Is the J that important in the VIN?

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Fellas,

I ask for your opinion on whether you'd rather have your vehicle made in Japan or in an American plant. Let's take loyalty out of the equation and say for example you had the choice between a made in Mississippi Corolla, and a made in Japan Scion...

Would you go out of your way for the J? Does anyone have experience with the assembly line/can comment on any differences in build quality?

-Alex
 
As an American I would rather employ Americans with my purchases. 19 Trillion dollars in debt and still climbing. Something is going to break eventually.
 
I have only owned US/Canada built Japanese branded vehicles and they were all amazing reliability.

1990 Subaru Legacy
1995 Honda Civic ex
2007 Acura MDX
 
I think there are too many factors to consider and they likely don't even change much.

Also +1 for 6mt g35. I had one and I miss it dearly. Slapped the vortech v3 blower on it and made 450whp. Beat the [censored] out of it every day of its life and it only ever wanted more. Great car.
 
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Fundamental components will be assembled the exact same way, not matter where the final assembly happens.

When most people talk "build quality" they are most likely referring to gaps between interior/exterior panels, more visually appealing wiring routing or wrapping etc. Yes, this kind of stuff can differ from plant to plant, but should not affect the overall reliability and durability of the vehicle, but it can be perceived as better.

For me, no I would not go out of my way to get the model I wanted, but built in Japan.
 
I was a mechanic at a Honda dealer eons ago. Some of the Accords were made in Japan while most were made in Ohio. There was no difference in quality except the paint on the Ohio made Accords looked better, which wasn't saying much. The Canadian built Civic hatchbacks weren't as good as Ohio Civics. The Civic HX had a Japanese VTEC-E engine while rated at less HP than the EX that used a Anna, Ohio VTEC engine, seemed faster. I think the Civic is now made in Indiana?
I'd prefer if my car was made in the USA. I owned a Japanese built Impreza WRX and my sister recently got a new 2017 Impreza built in Indiana. Her car looks impeccable.
 
When I worked at a Honda plant in the US it was noted that some of the chemicals used during assembly had inferior performance to the ones used in Japan but were better for the environment/workers. My specific example is regards to "sealers" that were applied to electrical connections prior to assembly but I know there were other areas as well.
 
Robotics perform almost all of the major and critical assembly, painting and welding anyway.
 
I used to look for the J, but now I just don't know. I have a J Rogue - probably one of the few Japan made nissans. Doing pretty good except for rotor Judder - Which I had fixed at the dealer with NEW rotors and NEW pads and re-man calipers at only 30K miles!)
Our 2005 Rav 4 which was a J VIN car had the rear shock blow and the water pump leaking badly and the clutch and the engine using excessive oil by 50K miles. ( 3 years)
The Yaris J VIN car tossed a front wheel bearing one cold winter morning, and had degrading steering and clogged and leaky #1 cat (TSB on that) in the first year. Also the VVT didn't seem to like ANY oil I put in the CC. That's when I started on here to find out what the "hey!" was going on.

I don't recall much about the Fit, used to eat trans fluid yearly and I hurt the engine with a 1/2 bottle of Liqui-Moly. Cant blame the J-Vin on clueless BITOG additive dosing - I REALLY knew better than top add that mud, but I did it anyway Don't know why.

I feel sorry for blokes who come in here looking for oil advice these days
frown.gif


Most reliable cars bought new were (out of a 70 car sample):
1 (96?) Subaru Impreza Wagon 2.2L
2 (83?) Chevy S-10 2.8 carbureted V6 4 speed w/t
3 (85?) Yugo GV 4speed MT

Most reliable (though unloved) used car:

1970 Buick Electra 225 Convertible w/ 455 V8.

Bullit-proof engine and tranny and rear end.

So, nothing special about the J code at MY house though you know Consumer Reports surveys post a differing outcome.
 
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Robots are doing the vast majority of the building. Engines are almost totally done by robots in modern factories. Body assembly as well.

With that said, I would not go out of my way to buy a J car but I prefer Japanese brands over domestic.
 
Not Very important to me its a global economy. of my last few vehicles

My Honda was made in Canada Vin 2
My Taurus was made in the USA Vin 1
My Nissan was made in the USA Vin 1
My Fusion was made in Mexico Vin 3
My Suzuki Motorcycle was made in Spain Vin S
 
Originally Posted By: BobsArmory
As an American I would rather employ Americans with my purchases. 19 Trillion dollars in debt and still climbing. Something is going to break eventually.


Totally agree with you... but the " J " cars have simply treated me better.

Not to mention, most of the "American" cars are built in Mexico or Canada anyway.
 
Originally Posted By: CELICA_XX
Not to mention, most of the "American" cars are built in Mexico or Canada anyway.

The last 3 cars I bought were all made in the USA.

2009 Toyota Venza
2013 Hyundai Sonata
2016 KIA Sorento
 
Originally Posted By: 09_GXP
When I worked at a Honda plant in the US it was noted that some of the chemicals used during assembly had inferior performance to the ones used in Japan but were better for the environment/workers. My specific example is regards to "sealers" that were applied to electrical connections prior to assembly but I know there were other areas as well.

There might be some truth to that. My Tracker was put together in Ontario, which was nice. But 12 years later the rear door latch rusted up and broke so I couldn't open it even from the inside with the door cover off...
Instead of messing around with it anymore I cut off the old door and just got a whole new door from the wreckers off an older made in japan vitara and its latch was rust free and working smooth... The door fit as well as the old one too.
 
I'm okay with made in America, Japan, Korea, China, Philipines, Indonesia.

Unfortunately, it seems like vehicles made in Mexico inherently have many problems.
 
It may have used to automatically mean better, but quality changes too much, year to year, along with typical vehicle year-to-year issues.
 
I don't care where my cars are made. I'm not one of those people where my stuff has to be from the U.S. My Sonata and Jeep were built in the U.S. and my Camry was made in Japan.
 
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