This is not specific to bikes, but it's a good example of what I consider good engineering practice.

    I finally had something break on the Toyota Echo I've been driving since 2000 when I bought it new.

   The injection molded plastic oil dip stick had taken on a pretty serious bend in the shape of an S..... I didn't like that, so last week I decided to bend it back straight. Snapped in my hands. Now I have a problem. Not life threatening or anything, just can't check my oil until I get a replacement dip stick.  Stuck the stub end with the handle back in the hole and started shopping for a replacement.

   Toyota was the cheapest (they still use this engine in a wide range of autos all over the world), so I ordered the part and picked it up yesterday. $19.01

    I was pleased to see that the replacement uses a metal 'blade'...... no chance of me snapping this one in half in 9 years! 

    It impressed me that Toyota had replaced the plastic part with a metal one. As the metal one has a plastic handle, it's got to be more complicated to build, and that means it likely costs a bit more to create.

That doesn't strike me as the sort of cost you can tack on to the price of the car at the dealership..... and it (in my case) solves a problem looooonnnngggg  after the sale. 

Not the sort of thing I expect of GMC.

Shame that it's such a big deal... but with cost cutting what it is, switching to a metal dipstick actually is a big deal these days. But the pessimist in me makes me wonder if they simply assumed the same part that replaced the defective design (in the interest of long term cost-cutting)... given Toyota's recent recall hell, I'm sure they're doing everything they can to save whatever face they can.

    Maybe you're aware of a wider range of recalls than myself, Bassem.... I know that Toyota is recalling a bunch of cars due to the floor mats possibly getting hung up on the accelerator..... that strikes me as a serious thing; but not in the same league as the Ford Explorer / tire underinflation / rollover deal, or ignition fires (Ford), to name a few.  What other recalls do you know of? Toyota's Hell would probably look a lot like heaven, to GM.....

     I know Toyota takes it's issues seriously, and does not tend to try and litigate it's way out of issues raised by bad design. They fix the design.

    Take a look at Consumer Reports' car buyer's guides and tell me where the mfgs stack up.  I consider that to be one of the least biased sources of automotive information, as they do not accept any advertising monies at all.  All of their compiled data comes from individual reports by vehicle, make, model, year etc... from individuals, rather than from corporations. They do a sh*t load of objective testing..... far more than any other organization I know of.

   What does a JD Powers award mean to me, when companies that make products that fall apart (in my personal experience) get stellar ratings for initial build quality?  Why would I care about how a thing holds up for the first 6 months of ownership?  Most finance cars through 4,5, or 6 years these days..... once the lipstick wears off, are we looking at a princess, or a pig?

RJ: The whole blame Ford for the rollover tire issue was a scam. I owned the offending vehicle and tires and there was nothing wrong with either one. It was more an issue of clueless owners who didn't understand the limitations of tall high CG SUVs equipped with HD tires.

The Firestones I had on my Explorer were excellent. The were a sturdy heavy tire though. When I got a flat on the front, I was able to drive slowly to a safe area with no worries about the tire on the rim. The vehicle was well supported. When I got a similar flat with the replacement Michelin's that comparatively flimsy tire was instantly destroyed.

Proper truck tires must be kept properly inflated to avoid excessive heat buildup. If a thick sidewall tire is run overloaded, underinflated and run at excessive speed, there will be trouble. I looked into it. Other brands of tires and other similar vehicles including Toyota and Nissan were having the same trouble, but it wasn't getting reported.

So if people don't maintain or use a vehicle properly; is that their responsibility or the fault of the manufacturer?

I can tell you that my 2000 Explorer was a far better and more stable vehicle that the Jeep YJ and TJ that I also owned. The TJ in particular was scary. It didn't take much effort to provoke terminal oversteer that would have made an old swing axle VW proud. Not a peep in the media.

Suv's are not cars, as an engineer you would know they drive and handle different. Ford has lots to answer for in this life for the crappy unreliable cars they foisted off on the public for too many years, but the Explorer was one of the better ones. IMHO. I think it had more to do with Ford being a big juicy target and too many lawyers having too much time on their hands.

dave

 Dave,

The tire that was installed on these were c grade, meaning the least heat tollerant.  The truck manufacture also spec'd low inflation settings, which heated up a tire thats already base line heat capable.

NOw you know in addition most dont check their pressure regularly.

So now you have severely underinflated hot tire made with lowest heat grade.

BOOM!

Now you got a top heavy vehicle out of control.

 

But really, Had they spec'd a more heat tolerant tire and ran higher pressures, no issue.