Car quality going down the tubes?

[Ready_fire_aim]

2000

Yup the 2000-2002 were the worst ones for it.

 

[Ready_fire_aim]

front wheel fell off my tundra one morning. bad lower ball joint,,,,common problem i found out,,,,,, neighbor drove up and commented" well? you sure drove the wheels off of that one.

Did you have OEM LBJs installed? Don’t let some mechanic put on any autozone or orieillys crap! Go OEM from the dealer on these.

My brother in law let a technician put on autozone crap ball joints on his 2002 tundra, one broke in less than 15k miles at 45 mph and it totaled the truck

 

[cowadle]

I did the work myself and yes i used oem parts. completely rebuilt the front end. i don't think they are going to hold up to my standards for farm truck though.

 

[JokerofDeath]

I have 2017 f150 lariat 3.5 ecoboost with 124k and it has been great. Only issues were the door latch issue, cam phaser rattle and the front hub (all after 100k). My wife has a 2015 Subaru Forester and it has been solid, only issue was the A/C and Subaru ended up covering the majority of the cost for that this year.

I’ll probably try my luck with a Tundra next go round since I’m not a fan of the new Fords but I’ll definitely hold on to mine for as long as I can. I’ll never own another Chevy after all
The problems I had with a 2013 duramax and 2014 silverado…both spent more time in the shop than on the road.

 

[ClintC]

The wife and I both have 2017 Ram trucks.mine is a 2500 and hers is a 1500. Both bought brand new. We have never had a major issue with them. We keep them maintained. All maintenance is done by the dodge dealer. Ya we pay a little more but no issues at all.

 

[Chuckie]

I would agree with you to a degree. Car quality has declined, also much more technology so their is much, much more that can go wrong, however some of the tech makes it easier to diagnose issues. As far as modern cars though there are many benefits over what was produced in the 50's through 1970's:

1) Many engines and transmissions can get over 100K miles, some even with good maintenance 200K miles for Modern engines and Transmissions
2) Much Better Gas Mileage
3) Fewer maintenance items such as points, distributer, condenser and spark plugs, less tuning needed
4) Oil burning was very common on 1950's and 1960's engines with few miles
5) Cars handle way better and are much faster. As a matter of fact a stock V6 camry is faster in the 1/4 mile than a stock Dual Quad 4 speed Positraction 409 (however the 409 is much classier). A Stock 2019 Mustang GT 5.0 with a 10 speed auto can do the 1/4 mile in under 12 seconds.

The downside to modern cars:

1) The engines are much more difficult to rebuild and way more expensive
2) Problem Diagnosis takes very special equipment in many cases.
3) Many computer and electrical systems to break do
4) Build quality has gone down, a car has become a conveyance and is not a symbol of independence, wealth or masculinity as much as they used to, also in many instances the workers take much less pride in building them.
5) Modern cars in general lack style, panache and emotional appeal.

My point? Better engineering in many cases, poorer build quality and execution.

Yeah, but with the UAW Union currently demanding $50-$70/hr pay for line workers the quality is going to go up, right? . . . RIGHT?

 

[KOPBET]

Your observation is spot on. Todays car manufactures built substandard vehicles so you have to replace them every-few years. Is what keep the economy moving.

PS. DATZUN Z & RX rocks.

^^
Unions and planned obsolescence.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Yeah, but with the UAW Union currently demanding $50-$70/hr pay for line workers the quality is going to go up, right? . . . RIGHT?

It won't. I agree whole heartedly with that. I would also agree that over the past 3 - 5 years build quality has gone down. What is also evident, the computers are used as a stopgap. If a transmission is poorly designed and built, the automaker's fix is to change programming. What the unions are fighting for will kill the auto industry if implemented. Jobs will go overseas. US Auto Prices will soar, more people will seek cars built abroad. As I've said before, the current pres is more concerned about 250K US auto workers than 175 million working Americans struggling with inflation, and high energy prices.

 

[Chuckie]

It won't. I agree whole heartedly with that. I would also agree that over the past 3 - 5 years build quality has gone down. What is also evident, the computers are used as a stopgap. If a transmission is poorly designed and built, the automaker's fix is to change programming. What the unions are fighting for will kill the auto industry if implemented. Jobs will go overseas. US Auto Prices will soar, more people will seek cars built abroad. As I've said before, the current pres is more concerned about 250K US auto workers than 175 million working Americans struggling with inflation, and high energy prices.

True, but if he concentrated on those 175M other working Americans he would be accused by the media of being anti-union or ignoring those 250K auto workers. I can understand why so few actually want to be in the Oval Office because no matter what that person does . . . he's always wrong in at least someones eye.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

True, but if he concentrated on those 175M other working Americans he would be accused by the media of being anti-union or ignoring those 250K auto workers. I can understand why so few actually want to be in the Oval Office because no matter what that person does . . . he's always wrong in at least someones eye.

The current clown is the first person to take a side in a strike... ever. You may say Regan did with the air traffic controllers, however his position, air traffic controllers are federal employees and actually work for the people.