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> I think I've seen people advertising, literally, "Ship your brand new Tesla to me, and I'll get the body work/alignment perfect and ship it on to you" service

by sk5t 6y ago

> I think I've seen people advertising, literally, "Ship your brand new Tesla to me, and I'll get the body work/alignment perfect and ship it on to you" services. Not sure how real, or valid, but something of an indictment. Hah! This kind of service exists for top-tier saxophones. Spend $6,000 or whatever for a Selmer Paris horn, then take it to a technician to "set up" the springs, pads, etc. Nevertheless it is pretty sad when GM is knocking out junk with better body/panel QC.

ethbr0 6y ago
> Nevertheless it is pretty sad when GM is knocking out junk with better body/panel QC. You would think they'd have learned something about manufacturing mass market automobiles in 100 years of business...
- sk5t 6y ago
  The challenge with GM is to get them to care about a quality issue when there is otherwise $2 to be pocketed. Like, it's not that GM doesn't know how. The funny thing is to compare a vehicle where nobody would even expect GM to think about caring--maybe a Traverse or a Terrain (not a Corvette!)--and even that is better than Tesla's panel fit.
  - ethbr0 6y ago
    My hypothesis (not being an industrial engineer) is that most inputs to panel fit are more capital & process (one-time) than operational (per-car) expenses. If GM developed a tight-tolerance process & machinery for the Corvette, it's probably a wash (capital cost vs standardization of process) to just apply it to their other lines, albeit relaxing the specs to increase yield. I'm not saying GM has been innovating continuously, but my experience with long-lived processes is that instantaneous improvement is far harder than continual improvement (iterating fixes), due to the specific variables and lagging feedback in play.
- dreamcompiler 6y ago
  Except for a few niche lines, GM forgot how to build quality cars in the 1970s. Quality hasn't been part of their DNA for a long, long time.
  - ethbr0 6y ago
    They optimized for profit. That's what post-1970s capitalist companies do. Decrease quality, retain enough customers, make more profit.
ragazzina 6y ago
>Hah! This kind of service exists for top-tier saxophones. It's the same for TVs. Spend 2000€ for an OLED TV, then 300€ to have it calibrated.

by sk5t 6y ago

ethbr0 6y ago

> Nevertheless it is pretty sad when GM is knocking out junk with better body/panel QC. You would think they'd have learned something about manufacturing mass market automobiles in 100 years of business...

sk5t 6y ago
The challenge with GM is to get them to care about a quality issue when there is otherwise $2 to be pocketed. Like, it's not that GM doesn't know how. The funny thing is to compare a vehicle where nobody would even expect GM to think about caring--maybe a Traverse or a Terrain (not a Corvette!)--and even that is better than Tesla's panel fit.
- ethbr0 6y ago
  My hypothesis (not being an industrial engineer) is that most inputs to panel fit are more capital & process (one-time) than operational (per-car) expenses. If GM developed a tight-tolerance process & machinery for the Corvette, it's probably a wash (capital cost vs standardization of process) to just apply it to their other lines, albeit relaxing the specs to increase yield. I'm not saying GM has been innovating continuously, but my experience with long-lived processes is that instantaneous improvement is far harder than continual improvement (iterating fixes), due to the specific variables and lagging feedback in play.
dreamcompiler 6y ago
Except for a few niche lines, GM forgot how to build quality cars in the 1970s. Quality hasn't been part of their DNA for a long, long time.
- ethbr0 6y ago
  They optimized for profit. That's what post-1970s capitalist companies do. Decrease quality, retain enough customers, make more profit.

ragazzina 6y ago

>Hah! This kind of service exists for top-tier saxophones. It's the same for TVs. Spend 2000€ for an OLED TV, then 300€ to have it calibrated.