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"They do this with motor assemblies too. Its not uncommon to see working sets of motors in japanese cars that are 30 years old where window motors and such woul

"They do this with motor assemblies too. Its not uncommon to see working sets of motors in japanese cars that are 30 years old where window motors and such would easily have failed in american sedans. potted, brushed high quality motors were a fixture on practically every japanese sedan in the 90s for even boring stuff like mirror adjustment." I think a lot of that "over-engineering" gradually went away towards the 90s and beyond, as cost concerns and other aspects started to bite in. Plus, they also understood that people started to change cars more often than before, so why engineer something for such a long duration? A lot of that initial over-engineering was also because of the pressure on Japanese brands to try and establish themselves in markets like the U.S. and Europe, where there was a general feeling that these "puny" Japanese cars might not last long. In terms of over-engineering (I know, keep using this term), the true pinnacle for me was the first gen Lexus LS400 designed to compete with the Mercedes S-class. Now, that was something else. Funnily enough, they have started lagging U.S. and European companies after the mid-2000s in terms of vehicle technologies like advanced transmissions, wider adoption of turbocharged engines, infotainment etc. /just a few personal thoughts from my years working in the auto industry

stcredzero 8y ago
Funnily enough, they have started lagging U.S. and European companies after the mid-2000s in terms of vehicle technologies like advanced transmissions Scotty Kilmer is an almost half-century veteran of the car repair business. (He's become the new Car Talk of 20-teens YouTube.) His position on the automatic transmissions made by most car companies, in the current fleet of used cars, is that they're a bit crappy. As in, you're a bit lucky to get 100k out of most of them trouble free, and you're very lucky to get 200k trouble free. One of the few makers of automatic transmissions that gets it right is Aisin, which is the supplier to Toyota. One way this might change, is the use of computers to operate what's essentially a manual transmission on behalf of the driver. However, even that might fall by the wayside, outside of particular niches, with electric vehicles.
- umichguy 8y ago
  I was talking about advanced tech like no. of gears, dual clutch (DCTs are essentially manual type trans - quick shifting - Europeans are leaders) etc. There is a difference between durability (the Japanese are good at this) and innovativeness (U.S./EU are good at this) of transmissions. EU/US transmissions are mostly all 8+ gears (now 10) in torque converter type (conventional), EU lead in DCT (dual clutch transmission), Japanese are only just catching up to this. Japanese are of course, market leaders in CVT (continuously variable trans), but these are not that well liked in EU/US markets because of the way they "feel," though getting better.
  - stcredzero 8y ago
    There is a difference between durability (the Japanese are good at this) and innovativeness (U.S./EU are good at this) of transmissions. One way to think of that: The former can save you a lot of money over the long term. The latter is nifty, but you may well end up paying more money over the long term.
    - saturdaysaint 8y ago
      An example that comes to mind is that few think it's an accident that the most legendarily reliable automaker, Toyota, has almost completely stayed away from turbocharged engines (aka one of the flashiest "advances" in powertrains in recent years). As this newest generation of turbocharged engines reaches 100,000 miles, mechanics are seeing a lot of failures and performance issues. Some innovations compromise reliability.
      - stcredzero 8y ago
        Scotty also advises that frugal people avoid turbos.
        ekianjo 8y ago
        Aren't turbos getting more popular because of regulations regarding emissions though?
vkou 8y ago
> Plus, they also understood that people started to change cars more often than before, so why engineer something for such a long duration? People 'change cars more often then before', but they don't do it by hauling their three year old SUV to the junkyard. The car gets re-sold to someone else. Most cars end their life by being driven into the ground.
- Scoundreller 8y ago
  And even then; that old Toyota may get shipped overseas to be broken by hand into spare parts.
rasz 8y ago
>In terms of over-engineering (I know, keep using this term), the true pinnacle for me was the first gen Lexus LS400 1UZ-FE, 1JZ, 2JZ are legendary engines. You can still buy overbuild cars today, but you will pay serious premium for it (Land Cruiser)

stcredzero 8y ago

Funnily enough, they have started lagging U.S. and European companies after the mid-2000s in terms of vehicle technologies like advanced transmissions Scotty Kilmer is an almost half-century veteran of the car repair business. (He's become the new Car Talk of 20-teens YouTube.) His position on the automatic transmissions made by most car companies, in the current fleet of used cars, is that they're a bit crappy. As in, you're a bit lucky to get 100k out of most of them trouble free, and you're very lucky to get 200k trouble free. One of the few makers of automatic transmissions that gets it right is Aisin, which is the supplier to Toyota. One way this might change, is the use of computers to operate what's essentially a manual transmission on behalf of the driver. However, even that might fall by the wayside, outside of particular niches, with electric vehicles.

umichguy 8y ago
I was talking about advanced tech like no. of gears, dual clutch (DCTs are essentially manual type trans - quick shifting - Europeans are leaders) etc. There is a difference between durability (the Japanese are good at this) and innovativeness (U.S./EU are good at this) of transmissions. EU/US transmissions are mostly all 8+ gears (now 10) in torque converter type (conventional), EU lead in DCT (dual clutch transmission), Japanese are only just catching up to this. Japanese are of course, market leaders in CVT (continuously variable trans), but these are not that well liked in EU/US markets because of the way they "feel," though getting better.
- stcredzero 8y ago
  There is a difference between durability (the Japanese are good at this) and innovativeness (U.S./EU are good at this) of transmissions. One way to think of that: The former can save you a lot of money over the long term. The latter is nifty, but you may well end up paying more money over the long term.
  - saturdaysaint 8y ago
    An example that comes to mind is that few think it's an accident that the most legendarily reliable automaker, Toyota, has almost completely stayed away from turbocharged engines (aka one of the flashiest "advances" in powertrains in recent years). As this newest generation of turbocharged engines reaches 100,000 miles, mechanics are seeing a lot of failures and performance issues. Some innovations compromise reliability.
    - stcredzero 8y ago
      Scotty also advises that frugal people avoid turbos.
      - ekianjo 8y ago
        Aren't turbos getting more popular because of regulations regarding emissions though?

vkou 8y ago

> Plus, they also understood that people started to change cars more often than before, so why engineer something for such a long duration? People 'change cars more often then before', but they don't do it by hauling their three year old SUV to the junkyard. The car gets re-sold to someone else. Most cars end their life by being driven into the ground.

Scoundreller 8y ago
And even then; that old Toyota may get shipped overseas to be broken by hand into spare parts.

rasz 8y ago

>In terms of over-engineering (I know, keep using this term), the true pinnacle for me was the first gen Lexus LS400 1UZ-FE, 1JZ, 2JZ are legendary engines. You can still buy overbuild cars today, but you will pay serious premium for it (Land Cruiser)