How many years old are the tires? The tread rubber seems to harden with age. Try pushing your thumb into the rubber and then do the same with various tires at the tire store. Of course, softer tread can mean shorter tire life. The hardeness makes them noisier and also less sticky. I noticed it on my several years old Michelin Harmony tires. I replaced them with Michelin Defenders. They are quieter but I don't recall how quiet the Harmony tires were when they were new.
The treads on the Defender fit together with little room in between for quiet. The manager showed me the way they fit as the tire flattens under the weight against the ground. I have the Defenders on the Cobalt and on the 03 GM leSabre. The problem on both is likely the tires will reach 6 years of age and not have many miles on them. Defenders did well on snow. I got little slipping.
My Malibu came with Goodyear Eagle LS2 or something like that. probably a soft quiet tire, but no good mileage life.
@elias said:> (to keep it on-topic the consideration department, it's inconsiderate to other-drivers/passengers/self to drive with too old/worn tires. especially in the rain!)
Not seeing how that makes it fit the topic: this is the General Motors Fans topic.
GM copyrighted the name "Elevation" according to what I read elsewhere.
Where would they use a name like that? Maybe with the Trax for Chevrolet: the Trax Elevation?
Someone suggested the Colorado Elevation could be a model within the Colorado group. Sounds good to me?
So, is the new Colorado seriously going to get sold in the US, or is that just hearsay? From the pics I've seen, it looks promising. My uncle has been talking about getting a small-ish truck, because he's decided he doesn't like the 2013 Camry he just bought last July. He's also retired now, so he doesn't have a long commute to work. As a result, fuel economy isn't that much of a concern anymore.
I had told him that there's really no such thing as a "small" pickup anymore, and that the domestics had abandoned the midsized market, leaving just the Tacoma and Frontier. He said he doesn't like the Tacoma, because the seating position is too low and car-like. So, maybe he should hold off and check out the new Colorado once it's available.
The Colorado is definately coming, it has been shown in a new US ( or North American anyway) body style. How the price and size compare to a full size ( some say it is still too big) remains to be seen.
It'll be a midsize. Don't think you could consider a truck that has four doors a "small" one and the Colorado will be available as an extended cab or a crew cab.
The Tacoma will be new for 2015 too. New Frontier will be coming after that. Plenty of competition, but it's nice to see GM back in the segment.
Have 3/16 inch of tread left at 42,500 miles. Have only rotated once or twice. Road noise not showing up through tires yet. I had to let air out when temp hit 85 in Tenn and DIC said 41 psi in one of them. Then it snowed Tuesday here and pressure was down to 34 that day. A/C in '98 Astro started leaking bad in Oct last year so that is next up for repair. My wife questioned whether we should put $700 into the 15 yr old van.
Mine are Firestone FR70. I just rotated F to R per side. The Jetta I drove all last weekend with 6500 miles on it didn't seem as quiet as my Malibu, so I don't think I'm getting unusual road noise. The roads up here are really bad now. We had the worst winter since '93-4. Most Great Lakes Ice since '73-4. Very few roads don't need re-paving. We broke the all time Indy record with 54 inches of snow this past winter.
Tires age much more quicken exposed to sun. The Mustang tires started cracking already. They were 2 yrs old in November. It gets parked outside and no car washes during winters 100 miles S. of Chicago. Tires on my garage kept cars take longer to get cracks
in my experience, once tires are cupped, rotation can only mitigate/delay more cupping. reversing direction of the tire is the best way to rotate a cupped tire, if its a nondirectional tire. to cure the problem before ruining a new set of tires, the underlying suspension problem (if any) must be fixed , and tires replaced. also in my experience, insufficient tire rotation can cause cupping even if there is no suspension problem. tire rack provides decibel numbers & reviews to show which tires are quietest...
I'm a GM fan, but I just saw a new black C7 (sold) at my dealership...second one I've seen up close; first one yellow, this one black. Both had a ton of orange peel. This black car was outside and I could see the orange peel from twenty feet away. It was bad enough that had I ordered this particular car, I wouldn't accept delivery. Come on guys; we know you're capable of more than that.
2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
Re.: Cobalt recall...I appreciated that the other day, my dealer's service writer, whom I know, called me at home to tell me he had ordered the parts for the recall on my two Cobalts. Now I know for sure they are part of the recall, and I appreciated the call.
Not an excuse, but I'd say that four GM CEO's since 2009 probably didn't help getting this recall off the ground.
2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
Interesting sidebar about the furor over the ignition keys:
"GM’s faulty key ignition is fairly typical of the flaws cataloged by NHTSA over the years. The key could be inadvertently jarred by a knee, uneven road or weighed down by a heavy key chain. GM is under investigation because it waited more than a decade to recall the affected cars.
The recalled Chevrolet Cobalt and Saturn Ion models don’t in fact top the list of ignition-related complaints in the NHTSA database. That distinction goes to Ford Motor Co.’s Focus, which garnered more than 2,000 complaints about keys getting stuck or not turning, primarily in models from 2000 to 2005. Because Ford decided the flaw didn’t imperil drivers, the company declined to recall the cars and instead alerted dealers to the problem so they could fix it." (Bloomberg)
If I were a locksmith, I'd be a bit worried about my business model if I did a lot of work rekeying cars. In another decade, all the ignition switches may be fobs and who knows what'll happen to door locks.
@Stever@Edmunds said:
If I were a locksmith, I'd be a bit worried about my business model if I did a lot of work rekeying cars. In another decade, all the ignition switches may be fobs and who knows what'll happen to door locks.
As long as a backup system is needed should the fob or vehicle fail, locksmiths will be fine. Besides, locksmiths rarely re-key cars now - they get called to break into them.
@Stever@Edmunds said:
If I were a locksmith, I'd be a bit worried about my business model if I did a lot of work rekeying cars. In another decade, all the ignition switches may be fobs and who knows what'll happen to door locks.
I'm still trying to figure out how the key for my Malibu works. It's a channel along the face of the key and it wiggles like a snake.
I know a locksmith - I'll have to ask him. I know how standard keys work. The hills and valleys on the key correspond to pins in the tumbler that create a flush surface at the top of the tumbler allowing it to turn.
I presume these work the same way except there is probably a corresponding "male" piece that fits in the groove creating the flush surface at the top of the tumbler.
Be curious to hear what he says. Jimmying a car open is fine if you know the keys are in there. Instead of rekeying car ignitions, now you'll have to break in so you can plug your laptop into the OCDII port to "rekey" the ignition.
Actually just call OnStar and have them pop the door open.
The "fail safe" (as I call it) key on my car is like that, a blade like key that slides out of the fob in case electronics are disabled. I don't know if it can start the car though.
@fintail said:
The "fail safe" (as I call it) key on my car is like that, a blade like key that slides out of the fob in case electronics are disabled. I don't know if it can start the car though.
Same with the wife's CX-7; there is a cover on the ignition switch that pops off so the key can be used the old fashioned way.
I am about five hours away from home, in Harrisburg, PA with work. I rode with a coworker in his 2010 (I believe) Matrix. While the seating is comfortable, it absolutely, positively idles rougher than either my Cobalts or my other coworker's Cobalt, the rotors are warped (OK, happens on all cars, I know), and there is more road noise than in a Cobalt (probably partly due to it being a 'hatch'--also hear our luggage moving around). I'm always expecting an epiphany from what I hear about certain cars, and I'm usually disappointed.
2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
To be fair the Matrix is not know for being a quiet car ( I have one too). The idle and warped rotors don't sound normal though ( and you did say the rotors could happen to any car). The idle and engine on mine are very smooth, definitely no roughness. Much of the extra noise is from the hatch ( and the plastic cargo floor), and I am not sure how the noise insulation is compared to the cobalt ( to be honest I would be surprised if there was less). I really don't think there is the huge difference between ( ordinary at least) cars that some people make a big deal out of, I never found Honda engines to be all that fantastic for smoothness of lack of noise, or even the "horrible" 2.4L twin cam in the grand am that I had to be that bad. Anyway at least you enjoy your car, and that is the most important thing.
Funny thing on keys. We recently replaced the front door on the house. The new door came with a smart key. You put that in this tiny hole and put your old house key in there and turn it a couple of times and your old house key now works as your new house key. This I like.
There was a comment on another board about the nice product GM is cranking out these days, specifically naming several models. There were only two problems, one of which is reasonably irrelevant to me, which is that they lag on new technology. Given Ford's fiascoes with some of that this may be a good thing. I'd rather get it right and be late to the party than be first and screw it up.
The other problem was more serious - all the cars he listed weren't my cup of tea except for the Verano. I don't know if I'd buy one amongst the alternatives but it appeals to me.
The other good news is I won't be buying anything for several years so I expect great things. I started driving as a GM fan followed by Chrysler. I hated Fords back then. Either way too much power steering or none at all. It is good to see them back in the real thick of things for the general public instead of just lemko, Rocky and imid.....
2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
"GM, the largest US automaker, said total sales rose 7.0 percent in April from a year ago, to 254,076 vehicles.
For General Motor Company and Chrysler, sales gains were higher than estimates of 4.7 percent and 12.30 percent, respectively, from analysts at Edmunds. com, a car-shopping website."
My cheapest GM's have had daytime running lights and automatic headlights for years. Not an evening goes by when I don't see cars driving without headlights, a real problem not often discussed IMHO. Last night, in a two-mile stretch, I approached two late-model Toyotas with no headlights on. I leave my Cobalt on 'auto' but decided to turn them off..I got a written message saying 'Auto Headlights Off' and a repeating chime. I'd think this lack (apparently) of automatic headlights causes more accidents than any recall.
2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
I saw something today that rather shocked me, based on what I've always read and heard to believe.
I parked next to an otherwise clean first-generation Scion TC, dark plum color, this afternoon.
The hood was completely delaminated. A smaller thing, a piece of the rear window black surround gasket, molding, whatever, was sticking up in one corner about an inch or so.
It was absolutely the newest car I've seen with bad paint in a lonnnggggg time.
Not a GM, but I haven't seen a similar-era GM with paint that bad, that is a certainty.
2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
I had to be dragged kicking and screaming into automatic headlights and only two out of the five (soon to be four) resident cars have it. The 07 Camry and Solara have it. Holds the lights on for half a minute after you pull the key but two clicks of the lock button turns them right out. If you want.
I honestly don't know how GMs operate these days. I haven't rented in quite a while and am happy with the cars I've got. Doesn't mean they won't be in teh mix next time around.
That Scion story is pretty pathetic.
2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
One of my friends had a 2004 Crown Vic, and both its front and rear bumper fascias started peeling fairly early on, making an otherwise nice looking car look ratty. He bought it used from CarMax, with about 10,000 miles on it. I had theorized that perhaps the bumpers had been repainted, and over the years he had it, it took some hits in the parking lot, which weakened the repaint, and made it flake off.
Other than those bumpers, that car still looked good when he got rid of it in 2012, with around 232,000 miles on it, replacing it with a 2009 Grand Marquis LS Ultimate (which by this time didn't mean much) with around 45,000 miles.
Yes that's a common fault. There are plenty of mobile operators who make the circuit at car dealers, repainting dinged up bumpers, and even doing some epoxy fill on them. Naturally, these will look pretty shabby in 2-3 years, as they are basically re-painted outdoors in a parking lot.
I watched a jobber who would set up under the shade trees on the empty lot where a local foreign car hot dealer would park their trade-ins. I could even see him working on body panels. I assume those cars were going onto the used lot rather than the auctions. All this on very humid days which I didn't think was good for spray painting outdoors.
Yes. Ain't that the truth. And those long rides to try to get the little one sleepy when those
cranky nights occurred--after running the vacuum cleaner and that not working to settle
down the little one's crankiness.
GM using robot chairs to move workers to optimum positions to quickly perform tasks inside vehicle during assembly in Delta Twp and Spring Hill plants.
"The Ergo Chair carries the correct parts and tools with the team member to each operation, entering through the side door and extending down the length of the vehicle. Gone are the days of workers crawling through the vehicle or reaching in through window or liftgate openings to install critical components."
Click picture to watch video of robochair at work.
lol, I didn't even think of the lazy aspect of it. I was more concerned about what if the timing is off, on the movement of the chair with respect to the cars going down the assembly line. Could result in some body damage...to both the cars and the people!
According to the article, the chair is controlled by the worker's feet but I'm sure there are plenty of safeguards to ensure it doesn't hit the body. Remember, workers have been moving large tools in and out of vehicles on the assembly line for years.
I'm surprised in retrospect that this didn't get developed earlier. With robotic control by computer it's easy to coordinate the chair and its movements to the skillet or hanger with the vehicle.
I see great efficiency in having this. After watching the carefully choreographed movements of line workers at the now closed Moraine Assembly, I can appreciate the way this allows one worker to perform multiple tasks at different locations on the vehicle skeleton.
Those robotic chairs might prolong the productive life of the workers, as well. I'm sure all that climbing in and out of cars, crouching over, and so on, gets rough on the body after awhile, and will take its toll over the years.
Comments
How many years old are the tires? The tread rubber seems to harden with age. Try pushing your thumb into the rubber and then do the same with various tires at the tire store. Of course, softer tread can mean shorter tire life. The hardeness makes them noisier and also less sticky. I noticed it on my several years old Michelin Harmony tires. I replaced them with Michelin Defenders. They are quieter but I don't recall how quiet the Harmony tires were when they were new.
The treads on the Defender fit together with little room in between for quiet. The manager showed me the way they fit as the tire flattens under the weight against the ground. I have the Defenders on the Cobalt and on the 03 GM leSabre. The problem on both is likely the tires will reach 6 years of age and not have many miles on them. Defenders did well on snow. I got little slipping.
My Malibu came with Goodyear Eagle LS2 or something like that. probably a soft quiet tire, but no good mileage life.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Not seeing how that makes it fit the topic: this is the General Motors Fans topic.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
GM copyrighted the name "Elevation" according to what I read elsewhere.
Where would they use a name like that? Maybe with the Trax for Chevrolet: the Trax Elevation?
Someone suggested the Colorado Elevation could be a model within the Colorado group. Sounds good to me?
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
So, is the new Colorado seriously going to get sold in the US, or is that just hearsay? From the pics I've seen, it looks promising. My uncle has been talking about getting a small-ish truck, because he's decided he doesn't like the 2013 Camry he just bought last July. He's also retired now, so he doesn't have a long commute to work. As a result, fuel economy isn't that much of a concern anymore.
I had told him that there's really no such thing as a "small" pickup anymore, and that the domestics had abandoned the midsized market, leaving just the Tacoma and Frontier. He said he doesn't like the Tacoma, because the seating position is too low and car-like. So, maybe he should hold off and check out the new Colorado once it's available.
The Colorado is definately coming, it has been shown in a new US ( or North American anyway) body style. How the price and size compare to a full size ( some say it is still too big) remains to be seen.
Should be here in the fall.
2015 Colorado Crew Cab Review
It'll be a midsize. Don't think you could consider a truck that has four doors a "small" one and the Colorado will be available as an extended cab or a crew cab.
The Tacoma will be new for 2015 too. New Frontier will be coming after that. Plenty of competition, but it's nice to see GM back in the segment.
Cupping can be caused by conditions that aren't remedied by tire rotation.
Have 3/16 inch of tread left at 42,500 miles. Have only rotated once or twice. Road noise not showing up through tires yet. I had to let air out when temp hit 85 in Tenn and DIC said 41 psi in one of them. Then it snowed Tuesday here and pressure was down to 34 that day. A/C in '98 Astro started leaking bad in Oct last year so that is next up for repair. My wife questioned whether we should put $700 into the 15 yr old van.
Mine are Firestone FR70. I just rotated F to R per side. The Jetta I drove all last weekend with 6500 miles on it didn't seem as quiet as my Malibu, so I don't think I'm getting unusual road noise. The roads up here are really bad now. We had the worst winter since '93-4. Most Great Lakes Ice since '73-4. Very few roads don't need re-paving. We broke the all time Indy record with 54 inches of snow this past winter.
They piled the snow at the airport to 65' high by 2 football fields in length. The pile has only gone down to about 40 feet tall.and is ice now.
Tires age much more quicken exposed to sun. The Mustang tires started cracking already. They were 2 yrs old in November. It gets parked outside and no car washes during winters 100 miles S. of Chicago. Tires on my garage kept cars take longer to get cracks
in my experience, once tires are cupped, rotation can only mitigate/delay more cupping. reversing direction of the tire is the best way to rotate a cupped tire, if its a nondirectional tire. to cure the problem before ruining a new set of tires, the underlying suspension problem (if any) must be fixed , and tires replaced. also in my experience, insufficient tire rotation can cause cupping even if there is no suspension problem. tire rack provides decibel numbers & reviews to show which tires are quietest...
GM simulator studying semi-automatic driving system that may be in Cadillacs within 10 years.
http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2014/Apr/0421-super-cruise.html
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I'm a GM fan, but I just saw a new black C7 (sold) at my dealership...second one I've seen up close; first one yellow, this one black. Both had a ton of orange peel. This black car was outside and I could see the orange peel from twenty feet away. It was bad enough that had I ordered this particular car, I wouldn't accept delivery. Come on guys; we know you're capable of more than that.
That said, the car otherwise wowed me and it had the reddest interior I've seen in decades--and I like that.
An East Coast and West Coast special edition of the 15 Vette. I could live with either one. However, I doubt I would like the sports car ride.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Re.: Cobalt recall...I appreciated that the other day, my dealer's service writer, whom I know, called me at home to tell me he had ordered the parts for the recall on my two Cobalts. Now I know for sure they are part of the recall, and I appreciated the call.
Not an excuse, but I'd say that four GM CEO's since 2009 probably didn't help getting this recall off the ground.
Interesting sidebar about the furor over the ignition keys:
"GM’s faulty key ignition is fairly typical of the flaws cataloged by NHTSA over the years. The key could be inadvertently jarred by a knee, uneven road or weighed down by a heavy key chain. GM is under investigation because it waited more than a decade to recall the affected cars.
The recalled Chevrolet Cobalt and Saturn Ion models don’t in fact top the list of ignition-related complaints in the NHTSA database. That distinction goes to Ford Motor Co.’s Focus, which garnered more than 2,000 complaints about keys getting stuck or not turning, primarily in models from 2000 to 2005. Because Ford decided the flaw didn’t imperil drivers, the company declined to recall the cars and instead alerted dealers to the problem so they could fix it." (Bloomberg)
Interesting Steve; I hadn't heard that about the Focus.
If I were a locksmith, I'd be a bit worried about my business model if I did a lot of work rekeying cars. In another decade, all the ignition switches may be fobs and who knows what'll happen to door locks.
As long as a backup system is needed should the fob or vehicle fail, locksmiths will be fine. Besides, locksmiths rarely re-key cars now - they get called to break into them.
I'm still trying to figure out how the key for my Malibu works. It's a channel along the face of the key and it wiggles like a snake.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I know a locksmith - I'll have to ask him. I know how standard keys work. The hills and valleys on the key correspond to pins in the tumbler that create a flush surface at the top of the tumbler allowing it to turn.
I presume these work the same way except there is probably a corresponding "male" piece that fits in the groove creating the flush surface at the top of the tumbler.
Be curious to hear what he says. Jimmying a car open is fine if you know the keys are in there. Instead of rekeying car ignitions, now you'll have to break in so you can plug your laptop into the OCDII port to "rekey" the ignition.
Actually just call OnStar and have them pop the door open.
Assuming the battery isn't dead.
The "fail safe" (as I call it) key on my car is like that, a blade like key that slides out of the fob in case electronics are disabled. I don't know if it can start the car though.
Same with the wife's CX-7; there is a cover on the ignition switch that pops off so the key can be used the old fashioned way.
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2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige
I like those "pocket keys". I wish I had one.
GM's self driving car photographed. Looks like the driver doesn't think much of the photographer.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I am about five hours away from home, in Harrisburg, PA with work. I rode with a coworker in his 2010 (I believe) Matrix. While the seating is comfortable, it absolutely, positively idles rougher than either my Cobalts or my other coworker's Cobalt, the rotors are warped (OK, happens on all cars, I know), and there is more road noise than in a Cobalt (probably partly due to it being a 'hatch'--also hear our luggage moving around). I'm always expecting an epiphany from what I hear about certain cars, and I'm usually disappointed.
To be fair the Matrix is not know for being a quiet car ( I have one too). The idle and warped rotors don't sound normal though ( and you did say the rotors could happen to any car). The idle and engine on mine are very smooth, definitely no roughness. Much of the extra noise is from the hatch ( and the plastic cargo floor), and I am not sure how the noise insulation is compared to the cobalt ( to be honest I would be surprised if there was less). I really don't think there is the huge difference between ( ordinary at least) cars that some people make a big deal out of, I never found Honda engines to be all that fantastic for smoothness of lack of noise, or even the "horrible" 2.4L twin cam in the grand am that I had to be that bad. Anyway at least you enjoy your car, and that is the most important thing.
Funny thing on keys. We recently replaced the front door on the house. The new door came with a smart key. You put that in this tiny hole and put your old house key in there and turn it a couple of times and your old house key now works as your new house key. This I like.
There was a comment on another board about the nice product GM is cranking out these days, specifically naming several models. There were only two problems, one of which is reasonably irrelevant to me, which is that they lag on new technology. Given Ford's fiascoes with some of that this may be a good thing. I'd rather get it right and be late to the party than be first and screw it up.
The other problem was more serious - all the cars he listed weren't my cup of tea except for the Verano. I don't know if I'd buy one amongst the alternatives but it appeals to me.
The other good news is I won't be buying anything for several years so I expect great things. I started driving as a GM fan followed by Chrysler. I hated Fords back then. Either way too much power steering or none at all. It is good to see them back in the real thick of things for the general public instead of just lemko, Rocky and imid.....
"GM, the largest US automaker, said total sales rose 7.0 percent in April from a year ago, to 254,076 vehicles.
For General Motor Company and Chrysler, sales gains were higher than estimates of 4.7 percent and 12.30 percent, respectively, from analysts at Edmunds. com, a car-shopping website."
GM, Chrysler, Toyota boost US sales in April, Ford falls (globalpost.com)
Good for them. If the trend continues good for all of us.
My cheapest GM's have had daytime running lights and automatic headlights for years. Not an evening goes by when I don't see cars driving without headlights, a real problem not often discussed IMHO. Last night, in a two-mile stretch, I approached two late-model Toyotas with no headlights on. I leave my Cobalt on 'auto' but decided to turn them off..I got a written message saying 'Auto Headlights Off' and a repeating chime. I'd think this lack (apparently) of automatic headlights causes more accidents than any recall.
I saw something today that rather shocked me, based on what I've always read and heard to believe.
I parked next to an otherwise clean first-generation Scion TC, dark plum color, this afternoon.
The hood was completely delaminated. A smaller thing, a piece of the rear window black surround gasket, molding, whatever, was sticking up in one corner about an inch or so.
It was absolutely the newest car I've seen with bad paint in a lonnnggggg time.
Not a GM, but I haven't seen a similar-era GM with paint that bad, that is a certainty.
I had to be dragged kicking and screaming into automatic headlights and only two out of the five (soon to be four) resident cars have it. The 07 Camry and Solara have it. Holds the lights on for half a minute after you pull the key but two clicks of the lock button turns them right out. If you want.
I honestly don't know how GMs operate these days. I haven't rented in quite a while and am happy with the cars I've got. Doesn't mean they won't be in teh mix next time around.
That Scion story is pretty pathetic.
Some cars get a panel repainted early in their lives and that sometimes accounts for one particular panel with premature paint wear.
Usually with a hood, one might expect a fascia or part of a fender, too, but you're correct.
One of my friends had a 2004 Crown Vic, and both its front and rear bumper fascias started peeling fairly early on, making an otherwise nice looking car look ratty. He bought it used from CarMax, with about 10,000 miles on it. I had theorized that perhaps the bumpers had been repainted, and over the years he had it, it took some hits in the parking lot, which weakened the repaint, and made it flake off.
Other than those bumpers, that car still looked good when he got rid of it in 2012, with around 232,000 miles on it, replacing it with a 2009 Grand Marquis LS Ultimate (which by this time didn't mean much) with around 45,000 miles.
Yes that's a common fault. There are plenty of mobile operators who make the circuit at car dealers, repainting dinged up bumpers, and even doing some epoxy fill on them. Naturally, these will look pretty shabby in 2-3 years, as they are basically re-painted outdoors in a parking lot.
I watched a jobber who would set up under the shade trees on the empty lot where a local foreign car hot dealer would park their trade-ins. I could even see him working on body panels. I assume those cars were going onto the used lot rather than the auctions. All this on very humid days which I didn't think was good for spray painting outdoors.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Now here's a good Mother's Day ad from General Motors.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Been there - done that.
Yes. Ain't that the truth. And those long rides to try to get the little one sleepy when those
cranky nights occurred--after running the vacuum cleaner and that not working to settle
down the little one's crankiness.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
GM using robot chairs to move workers to optimum positions to quickly perform tasks inside vehicle during assembly in Delta Twp and Spring Hill plants.
"The Ergo Chair carries the correct parts and tools with the team member to each operation, entering through the side door and extending down the length of the vehicle. Gone are the days of workers crawling through the vehicle or reaching in through window or liftgate openings to install critical components."
Click picture to watch video of robochair at work.
http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/archive/2013.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2014/May/0513-ergo-chair.html
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Hooboy--on other forums, this would be an excuse to mention how lazy workers are! LOL
lol, I didn't even think of the lazy aspect of it. I was more concerned about what if the timing is off, on the movement of the chair with respect to the cars going down the assembly line. Could result in some body damage...to both the cars and the people!
According to the article, the chair is controlled by the worker's feet but I'm sure there are plenty of safeguards to ensure it doesn't hit the body. Remember, workers have been moving large tools in and out of vehicles on the assembly line for years.
I'm surprised in retrospect that this didn't get developed earlier. With robotic control by computer it's easy to coordinate the chair and its movements to the skillet or hanger with the vehicle.
I see great efficiency in having this. After watching the carefully choreographed movements of line workers at the now closed Moraine Assembly, I can appreciate the way this allows one worker to perform multiple tasks at different locations on the vehicle skeleton.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Those robotic chairs might prolong the productive life of the workers, as well. I'm sure all that climbing in and out of cars, crouching over, and so on, gets rough on the body after awhile, and will take its toll over the years.