Chevy Cruze 1.4L sale halt

[laborsmith]

I have so much respect for MOTOR TREND that I quit renewing my subscription back when the mag selected the Honda Accord as their Car of the Year on, around 1979 or 1980. That was their attempt to destroy the US car industry and I am pleased to report that despite all their effort their goal has yet to be achieved.

Biased! You betcha!

I admit I hold the monthly car mags in as much respect as I hold OnStar.


Laborsmith

 

[ahtoxa]

What was so wrong with the Honda of that vintage?

Generally speaking, many regard 80s and 90s as Honda's golden years. They were making pretty good cars back then.

 

[ecohauler]

I'm sure there's plenty more to be said, but the first thing that comes to mind is the fact that 80s/90s Hondas all had timing belts, which had to be checked/replaced much more often than the 100k mi belts on modern cars like the 1.8L Sonic. Around the same time, Ford, GM, Nissan, and Mazda were all making at least some 4-cylinder engines with timing chains. This discrepancy is even more pronounced if we compare 6-cylinder engines. A lot of people just sort of ignore that high-labor maintenance item when they talk about how great Hondas of that era are.

Of course, now Hondas all have timing chains because people finally complained enough as the earlier Hondas aged.

 

[ChrisJ]

I'm sure there's plenty more to be said, but the first thing that comes to mind is the fact that 80s/90s Hondas all had timing belts, which had to be checked/replaced much more often than the 100k mi belts on modern cars like the 1.8L Sonic. Around the same time, Ford, GM, Nissan, and Mazda were all making at least some 4-cylinder engines with timing chains. This discrepancy is even more pronounced if we compare 6-cylinder engines. A lot of people just sort of ignore that high-labor maintenance item when they talk about how great Hondas of that era are.

Of course, now Hondas all have timing chains because people finally complained enough as the earlier Hondas aged.

Do they?
The 2006 Honda J series 3.5L V6 we had in a Saturn had a belt. In fact that's half the reason we traded it in on a Cruze. I just didn't feel like dealing with it at 100K.

I would have to assume the current V6s being sold by Honda aren't much different.

Don't get me wrong, that was one of the best V6s I've owned, but it had a belt.

 

[laborsmith]

What was so wrong with the Honda of that vintage?

Generally speaking, many regard 80s and 90s as Honda's golden years. They were making pretty good cars back then.

This was 1979. I do not know if they were then or ever have made pretty good cars back then but have long come to the conclusion that no matter what Hondapan produces mags like MT and C&D will bow down in awe.

A prejudice? Of course! But if anything I am a creature of many prejudices.

And please do not try to confuse me with the facts as I have painfully learned, there are no facts only a reality as we perceive it.

But to the subject of the thread, despite local media predicting Chevy would amplify their reason for the Cruze stop sale order, it has not happened at this hour but Michigan advanced to the Elite Eight by beating Tennessee and Michigan State seems to have Virginia's number, so for the moment all is well in the Motor City.



Laborsmith

 

[Blue hedgehog]

What was so wrong with the Honda of that vintage?

Generally speaking, many regard 80s and 90s as Honda's golden years. They were making pretty good cars back then.

Every time I hear someone talk about how good the Japanese cars were back in the 80s I cringe. Do you remember the Toyota Nova or Chevy Corolla. They were the exact same car, built on the same assembly line. The workers didn't know if it was a Chevy or a Toyota without looking at the vin till the badges went on. Yet most people who bought the Toyota loved their car, and swore by its reliability. The Chevy owners weren't nearly as satisfied and called it a pos.

It was all in their heads that the Japanese cars were better.

Sorry. Back on topic.

 

[sx sonic]

What was so wrong with the Honda of that vintage?

Generally speaking, many regard 80s and 90s as Honda's golden years. They were making pretty good cars back then.

How many cars did Honda make back then? 1? How many engines? 1?.

Seriously thou how many different platform s did they have? It wasn't very many, everything was more or less a modified version of the same design.

If your a car company and all you make is basically one boring ass car i sure as **** hope it's not garbage.


There was nothing spectacular about them, except they had the foresight to target a small market with A solid, singular platform.

The domestics could have accomplished the same thing only they apparently only let the engineers that ate paste design the FWD cars and other small vehicles (or practically any pre 2008 ford).

They could do trucks and land cruisers but apparently 4cyls and a small car changes engineering 1080 degrees, like nothing transfers over, like cylinders operate by magic.

Every time I hear someone talk about how good the Japanese cars were back in the 80s I cringe. Do you remember the Toyota Nova or Chevy Corolla. They were the exact same car, built on the same assembly line. The workers didn't know if it was a Chevy or a Toyota without looking at the vin till the badges went on. Yet most people who bought the Toyota loved their car, and swore by its reliability. The Chevy owners weren't nearly as satisfied and called it a pos.

It was all in their heads that the Japanese cars were better.

Sorry. Back on topic.

Truth.

The only company I've ever seen that has earned every accolade and then some is Yamaha. Honda is like Apple, overated, overpriced, and extra conceited. I could write a book on how unimpressive they truly are but ill restrain myself.

 

[ahtoxa]

Can't believe the responses I see. I am not Honda fanboy but...

First gen Honda, long with Toyota and Mazda of the era brought two important things to the us market.

- longevity. It was long regarded well into the 90s that 100k was just about the lifespan of a car. Honda and Toyota have always defied that, which gave them the rep today, which I think they abuse now. Back in 1979 it was almost unheard of for a car to go 200k miles.

- Honda brought features. Radio, cloth seats, intermittent wipers. These were standard in 1979, where other manufacturers did not offer that.

In the end, Honda dealers of the era were charging a premium and were getting it for the accord and civic, because those cars brought a new aspect to the domestic market.

I am also puzzled by the fact that people trade in cars because of a timing belt? Really folks?

I think this is part of the issue. Today, many things we own today are disposable. With cheap replacement available, we get into the mindset of "just buy another if it breaks" and we apply it to cars. Things weren't like it in the 70s and 80s. People fixed they cars rather than just trade them in.

 

[ahtoxa]

Sorry for the spelling and grammatical errors. Typing on phone.

 

[ecohauler]

Do they?
The 2006 Honda J series 3.5L V6 we had in a Saturn had a belt. In fact that's half the reason we traded it in on a Cruze. I just didn't feel like dealing with it at 100K.

I would have to assume the current V6s being sold by Honda aren't much different.

Don't get me wrong, that was one of the best V6s I've owned, but it had a belt.

The switch was more recent, I believe. I researched it once and couldn't find anything concrete, but I think Honda switched to chains around 2009.

Saturn was often an exception, too. The V6 in the L series had a belt and was more reliable than the chain-timed I4. The 4 banger had a tensioner/oil pressure issue that would actually break the timing chain after 40-80k miles.

As someone who works on cars, I agree it's silly to trade a car in over something like a timing belt, but you won't catch me complaining about the sea of decent cars available to me for that reason. It's an easy way to make a decent amount of money, but for my own cars I prefer not to have to open the engine up in the first 300k miles if I can help it.

This concludes my threadjacking. Carry on.

 

[rodslinger]

Can't believe the responses I see. I am not Honda fanboy but...

I can't think of a lot more. Little things like doors that open and close without sagging six inches, fit and finish that was lightyears ahead of domestics at the time, light and spirited driving feel, better balanced braking, etc...

The domestics were basically making garbage even up until the mid 2000's when they pulled their head out of their ass and decided that maybe quality wasn't such a bad thing.

Maybe Honda deserved that COY back in 1980 or maybe not. Could have just been the auto mag's way to tell the US auto market to get their **** together. (jeez this went off topic quick quickly)

 

[Luv2xlr8]

......so about the cruze 1.4t being halted?????

 

[Isambard]

Edit: found an article

http://www.autonews.com/article/20140329/OEM11/140329841?template=mobile&X-IgnoreUserAgent=1

GM also is recalling some 2013 and 2014 Cruzes with 1.4-liter turbo gasoline engines to replace a right front axle half shaft that can fracture and separate without warning during normal driving, the company said.

GM issued a stop-sale order to dealers for those models late Thursday without explanation. Dealerships that inspect the half shaft and fix any needed repairs can resume selling the cars in their inventory, GM spokesman Alan Adler said in an e-mail.

An interconnecting bar on the half shaft on some Cruzes “may not meet GM specification and could fracture and separate,” GM said. If that happens while driving, the vehicle would lose power to the wheels and coast to a stop but maintain steering and braking control, GM said.

GM said vehicles with that condition could move unexpectedly when parked on an incline without the parking brake applied, resulting in a possible crash or pedestrian injuries. GM said it doesn’t know of any crashes or injuries related to the problem.

 

[sx sonic]

In for the reason of the stop sale.

Bad axles from the supplier. They could potentially break making the car coast to a stop.

 

[Isambard]

Bad axles from the supplier. They could potentially break making the car coast to a stop.

Editing my post as you posted :thumbup:

 

[Luv2xlr8]

After reading and searching a bit more! it's only for the US and not Canada. So what happens to people that bought one off the lot already, would they get a notice in the mail I assume?

 

[ChrisJ]

If it was a Toyota they would keep selling them and then pretend it was a mudflap issue.

 

[Ms.DannyStone]

My RS has a "recall". I have to take it in today. I asked why and he said GM didint give details but select 2014s 1.4s are being looked at for something and I kept asking why and he said a lot of cars they been calling in for loss of power while driving so that may be it he said and my car has done it twice already