[appuchan]

See an interesting link on the makers of most reliable and unreliable cars in the US.

Toyota and Honda rules the reliable list occupying the top 5 slots with Mecedes being the least reliable!

ConsumerReports.org - Reliability trends, how makes compare 4/07

Links on the side gives info of specific models for new and used cars. Again its the same story. In fact Toyota rules the whole list for used car reliability, even though Honda, Ford and Hyundai seems to have caught up with respect to newer models!

[ajitkommini]

Interesting. If you look at the best / worst model - it seems that the more complex or advanced models lose out to the simpler ones.

[cheap_deal]

nice info there. volvo xc90 and lexus gs350 i thought were pretty much bulletproof!!! the camry (4cyl) being most unreliable in the toyota stable is a surprise, besides from being slow its an ok car.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by ajitkommini

Interesting. If you look at the best / worst model - it seems that the more complex or advanced models lose out to the simpler ones.

Exactly my thoughts.

[v1p3r]

The Passat (formerly the Superb), and the Jetta (Octavia/Laura) seem to be doing rather badly. Also, Suzuki is the second biggest loser, dropping 16 places.

[cheap_deal]

the old passats and jettas are very unreliable, the resale value of a 2001-2004 passat proves it. lot of electrical problems.

if i was going to give an award for most unreliable car, it would be the bmw 850ci, a friend owns one for the past 1.5yrs. he can barely afford to shower these days, as he has spent 3 times the cost of the car, to fix the car. it sure does look damn good though and having a v12 is nice too

[merve_extreme]

see the JD power reliability results for 2007 in UK.Consumer Reports is biased and completely wrong.


http://www.whatcar.co.uk/news-specia...aspx?NA=225557

sorry the above is reliablity + satisfaction index.

[sbasak]

Interesting. If you look at the best / worst model - it seems that the more complex or advanced models lose out to the simpler ones.

That's because, more components means more things can go wrong

[ajitkommini]

Take a look at #106! wonder why it scored so low

[appuchan]

Originally Posted by merve_extreme

see the JD power reliability results for 2007 in UK.Consumer Reports is biased and completely wrong.

Consumer Reports are for US market and cannot be compared to UK. Even then, you can see Honda and Toyota or their subsidiaries taking up 4 of the 5 positions for top car makers.

And how did you say CR is "completely wrong" and JD Power is probably "completely right" ? Every such surveys has to be taken with a pinch of salt. However CR is an independent, non-profit body well respected in the US and publish such lists for quite a wide range of products. Many people in US rely on their ratings before making purchase decisions.

[swathyd]

Has there been any study conducted on the quality sustained by honda and toyota ? It will be usefull for many car makers.

[merve_extreme]

Originally Posted by appuchan

Consumer Reports are for US market and cannot be compared to UK. Even then, you can see Honda and Toyota or their subsidiaries taking up 4 of the 5 positions for top car makers.

And how did you say CR is "completely wrong" and JD Power is probably "completely right" ? Every such surveys has to be taken with a pinch of salt. However CR is an independent, non-profit body well respected in the US and publish such lists for quite a wide range of products. Many people in US rely on their ratings before making purchase decisions.

i never said JD power survey is right but it is better than CR though all surveys are somewhat flawed.for instance a reliability survey takes into account the number of visits to garage or number of days in garage.

say a toyota goes 2 times and a Mercedes 3,but percentage wise Mercedes is 50% more trouble prone.also a mercedes is a premium car and its parts are imported hence it will naturally sit longer in the workshop than a toyota which are common cars.

Consumer reports are only to look at if you want to know about durables but not cars.No one buying a Mercedes or a BMW will look at CR.

also look at:SunbeltBLOG: The Consumer Reports testing scandal: It's far, far worse than we initially thought.

Consumer Reports retracts car seat study - Consumer News - MSNBC.com

RFID Journal - Consumer Reports Seen in a New Light - RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) Technology News & Features

[Mayavi]

My $.02

From personal experience and observing people around me, I feel that consumers who spend big bucks on a luxury brands tend to expect lot more from their car than a consumer who spends 20 grand on a econo sedan.
I read one of Merc C class owners review on CR site and he said his car is a lemon. One of the reasons he gave was that there is a bit road noise!! It is a Sport Coupe dammit, you are supposed to hear some road noise! Most of the reviews on that forum were similar... people expecting too much from their cars because it has that Merc tag. This is not to say that post 2000 mercs do not have any problems, the build quality has taken a hit and there are several issues with the cars, especially C class but still they get exaggerated (partly due to expensive repairs).

[Steeroid]

The Skoda Octavia is #5 while the car it is based on, the Golf, is #40 and the Seat Leon which is also based on the Golf is #45....

Doesnt make sense - you can check out the number of cars that share common platforms and yet seem to appear at very different spots on that list.

And a Rover 75 listed as high as #23???? WHAT A JOKE!

[The Wolf]

Damn Ive been seeing that Toyota at Top spot and Honda close second from last half a decade!!! Few Japs are just brilliant , arent they? I mean being so consistent speaks a lot about their mastery in TQM's, Shewhart cycles, 6Sigmas, Hoshin Kanris theoryetc etc etc!!!

One of my cousins, who owns a software firm in the US once visited a Jap PCB fabrication factory... He found lots of things functioning differently from what he had seen in the states n India...but he always speaks about a checklist he saw at the entrance of one of the key wings of the factory, this check list was for the employees to rate their health condition and willingness to work on that particular day with relevant reasons. Every employee would have to anonymously fill(approx 1min) this form before he starts his work for the day!!! Now, this daily data would be analysed at microlevel by the management, probably root cause analysis n stuff... The management would then try to work upon controllable factors.


Japs are considered mad when it comes to work but c'mon who would expect them to go to these lengths!!! I mean who would tell their employees how to lead a good personal life in order to have it reflect positively in their professional lives!!! HUH!!! Im am flabbergasted!!!