I was in a career field that still uses QC.
QA was foisted upon us.
QC- QC fails, stop the process, correct the problem.
QA- Observe a problem, for X number of days, creat a chart, write up conclusion, problem still exists. Move onto observing a new problem. This is why quality management is important. The QA problems we were directed to observe were not under our control, but the program generated reams of computer printouts that went into three ring binders for inspectors to see.
The problem is QC can pass but quality still stinks due to reliabilty issues that can’t be detected by observation of part compliance or infant mortality tests. Sounds like your company had a completely dysfunctional implementation to me.
So by your bad experience with what was not a great vehicle 24 years ago you condemn all domestic vehicles. Actually there is no such thing as a complete domestic vehicle or complete foriegn vehicle assembled in the US. Vehicle manufacturing is a global market and we have had good service out of our domestic vehicles.
Very true..
After a bad taste like the what I had with my Vega and GMC pickup - they have to EARN my respect enough to buy my everyday vehicle from them. I need reliability. And from what I’ve read and seen they are NOT as reliable as Honda or Toyota’s. Our Honda’s and Toyotas (and even Nissans) have earned my respect. Why go looking elsewhere.
You misread my posts. That was the last domestic brand I owned. It certainly wasn’t the only one. Before that I’d owned several Pontiacs, two Mercury Sables, a Chrysler LeBaron GTS Turbo, and a Ford Taurus LX. All of them had chronic parts failures and QC issues.
The Accords, in contrast, have had very few issues over literally hundreds of thousands of miles of ownership.
You seem to have forgotten one other factor that all of these vehicles had in common besides being domestic cars, was you as the owner…
What would suggest to you that Hondaphile took any less care of the maintenance of those vehicles than they did of their current Honda/s?
It’s not good to assume, you know.
That was a car from the 1980’s, those were not durable cars. I had a 1988 Dodge Lancer (same car, no turbo), cheap car, was not designed to last 10 years. I repaired the engine, transmission, suspension and A/C over the years. My ex-wife gave the car to her relative in 2003, my son told me the car was still in use 10 years later.
How long did you keep your 1980’s Honda?
It’s funny how a highly regarded domestic engine like the GM 3.8l was a push-rod engine that seemed as reliable as any import with DOHC. Domestic efforts at DOHC designs seem prone to failure and disappointed owners.
Looking back I recall GM’s I-6 engine with integrated manifolds that were notorious for various failures, especially cracks.
And I recall Ross Perot’s criticism of GM for cheapening their cars and he was correct. BOY was he correct.
If all the makes and models of vehicles had as bad a record for dependability as Hondaphile claims, why would anyone ever buy a second one or a third? The only common denominator is Hondaphile
+1
As the veterans of this forum probably recall, the absolute worst car I ever owned was a '74 Volvo. While my next car–an '81 Chevy Citation-- was riddled with problems, it was still far more reliable than the Volvo was.
My other US-made cars (Dodge Charger and Ford Taurus) were very reliable. That being said, my “foreign” cars (a Karmann Ghia, a Honda, 3 Subarus, and a Lexus) have been the best of the bunch.
LoudThunder:
Unlike the rest of the clique in here, I tend to take people at their word, give them the benefit of the doubt, instead of thinking that they’re not being truthful. I have no agenda, no rep to defend.
To paraphrase and old saying, there’s a “b u t t” for every seat. For many years I bought brands that weren’t considered the most reliable. Why? Because they were typically less expensive and I had the skills, tools and background to know what typically failed on them. If they did fail, I could fix them economically. Many did experience their known quirks but some were almost completely trouble free. I could usually buy more car for the dollar than I could otherwise using this approach. To each his own. Our abilities, tolerance for risk, financial positions etc all vary and there is no one size fits all. As I have gotten older and less able to do some of this work, my position has shifted and I am more inclined to pay more for better reliability. So even based on individual preferences, they tend to shift over time as circumstances change.
Reliability for me is KEY. My 84 GMC pickup cost me way more beyond what it cost to fix it every time something broke. 4-5 of those years I owned it I was doing consulting work. As a consultant I got paid by the hour. Any day/hour off I didn’t get paid for it. I had the skills to fix it when it broke, but many times I couldn’t wait for the weekend to fix it and had to take time from work. This ended up costing me dearly.
Me too, though I’m not as adept at repairs as you are. We saved a lot in the purchase price of the 1998 Regal, 2003 Silhouette, 2009 Cobalt, and 2010 Cobalt. It turned out that the extra cost for parts never covered the difference in purchase price between those cars and the competition.
Now that’s just ■■■■■■. you think I deliberately neglected all of my vehicles until I bought a Honda? That’s completely ludicrous, but just to blast a hole in your illogic, I will add that I owned my first Accord at the same time as the Oldsmobile Aurora. The Accord rocked along fine. I replace the front struts a few times, but that was it until the odometer stopped working at somewhere over 150,000 miles. Meanwhile, the Aurora went through multiple failures including the transmission and several electrical components. No comparison.
Welcome to the clique!
My first Accord was a 1997 model. We put over 150,000 miles on it, driving it from 2001 until around 2008. It was the victim of an accident that caused the airbag to deploy so it was totaled.
The horribly unreliable Oldsmobile Aurora was a 2001 model, not an 80’s car.
I never claimed that Hondaphile was not being truthful… I merely noted the obvious that the only thing that all those makes and models had in common was that Hondaphile owned them and was responsible for servicing them…
And as for blowing holes in logic, all that I wrote was the obvious that you owned them and you were responsible for their maintenance… and you kept going back for more. How many domestics cars did you own that you claimed had chronic parts failures and QC issues… You never mentioned if those cars were bought new, certified used, private party sale, bought at auction, found on street, etc…
But I am curious, how do you define an issue as a Quality Control Issue?
