"NOYB" wrote in message
link.net...


You're partially correct. Most car makers own machinery which can be set
up
for excellent tolerances. Even so, bad parts get made. At that point,
the
humans make the choice of whether to reject parts or use them. Among
other
things, this explains why the exhaust from so many relatively new
Chrysler
vans smells like they're 15 years old.


Read this article Doug. It explains a lot about "why" bad parts sometimes
get overlooked in union factories.

http://www.time.com/time/globalbusin...451002,00.html



Interesting article, but the most poignant bit was "hard-earned reputations
for quality". I owned American cars for many years. At one point, my Ford
had caused me to be late for work about 15 times in a year. Fortunately, I
had an understanding boss. When I began shopping for a new car, a Toyota, my
brother in law, who's a dumb ****, kept harping at me about how I was
putting Americans out of work. I explained to him that my American car was
going to put ME out of work. He never understood, even though the
transmission on his Buick Regal had just died after 50,000 miles.

Meanwhile, I bought an '82 Tercel, which went 220,000 miles before someone
smacked into it from behind and wasted it. The car had NO unusual problems,
and the only body rust was where I drilled an antenna hole and didn't goop
it properly. At 200k miles, the mechanic thought it might be a good idea to
check compression. It was still within spec, perfectly even across all 4
cylinders. And, I still had the same partially used quart of oil I started
with on the day I bought the car. I never needed to add more than a couple
of ounces.

If I have to pay an extra thou or two for a Toyota, it's worth it because I
know the vehicle won't waste my time.