A Mark In Time

General Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: quizzaciously on June 19, 2020, 04:07:13 PM

Title: Why do British cars have a reputation for poor quality?
Post by: quizzaciously on June 19, 2020, 04:07:13 PM
This topic always bothers me. I mean, you guys have the best musicians ever, the best writers ever, but why your cars have a reputation of the most unreliable cars ever? How come?
Title: Re: Why do British cars have a reputation for poor quality?
Post by: Pottel on June 19, 2020, 04:58:41 PM
i would say the italians win that prize
....
but when it comes to house building quality...now that is an entirely different matter...
Title: Re: Why do British cars have a reputation for poor quality?
Post by: PensaGhost on June 19, 2020, 05:15:49 PM
i would say the italians win that prize
....
but when it comes to house building quality...now that is an entirely different matter...

Ferrari and Lamborghini are not reliable ?
Title: Re: Why do British cars have a reputation for poor quality?
Post by: Banjo99uk on June 19, 2020, 07:26:08 PM
It goes back to 70s when the car industry was on strike alot. The reasons I don’t fully know but Industrial Disease is about that period. You didn’t want to buy a Friday afternoon car was a joke. We don’t have a car industry anymore apart from foreign brands who have factories over here. Then again try owning a Fiat from the 70s/80s. All that cheap Russian steel they used was a hit with the dreaded tin worm.  Overall though the Japanese cars being cheap and reliable coupled with the quality coming out of Germany made us look like amateurs.
Title: Re: Why do British cars have a reputation for poor quality?
Post by: ds1984 on June 19, 2020, 08:05:39 PM
i would say the italians win that prize
....
but when it comes to house building quality...now that is an entirely different matter...

Ferrari and Lamborghini are not reliable ?

Speaking about Ferrari, they are not.
Title: Re: Why do British cars have a reputation for poor quality?
Post by: dmg on June 19, 2020, 08:12:26 PM
It goes back to 70s when the car industry was on strike alot. The reasons I don’t fully know but Industrial Disease is about that period. You didn’t want to buy a Friday afternoon car was a joke. We don’t have a car industry anymore apart from foreign brands who have factories over here. Then again try owning a Fiat from the 70s/80s. All that cheap Russian steel they used was a hit with the dreaded tin worm.  Overall though the Japanese cars being cheap and reliable coupled with the quality coming out of Germany made us look like amateurs.

This in a nutshell.  Different story nowadays though; our Toyotas are very reliable indeed.  ;D
Title: Re: Why do British cars have a reputation for poor quality?
Post by: vr46mk on June 20, 2020, 07:36:43 PM
Isn't Range Rover a solid car though? ;D
Title: Re: Why do British cars have a reputation for poor quality?
Post by: quizzaciously on June 20, 2020, 11:54:50 PM
Isn't Range Rover a solid car though? ;D

No :(

From people who owned a RR I heard they break like any other Land Rover. But I love the car, other than reliability issues that's an amazing veichle as all other Land Rovers are. I'd love to own a new Defender. If only Toyota would make cars with Land Rover's design, that would be something.
Title: Re: Why do British cars have a reputation for poor quality?
Post by: hunter on June 21, 2020, 04:10:09 AM
Regular Toyotas may be good quality, but I can't imagine more boring-looking cars.
Title: Re: Why do British cars have a reputation for poor quality?
Post by: dmg on June 21, 2020, 12:47:44 PM
Isn't Range Rover a solid car though? ;D

No :(

From people who owned a RR I heard they break like any other Land Rover. But I love the car, other than reliability issues that's an amazing veichle as all other Land Rovers are. I'd love to own a new Defender. If only Toyota would make cars with Land Rover's design, that would be something.

Modern ones get a good name.  Older ones from the 70s, even 80s don't, but new ones get a very good name indeed.  Of course it's part of the Jaguar Land Rover group (Jags also great cars).  Britain nowadays has a large and respected motor industry from the desperate days of the 1970s when continuous strikes made it a laughing stock. 

@ hunter:  Nissan...? :lol
Title: Re: Why do British cars have a reputation for poor quality?
Post by: hunter on June 21, 2020, 06:33:01 PM
@ hunter:  Nissan...? :lol


I took a look at both the Toyota and Nissan websites, and I'd say Nissan is a touch better, but it was curious to see how few models Nissan offer.
Title: Re: Why do British cars have a reputation for poor quality?
Post by: vr46mk on June 22, 2020, 11:14:00 AM
I'm skeptic to Nissan compared to Toyota, as I have heard on several occasions where the automatic gearbox fails on both Juke's and Qashqai's :lol

Title: Re: Why do British cars have a reputation for poor quality?
Post by: jbaent on June 22, 2020, 01:40:20 PM
Toyota, Nissan... I always thought they were japanese cars, with factories all over the world, Nissan had one (they are closing) in Spain, so, are Nissan cars also Spanish

 :hmm
Title: Re: Why do British cars have a reputation for poor quality?
Post by: dmg on June 22, 2020, 02:44:48 PM
Toyota, Nissan... I always thought they were japanese cars, with factories all over the world, Nissan had one (they are closing) in Spain, so, are Nissan cars also Spanish

 :hmm

All cars are the same now!  Is it even possible to find a proper Japanese car made there with Japanese parts?  Doubt it.  The days when I bought car magazines, knew every model, engine, power output etc are long gone because they all got very boring and dull.  Too much economising and many shared parts makes all models much the same. Environmental and safety reasons ruined them in the early 90s too.
Title: Re: Why do British cars have a reputation for poor quality?
Post by: ds1984 on June 22, 2020, 03:40:02 PM
I'm skeptic to Nissan compared to Toyota, as I have heard on several occasions where the automatic gearbox fails on both Juke's and Qashqai's :lol

That is right because Nissan is using CVT technologly (Continuously variable transmission) on their "Xtronic" gearbox
That is not really an "automatic" gearbox as it is a single gear.

More on the subject : Continuously variable transmission (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuously_variable_transmission)

 
Title: Re: Why do British cars have a reputation for poor quality?
Post by: dmg on June 22, 2020, 06:05:35 PM
I'm skeptic to Nissan compared to Toyota, as I have heard on several occasions where the automatic gearbox fails on both Juke's and Qashqai's :lol

That is right because Nissan is using CVT technologly (Continuously variable transmission) on their "Xtronic" gearbox
That is not really an "automatic" gearbox as it is a single gear.

More on the subject : Continuously variable transmission (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuously_variable_transmission)

 

Volvo used CVT as an option on the 340 series back in the 80s and DAF in their 600 in the early 60s; a DAF was in an episode of the excellent series Bangers and Cash recently.

A friend of mine had a Volvo 340 (or rather their parents did) and I travelled in it once.  A distinct lack of urgency is what I recall!