bills, and it could always be worse. To get back to the cars; - yes, a lot of manufacturers domestic and foreign, are going away from dipsticks and self-servicing, and require that the car be brought back to the dealership. This way they can guarantee that their customers return back to them and their overpriced and generally incompetent repair shops will be full. They'd like to eliminate the corner mechanic and governments seem to be okay with that. BMW has taken this type of proprietary manufacturing to new heights by even making it impossible to check your own oil. (No doubt this is a matter of concern now for the various drug dealers who would be relying on these cars for their getaways. I'd be pretty pissed if my new Beemer conked out just when Officer Hard-ss was beginning to bear down on me.:laugh: ) Chrysler had a lot of Mercedes engineering in them too for a while; - now all of those models have been deleted from the product line-up. However, your base engine in a Neon or a PT Cruiser is still a Mitsubishi sourced pile of junk. A few Fords share their guts with Mazda. GM uses Kraut engines in Saturns and for a while a Cadillac or two had 'em as well. The fact is the auto industry is world wide, and hopelessly interwined. It's tough to determine who makes what anymore. Like, how is it that Buick is one of the best selling cars in China? The new LaCrosse (Allure in Canada) is based on a lot of Chinese influence, and some design. It boggles the mind... As for NAFTA; Don't think that the US got a raw deal. Sure a lot of automotive jobs went to Mexico, and virtually none up here in Canada. We also lost as a result, and there were a lot of "protected" Canadian industries that went bust because they couldn't compete with American companies that are able to crank out larger volumes of stuff cheaper. Where the majority of American jobs went to was China, or India. Think of that the next time you access a calling centre because your computer crapped out. Bottom line is I'd still rather have a Buick, and even though I'm not an American, I'll still put my faith in their inherent ability to overcome economic adversity, and come out swinging.
Fair enough but if he is thinking Tundra, have him google tundra tailgate or transmission. They have their issues as well, as does every manufacturer out there (hopefully those two have been dealt with by now). Titan has brake issues and other as well, just be an informed consumer. As for chevy wheel bearings, none of mine (or anybody else I know) has had issues with them, but perhaps its a plant or supplier thing?? Anyway, don't believe the gospel, imports break too, all you have do is drive by one of their shops and look out back at the piles of parts plus the tacomas they bought back due to frames cracking...no different than any other dealer shop. We have a 50/50 split between imports and domestics with my friends and I, not much difference between any of them (including VW, BMW, Audi, Nissan, Infiniti, Toyota and the D3). Flame away, its all mostly opinion anyway, but don't believe the BS, do your own research (thats why I supply no links, could be accused of "hand picking" the info...just google it). Whatever he picks, hope it works out well for him.
I respect everyones choice to work for who they want and when they want but I have to say my union and employer have been very good to me. I don't have the 08 brake down of my scale on me, but I can give you the 07 wage excluding dues (which are around $30.00 a month)for my union, Local 433 Ironworker's. Effective 7-1-07 Wage rate $30.51 Vacation $3.58 Apprenticeship training $.62 Health & Welfare plan $7.27 Pension plan $6.21 Administrative fee $.03 LMCT & WCTF $.28 Annuity fund $3.23 Impact $.20 Total Package is $51.93 paid by employer. On top of this I make and amount I'd rather not say for being a superintendent which is voluntary by my employer. I also have a company truck and gas card. I gross over $100,000 every year and yes I can be out of a job tomorrow but thats tomorrow. This is not a brag but public knowledge on the International Ironworker's website. All journeymen make $51.93 back in 07 here in LA LA land and more in other city's. If your wondering, last year the company I work for had their best year in the past 30. Unions aren't for everyone and I respect that, but you can't make this kind of scratch at Wally Mart. My job is to erect a building the way it was engineered. I must do it safe, efficiently, correctly and once. You get what you pay for. You can buy what ever you won't from outside the USA but it won't last. Try buying a Great Neck adjustable thumb wrench and see how long it last. After you busted your knuckles go buy a Snap On, it will last forever. I have had some for over 25 years and they work better then the day I bought them. I feel Unions work and work well. If you can't buy Union, buy Made in the USA. My opinion only. The best thing about this whole blog is that there is a very good chance that you are sitting at home, in what I feel is the best place in the world, no matter how screwed up others try to make.
I've had several 2000 and newer chevy work trucks, had many more within the companies that I've worked for, had friends with them and I've never heard of the "common" issues that I read here. The only two things that I've ever been able to complain about with Chevy trucks is 1) they sit to low for a working four wheel drive 2) they cost too much when compared to a ford or dodge. No other truck on the market is as nice to drive, the MPG is way better per horse power engines than say... my Hemi truck. When you talk about quality, just look for five year old rigs and the condition that they are in and the percent on the road, then do the same with ten year old rigs, then twenty. Not a lot of fifteen or twenty year old running like a top imports. You will find some, but if you look at the number of G.M. rigs, there are lots of them going back to say the 70's that have had nothing but oil changes and brake jobs and they are going good. I don't care if you want to drive an import, more power to you, it's your money but to sum up my opinion of them..... I moved back to the northwest from Idaho about three years ago and was trying to decide where I was going to take a job. One company (that I didn't go to work for) told me that I got a brand new toyota truck, what ever their big one is, to drive as a personal rig. I told them to keep the rig, I would rather walk.
at 42 years i will go to my grave not owning a car newer than my '89 VW with well over 200K. as soon as that mule craps out the '64 wagon will become the daily. when gas gets over $5 out come the /2 BMWs.
I can tell you that around here-central Florida- you can still see a lot of early to mid '80's Chevy trucks being driven around as daily transpo. I also still see plenty of early '90's Ford Ranger trucks running around. I never see any Asian trucks that old still being used around here,but maybe once in a while.
Well, well. The boys in Detroit are in a real pickle. Here is the way I see it. I am 40. I grew up in suburbia and still live there (just a different 'nabe). This is what I saw regarding cars since I was a kid. My "world" as a kid was my "block". I love cars so much I remember what every person on the block drove. I am going to focus on 4 houses around me. from 7-12 y/o (76-81') The Warnuks (next door left) 2- 76' Caddy's, 1- 69 Electra 225. My house - 72' Super Beetle, 76' Torino wagon, 69 Galaxy 500, 74' Dodge Charger, 69 Dart Swinger, 77 Malibu. The Webers (across the street) 63' Plymouth, 76 Toyota Corona, 69 Charger, 73 Firechicken, 75 LTD. The Sperlings (also across the street) 68 Wildcat (430!) 69 Cutlass. Now back then (and be honest) when you went to the used car lot how many Japanese cars were on the lot? MAYBE 1. They were not competetive. The Americans had the market cornered and the imports were really relegated to Germany (M/B, VW, Audi) I saw more of those 3 than I did Japanese (Toyota/Datsun). Fast foward-Early 80's Lee Iacocca (sp) goes to Washington to bail out Chrysler. What do they use to become competetive . . . Mitsubishi 2.0L engines . . . The beginning of the end for American Auto's as we know it. Why? The American auto makers (Chrysler mainly, but the other 2 were nodding their heads as well) ADMITTED they could not produce an efficient and reliable engine like the Japanese. Americans came to realize, why should I buy the Japanese version from the American company when I can cut out the middle man, save a few dollars, and get a better warantee on the entire vehicle. Many Americans did stay loyal and bought the Omni's, K-cars, etc. But in true American workmanship the interiors on the car we Spartan at best (1965 vinyl bench seats were nicer) and everything else on the cars would break except the engines if you cared for them correctly. Drive over to the Mitsu/Toyota/Nissan dealer. You got cloth seats. Better sealing doors (K-cars would whistle at 30 and above)and more safety features. By 1990 (when I moved out) every one of the houses I described on the block had 1 or more foreign cars in their d'way. Sure, some still had American, but the shift had begun. The Warnuks - 87 GNX, 69 Electra, 89 Nissan Maxima My house - 87 Caprice, 89 Regal, 90 Hyundai Excel GS-(lol) Webers- 2- 88' Carollas, 75 LTD (she'd never give that car up) Sperlings- 85 T type, 68 Wildcat(he'd never part with that car either) 89 Volvo shoebox. Those same houses today (all different owners except the Webers) - Not one American car except a 75 LTD on the side of the house under a cover. Nothing but KIA/Hyundai/Toyota/Lexus/Acura/Honda/Nissan/Infinity minivans,Suv's and cars. The German cars are few and far between, Bimmers and MeBes mostly. So Who's to blame. American cars were the benchmark at one time, copied by all the overseas companies totally different from what was made abroad. Now the designers use tracing paper over-layed on the hottest selling import as a starting point, tweek a few lines, and voila, American cars that are unrecognizable. Final thought-Do I want to see the American work force layed off- NO! Did the Big 3 Execs see this coming in 1980-ish. Obviously they did not have foresight OR they ignored it. Did the big 3 do anything but try to keep up with the Japanese-Obviously again-Nope. So here we are. Do we take our hard earned money from everyone that is not responsable and hand it over to the ones who brought these companies to this situation. What have they proposed to change the industry? What new ideas have they come up with that is not already being done by the folks kicking the crap out of them already? I would love to help, but I want to see my money go to a winning team, not a bunch of crybabies who want to blame the workers and the consumers for their failure to come up with one original thought in 30 years. My patriotism and love of Country wants to do the right thing and give them the money, my responsible side says -Don't give these bozos a dime. Sorry guys, I just don't know o No:
I don't know how to break this to you, but I never got a red cent from the gov.since the storm. I gave up on fighting FEMA ... But if I do, I'm gonna buy me a shiny Yugo.
Hate to break the bad news but they took all the Yugo's off the road but you can still own a piece of them, the axles were remove to make 1/4" drill bits which are sold at wally-mart.
I don't go to wall-mart anymore.But hey restoring a Yugo would be SWEET since I'm gonna get all that $$$$$!!!!p A 350 SBB would do fine. Gonna send it to Jim!!!!:3gears:
The Obama team doesn't seem to like American cars,either. I think we are sold out as a nation. http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090223/AUTO01/902230327
