GM is still the undisputed Champion

Interesting article but I find the low numbers for Mitsu, Isuzu, Hyundai, Volkswagen and several others hard to believe.

A very interesting web page, populated almost entirely by advertising and personal opinion without ever quoting a source for their information or the data they use to put together their graphs and charts. Whomever runs it seems to have a very big stake in Amazon.com as well. Altogether, nothing more than the ramblings of someone who doesn't like American autos in general and GM in particular trying to masquerade his or her prejudices as fact - and trying to lead readers down the garden path of "if it's on the internet it must be true".

We should all stick with reputable sources who can back up their data and not pseudo-statistical garbage which is nothing more than personal opinion and bias.

You mean like the leaky intake gaskets of the past ten years that seem to affect more engine sizes every year ? With no fix in sight yet ?

Or do you mean the knocking engines that they have no fix for but still seem to be producing ?

I thought they "engineered" a new version of the gaskets. Are they still a problem?

Are you referring to "piston slap"? Yes, I agree...that should have been addressed long ago! Just about ever GM vehicle on my street makes that knocking noise at first morning startup this time of year. Many are loud enough for me to hear inside my masonry home! None of the other brands do this. Sad indeed! Plus GM seems to have hung on to pushrod engines longer than just about everyone else that migrated to DHOC engines as standard lineups years ago. So, they seemed late to the game there (they seem to be coming on stronger now, but DOHC is usually a pricey option). Although, I like pushrod engines. Regardless, the perception is that they're behind the competition, not in the forefront (real perception or not).

Some of GM's most recent engineering achievements are not particularly noteworthy in my view. DRL's (a waste of energy and likely a public outcry nightmare for them). Constant annoying "chimes" for just about everything, including locking the doors and when you forget to wipe your butt. "Auto" speed sensitive radio volume control (if the cars were as quiet as the competitors, this wouldn't be needed). Control systems that totally or partly removes control of important functions from the driver (where the law clearly says it belongs). GM is trying to "bell and whistle" us to death like Chrysler tried to do back in the '80's (and it didn't work then either).

Or anything else in the report LOL

mike hunt

And the engine that builds up oil sludge that ruins the engine...oops that Toyota..

mike hunt

UserName wrote:

It is my understanding that GM maintained its pushrod format because it allowed for the smallest size engine to produce a given HP. However, they have moved on to OHC design because of the perceived lack of use of newer technology/design related to pushrod engines.

rick

The benefits of a pushrod style engine include having only one camshaft versus two (and sometimes four). That makes it cheaper and easier to work on. Pushrod motors also can use longer lasting timing chains instead of belts, the top end of the motor is smaller making for easier intake routing, a lower profile, etc. Plus with newer variable valves, it's easier and cheaper to fit that technology onto pushrods than onto an overhead cam. Of any of the perceived problems with GM motors, pushrods have never been an issue. The valve train will be heavier, but that's not much of an issue because car motors aren't generating the ultra-high rpm's that something like a motorcycle would where valve train mass and weight can have a direct effect on a motor's performance at top speed. This is one of the reasons why a Harley Davidson has pushrods (rev limiter set at 5200 rpm) where most rice rockets rev to more than twice that number.

Cheers - Jonathan

Or, perhaps he means the windshield wipers that freeze below the rear of the hood and it takes twenty minutes to free them up along with using half a jug of winshield washer fluid.

Oh yea I forgot about the Lumina engine knocking when first cranked up in the mornings.....Add that to my peeling paint due to defective cheap primer ($2000)........intake manifold gasket leaking oil into coolant system ($550)..........Gear shift cable lubricant hardening up in cold weather freezing the shifter ($96).............Some sensor in the exhaust system ($89)......and on, and on and on.........All within the last 3 months..........One thing you can say "when they go they really GO DOWN"

Check out the Consumers R------t Vehicle issue; those ratings for toyota vehicles sure do look good compared to GM. Those quality grades come from actual owners. I have submitted a couple of reports. Care to guess on which one of my cars.

P.S. chevy lumina will be my last GM car or truck. Burned my Equinox, Envoy, Impala brochures; picked up Camry, Tacoma, 4Rummer, and Highlanders. I am sick of my neighbors bragging on their infrequent trips to the dealer for only regular scheduled maintenance.

Yes, I've had that happen too...now that you mention it. Why do they design them like that? I hated how hard it was to clear snow and ice away from the wipers because they're imbedded in the "well" behind the hood and you couldn't lift the wiper up and out of the way. I agree, that is piss-poor design.

Let me take a guess at why the GM wipers are designed as they are presently. It probably has to do with aerodynamics. The wipers are tucked down out of the way to help squeeze another decimal or so onto the fleet MPG figure as mandated by our very own US government. A vacuum or electric operated cover for the wipers would address your concern, but at a co$t.

How old is your Lumina?

Yeah, you're probably right about why they do it the way they do. But on the other hand, other manufacturers seem to be able to install the wipers where they are accessible (and on the warmed surface of the windshield where the defroster blows) and still achieve decent mpg figures. Perhaps they could figure out a way to direct warm air from the inside heater system onto the wiper area - but then I suppose they don't want you to warm the vehicle up for 5 or 10 minutes before driving away.

But, I'd bet a buck that if their CEO or other big shots lived in parts of the continent where winter extremes occur and had to park their vehicles outside that some bright engineer would come up with a cheap solution quickly.

Waldo

uhhh GM's WHQ is in Detroit, MI, while it's not northern ontario, it they do get a real winter there.

-Bret

They have to design the wipers that way to squeeze a little more gas mileage out of the car so to make up for the added gas their idiotic DRLs use, I suppose. ;-)

GM has been doing the tuck-away wipers since the early 70's and the .01% difference they might have made then wasn't a concern. They do them because of the Invented Here bias - it's the old "we've been doing them this way for 20 years and we think they look cool so we are going to keep doing them"

Ted

Yeah, I know that. But do they park their vehicles outside or in a nice heated garage attached to a fancy mansion? Maybe they even have someone else to look after their car for them so they don't get their tootsies cold chipping ice off.

My '73 Chevelle had these things, but they weren't hidden away as deep as my '04 Venture is. Still think it's a piss poor design!

Waldo