Sealine T50 or T60

[Nick_H]

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Just a thought, several car manufacturers went through a very rocky quality patch a few years ago, (including Mercedes, VW and GM) when the bean counters reduced component costs by 25%+. Quality/reliability fell through the floor, the warranty costs rocketed, and reputations were wrecked - perhaps the same has occurred in the major UK boat manufacturers??

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The car manufacturers did as you say because the market demanded lower car prices. That isn't happening with boats, they seem to raise prices 5% per annum and still have waiting lists. I think its more down to having outdated production techniques and quality systems, although they all seem to be catching up now.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

I think companies go in cycles. The bean counters run it for a few years and the quality goes to pot because the product is built down to a price. The warranty costs rocket, the company makes no profit and everbody says, s**t, we can't let the bean counters run the company, let's get the engineers in. So, then the engineers run the company for a few years. The quality of the product improves. The build costs rocket, the company makes no profit and everbody says, s**t, we can't let the engineers run the company, let's get the bean counters in. And so it goes

Car companies are exactly the same. Mercedes are just getting over a period of the bean counters running the company and have just brought the engineers back. BMW is the opposite. The engineers have run BMW for years but the bean counters are breeding profusely and about to take over. At VW/Audi, the engineers are firmly in control, hence the company is not sufficiently profitable and about to be bought by Porsche. At GM, the bean counters have been in control for decades and the engineers just make the tea. At Jag, the bean counters took over from the engineers a while back but maybe the engineers will make a comeback after an Indian takeaway

 

[nicho]

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At GM, the bean counters have been in control for decades and the engineers just make the tea.

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Like it!! I worked for GM (Opel/Vauxhall) for 25 years, and still run the Vauxhall BTCC Team since I retired in 2000. I remember a chap called Lopez who came in to drive production costs down, and he did so by some 25%. It was simple - he went to all the component suppliers and told them their unit cost must be reduced by a quarter. Most agreed, but reduced their own component and manufacturing costs by the same amount, and of course the quality dropped through the floor. Nevertheless, Lopez was a hero having improved the bottom line by such a significant amount......until that is the warranty costs rocketed, and the reliablilty reputation was badly damaged.

He departed shortly afterwards and went to VW where exactly the same thing happened - he was largely responsible for VW dropping the famous "If only everything in life was a reliable as a Volkswagen" strapline!!

 

[[2068]]

Don't know what's happened since then, but quality at GM seems to be UP. 30k on the Vectra VXR, and no faults yet!

I'm hearing good things about the latest C-Class too.

And horror stories at BMW... it seems that whoever is at the helm can make a huge difference.

dv