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Comments
Well if my car is any indication, that's exactly what he meant. The rear window shade in my car wouldn't go up all the way (about 3/4 of the way) after a few days. I almost didn't notice it until it did go all the way up. Then I noticed a minor pull in the screen material, indicating that it had gotten caught on something. I will have them look at this in December when I take it in for it's first oil change. It's not a big deal, as I never use it anyhow.
A few years ago, the construction company my uncle works for sold off a bunch of their equipment, cheap. He had a chance to get a Toyota Tundra pickup, and we talked about him giving me his '97 Silverado and us retiring my '85 Silverado. Considering the problems he's had with that truck since then (second transmission, water pump, other coolant leaks, broken belt tensioner, and now the fuel pump), this is one instance where I can honestly say I'm thankful my uncle didn't get a Toyota! :P
I am disappointed though, because my '85 Silverado isn't going to last forever, and eventually I'm going to need a newer truck, although I'd still probably stick with used. The 4L60E spooks me enough though, that I'd be leery of any GM truck with it.
How does that new 6-speed automatic they use in the trucks hold up, in comparison? Maybe by the time I'm in the market for a newer truck, there will be a good supply of those on the used market.
My brother's Windstall had both the well known tranny and cylinder head failures, both under 75K.
OK, diesel, I WILL give credit where credit is due...back in the 60s and 70s, GM made 3 transmissions for passenger cars (maybe more but at least these 3), and that is the Powerglide (aka Powerslide), TH350 (Turbo-Hydramatic 350) and the TH400 (Turbo-Hydramatic 400)...the TH400 was, IMO, probably the BEST transmission ever made, bar none, and, yes, it was UAW made!!!!!
The Powerglide was a simple 2 speed auto trans, D (Drive) and L (Low), used often in straight sixes (the old GM and Ford staright sixes, 250 CID, were workhorses that ran forever plus 3 days, also UAW made) and sometimes installed in stripped models with small V8s...the TH350 was usually for small V8s to midsize V8s, and big block, high HP/Tork engines used the TH400...the TH400 was indestructible, we had one in our 68 Camaro, and you could hit it with Phasers on "Kill" and it would just keep going...I wouldn't be surprised if the TH400 was used on 1/2 ton trucks and possibly 3/4 because it just was built tough...
That was back in the day when we, and the UAW, made damn good products...once they dropped the TH400, and the biggest tranny was the TH350 (or its equivalent modern version), GM went in the crapper...and, yes, I know that the UAW only builds 'em, but the designers/engineers decide which ones will go in the various models...
The challenge is to make the best cars in the world. Currently, the US doesn't have that distinction. The UAW is a HUGE part of the problem.
Regards,
OW
Don't know. I currently have an 07 Expedition with a 6 speed and so far so good. I'd hope GM's new 6 speed is better as they offer it with a 6.0L so I'm assuming it can handle more torque.
There are two 6 speeds, 6l80 and 6l90, the 90 being h/d for 3/4 ton trucks etc.
If looking used, you can always go 3/4 ton or find a 1/2 with a 6L in it, that way you know you won't get the 4l60e trans. Sure, it will be a gas pig, but gas is much cheaper than a transmission every few years.
I agree. Check the Honda discussions and especially the Odyssey transmissions discussion.
Odyssey transmissions
A lot of Odyssey owners agree about the "crap quality ... is unconscionable." Honda has had a long saga.
>Honda had a problem but owned up to it QUICKLY
You might want to tell that to the Odyssey folks. They're not happy.
In the past Honda had extended the warranty to about 100K mi on Accords for the trans problems. That cost was born out of the extra profit they were able to make on the initial sale of the car, in my opinion. Gm and others were saddled with the extra high cost of UAW and were not able to glean a high profit margin on car sales to use as a silent warranty fund.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Two things keep me from owning another GM product. The greed of the UAW senior work force and the massive bailout. We know it is not a loan that will ever be paid back. Of course they do not build anything aside from the Corvette that I would want. A diesel Escalade could get my attention.
If it had an automatic transmission, I think the Powerglide was the only choice in 1962. There was the 3-speed Turboglide, but it had only been offered from 1957-61. It wasn't a conventional 3-speed though, but more like Buick's Dynaflow. Supposedly you couldn't even feel it shift, but it wasn't a hot performer, and early versions were troublesome.
I don't think you could get a 3-speed automatic in a Chevy again until 1965, and then only with a big-block...that was the THM400. You couldn't get a 3-speed automatic with a smallblock until the THM350 came out for 1969.
That shows how far behind the times GM could sometimes be, even back in the 1960's. In 1968 you could buy a nice, upscale Chevy Caprice, but unless you got the big block, you had to duke it out with a 2-speed automatic. Yet way back in 1960, you could get a cheap Plymouth Valiant compact with a 3-speed automatic. Chrysler's 2-speed Powerflite was technically available through 1961, but by 1960-61, I don't think very many cars were built with it.
I'm not sure when Ford finally phased out its 2-speed automatics, but I knew someone with a '62 Galaxie that had it. I'd guess it was dropped from larger cars fairly quickly, but lingered on in compacts for awhile. Chevy actually offered the Powerglide through 1973! By that time though, I think it was only offered with the Vega, or the 6-cyl Nova.
It was a good transmission though, although in later years having only two speeds hampered its fuel economy and performance, especially with smaller engines that really needed more gears. But in those days, nobody cared about fuel economy. And if they wanted performance, they got a bigger engine. And unlike today where it's a bragging right, I don't think back then people cared how many gears their transmission had. Heck, if that was the case, GM trumped them all right out the door, as the 1939 Hydramatic had 4 forward gears!
The impact West of the Rockies would be negligible. The construction downturn is far more devastating than GM and C closing up shop. Ford, Toyota and the others would have NO problem picking up the void left by GM. In fact it would keep Ford and Toyota from losing so much money. You can always make a trip to China and bring back parts for your Buicks in your luggage.
Ford needs to get rid of their factories that are draining them with high cost UAW labor, or they will fall into the same pit as GM. You did notice how quick Toyota bailed on their only UAW factory in CA. For GM and Ford to be competitive building vehicles in the USA, they need to get labor costs UNDER Toyota and closer to Hyundai. It is obvious the UAW members are not willing to help as witnessed by the Ford contract vote.
Suburban trans problems
Tahoe trans problems
Avalanch trans problems
Trailblazer transmission problems
I'll stop there, but the list goes on with any GM vehicle with the 4l60e trans. Many posts of people having multiple failures and many at under 10k miles and this crap has been going on for close to 20 years (just ask Andre). Google gm truck trans failures or l460e and you'll get page after page talking about what total crap this trans is.
BS!! Keep drinking the UAW coolaid!
I don't follow pickup trucks, so you may be right there's a small persistent failure problem. :P
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
ROTFLMAO!!!!! My God Gagrice, I have coffee coming out of my nose!
Well I don't know anyone personally that hate their vans. The few I know that have Odyssey's love them. You'd think with all of the Chrysler minivan trans failure's of the late 80's and early 90's and now the Honda issue, GM could sell a minivan. Oh wait that's right, GM's vans were so bad nobody wanted them regardless of how reliable or unreliable they were. BTW according to JD power were among the worst in dependability on the market, below the Odyssey and Town & Country.
None of which could be blamed on the UAW.
That's no lie Gagrice. They showed their true colors by being against taxes on expensive heathcare benefits. Apparently they don't care if my taxes go up as long as theirs' don't . Well I won't say anymore as this post will get deleted.
Taxing workers is the wrong way to go: Health care reform is important - and it's important to get it right. But a wrong-headed bill being considred by the U.S. Senate would slap a 40% excise tax on health care plans which exceed a certain cost threshold.
This is from the UAW website. Taxing workers is the wrong way to go? LOL, what they mean is it's okay to tax some workers, just not UAW workers. What a joke!
And in contrast, I know my Silverado has been abused pretty regularly. I've lost track of how many times I've overloaded it. And when my Mom and stepdad had it, they put a trailer hitch on it and and used it to tow a 3,000 lb or so boat. I know that's not a lot of weight, but it is for a truck with a 2.56:1 axle, and one that wasn't equipped with any kind of towing package! I just hit 131,000 miles yesterday, and the biggest problem it ever had with the THM350C tranny was about 5 years ago, when I had it serviced, and they had to replace some kind of shift modulator thingie. Other than that, the tranny has only had regular servicing.
But, to be fair, I had a THM350C fail once, too, in an '82 Cutlass Supreme. It didn't fail totally, but the guy at the transmission shop said he could fix it for about $150, but that it would probably start acting up again within a year, or he could rebuild it for about $675. I thought I was going to keep that car forever, so I had the rebuild. Should've just done the $150 thing, as one year later the 231 engine was knocking at Death's door.
I used to think that these long service intervals that the owner's manuals call for these days were one reason transmissions might fail so quickly. However, it they're failing at 10K miles or 30K miles, low amounts like that, that would indicate some kind of design flaw to me. Either that, or they're doing something wrong with the rebuilds, like not totally flushing out all the cooling lines?
Will the UAW gold plated retiree health care plan be cut some? Will the retired military and civil service get cut under this HC bill? When you are re-distributing wealth you have to be careful not to step on any of your friends toes. It will probably take all 1900 pages just to protect the elite friends of Congress. The middle class & small business owner will get the shaft as usual. As a Union member I lost my 100% HC in the late 1970s. By the time I retired our company paid $1200 per month for our plan and I paid 30% of my medical up to $4000 per year out of pocket. The UAW is just real late to the game on paying part of their own HC.
I've seen many posts with these trans failing in S-10's and Colorado's too with a 4cyl. It's really all over the map. I wouldn't own another, that's for sure.
As for maintenance interval's, my Expedition states 100k miles if you don't tow, or 30k miles if you do. Plus, many newer vehicles, my Expedition included don't have a trans fluid dip stick.
I'm afraid you're correct. So much for change.
"We'll sit down with the UAW and continue to have those discussions on how to make ourselves competitive and then go from there," said Mark Fields, Ford's president of the Americas, who spoke to the Reuters Autos Summit."
Ford meeting informally with UAW on costs (Reuters)
The Pelosi bill had another 150 pages added if I recall the radio show this morning.
On the other hand the Republican bill is 230 pages. Which bill do we think has the most exceptions to protect friends in it?
I thought this was going to be the most honest and most transparent administration ever... oh well.
http://www.rotor.com/Default.aspx?tabid=510&newsid905=62543
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
(for a while this morning I thought I was in Maintenance & Repair reading about transmissions).
The Ford discussions aren't going to yield higher UAW jobs at lower wages for ALL of the UAW workers. The long timers aren't about to give up anything, unless it's for the new employees should there be any...
I think a real test of the UAW is that they got healthcare for their retirees while the IUE auto assembly workers got nothing out of the GM/C rescue this winter. UAW should be interested in "sharing" some of their power-gotten gains with their brother auto assemblers (GM Moraine Truck Assembly, Dayton Oh).
link title
"Rumor was floated around when UAW first agreed to the VEBA, That the only way they would agree to it is if all of the IUE plants were shut down. That is basically all of the GM/Delphi plants in Dayton, Ohio. But I guess we still have DMAX barely."
---link title
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Let's see - the Dems pass some sort of national health care. Stuck in the legislation is a section that lets employers like the big 3 dump health care for line workers and retirees.
All of a sudden, a big part of the union contract is defuncto, and all of a sudden, the VEBA is worth a lot more. Instead of paying health care premiums, the VEBA could shunt some money to the hourly UAW guys.
Simple. Maybe even topical, lol.
I'm beginning to react to the UAW the way a barrister might because of that aggressive action on the part of the UAW.
I believe I'm on topic: UAW.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Yes, you're right about that. People with problems about a product - be it a car or an appliance, usually are more vocal than those who have no problems. And, unless the problem becomes one of safety (in which case the NHTSA becomes involved), there is really no good way to see how widespread a problem is.
You certainly can't count on the automakers - any of them - to report out, for instance, how many transmissions have come back in for repair or replacement. Might make 'em look bad
>Honda had a problem but owned up to it QUICKLY
You might want to tell that to the Odyssey folks. They're not happy.
In the past Honda had extended the warranty to about 100K mi on Accords for the trans problems. That cost was born out of the extra profit they were able to make on the initial sale of the car, in my opinion. Gm and others were saddled with the extra high cost of UAW and were not able to glean a high profit margin on car sales to use as a silent warranty fund.
I knew somebody would bring up the Honda transmissions which is why I preemptively mentioned them. The fact is that Honda, a much smaller car company than GM, responded much better than GM. Even with Honda's more limited resources over the last 30 years, the transmission situation (three model years) is the only substantial quality problem that has been cited. Compare that to the Vega, V8-6-4, Olds diesels, Citation, Dexcool, Quad 4, Transmission failures, and loads of other things I'm sure I don't know about from GM. There is NO COMPARISON of GM's shoddy quality over 30 years to Honda OR Toyota, and to try and pretend that it is apples and apples is just a denial. The market is not so stupid as the GM apologists think, and there is a good reason why GM is a massive failure while the competitors have been successful.
The culture of Unionism vs. management has distracted the US auto industry from its real attention which should be MAKING QUALITY PRODUCTS THE PUBLIC WANTS. If GM had competitive wages and benes at least it might have been able to fund better design. If the UAW had not been such a continuous focus for the management then perhaps they could have devoted more time to strategy for the company regarding PRODUCTS. The union has a huge cost and it is not all just the cost of salaries and benes.
Heck, even Hyundai has spent the last 10 years with a much more credible turnaround than GM, again with a smaller set of resources at its disposal.
I know, I know, the Volt is going to make it all different, right? :P
"We'll sit down with the UAW and continue to have those discussions on how to make ourselves competitive and then go from there," said Mark Fields, Ford's president of the Americas, who spoke to the Reuters Autos Summit."
I'm sure Alan Mulally keeps in touch with his Boeing friends. Boeing just announced a second 787 assembly line in North Carolina - a right to work state - largely for "labor flexibility". Boeing indicated that the strikes every few years cost them a lot of money, and the delays caused by strikes make their customers unhappy. So once Boeing has two assembly lines open, they can put the pressure on, or Washington will be losing a lot of manufacturing jobs.
Let's hope Ford does the same. Unfortunately Ford probably can't build in a right to work state without the UAW having to be there (is this true?), so that means for Ford it is more jobs in Mexico and elsewhere.
If the economy gets good enough in Mexico then we can all just sneak illegally over the border to get some good jobs down there.
So let's NOT hear the UAW lament about all the manufacturing jobs going overseas, ok? Where is Rocky when you need to admonish him? :P
Don't know if they are UAW jobs.
Electric Truck Maker EVI Relocates From Mexico to U.S. as EV Market Here Grows (Green Car Advisor)
Oh, believe me, having been laid off twice from Boeing's, the Company is the one in control there. If it cuts in to their profit margin too much the head Starbuck's and raspberry jelly donut grey suits will take matters in to their own very capable hands.
I'd like to see Mulally do this at Ford and boot the UAW off their force altogether. Bust that puppy up in to a billion little pieces. Little wrench pieces and little bones.
Little bones..little bones...little bones...little bones...little, little, little bones. What a croc, these "strong" unions. If they want to survive they're gonna have to get the sledgehammers out, boys.
I actually respect Boeing a lot more by this action. The time to take this kind of action is early, like right now. Not later. Right?
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/g17/Current/default.htm
Take production to Mexico completely. Make corporate personnel involved in production move. Heck, Aqua Prieta is a Mexican city only about 80 miles south of us here in Willcox, AZ. They're right on the USA-Mexico border, Douglas, AZ, is the town on the American side.
But Ford could build a huge factory there and the workers could live in Douglas if they still wanted to live in the U.S. Or even drive the 70-80 miles south down there from Willcox, Benson or a city like Sierra Vista. Key to this is busting the UAW's and hiring Mexicans to do the bulk of the production work. And save on wages immensely.
It's time to bust up Ford's involvement with the UAW's. Ford is the only American automaker I respect. I don't want them to fail. Moving production fully to Mexico, hiring Mexican workers to mix in with some Americans already working for Ford, and busting up the UAW Union should be prime raspbery jelly donut and Seattle's Best coffee fodder at this point in time during major-mover Ford meetings.
They need to wake up and smell the beans now, though. Warren Buffett and his 10% ownership of Chinese BYD will only keep panting down American carmaker's collective necks.
If the BYD e6 is anything like they advertise...all electric propulsion with a range of 249 miles on one charge, and the movement slowly is towards all-electric vehicles, Ford will need much lower labor costs to compete.
The Chinese and Japanese and perhaps even VW will eat them for lunch if they don't make some changes. Another BO bailout should be out of the question completely, too. The first one still gleams as a ridiculous move. :sick:
But I spose my point is that Ford is still alive and I actually like the Ford Fusion Hybrid. I like it's production systems and I like it's body design.
Who can forget that on April 28, 2009, a Ford Fusion Hybrid wsa driven 1,445.7 miles on a single tank of gas! That worked out to a whopping 81.5mpg! Does anyone else besides me get excited about this?
Or is larsb from Phoenix, AZ, and iluvmysephia1 from Willcox, AZ, the only "green car" fans on the Edmunds website? Is this an Arizona thing?
gagrice, are you impressed by that Ford Fusion Hybrid test at all?
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
In topical news, the Ford-UAW contract is bigger than the national health bill presently before Congress.
Benzinga
Move more production to Mexico?
"Consumer Reports rates the quality of the four-cylinder Ford Fusion higher than the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, and the Lincoln MKZ higher than its Acura and Lexus counterparts. The Fusion and MKZ are built in a factory without job classifications because it's in Hermosillo, Mexico, and isn't represented by the UAW." (same link)
http://www.teamster.org/content/teamsters-protest-fiatchryslers-attack-american-- carhaul-jobs-outside-embassy-italy
So... we've got new union contracts at GM and Chrysler, more non-union car haulers, Boeing opening a non-union plant in SC, and the Ford UAW rejects a new contract to make Ford competitive with its global competition.
The union tower is crumbling - which hit will make this obsolete structure finally tumble?
One of our posters is a Professor in Georgia. He was stunned at the salaries paid to CA professors in our Universities. The top 2277 profs in 2005 knock down from $200k to $999,999. I would like to see a study on the wages paid State by State to civil servants. I don't think there should be much emphasis on servant, as they are more like masters over the middle class tax payers.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/special/pages/2005/ucsalary/
In 2009 the top pay in the University system is $2,831,534.
http://www.sacbee.com/1098/story/1669273.html
Mexico has strong unions and strong worker protection laws. What happens when this happens?
"A labor dispute at an auto parts supplier in India has forced Ford to shut production of its new Taurus full-size sedan one week due to a transmission component shortage, a spokesman said on Friday."
Ford Taurus in one-week production halt (Reuters)
If there's a labor dispute at the factory, production will be shut down and there won't be any way to shift to a different supplier.
There are multiple millions of potential scabs that Ford can rely on at the moment if it really wanted to. What a historical lockout it would be if Ford abandoned the UAW!
Regards,
OW