Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2006 09:40:37 -0500 From: dannospamam.com Subject: Re: JD Power: Saab 2nd to last in quality
On 8/9/2006 3:29 PM, Dave Hinz wrote: > On Wed, 9 Aug 2006 16:17:00 -0400, Tex <texnospamm101.org> wrote: >> "Fred W" <Malt_Houndnospamm-me-not*yahoo.com> wrote in message >> news:YdqdnTLCYZcUoUfZnZ2dnUVZ_rWdnZ2dnospamphia.com... >>> JD Powers surveys are stupid. They have very little to do with actual >>> quality and much more to do with "customers' perceptions". Read about it >>> on their own web page: >>> http://www.jdpower.com/global/content/ratingsguide.asp >> It seems like we go through this every time...so I suppose if Saab ended up >> at the top of the list (ie, the fewest user reported problems), it would >> still be worthless. > > Yeah, pretty much. Just like consumer reports, far as I'm concerned. A > Saab buyer will complain about things that a POS econobox buyer won't. > Yet the count of issues is all they look at, not the real severity of > them. > >> From what I've seen, other quality reports indicate similar poor quality >> amongst Saab models. It's harder to argue that these reports are worthless >> when they, using various other methodologies, report similar poor results. > > Expectations vs. execution. You expect the back seat of a POSbox to > rattle, so you don't complain when it does. > >> Where does the dealer enter the picture? It's simply a measure of how many >> problems end users reports back to the dealer. While no measurement of >> quality will ever be perfect, it sure is a good proxy. > > Again you need to balance severity of issues vs. expectations. > >> As of late, the car has generally been much better after the repeated fixes >> at the dealer, the suspension is still a frequent source squeaks and >> squeals. The front struts have already been replaced with brand new ones >> once, but still produce noise. I'm considering just biting the bullet and >> swapping on the Konis with the H&R springs. The interior is filled with >> little squeaks and rattles, a further sign of poor design quality. > > But again, things that a Saab owner will report, and which a, say, Kia > owner, will not. Sense of perspective, that's what I'm saying. That > said, I like my c900 more than anything Saab has made since. > > Yeah, but Lexus owners are not POS buyers. Most manufacturers still don't get it: statistical process control and continuous improvement. It worked wonders for the US in WWII. Dan
