Auto industry complaints. Vent yours

[jeepman3071]

Originally Posted By: Mykl
Originally Posted By: jeepman3071
This.

I find it funny how the new emissions standards are so much stricter yet newer cars burning a ton of oil is considered normal.

It also shows the sloppy machine work done by the manufacturer. If they screwed up piston rings what else did they manage to screw up? A co-worker bought a new Toyota Camry a few years ago so he wouldn't have to "worry about his car" anymore. The thing burns so much oil he has to add some every week. Now he does more hood opening than he did on his previous old clunker, haha.


Man, if I had just bought a brand new car that needed a quart of oil added every 1000 miles or so I'd just run it for the normal OCI and not add a drop. When the engine explodes have it towed to the dealership with copies of my receipts documenting oil changes and get a new engine that hopefully does not burn oil.


That is kind of how he found out. He was driving to New Hampshire to visit family when the oil light started flickering at stop lights. He pulled over and checked the oil to find there wasn't any showing on the dipstick. He filled it back up and after his trip home took it to the dealer thinking he had a leak. He wasn't too pleased when they came back stating he had no leaks and the car was just burning a "normal" amount of oil. Now he keeps oil in the trunk.

My buddy's dad has a 2007 3.8 Wrangler that burns a fair amount of oil also. We changed to Rotella T6 which has slowed the consumption a bit, but it still burns a decent amount with only 60k miles on it. Funny how my 14 year old Jeep that wasn't maintained well by the previous owner doesn't burn any oil, yet newer vehicles can burn a quart every 1000 miles and be considered normal.

 

[dlundblad]

A family friend had the 3.8 in his 4 door that burned the 1 quart every 1000 miles. He drove about 60ish miles daily so it added up pretty fast.

Our Rubi burns about 1 quart every 3000 miles. Not a huge issue especially since dad drives it about 14-28 miles a day. He wants consumption slowed down even more (even though I check/ add the oil for him. Lol) so I am going to give a mineral based oil a try next.

 

[hattaresguy]

My biggest complaint is the dealer associations in various states won't let Tesla improve the car sales process.

I don't understand why I need a dealer. Why can't I just go to a factory owned and run Chevy store to pick up a thew truck I ordered online. No games, and the manufactures will sink or swim based on how competent their parts and repair techs are.


The dealers know their model is inferior hence the lawsuits and the fear you see coming from them.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
I can't tell you how many times I have seen potential customers simply walk away from buying a NEW vehicle because they can't get what they ACTUALLY want, and instead the $tealer will try and push them to buy some over priced over optioned thing sitting on the lot because that is what the manufacturer decided the customers want instead.

Some options are polarizing:

Leather/Cloth
Stick/Auto
Sunroof/Headroom
Power/Crank windows

In other words, some people specifically want the "cheap" option for some reason besides being cheap. Yet they bundle most together in one package.

And some cars make you get leather and or sunroof to get cruise control. Coworker showed "the man" and had an aftermarket cruise put in his otherwise stripped down car with crankem windows.

 

[artificialist]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
I can't tell you how many times I have seen potential customers simply walk away from buying a NEW vehicle because they can't get what they ACTUALLY want, and instead the $tealer will try and push them to buy some over priced over optioned thing sitting on the lot because that is what the manufacturer decided the customers want instead.

Some options are polarizing:

Leather/Cloth
Stick/Auto
Sunroof/Headroom
Power/Crank windows

In other words, some people specifically want the "cheap" option for some reason besides being cheap. Yet they bundle most together in one package.

And some cars make you get leather and or sunroof to get cruise control. Coworker showed "the man" and had an aftermarket cruise put in his otherwise stripped down car with crankem windows.

So true. When I got my 2003 ION, you couldn't get an automatic transmission if you didn't take the aluminum wheel option.

 

[CBR.worm]

My complaints revolve around CAFE requirements and the removal of high power NA engines that are being removed from my future cars.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: Mykl
Originally Posted By: supton
I'd agree that it's defective. But if it blew up at 105kmiles would the manufacturer give a rip?

Actually, is there any data here, antedotal or not, that says cards that burn oil at a clip of 1qt/1,000miles cannot make it to 200k+? I think we all agree that it would burn a ridiculous amount of oil in doing so. But do we know for sure that the motor will not go the distance? Do we know for a fact that the catalytic convertor would give up and be costly to replace?


Well sure, but I don't know if any manufacturers offer a factory warranty that goes beyond 100k miles. I know that Honda has replaced a few Civic engines beyond that point on good faith over a known defect though.

I'm talking about "I just bought this brand new car and it's burning a stupid amount of oil..." If the car is nice and tight for 100k and it starts using oil, I'm annoyed, but not necessarily at the dealership/manufacturer who sold it to me; a lot can happen over that period of time that can cause that problem to develop.


I probably wasn't clear enough. These cars that burn oil at a qt/1k new: do we absolutely know that they won't run to 200k+?

 

[Mykl]

Originally Posted By: supton
I probably wasn't clear enough. These cars that burn oil at a qt/1k new: do we absolutely know that they won't run to 200k+?


They might, I'm sure many of them do. I think the problem comes into play when they're passed along to somebody who isn't as diligent as the average BITOGer when it comes to keeping an eye on the oil.

I'm not excusing poor maintenance practices, but I do feel that if your engine is ruined as a consequence of forgetting to check the oil for two or three weeks the problem is the car.

 

[zzyzzx]

Originally Posted By: Apollo14
Sealed automatic transmissions.


Also pretty high on my list. But I was watching Motorweek and they mentioned a feature on a new Subaru which is a CVT what has artificial "shift points" built in so that it feels like a regular automatic transmission. I was thinking what a dumb feature that was.

 

[Whimsey]

Originally Posted By: dlundblad
I wish they could let you literally build your own car or truck. Any drivetrain, transmission, interior, rims, extras etc. The combinations are endless and they would be custom.. Just as the customer ordered.

More manuals and diesels in the passenger vehicle market would be nice too.



At one time you could really "build" the vehicle with the options you wanted, to a certain degree. I see less and less of that. It costs the manufacture more to offer an A la carte built vehicle. Last vehicle I purchased new I ordered it with specifics I wanted. It was a 2002 F-150. Today it's usually a only "package" that many times contains items you don't want or need but pay for.

Whimsey