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GM’s Barra Tells Employees “No Crappy Cars”

Kismet1968 said:
Working in Consumer Protection Law - I have seen 1 major re-occurring complaint for the past year in vehicles made by auto manufacturers: SYNC- Bluetooth - Blue Link - does not pair with users phones resulting in numerous malfunctions in the consumers Nav/Phone/Audio sysytems. Lucrative for us - seems like manufacturers would be all over this to find "the fix" :scratch2:
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Consequence of those malfunctions are relatively minor and not safety related
as compared to to things that happened on the older cars before
NHTSA or DOT even existed except maybe an inattentive driver and a faulty
Nav application.
Mfrs are increasing tech budgets ,allocating resources and recruiting software ,tech and other engineering folks as we speak.
 
frankxbe said:
Consequence of those malfunctions are relatively minor and not safety related
as compared to to things that happened on the older cars before
NHTSA or DOT even existed except maybe an inattentive driver and a faulty
Nav application.
Mfrs are increasing tech budgets ,allocating resources and recruiting software ,tech and other engineering folks as we speak.
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Unfortunately we have seen instances where owners NAV Systems tell them to turn left straight into a body of water - like for example Lake Erie.:thumbsdn:

As for major safety issues - year after year there become less and less.... Ford has really made leaps and bounds from what I have seen. :thmbsp:
 
Unfortunately we have seen instances where owners NAV Systems tell them to turn left straight into a body of water - like for example Lake Erie.
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Did the drivers actually go into the lake or no? :scratch2:
 
botrytis said:
Well, take your eyes off of the bloody NAV system and look at the road, pretty easy really. Have people lost COMMON SENSE? Anything man made can have issues.
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Well the actual gripe is that the system fails - The cost of those can be quite high. Ill stick to my 1999.

There are idiots everywhere - thats hardly a requisite for vehicle ownership.
 
My first car was a 69 VW camper van -- I loved that thing, but the only crumple zone on it was the half-inch thick layer of styrofoam between the front sheet metal and my knees. My Dad (an old GM and Lockheed guy) and I rebuilt the engine at 75,000 (burnt #3 valve). When I sold it with 135,000 for $500 more than I paid, my Dad said "You can't sell cars with over 100,000 miles on them!" Next car was an 82 VW Rabbit from the plant in Pennsylvania. It was supposed to be a lemon factory, but I gave the car to my brother at 165,000 -- replaced the clutch at 135,000 and finally had the brakes done at 145,000. Now I'm driving a 2000 Honda CRV -- first new car I ever bought. Thin sheet metal, thin paint, lots of plastic but other than a new clutch it just needs the usual maintenance, even with off-roading in Nevada. I'm cheap and drive my cars for years, but I take care of them along the way. That seems to help.
 
botrytis said:
try using a GPS (ANY GPS around Boston, MA). None of the work. They are absolutely useless - I use a manual GPS :D :smoke:

rm_us_tr_d_at_c.jpg
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I actually enjoy using the good old fashion GPS (maps - atalas- where the hell are we?, just turn left and maybe we will figure it out) methods. I wouldnt pay a damn dime for a SYNC NAV...
 
We had a 2012 Focus and now have a 2013 Edge, both with factory navigation and have done quite a bit of traveling with them. And the navigation systems worked flawlessly, and once we learned the proper voice commands easily. And we could always punch the destination in manually on the touch screen anyway.

That said the MFT-SYNC system on the Edge is improved over that of the Focus; easier to use with more short cuts, with both touch screen and voice commands. The voice system "understands" better on the new car too.
 
Havnt owned many GM cars, except a 1980 Citation that a friend gave me for free... That ran fine until rust killed it in 1999, and my 1965 chevy Biscayne, still running on its original fuel pump, starter and alternator. Not much left of the paint or upholstery, though. I would look at GM if i had to buy new, but not sure they make a car I like. I like 2 door hatchbacks or small wagons, with a stickshift... And preferably rear wheel drive...
 
Hehehehehe..Lauriann & I drove to Cape Cod several years back using the Satnav in her Touareg. Got us up there fine, but coming back it says "Shazbat !" in New York City... Dumped us in what I'd call a "Sportier" neighborhood... LA had to go to the Little Girls' Room, so we went in to this 7-11 type store. I was behind 2 female NYC cops, & as most of you know, I fool around w/Shortwave Radio, so I can SORTA tell if its Spanish, French, German, Italian.. I had ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA what these gals were speaking..Not only that, but I THINK their eyes blinked side to side, rather than Up & Down...We wanderd around til I FINALLY saw an "I-95 South" sign..I took that, & didn't slow down til we got to Richmond..(grin)
 
Sandy G said:
Hehehehehe..Lauriann & I drove to Cape Cod several years back using the Satnav in her Touareg. Got us up there fine, but coming back it says "Shazbat !" in New York City... Dumped us in what I'd call a "Sportier" neighborhood... LA had to go to the Little Girls' Room, so we went in to this 7-11 type store. I was behind 2 female NYC cops, & as most of you know, I fool around w/Shortwave Radio, so I can SORTA tell if its Spanish, French, German, Italian.. I had ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA what these gals were speaking..Not only that, but I THINK their eyes blinked side to side, rather than Up & Down...We wanderd around til I FINALLY saw an "I-95 South" sign..I took that, & didn't slow down til we got to Richmond..(grin)
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You sure they were "earthlings " must have been some kind of Aliens
either legal or interplanetary ?
 
blhagstrom said:
Everyone thinks a pretty car is a good car.
The devil is in the details.

What is a "crappy" car now days?

As far as I'm concerned, they are all crap. 10 years/100000 miles and then throw them away.

Too many designers, too many engineers, all trying to justify their paycheck. Making too many changes.

A "good" car is easy to service, easy to repair, and lasts 10000000 miles.

Bring back the 1957 Bel-Air and the 1960 Impala both hard top and convertible. Update the engine/tranny, keep it around 25-30K, and watch the sales go though the roof.
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This is simply absurd.

American cars being built today are not only the best they've ever been, by far, but they are competitive with any cars in the world today.

American cars from the '50s and '60s were bare steel inside, and both the car and driver would not survive a crash above 35 mph.

"A "good" car lasts 10,000,000 miles." What?!? Did you count the zeros in the number you typed? Do you know how many cars have lasted ten million miles?

Zero.

So, by your definition, there has never been a "good" car built in the history of global automobile manufacturing.

Not to mention one other small complication in your "good" car: At 15,000 miles per year, it would take 667 years to put on ten million miles.
 
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I drive a 1995 Ford Ranger and a 1995 Mazda Miata. Ranger was 2k to buy, another 1200 to get road worthy.

Miata was 1500, needed top (1000 bucks) and another 1500 of repair. Has 175k on it, the Ranger has 135k.

Sadly, it is all I can afford.

If I had my druthers, I'd go with a Honda Civic Si with the works, but even that doesn't excite me. I cannot get excited with the overuse of giant wheels, excessive Buck Rogers-looking dashes, and copious plastic and moulding.

I literally haven't seen a car design stateside that moves me in 10 years (minus the Ford GT, and that's a revamp of the GT40). Sorry, I find most autos these days just boring.

That said, perhaps the poster who said they're doing more with cheaper components and designing them to last 7 years was sorta right. Definitely the oil technology has improved (synthetics, better filters).

Why does Ford insist on using a plastic manifold on Mustangs?? I know two guys that have had those crack. Seems silly.

Also, someone posted about making cars LIGHT. Well, why does the Challenger weigh 4,200, the Mustang is well over 3800, and the Nissan GT-R weighs over 4,000.

If that is light, Colin Chapman must be rolling in his grave.
 
American cars from the '50s and '60s were bare steel inside, and both the car and driver would not survive a crash above 35 mph. QUOTE --FISHERDUDE

This is very true Fisherdude--Somewhere on utube there is a video of a 1959 Chevrolet hitting head on with a --oh I'd say a 2000 something Chevrolet.
I couldn't believe what I saw ---the later car folded in all the right places while the 59 as strong as it was -----Well you gotta see it --it made a believer out of me. Your statement is very correct.
 
Mandated safety equipment adds to the weight of cars. Within the mandate reducing weight is still beneficial and is an important goal.
 
Kismet1968 said:
Working in Consumer Protection Law - I have seen 1 major re-occurring complaint for the past year in vehicles made by auto manufacturers: SYNC- Bluetooth - Blue Link - does not pair with users phones resulting in numerous malfunctions in the consumers Nav/Phone/Audio sysytems. Lucrative for us - seems like manufacturers would be all over this to find "the fix" :scratch2:
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This spears the heart out of the whole "they don't make them like they used to" argument.

All of the things a car has to do.

ALL of those moving parts.

ALL OF THOSE MOVING PARTS which could cause a critical failure but don't for tens of thousands of miles. THAT COULD PUT YOUR LIFE IN DANGER and don't for TENS OF THOUSANDS OF MILES.

And the biggest issue with modern cars is a minor issue with the electronic systems that are most likely caused by user ignorance anyway?

I work at a cellphone store. At least once a week somebody comes walking in the door and says "My dealer told me to come to you. That you would show me how to link my phone to my car."

All of the things a car could do wrong and modern cars biggest issues are electronics that people don't want to take the time to learn how to use? Electronics that won't put you in any danger unless you're already dense enough to try to use them while moving....

That's saying something. :thmbsp:
 
onwardjames said:
That said, perhaps the poster who said they're doing more with cheaper components and designing them to last 7 years was sorta right.

Why does Ford insist on using a plastic manifold on Mustangs?? I know two guys that have had those crack. Seems silly.
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My 06 Cadillac is still in perfect working order. Touch screen stereo/nav, still works. All the power amenities, still good. I'm not so sure about this "junk after 7 years" idea. Take care of a car, and it will last.

As far as plastic intake manifolds, they don't heat soak. Allows for cooler intake charge, and more consistent intake temps over a longer period.

JHS2RT said:
This is very true Fisherdude--Somewhere on utube there is a video of a 1959 Chevrolet hitting head on with a --oh I'd say a 2000 something Chevrolet.
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Here ya go - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtxd27jlZ_g.
 
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