Are Chevy Cars Really That Unreliable?

[FishmanGeertz]

I was at a bookstore today and overheard a conversation between a few people about how vehicles made by the auto manufacturer "Chevrolet" are notorious for having severe mechanical problems and not starting. Especially their trucks.

Is this really true?

 

[russ_watters]

If it were true, would they still be in business?

 

[xxChrisxx]

It's probable that it's 'notorious' for doing something. Every car design in the world has some nigggles, either through design problems or manufacturing problems.

You'll also find that it tends to be 'notorious' in ill maintained cars.

 

[Ranger Mike]

This is from personal knowledge with int the last three months...several ( 3 ) friends have had no start problems with Chevies..all were traced to the anti-theft system. It seems the ignition key/tumbler assembly becomes worn over a period of time and the car will not start. This applied to late 1990s and early 2000 models...there is a reset procedure that requires leaving the ignition on for 2 minutes then turning off the key and starting normal..which is ironic because if Chevy was not such a hot item..why the big anti theft situation..check out various insurance companies for most stolen cars...so if chevy is such a loser..why steal one??

food for thought_ the venerable small block chevy V8 was introduced in 1955 and versions are still made today..the design was refined and arguably won more races than any other engine in the world..( Ford flat head??) tall statement but i think it true..
so why would a 56 year old engine have mechanical problems?
ok..nit pick on the v6 and 4 cylinder models..maybe transmission mech probs..all in all..GM HAD BEEN a top notch design and build product..before big government took it over..whether you consider this a factor in buying new?? its your personal option..me..i can deal with it..

 

[AlephZero]

If it were true, would they still be in business?

That depends how badly the government needs the car workers' votes, as well as whether they make functioning cars.

 

[Unrest]

I have a pet theory that cars made in US/UK are less reliable than Asian ones. Why? Because the workers are the people who couldn't get a job anywhere else and had to settle for doing what nobody else wanted to do when their unemployment benefit ran out. That and the "Not my job" trade unionist attitude.

Nonetheless, I recognize it's just a made-up idea. Every car maker is basically about the same as each other when they're targeting the same segment of the market. They have to be to compete. It gets silly when somebody says "I'm not buying brand X because they have unreliable part A", and another person says "I'm not buying brand Y because of unreliable part B", so they develop brand loyalties which are based on a 20 year old anecdote. Every car is going to have problems. If you really can't cope with potential breakdowns then you shouldn't be driving.

 

[FishmanGeertz]

I have a pet theory that cars made in US/UK are less reliable than Asian ones. Why? Because the workers are the people who couldn't get a job anywhere else and had to settle for doing what nobody else wanted to do when their unemployment benefit ran out. That and the "Not my job" trade unionist attitude.

Nonetheless, I recognize it's just a made-up idea. Every car maker is basically about the same as each other when they're targeting the same segment of the market. They have to be to compete. It gets silly when somebody says "I'm not buying brand X because they have unreliable part A", and another person says "I'm not buying brand Y because of unreliable part B", so they develop brand loyalties which are based on a 20 year old anecdote. Every car is going to have problems. If you really can't cope with potential breakdowns then you shouldn't be driving.

IMHO, Japanese and foreign vehicles are much more reliable than American automobiles. And you are right, most of the uneducated union members working the automotive assembly lines are just doing it because they desperately need the job. They have little/no experience and really don't know what they're doing. So they perform sub-standard work.

During the 1970's, my father worked the assembly lines in Detroit for about two years, and actually witnessed some employees going into the bathrooms to shoot up heroin. He also told me a story about how he saw a guy vomit into the area beneath the car seat, and then put the seat over it!

Imagine how that car must have smelled when it was actually sold.

 

[Camron201]

I understand your idea of uneducated workers messing up the cars. But the uneducated ones are just busy workers, putting x part on over and over. The real problems come from bad design or mismanufactured parts. I really doubt these "not my job, lazy workers" are the reason for x brand of cars notorious problems.

 

[FishmanGeertz]

I understand your idea of uneducated workers messing up the cars. But the uneducated ones are just busy workers, putting x part on over and over. The real problems come from bad design or mismanufactured parts. I really doubt these "not my job, lazy workers" are the reason for x brand of cars notorious problems.

Most of the parts for foreign vehicles come from other countries. If the repair shop doesn't carry it, it has to be ordered from "X" country, and it could take weeks to get to the states.

I had this problem with a part I needed to repair a 2000 KIA sportage, that part had to come from south korea, and I had to wait almost a month to get it.

 

[Ranger Mike]

I have a pet theory that cars made in US/UK are less reliable than Asian ones. Why? Because the workers are the people who couldn't get a job anywhere else and had to settle for doing what nobody else wanted to do when their unemployment benefit ran out. That and the "Not my job" trade unionist attitude

factually incorrect..and i don't want this post to be union vs non union debate..the fact is UNION jobs are in high demand because the percent of union workers has shrunk so much over the years..and with and it is a top dollar job..pipe fitters can make over $100,000 a year if they do not turn down any over time..big money to be made. It is true that there are slackers and worthless workers in unions but same is true in society...it takes a bit of intelligence to acquire a union jobs so your premise is false..
Most of the parts for foreign vehicles come from other countries. If the repair shop doesn't carry it, it has to be ordered from "X" country, and it could take weeks to get to the states.

I had this problem with a part I needed to repair a 2000 KIA sportage, that part had to come from south korea, and I had to wait almost a month to get it.

Honda.. a not totally unknown manufacturer was idled due to earthquake in Japan and one unique part could not be made at different supplier...part shortage is due to poor planning of the manufacturer..period..in this world of manufacturing...all world class car makers use parts from all over the world..

 

[FishmanGeertz]

I have a pet theory that cars made in US/UK are less reliable than Asian ones. Why? Because the workers are the people who couldn't get a job anywhere else and had to settle for doing what nobody else wanted to do when their unemployment benefit ran out. That and the "Not my job" trade unionist attitude

factually incorrect..and i don't want this post to be union vs non union debate..the fact is UNION jobs are in high demand because the percent of union workers has shrunk so much over the years..and with and it is a top dollar job..pipe fitters can make over $100,000 a year if they do not turn down any over time..big money to be made. It is true that there are slackers and worthless workers in unions but same is true in society...it takes a bit of intelligence to acquire a union jobs so your premise is false..



Most of the parts for foreign vehicles come from other countries. If the repair shop doesn't carry it, it has to be ordered from "X" country, and it could take weeks to get to the states.

I had this problem with a part I needed to repair a 2000 KIA sportage, that part had to come from south korea, and I had to wait almost a month to get it.

Honda.. a not totally unknown manufacturer was idled due to earthquake in Japan and one unique part could not be made at different supplier...part shortage is due to poor planning of the manufacturer..period..in this world of manufacturing...all world class car makers use parts from all over the world..

Auto shops (especially the ones connected to big dealerships) should keep stockpiles of every important auto part for each one of their vehicles.

I had to drive in 100+ *F temperatures in Phoenix, Arizona, without air conditioning!

 

[xxChrisxx]

This self seving whining is annoying. It serves you right for buying a cheaper brand (don't say. OH BUY IT WAZ VEERY EXPEN$$$IVE). You get what you pay for. Buy German, or buy Jap.
Simple.

EDIT: Also surely this goes massively against your 'theory' that Asian cars are better. In a thread touting that

IMHO, Japanese and foreign vehicles are much more reliable than American automobiles.

you are whining about a Korean car breaking.

 

[Unrest]

factually incorrect..and i don't want this post to be union vs non union debate.. union jobs so your premise is false..

Well you did make it one :P I wasn't talking about unions, just the attitude that is attributed to their members. Not a premise, just my label for a way of thinking that I've seen in many production workers.

poor planning of the manufacturer..period..in this world of manufacturing...all world class car makers use parts from all over the world..

I wouldn't say "poor". It's cost-cutting, which comes from consumer demand for cheap cars. This JIT manufacturing helps in normal circumstances but leaves them vulnerable in emergencies.

 

[Ranger Mike]

you said - That and the "Not my job" trade unionist attitude.

I state, sir, that You , sir, are the one , sir, who interjected the union mentality into the post not I.

I got no dog in this fight..if your read my whole post you will note that i was addressing the poor planning of one auto manufacturer that made a customer wait for one month for one part. this is poor planning..period. a part of JIT is to maintain a ' safety stock" of part s to take care of this situation. if the manufacturer has to rob parts off the production line to take care of customer with a down car..it is piss poor planning

 

[turbo]

Poor planning and lack of stock have been a hallmark of some automakers for years. About 20 years ago, my company car was an AWD Ford Aerostar. I had only had it a few weeks when the "check engine" light came on. I had just crossed over from NY and stopped in Burlington to call the dealership. The service manager said "Drive the vehicle, and it will be OK."

I stopped in the next morning and got the Aerostar in for a check-up, and the service manager told me that the problem was an oxygen sensor. I asked how long it would take to replace, and he told me that I'd have to wait up to a week while they ordered one and got it in. I was incredulous. He asked me to accompany him to the parts desk while the parts manager played 20 questions trying to nail down the correct sensor. It turns out that there were about a dozen different oxygen sensors used in that model, and none of them were in stock. This wasn't a little fly-by-night outfit, but the oldest, largest Ford dealership within 50 miles.

I feel sorry for people driving Japanese vehicles that can only source critical parts from plants in Japan that have been shut down due to the quake/tsunami, AND happen to break down. Disclaimer: My wife is driving a 2009 Subaru Forester and I'm driving a 2010 Honda Ridgeline. We have had only Japanese cars/trucks as personal vehicles for about 30 years, so I'm not real worried about reliability.

 

[xxChrisxx]

This wasn't a little fly-by-night outfit, but the oldest, largest Ford dealership within 50 miles.

This is true with all dealers of major car manufacturers. They are on the whole, utterly clueless. It's ironic, the last place you should take your car if you want it to work is the people you bought it from.

 

[turbo]

This is true with all dealers of major car manufacturers. They are on the whole, utterly clueless. It's ironic, the last place you should take your car if you want it to work is the people you bought it from.

My wife and I both drive vehicles that I bought new within the past couple of years. Before that, I tried to buy only used Japanese vehicles that I had inspected and vetted as thoroughly as possible, and I never took them to a dealership. I only had them maintained, inspected, and serviced by an old friend with a one-man repair facility. He is a few years older than me, and he will retire soon, so I decided to regroup.

BTW, if experience is any guide, you can easily get 200K miles from a Japanese vehicle with just standard maintenance. Nissan Pathfinders and pickups have shown me that. In this remote, rural location, we need AWD though, and that severely limits the choices.

 

[FishmanGeertz]

My wife and I both drive vehicles that I bought new within the past couple of years. Before that, I tried to buy only used Japanese vehicles that I had inspected and vetted as thoroughly as possible, and I never took them to a dealership. I only had them maintained, inspected, and serviced by an old friend with a one-man repair facility. He is a few years older than me, and he will retire soon, so I decided to regroup.

BTW, if experience is any guide, you can easily get 200K miles from a Japanese vehicle with just standard maintenance. Nissan Pathfinders and pickups have shown me that. In this remote, rural location, we need AWD though, and that severely limits the choices.

65% of all auto repair shops are outright scams. They charge you for repairs they don't even perform. Thousands and thousands of repair shops have been caught scamming people and charging them for things that aren't broken.

If you have a good knowledge of auto mechanics, and you have the proper tools, try to perform the repairs yourself.

 

[Ranger Mike]

I have worked in numerous auto repair shops and major dealerships over the years..once again what you post is factually untrue..65 percent...where did this come from..what is your source..i came to this forum for fact based information ...need the documentation on this

 

[Unrest]

If you have a good knowledge of auto mechanics, and you have the proper tools, try to perform the repairs yourself.

Yes I learned that lesson from my first car problem. I took it to a mechanic to replace the engine mounts. He broke the selector linkage rod. Then he brazed up the broken part so it was no longer adjustable and charged me for his time spent poorly fixing his own mistake!

Since then I just did everything possible myself. But that only works for cash-poor, time-rich people. If you can't afford to be gouged by a mechanic then you probably don't have a full-time job, so might as well do it yourself - more fun that way too!