I guess they are going to have to go back to Farvegnuget.

As for Maximum Bob, what he said makes sense. What he didn’t say is what concerns me.

Since GM isn’t yet there on quality or reliability, how long it will take for perceptions to change post-GM production with quality and reliability is an academic question.

In short, for us, reliability is how often something works. Quality is how well it works (how ‘nice’ it is).

VW and Mercedes are great in quality (nice inside, nice to drive), terrible in reliability (often).

My ‘97 Ford Expedition is the opposite. Squeaks, rattles, leaky exhaust, door panels that visibly flex with opening and closing windows, etc… But in 10 years and 200,000 miles, what broke? A/C compressor failed (under warranty, hasn’t needed even a charge since), accessory belt started slipping (after 140,000 and I WD40′ed the pulley bearings. Oops.), 2 coilpacks went out (after I powerwashed the engine. Oops.), and the starter went out (180,000 mixed miles). Not bad for a first year model.

In the customer’s mind, quality determines reliability. Recently, VW and Mercedes (did) have reputations of reliability, based on the quality of the car, despite reality.

BUT, its important that someone analyzing a car company, from inside or outside, talks about the two distinctly and seperatly. They are two different things, even though to the customer its one vauge, fuzzy concept.

GM has improved both quality and reliability. They are almost up to Korean car levels! (Yes, I know, cheap shot. But its sad AND funny AND true…) The bitch part is customers are slow to learn, good or bad. VW and Benz both are slipping in perceptions. You can only sell so many people unreliable cars for a premium unnoticed. Now they have to re-prove themselves.

Same goes for GM, only they have 3+ decades of shit to overturn. Its something that US automakers never learned: The old Chevy POS, smoking on the shoulder, is powerful marketing. As is the benz with a 500,000km medallion. Gen X and Y know GM for the awful hand-me-downs we drove in high school and college. It will take YEARS of quality AND reliability, until most GM cars in service at the time are “good.” Then opinions will chagne.

How much money/time does GM have again?

So why don’t I believe you Mr. Lutz?

Some Bull from Bob. How do you explain the CVT?

Panel gaps be damned, how about making a car thats screwed together right?

Apparently he’s never sat inside a GM vehicle and examined the interior …

… which would also explain his total obliviousness to the real-world experience of having to (repeatedly) take time from work to take GM products back for repair, listening to that interior creak and rattle during the journey.

I know typos are to be brought to RF’s direct attention, but I can’t resist.

Does the Malibu have dark purple paint around its headlamps?

Lutz has progressed since then. Quality might not be something he personally cares to prioritize, but he’s learned that he must prioritize it.

Even so, GM models are still usually spotty in their first year, as seen in TrueDelta’s survey results. The first year Lambdas, Aura, CTS, and VUE have all been worse than average, with substantial improvement in the second model year.

The 2008 Malibu is shaping up as an exception, though, with a very low repair rate.

http://www.truedelta.com/latest_results.php

Independent test drives of a Chevrolet Aveo disprove the above statement.

At least that’s how I heard it on Fox News.