Great response, David. Thank you.   Ark.

----- Original Message -----
From: "David Beierl" <dbeierl@attglobal.net>
To: "Arkady Mirvis" <arkadymirvis@GMAIL.COM>
Cc: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Thursday, April 15, 2010 8:45 PM
Subject: Re: Massive Maintenance and cost

> At 01:59 PM 4/15/2010, Arkady Mirvis wrote:
>>  German quality sucks since the end of Beetle era.
>
> Not to mention the decision to build the most expensive instead of the
> least expensive cars in a given type.
>
> They were so far ahead of US automotive quality that they sat on their
> hands while the Japanese zoomed past, then still sat on their hands while
> US quality caught up and passed.  Then they went (I've heard) from 40%
> world market share to 10% in ten years.  Which reminds me to mourn the
> recent death of NUMMI, the Toyota-GM partnership in California that let
> the Japanese learn how to deal with unions and the Americans learn how to
> build a good Toyota (Nova/Prizm).
>
>>I wish the handtwisting [and] neckgrabbing [that] Americans are enjoying
>>doing to Toyota [would] be applied to german made cars which for a long
>>time are far
>>qualitywise behind cars of Japan in Consumer Reports.
>
> Me too!  I wish VWAG had taken the Vanagon to Toyota and said "Don't touch
> a thing -- just make it reliable."  There's my dream vehicle right there.
>
>>I've seen japanese cars where rubber
>>parts look new after 25-30 years.
>
> Yep.  Although in fairness, every Toyota I've had has a little rubber
> drain on the back of the front-corner marker lights, and they've all
> rotted in 3-4 years.
>
>>  In my 87 Westy all bellows are cracked.
>
> Yes!  It's disgusting.
>
>>Pay attention to JAPANESE electrical work.
>
> Especially Toyota.  They seal all their electrical plugs airtight with
> O-rings and gaskets.  But they all do pretty elegant work, and aren't
> stingy with relays.
>
> And another thing -- on Toyotas, anyway, fully-inserted bolts usually come
> unstuck with a bump and then are immediately removable with the fingers.
> However they're getting them to seal, it's working.
>
> Yours,
> David