Automotive News - May 12, 2008 - (Page 14)

14 • MAY 12, 2008 EDITORIAL STAFF Ford’s challenge: Long-term reliability Initial quality is good, but then come the repairs Richard Truett It seems like a lifetime ago. But for the first 12 of my 20 years as an automotive journalist, I handed out consumer advice daily as the auto writer for The Orlando Sentinel in Florida. Thousands of times between 9 a.m. Aug. 16, 1989, and 5 p.m. Jan. 2, 2001, I was blasted by angry consumers who had bought something from General Motors, Ford Motor Co. or Chrysler. It usually happened after I had written a positive review of a Detroit 3 vehicle. I would always tell a surly caller or e-mailer something like: “You should give the Big 3 another chance. They aren’t making Oldsmobile diesels, Ford Tempos and Chrysler K cars anymore. The technology is all new. It’s much better.” Now I am in the position of having to take my own advice, and I don’t think I am going to do it. Here’s why: I bought a new Ford Mustang in December 2004, one of the first of the current Mustangs built at the Ford-Mazda plant in Flat Rock, Mich. I’m a sucker for a good-looking car, and I get nostalgic over cars I used to own. The 2005 Mustang was a perfect blend of a 1966 Mustang fastback and a 1967 Mustang GTA that I owned and restored in the 1980s. So, when I saw the new Mustang, I had to have one. Sadly, though, it hasn’t been a very good car — not for me and certainly not for Ford. Because of frequent and expensive warranty claims, Ford probably hasn’t made a nickel on the car. 313-446-0361 E-mail autonews@crain.com Web site www.autonews.com Keith E. Crain Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Peter Brown Associate Publisher and Editorial Director DETROIT 313-446-0361 Fax: 313-446-0383 1155 Gratiot Ave. Detroit, MI 48207-2997 David Sedgwick Editor dsedgwick@crain.com Edward Lapham Executive Editor elapham@crain.com Richard Johnson Managing Editor rjohnson@crain.com John K. Teahen Jr. Senior Editor Mary Beth Vander Schaaf Deputy Managing Editor Charles Child International Editor David Kushma Retail Editor Dave Guilford News Editor Philip Nussel Special Projects Editor James B. Treece Industry Editor DALE JEWETT Karen Faust O’Rourke Insight Editor COPY EDITORS: Bob Allen, Tom Fetters, Patricia C. Foley, Kenn Jones, Gregory Skwira Susan Zavela Bamford/Graphics Editor Rick Kranz/Product Editor REPORTERS: Leslie J. Allen, David Barkholz, Mary Connelly, Ralph Kisiel, Jamie LaReau, Arlena Sawyers, Robert Sherefkin, Richard Truett, Bradford Wernle, Amy Wilson Mary Raetz Director, Automotive News Data Center Debi Domby, Camille Pippen Research Assistants Dan Jones Office Manager Robertta Savage Editorial Assistant Corinne M. Price, Michael Garrison Information Center LOS ANGELES Mark Rechtin/Bureau Chief 310-739-8009 Fax: 310-832-6362 Kathy Jackson/Reporter 323-370-2481 Fax: 323-655-8157 6500 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90048-4947 NEW YORK Diana T. Kurylko/Reporter Phone/fax: 908-273-6059 dkurylko@crain.com WASHINGTON Donna Harris/Reporter 540-668-7295 Fax: 540-668-7296 Harry Stoffer/Reporter 202-662-7212 Fax: 202-638-3155 814 National Press Building Washington, DC 20045-1801 MID-SOUTH Lindsay Chappell/Bureau Chief 615-371-6654 Fax: 615-371-6655 April Wortham/Reporter 615-371-6617 104 East Park Drive, Suite 315, Brentwood, TN 37027 TOKYO Hans Greimel/Asia Editor +81-3-3828-9060 Fax: +81-3-3828-9061 hgreimel@crain.com Yurakucho Denki Bldg., 20th Floor 1-7-1 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0006, Japan SHANGHAI Alysha Webb/Bureau Chief +86-21-6226-9485 Fax: +86-21-6226-9483 alyshawebb@yahoo.com TURIN Luca Ciferri/Reporter lciferri@craincom.de +39-011 961 0194 Fax: +39-011 961 0113 Viale Cavaglia, 8 10029 Villastellone (TO) Italy STAFF CORRESPONDENT: Eric Freedman/Legal file, 517-337-0269 www.autonews.com DETROIT Victor Galvan/Web Editor vgalvan@crain.com 313-446-0345 Scott Kennedy/Multimedia Editor Staff Reporter Richard Truett loves the looks of his 2005 Ford Mustang, but he doesn’t like the way it was built. But two weeks ago, the paint started peeling off the hood. And now I am soured on Ford products, despite the fact that here in Detroit I can clearly see how well Alan Mulally, Mark Fields, Joe Hinrichs, Derrick Kuzak, Jim Farley and others are turning Ford around. Sorry, guys, but you likely won’t get any more of my money — not for a long time. I like the new Ford Fiesta, Flex and Escape Hybrid. They look great. Your initial quality scores on the Edge and Fusion are impressive. But most cars look like they’ll last when they’re new. The real test of quality — and one Ford is failing by my experience — is long-term reliability. So, like most other consumers, before I buy another new Ford, I am going to have to see proof that your vehicles hold together long after they are paid off, just like Hondas and Toyotas. This Mustang has taught me that it’s much easier to tell people how to spend their money than it is to step up and spend your own. It also has clarified for me why consumers tolerate sense-dulling Toyotas and Hondas. Those cars, though not perfect, usually don’t break. And the resale value is almost always higher than on comment a domestic when it is time to trade. Luckily for me, all the Mustang’s mechanical failures occurred while the car was still under warranty. And Ford did step up and pay two-thirds of the cost to repaint the hood, even though the warranty didn’t cover it. But the next time the car breaks, it’s my dime. Liked the retro PT When I landed in Detroit in January 2001, I came from sunny Florida in a black 1995 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme convertible. The rough roads in Detroit were beating that car to smithereens, so I traded it in for a new Chrysler PT Cruiser because I liked the retro looks and the excellent interior. Then a funny thing happened: Too many senior citizens started buying the PT, and that was not an image I was interested in, even though it was a great vehicle that never went back to the dealership except for oil changes. The Cruiser gave way to a 2003 Mini Cooper, which let me buy a new Shoddy fix After just 30,100 miles, my Mustang is on its third power-steering rack. The first two succumbed to leaks. My car has been in the shop three times for an exhaust system rattle in the catalytic converter area that the dealer can’t or won’t fix properly and permanently. (In one shoddy attempt, the dealer installed radiator hose clamps in an effort to put tension on the converter to keep it from rattling.) The transmission sometimes doesn’t downshift properly. The rear seat belt broke. I could live with all that stuff. British car for the first time after having owned dozens of used British sports cars. The Cooper also never needed anything except regular maintenance. Everything was fine until the new Mustang came along. My 1966 Mustang fastback was the first car I ever loved, and so there was no question that I would own the new model. So, I traded the Mini and got the new Mustang. I even paid it off two years early. I was counting on it to keep me off the car-payment bandwagon for at least six years. Now I find I can no longer trust the Mustang enough to think it won’t need some major, wallet-draining repair sometime in the next three years. Lately, I’ve been looking at new cars and testing a few. Several of the new GM vehicles, such as the Saturn Aura and Astra and Chevrolet Malibu, are nothing short of excellent. I realized the other day I am over my angst at GM for killing Oldsmobile, a brand that was near and dear to my family. So maybe it’s time to give GM another try — if I can make that leap of faith. You may e-mail Richard Truett at rtruett@crain.com continued from Page 12 the U.S. market. It makes more sense to spend money on fewer, more class-leading products and not spread resources thin by designing and marketing so many with smaller volume. The Toyota brand has models that cover all GM makes except Cadillac, and Lexus does that. You can talk about brand equity and perceived value, but that holds up only if a brand is sought and popular, and many of GM’s just aren’t that hot anymore. With its new four-channel retail structure (Chevrolet, Saturn, BuickPontiac-GMC and CadillacHummer-Saab), GM can sell Saab and kill Pontiac or GMC and not run into all the problems it had when it dumped Oldsmobile. Cadillac and Hummer are a good match — vehicles for people to show they have more money than we do. On the other hand, Saabs are for those who hear little voices telling them to eat more tofu. Saab has never come up to the sales volume GM projected for it and never will. Maybe the General can convince Tata that Saab and Jaguar would be the greatest automotive combo since Studebaker-Packard. Come to think © GM CORP. A writer says Saab won’t meet GM’s sales goals. A 2008 9-3 is shown. of it, they would be. GMC is probably safe; it provides its channel with trucks. They’re simply high-zoot Chevys, but so are all the other GM cars. Pontiac is the weakest brand in the channel. The Japanese have taken the midpriced segment away from the Detroit 3 during the past 20 years. Olds is gone, and Pontiac, Mercury and the Chrysler brand are on the ropes. The only thing that saves Buick is the fact that more than a million of them were sold in China last year. Consolidating brands is the fastest way for GM to make money in today’s market. I’m betting GM will utilize the brand chemotherapy it needs to do just that. Traditions be damned. RICK C. SAND Boynton Beach, Fla. The writer has worked in automotive marketing and briefly as advertising and promotions director for Zimmer Motor Car Co. http://www.autonews.com http://www.autonews.com http://www.autonews.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Automotive News - May 12, 2008

Automotive News - May 12, 2008 Factories Punish Rogue Exporters U.S. Firms Sink on Supplier List Clarke: Buyers Don't Know Saturn Brand Greer Takes Top Sales Post At Automotive News Sonic Sues Mercedes-Benz Fiat Ponders Mexico Plant Ford: Wait on Kerkorian Going Green: It's No Longer An Option LaSorda Reaffirms Axle Plant Plan Chrysler: Jeep Seats From India Make Sense Toyota Exec: Maybe It's Time to Raise a Prius Hybrid Gamily Chevy Traverse, Ford Flex Face Off This Year As U.S. Waits, Chrysler Sends Cars Made in China to Mexico Nissan Plans Wide Range of Electric Vehicles Honda: Sales are Flat, But Market Share Soars Kia to Bring Small Car to U.S. Changing Models Yearly Created Object of Desire Fla. Law: Automakers Can't Force Dealer Upgrades Partnership Seeks "Premier" Stores GM Payback for Axle Bailout: Lower Prices, Innovation UAW Vote May Be Nearing a Honda's Alabama Plant Suddenly, Small Was Big in April GM's Big Problem: Too Many Brands Irvin Was Smart, Friendly, Helpful Dealers Are Tuned in to Absorption Figures Dealers Should Sell Alternative Fuels Museum Funding is Bold Watch Your Car-Truck Inventory In Tough Times Dealers Must Coddle Customers Ford's Challenge: Long-term Reliability Nissan N.A. Unit Gets New Head of Communications Maserati North America Taps Luxury-Segment Veteran Eulberg as CEO Former GM PR Chief Joins BMW Nissan: N.A. Off the Hot Seat VW Uses Free Service to Improve Sales, Image Shops Cited For Labor Violations Survey: Consumers Like Indie Shops Report Cites Trends in Repair Costs Aftermarket Center Opens at Mich. College Dealers Mich. Stores Merge Under Project Genesis VW is Europe's Top Seller Honda Exec Red-Flags Detroit 3 Aid Court: Auction Not Liable for Truck Defect Retail Personnel Canada Sales Post 3.8 Percent Gain in April Chrysler Asks Dealers to Donate to Museum Obituaries Complaint Will Delay UAW Revote at JCI Plant Supplier Deals are Smaller, Fewer GM's Truck Inventories Up Despite Strike Profits Up at Superior Industries Autobytel Post $2 MIllion Loss eBay Motors Courts Automakers Ford Touts 6-Speed Transmissions Toyota Raises Some Prices No Pickup for Hyundai, Kia April Output Drops 7.8 Percent Trustee Must Untangle the Chamco Debacle Scientists Say Chysler's Gas Plan is Just a Dodge From Cookie Sales to Auto Dough? In Europe, Small SUVs Soar; GM's Snore Daimler Seems to Be Betting On Peace in Iraq When Soccer Booms, VW Will Be Ready Molder AMP is a Case Study in Auto-Suppliers' Travail Spinoff Dismatles ArvinMeritor Ambitions GKN Driveline to Grow in China Kia Supplier Builds Ga. Plant BorgWarner Adds Turbo Capacity Supplier Personnel Supplier IAC Consolidates Operations and Know-How Mann + Hummel Sees Growth

Automotive News - May 12, 2008

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