Does anyone know how much importing cars adds to the cost of a Toyota? I'm curious how much more of a lead Japan has when accounted for that.
Every American Car Brand Is on the Bottom Half of CR's Reliability Rankings
311–320 of 475 posts
Re: Every American Car Brand Is on the Bottom Half of CR's Reliability Rankings
#312Earlier quoted context omitted.
Perhaps the grandparent comment was actually talking about the quality of Tesla’s Public Relations department. Otherwise it would strike me as odd that someone would boost a vehicle manufacturer that doesn’t sell spare parts, in a thread on vehicle reliability. Edited a few words to better express my point.
Buy all the spare parts you want here: https://epc.tesla.com Or just walk into a service center. Tesla now undercuts all third party prices on parts.
That sounds like a change for the better.
Has anyone tried this? Are parts delivered in a reasonable time frame?
Re: Every American Car Brand Is on the Bottom Half of CR's Reliability Rankings
#313Earlier quoted context omitted.
I consider myself an enthusiast, and still consider engine noise to be undesirable. Among various other car things, I'm very enthusiastic for in-car noise cancelling: https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/9/18175748/bose-noise-cancel...
>Among various other car things, I'm very enthusiastic for in-car noise cancelling: This is one of the biggest gripes of automotive reviewers when it comes to cabin noise and I agree. My GT-R has it (that exact Bose technology you linked) and I find it quite obnoxious. It neuters the sound of engine and all I'm left with is more road and wind noise. Save that for an S-Class, it has no place in sports cars.
The article I linked is about a new, separate piece of tech that specifically targets non-engine noise, unlike Bose's currently available offerings, and isn't due to be available in production cars until ~2022 car models.
Re: Every American Car Brand Is on the Bottom Half of CR's Reliability Rankings
#314Earlier quoted context omitted.
I dig the WRX, but I would love if the engine were quieter. IMO a quieter engine is always desirable - akin to how I always want my computers to have quieter fans for any given level of performance.
>I dig the WRX, but I would love if the engine were quieter. As far as the WRX goes I would say you're in the minority. There was quite an uproar when Subaru ditched the unequal length headers on the WRX, eliminating the famous boxer rumble. That unique exhaust note is one of the reasons people love the WRX. >IMO a quieter engine is always desirable - akin to how I always want my computers to have quieter fans for an…
Yes, I know I'm in the minority, but I tend to think my preferences are correct, and that car enthusiasts who enjoy loud engine noises are as weird as PC enthusiasts who enjoy loud GPUs. :)
Re: Every American Car Brand Is on the Bottom Half of CR's Reliability Rankings
#315Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not to enthusiasts, who are driving for the experience of driving, including the feel, sound, etc
I consider myself an enthusiast, and still consider engine noise to be undesirable. Among various other car things, I'm very enthusiastic for in-car noise cancelling: https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/9/18175748/bose-noise-cancel...
Interestingly enough, the industry is actually going the opposite direction. Engines are getting quieter externally, to avoid pissing off your neighbors (there are few things as annoying as a tuner with a fart-can exhaust driving down a residential street), but with artificial engine noise piped into the cabin via the speakers in order to give enthusiasts the noisy experience they want.
Re: Every American Car Brand Is on the Bottom Half of CR's Reliability Rankings
#316I'm an American and I will probably never buy another American made car again until we switch to EV.
Time for anecdotes! I'm in the process of changing our families vehicles: I've sold our Toyota Tundra and purchased a Toyota Sequoia, and I'm currently selling our Honda CR-V and will be downsizing to a Toyota Matrix or Honda Fit.
The Tundra has been one of the most amazing vehicles I've ever owned. I bought it used with 160k miles on it, and sold it at 200k. Over 5 years I have done my own brakes and oil changes, and have only had to replace the starter. I sold it for $1k less than I bought it (I got a good deal). We bought essentially the exact same vehicle, just in SUV.
The Honda has been a little less stellar, but still good. AC compressor has gone out multiple times (a known issue affecting multiple models), but we replaced it with a warrantied aftermarket part the first time it failed. It's currently at 220k and still kicking.
We only buy used and in cash, so finding the right car can take some time. Toyotas and Hondas have unbelievable resell value in the used market. A used Toyota can fetch a similar price as a brand new American made equivalent.
Re: Every American Car Brand Is on the Bottom Half of CR's Reliability Rankings
#317Does anyone know how much importing cars adds to the cost of a Toyota? I'm curious how much more of a lead Japan has when accounted for that.
Does Toyota even import cars (to North America, at least)? I was under the impression that most of their models were built locally.
Re: Every American Car Brand Is on the Bottom Half of CR's Reliability Rankings
#318Some years ago, I heard it told that the American car companies had done the market research and found that the typical car-buyer in the US bought a car and kept it for 3 years, on average. And so, armed with this info, the cars were designed to last 3 years on average. This is also why the 3-year lease is a thing. Now, I don't know how true this is, or what definition of "average" was being used in those statements…
>If most new cars aren't kept longer than that, why should you care how long the car lasts after the first owner has sold it?
Because those that buy second-hand hear how much trouble a given OEMs vehicles will likely be to own. If they become money-sinks, then after-market value will plummet. If they become worthless on the second-hand market, either consumers will hang onto them longer (encountering the problems themselves), or they'll become less popular to buy first-hand (because they are difficult to sell for a worth-while price).
Re: Every American Car Brand Is on the Bottom Half of CR's Reliability Rankings
#319Earlier quoted context omitted.
>Among various other car things, I'm very enthusiastic for in-car noise cancelling: This is one of the biggest gripes of automotive reviewers when it comes to cabin noise and I agree. My GT-R has it (that exact Bose technology you linked) and I find it quite obnoxious. It neuters the sound of engine and all I'm left with is more road and wind noise. Save that for an S-Class, it has no place in sports cars.
The article I linked is about a new, separate piece of tech that specifically targets non-engine noise, unlike Bose's currently available offerings, and isn't due to be available in production cars until ~2022 car models.
>The article I linked is about a new, separate piece of tech that specifically targets non-engine noise, unlike Bose's currently available offerings
That is the intended functionality Bose's current tech, but it doesn't work very well for sports cars in my opinion. It's probably just an update that they're re-branding as an entirely different technology.
Re: Every American Car Brand Is on the Bottom Half of CR's Reliability Rankings
#320Earlier quoted context omitted.
My 2007 Toyota Camry was made in the US and has a known problem of burning oil because the sealing between the piston and the cylinder rent desire all the oil back or something. My next car will not be made in the US, regardless of manufacturer.
I'm in the US and Toyota fixed my 2007 Toyota Camry's oil burning problem in 2015 for free !!! The dealership had quoted me something like $8000 to fix it (more than the car was worth) so I'd given up. Then one day I got a letter from Toyota corporate telling me my car was covered by this warranty extension. That made me a Toyota customer for life -- my next car was a Toyota Sienna, I won't buy another brand at this…
I have a 2007 Camry... was there a recall for this? How would I know if I have the problem?