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Have Cars Reach the Max in Reliability, is this the best it can be? - READ ONLY

24 messages,  Last post on Jan 30, 2007 at 10:23 AM

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#16 of 24 reddogs by nippononly

Mar 04, 2006 (12:39 pm)

yeah, I think that's next on the list for the domestics, while for the Japanese that happened 5-7 years ago, and they have been recovering a little since then.

#17 of 24 The numbers? by ubbermotor

Mar 05, 2006 (11:11 am)

Technology will continue to lower the cost to lower tolerances, and improve built quality and structual design. On the other hand new technology will always be the source of lower "reliability" as they add unproven features.
 
The problem with numbers is the type of features my mother referred to as "fru-fru", meaningless to the operation of the product. If your seat warmer breaks down, is it less reliable than a car that never had one?

#18 of 24 Re: Have Cars Reach the Max in Reliability, is this the best it can be? [reddogs] by marc781

Apr 16, 2006 (6:40 pm)

Replying to: reddogs (Mar 02, 2006 11:51 am)
Maybe new cars have reached max reliability. For one reason i suspect, who are they designed by? Auto companies.
 
Ask yourself what is more likely?
1) auto companies wantto make a car so reliable no one buys new and they go out of business.
2) auto companies will deliberately design in just enough defects (*cough* FORD *cough*) and fast wearing parts to make you want to get rid of it at 150k and buy another one.

#19 of 24 Re: Have Cars Reach the Max in Reliability, is this the best it can be? [ma by 210delray

Apr 16, 2006 (6:51 pm)

Replying to: marc781 (Apr 16, 2006 6:40 pm)
Number 1 is very likely, but instead of people holding on to their cars, they will still trade frequently to have the latest and greatest. Just check out "Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous" in Edmunds.
 
Number 2 was the case when your basic choice was limited to the Big Three, but those days are long gone. Now after your problematic Ford (or VW), you will go with Toyota and Honda.
 
I myself sold a very reliable car when it was still going strong (a '97 Camry with 111K miles) to get an '04 Camry with side curtain airbags (unavailable on the '97).

#20 of 24 new thigs to break by carlisimo

Apr 16, 2006 (10:37 pm)

I don't think there is a "maximum reliability" that will ever be reached. But the reliability of cars has reached a pleateau.
It's a balance between reliability and sophistication. Over time both do increase together, but if you increase one quickly, the other is likely to decrease.

#22 of 24 Cars that last a million miles by rockylee

Jan 26, 2007 (6:52 am)

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/SaveonaCar/CarsThatLastAMilli- onMiles.aspx?page=1&GT1=8996
 
Lemko, were you the authors contact to this article ???
 
Rocky

#23 of 24 Re: Cars that last a million miles [rockylee] by andre1969

Jan 26, 2007 (7:57 am)

Replying to: rockylee (Jan 26, 2007 6:52 am)
I just glanced through that article, and honestly, I think one of the main reasons cars last longer these days is improvements in things like gasoline, oil, antifreeze, other fluids, etc. Plus, I think people just tend to take better care of their cars these days.
 
Another factor is that people tend to drive more, so issues that are more age-related than mileage-related tend to happen at a higher mileage. And issues that arise from NOT being driven, like moisture, dry rot, fluids settling and getting contaminants in them, etc, don't come up as often.
 
They've also learned a few tricks with regards to building cars that are less prone to rusting. It's not just improved rustproofing techniques, but cars built with fewer nooks and crannies for water and debris to gather, trap moisture, and cause rust. For example, trunk floors no longer have those little drop-offs on either side, where junk and moisture can collect down in the quarter panel. These days, the quarter panel usually ends at trunk level, and anything below it is just plastic from the wraparound rear fascia. And all that chrome they used to put on cars was attached with clips, bolts, holes drilled through the sheetmetal, etc. It would trap moisture, dirt, etc, but also the chrome would actually cause a chemical reaction with the sheetmetal, causing it to rust. Vinyl tops were also notorious for trapping moisture underneath, or at the trim around the edges of the vinyl.
 
Garages are also much more commonplace today than in years gone by, although their effect on making cars last longer is dubious at best, as many garages end up filled with junk, while the cars sit out in the driveway.

#24 of 24 Older Is Better by thethirdeye

Jan 30, 2007 (10:23 am)

IMO, the peak reliability of cars was in the 70's, 80's and early 90's, by cars such as the Honda Civic, Honda Accord, Honda CR-X, Acura Integra, Acura Legend, Acura Vigor, Toyota Celica, Toyota Corolla, Toyota MR2, Toyota Camry, Nissan 300ZX, Nissan 240SX, Nissan Sentra, Nissan Stanza, Nissan Altima to name a few. Especially the 70's and 80's Hondas, the only thing that seemed to kill those cars was the rust, not the actual mechanical components. Now-a-days, there just seems to be more things that can go wrong, as we try to add more and more (in my opinion, usually nonsensical) features, that aren't really necessary.

Messages Page 3 of 3

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