Do manufacturers redesign/fix issues upon feedback after Vehicle release

[muni]

Just wanted BHPians to share information whether they have found such a thing happening.

Am sure many cars after release will have feedback of some parts rattling/ faulty/ mis allignment etc.

Am sure Tata is one such manufacturer.

If the car manufacturer indeed fixed these issues, does anybody have information as how fast it happens and live examples of the same.

I read somewhere that the Punto's after September have better fit and finish and the AC system of the new Vistas are much better than the old ones. This thread can serve as some reference to potential buyers.

[harishnair]

Most of the manufacturers do follow this practice worldwide.

In India, Honda did tweak the rear suspension in the newer versions of their civic sedan.
Also, lately Ford ordered a power steering inspection in their Fiesta sedans sold in India.

[beejay]

The Scorpio was extensively tested and feedback collected from all the owners and constantly developed.
Count on how many versions and engine upgrades it has gone through.

[McLaren Rulez]

Yep. Its common practice. While it may be a bit unfair to the first owners of the model, in the long run, it is a good thing that manufacturers do this.

[schitre05]

Well its quite appreciated that the manufacturers actually listen to feedbacks and do certain tweaks in their cars. But then somehow i feel that the first lot buyers (read as avid followers of that car/brand) are then kinda cheated on this front and all the good/improved things are then rolled out to the more patient and wait n watch kind of buyers.

[muni]

Does anybody have specific information on changes and am really curious how quick the response from manufacturers is upon recieving the feedback.

The laks of kilometers that they test the cars/vehicles. Should that not minimise the niggles/ issues. Maybe they have tighter schedules like us in software releases which invariably has a lot of bugs.

[McLaren Rulez]

Originally Posted by muni

Does anybody have specific information on changes and am really curious how quick the response from manufacturers is upon recieving the feedback.

The laks of kilometers that they test the cars/vehicles. Should that not minimise the niggles/ issues.

Well this would depend on the manufacturer and I doubt if ordinary folks outside the business will know much. If we have some company insiders here, maybe they can spill the beans.

As for the lakhs of kilometers of testing, yes it should minimize the niggles. But imagine the first 100 cars driven for 20,000 km each. That's a lot more data there.

[NutsNBolts]

I think everyone does. Feb edition of Linea had many glitches that were ironed out by May based upon user feedback. Most of these glitches are cosmetic in nature and really don't have anything to do with the power plant or transmission per se.

[rr_zen]

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

Yep. Its common practice. While it may be a bit unfair to the first owners of the model, in the long run, it is a good thing that manufacturers do this.

+1 to that. All manufacturers need guinea pigs in the form of customers for this. Have we not seen this with the NHC ZX offering airbags and the ANHC now offering alloys after initial release based on feedback?

[Nitronium]

Moral of the story? Wait, and buy.

[bblost]

I know for a fact that the rear stays of the ThunderBird (Royal Enfield) were removed after customer feedback.

[Soumya_Ramesh]

It is always exciting to be part of the new car launch and sometimes it could be disappointing. Like any product, any new launch would just be the perception of designers and engineers and might not entirely be customer inclined. So any first product will definitely have its defeciencies and redundancies. Sometimes it sound wise to wait for a year or two to consider a product in the market. Guess NANO stands as a potential example.

[greenhorn]

Originally Posted by Nitronium

Moral of the story? Wait, and buy.

not always. Some Cars (I think the alto and the Wagon R are good examples) have their build quality deteriorate over time due to 'value engineering'

[mithun]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

not always. Some Cars (I think the alto and the Wagon R are good examples) have their build quality deteriorate over time due to 'value engineering'

You are right. My 2001 Alto is not having any rattles and feels like new although the brand are in the opposite end !

[GTO]

Any successful manufacturer builds products that the customer wants. It's obvious that they will also fine-tune that product as customer feedback starts rolling in.

However, there is a difference here. Jap & Korean manufacturers will typically add features, bits and make improvements (say the gear lever position) based on customer feedback. Home grown manufacturers like Tata & Mahindra sort out niggles based on feedback. Simply put, Japs & Koreans generally get the reliability right from day one. Tata & Mahindra depend on the guinea pigs (first lost of customers).