If they really wanted to put their money where their mouth is why not give a really good warranty, such as Huyundai's, to bolster their claims? 60 days is nothing. GM comes nowhere near Huyundai's warranty.
On Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:12:14 -0400, Jim Higgins fired up the etcha-a-sketch and scratched out:
I had a Hyundai (Kia Sedona) from '01 to '06. It was a decent - if small
- minivan.
What you don't read until after you buy the car is that the 5-year/60,000 mile warranty is only on the powertrain. The rest of the car - paint, body, seats - falls under a more standard 3/36 warranty.
I blew through 36,000 miles on that minivan in about 18 months. (My current car - an '06 Avalanche - is at almost 61,000 miles after only three years.)
I would have taken the 5/60 as covering everything but there are exceptions.
Current 5/60 warranty info from Hyundai's site:
Following components covered for time and mileage limits indicated:
- Radio And Sound Systems (i.e. radio, cassette tape drive mechanism, and compact disc player): 3 years / 36,000 miles
- Paint: 3 years/ 36,000 miles
- Battery: 3 years / unlimited miles (100% covered 2 years / unlimited miles; after 2 years and within 3 years, 25% cost of battery and 100% labor cost covered)
- Air Conditioner Refrigerant Charge: 1 year / unlimited miles
- Adjustments: 1 year / 12,000 miles
- Wear Items: 1 year / 12,000 miles (e.g. belts, brake pads & linings, clutch linings, filters, wiper blades, bulbs, fuses)
The powertrain is covered 10 years 100,000 miles
Second and/or subsequent owners have powertrain components coverage under the 5 year / 60,000 mile New Vehicle Limited Warranty. Excludes coverage for vehicles in commercial use (i.e. taxi, route delivery, delivery service, rental, etc.).
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The very first thing I would do to address quality/design issues at GM would be to institute a mandatory program that all engineering and manufacturing managers would have to drive GM cars with more than 100K miles to work daily. I might even have the company reimburse the employees for the used car purchase, but they would have to experience the results of the design shortcuts, poor workmanship, unnecessary electronic overhead, and crappy suppliers first hand to understand why their cars have such a bad reputation.
I bet that would get some managers eyes opened.
I bet that would get some managers eyes opened.
******************************************************************************The J D Powers quality survey seems to be a big advertising gimmick that many companies use. The "initial quality" survey and high standing is very important, but, long life is even more important to many of us. If you trade every three years and 36,000 miles, GM build very good cars, as do all the others.
More and more people are keeping cars longer and communing longer distances. Not so uncommon to put 100 to 150k miles or more these days. Sure, anything mechanical will eventually wear out and break, but the frequency that it happens and the cost to fix it becomes very important. That also affects resale value as the second buyer's expectations are considered. .
People will eventually go for the longivity if the price is eavn near equal. Simple reasons include TCO, a car that lasts longer costs less in capitalization and has a better resale value. For example, if you bought a Old Firenza, by 5 years it's resale tanked to almost nothing. If you had a Toyota, you might have gotten 1/2 the value back on resale, or better, drive it for another 5 years without needing to buy a new one.
And with peoples credit lines closing from excessive debt, they will one way or another be more savvy shoppers at the end of the day and those who are car poor and cannot buy more. No doubt the next 5 years is going to be a very competative market that GM is ill equiped to handle.
You are right about looking at the difference in the cost of repairs (shop rates) and the cost of parts.
That is something Toyota buyers should look at very closely before they pay
20% to 30% more to buy a Toyota that will need their, more expensive parts and repairs, just like all other brandsSince I switched to domestics from import brands in 1999 I have save hundreds of dollars in just preventive maintenance costs alone
My Lincoln dealers shop rate in $30 a hour LESS than I was paying at the Lexus dealership
That may be your convoluted opinion but how many times must you be reminded that GM still sells more vehicles in the US than any other manufacture?
Do you live in a cave? GM current vehicles are highly rated by the buff mags and buyers. The fact is GM makes more vehicle that get higher MPG than many of their competitors like Toyota and Honda.
I bet that would get some managers eyes opened.
You sound like a good little GM pupet.
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Oh, you forget to mention GM has caused the most defunct-debt, most inefficient auto manufacturer in the world - ever. Never ever before have so many people been owed money from a defunct auto company.
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I trust my own experiences on this, having owned 3 GM products over the years the drop in quality is stark in my mind, others feel this too, GM is down form 50% market share to 18%.
Hasn't got far to go for #2 and #3 spots.
I bet that would get some managers eyes opened.
******************************************************************************************You'd be putting the wrong people in the seats of those cars. It's the Accounting department that needs to drive those cars so they can see the effect of cost cutting mandates imposed on engineering departments - which they don't understand at all.
That may be your opinion but GM no longer makes the same models that were sold by General Motors five years ago, dummy
That may be your opinion but that company no longer exists, dummy
******************************************************************************I do not own a GM or General Motors vehicle, dummy
******************************************************************************Hi!
Would they?
GM has had their share of mistakes, but they do get some things right. Take some cars that I have:
1 1988 Buick LeSabre "old lady" car. 150,000 miles and going strong. Power everything, it all works (although at present the power locks are blowing fuses--probably a chafed wire). Runs as well as the day it was made. This took five people to St. Louis, A/C going all the way and 30 miles to the gallon running 65 miles an hour. What more could you want?2 1989 Buick Electra getting closer to 300,000 miles every day. Looks rough but runs like new. Interior has issues, but what do you want for a twenty year old car that hasn't seen the best of care? You can let go of the wheel at 70 miles an hour and the car just keeps going straight forward. Rust will get it before anything goes wrong in the powertrain department.
3 Borrowed '97 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight -- another 3800 based creation. Very plush, very comfortable and has about 106,000 on the clock. Runs perfectly. The only hokey thing about it is the cup holder, which is more of a cup spiller. Makes me wonder how many people have crashed their Olds when a drink went south.I'll point out that you see more of these old BOP cars on the road here, even twenty years after they were made, in a state where cars regularly rust out from the road salt, than you do *any* foreign made vehicle.
William
This was probably a 3800 Series I or pre series I. They lasted quite well. To offset the obvious quality of this engine, GM engineers came up with the Series II, which screwed many of us. You may yet get hit by this on your Olds, if it hasnt already cratered.
I know, you know better and do not put your money where your mouth is.
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