Date: Sun, 14 Aug 2005 21:45:32 GMT From: BK <jerem43nospamnet> Subject: Re: Russelsheim plant quality
Tex wrote: > GM promises Saabs to be built there will be of equal or better build quality > than those from Trollhatten. > > http://www.just-auto.com/news_detail.asp?art=48772 > > This issue had been brought up a few months ago when discussion first > swirled around Saab production shifting to Russelsheim. > > Of course, only time will tell whether this "primer" on quality is just for > show or truly an aim at increasing build quality. > > - tex > > Hello Guys, GM at this juncture is in a worldwide quality control improvement upgrade. The CEO has made improvement to the quality in all GM vehicles as the major goal of the company over the next few years, and it has begun to show. The Chevy Malibu Maxx (a Saab derivative) has received several very good reviews, Cadillac is in a renaissance, and its SUVs are among the highest in quality with the Saab 9-7 being very well received by the press (Royal Ford [not a Ford dealer, but a real person] of the Boston Globe basically said it was one of the best SUV's GM is making). As a brand, GM has been has shown some remarkable progress in its quality over the past two years, but still has a distance to go. I believe Money magazine, or it could have been Forbes, had a very good article about GM's future goals, problems and possible solutions. In regards to the quality of car marques in the US, a good chunk of the major European makers are pretty low on the list (Mercedes was pretty much at the bottom), the Asians are mostly at the top (Toyota holds the crown), and the US brands are spread through out the middle (all the US marques have been slowly improving, Chrysler the quickest). It would seem that VW/Audi, Mercedes, Porche and BMW are all having some sort of quality issues over the past few years. Volvo appears to be the exception. Check out JD powers for the list. As to Saab, they are like any other marque, they have good product builds and bad product builds. For every good Saab story I have heard, I have heard a sob story. My mother had a 1988 Saab 9000 and it was really fun to drive when it wasn't in the shop- 2 transmissions, numerous break jobs and a host of other issues. I have had a 1986 900t for the past six years and only have had to maintenance until this year, and it was a doozy- over $4000 dollars so far (I had to replace the entire break system except for one break line, the exhaust system from the back of the manifold back, including the turbo, and there were eight separate rust holes in the floor. Hey, the car is twenty years old in February) The car has had one ongoing issue of electrical shorts, that is to say, frustrating at the least. I am currently running three electrical bypasses on the car. This is a Saab lovers posting board and we all love the brand. It is too easy to blame GM for every little problem Saab has since '94. Remember that Saab has a history as a "quirky" car - that means it has "issues" in the past, both good and bad, before GM came along. Before GM bought Saab, there was a good chance that it could have become another AMC, MG, Fiat or Renault - out of business or a small, unimportant regional player Jeremy
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