31st Dec 2011, 08:18
I'm not sure I'd blame the workers! I've been in manufacturing for a long time, and also known middle management at car manufacturers, and the vast majority of the time I'd squarely blame management!
On one line I worked on, we went from 15 people in a certain portion of the line to only 3, with no reduction of output; overall the entire line was reduced from 150 to 60, but production quotas remained the same. At the same time, what we were allowed to reject was shrunken considerably - what used to make a scrap assembly was now "acceptable".
Likewise, I was told by an acquaintance in middle management that a certain car had a *known* defective weld area for over a decade, and management's answer was to have the workers squirt in expanding rubber into the joint rather than address and fix the issue with the body weld.
In both cases, the bean counters went out of their way to reduce the cost of parts with no consideration as to quality.
31st Dec 2011, 10:23
These Blazers were absolute trash. It is no wonder I only see one of this generation only once in a great while running still. There are tons of old Explorers and even older Escapes around, but I almost never see this version of the Blazer anymore. My Dad made the mistake of buying a new one, and he still won't buy a Chevy because of that vehicle. He is a die hard domestic owner too.
A friend of mine also had a new one, and it was such a dog, my winter beater Ford Tempo blew her away at a light. I couldn't believe how sluggish it was. It was almost dangerous, as it really couldn't get out of its own way.
23rd Mar 2006, 20:15
MY 2003 Blazer zr2 is a piece of Crap. The day I took it off the lot the driver side window dropped and would not raise -- they said to tape it with plastic for a week while I waited in line. At first the truck sounded like it was falling apart -- now I'm convinced that it is. It is poorly build, with terrible squeaking and rattling. This thing had a 38000 Canadian sticker price and I can't sell it today for more than 12000 with only 60000km. This is possibly the worst truck on the road. They have replaced the stereo 3 times, new ball joints, electrical overhaul, two thermostats and in all, requiring 32 trips to the dealer -- by the way, they wouldn't even sell me a new truck -- in light of the fact that this thing is a piece of crap and there is 1 more year on the lease.
DON'T BUY ANY GM -- I'll be buying a Nissan or Honda next time around and, being young, GM lost a great opportunity to service an unhappy customer who is likely to buy a bunch of vehicles in his lifetime.