Thread: And the burn starts- adios Chrysler

Originally Posted by Philadelph

Let the market correct itself people – it will.

This is what I think about this too.

Bush has decided to give the Big Three just enough money to make it to the next round of begging in January

"Allowing the U.S. auto industry to collapse is not a responsible course of action," President Bush said Friday morning.

He also said the automakers must pay it back by March if they cannot prove their viability.

Originally Posted by Bush

Allowing the U.S. auto industry to collapse is not a responsible course of action

The correct quote would be:

Originally Posted by Bush

Allowing the U.S. auto industry to correct itself is a responsible course of action

I've been saying for the last 7 years that ignoring Deming was the dumbest thing the Big 3 ever did, I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who thinks that.

How can anyone think otherwise? Deming's ways are so obviously beneficial, even to math averse people. When being more efficient is punished, you know there's a problem.

Originally Posted by LX_Emergency

this is the only part I didn't agree with. If it's a free market it's a free market and you shouldn't block products based on how it was produced. You should let the market run it's course, make the production methods known and let the company die.

Agreed, but you should also check out the movie 'Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices'. Terrible company. I don't see how some of the stuff they do isn't criminal.

I'm in the market for a car - so are a lot of my friends and colleagues - but are we going to buy from the big 3? Nope - and why not you ask? Because we all currently have GM/Ford/Chrysler cars, and we've had nothing but problems - not manufacturing defects mind you, but ENGINEERING defects.

Who puts a paper head gasket in a car's engine to save 20 cents over a metal one but that you know will crap out in 5 years to the tune of $1300 installed? Who designs a wheel bearing that will fail after 80k miles when you can design one in 10 minutes that will outlast the car? For that matter, why go to a sealed bearing when a packed bearing costs 14$ in grease to repack/replace instead of the $400 sealed bearing? Why do GM transmissions always grind, skip, thomp, and break? Why do Fords have a helluva time starting in the cold? Why do Chrysler engine rods bend?

The bigger question, though, is why is it that Toyota and Honda's don't? I'll pay the extra $3000 to ensure the car will last 10+ years. I also don't buy that the big 3 have closed the efficiency/reliability gap.

Just my 0.02 - but I can tell you that I know a lot of people getting cars, and very few are getting north american brands (my family has been an American car family for decades...so it actually pains me).

Mark

I hate those sealed bearings...they're such a pain and so expensive. I'm about to repack mine for new rotors and they still look great.

I think there are certain models from certain manufacturers that are worth buying, but others just seem to be trash. Now's the best time to be buying though- I hear a lot of dealers are practically giving cars away. Someone told me that some dealers in Canadia (yes, Canadia ) are doing buy one get one free with Avengers and Calibers. I'd take 'em up on that.

Originally Posted by Quick Orange

How can anyone think otherwise? Deming's ways are so obviously beneficial, even to math averse people. When being more efficient is punished, you know there's a problem.

exactly. and as a math person, it was rather embarassing to hear how he was treated in america after the war. so deming, being nobody's fool, hops a boat to japan where he gets listened to, and lo and behold! the japanese manufacturing industry was stomping us flat in no time. what a shock.

and people wonder why a honda will outlast a ford by a decade or two. one word: deming.

It's extremely embarrassing! You would think that after rationing, etc., plus that being the generation of the Depression, people would have been more open to him. Coulda, shoulda, woulda I suppose.

What I find telling though is that even after his methods had been proven, the Big 3 still ignored them. They could have produced more parts with lower tolerances, meaning both a cheaper and better vehicle. American designs were far better than Japanese (in my opinion) for a long time, so they could have easily caught up to and exceeded Japan. Dare I say it, we could have been on a German level. Instead, let's have sloppy tolerances and lax quality control. The American way...