Date:         Sat, 21 Dec 2002 11:48:46 +1300
Reply-To:     Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:      Re: Mercedes 5cyl 300TD in vanagon?
In-Reply-To:  <OE119QtpfTYSl1q4gto0000b499@hotmail.com>
Content-type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=us-ascii

>Right, you mean like those Infiniti/Nissan CV joints that went to crap after
>40K miles, or those early '90s Honda distributors that regularly wore out
>their bearings in a bit over 60K miles, or that metallic blue paint job on
>92 Accords that shed its clear coat after 3 years, or those pre-'94 Infiniti
>Q45 transmissions that failed at rate more regular than your own
>Wasserboxer's heads, just don't get me started on the Q45's timing chain
>tensioners, or those valve lifters that went to hell on those late '80s
>Acura V6 engines and made them sound like a diesel on crack, or those
>first-generation Acura ABS modulators that didn't, or those mid '95 Acura
>Legend window channels that were legendary for whistling at highway speeds.
>
>How do I know this?  I spent 1.5 years working in the service department of
>an Acura dealership.  I got to see some very regular patterns in certain
>failures much to the dismay of the owners of those 'perfect' Japanese cars.
>This left one big impression on me  No car is perfect.  They all fail.  Each
>dealership has got horror stories to tell.  The bottom line is whether you
>enjoy what you have.  The answer to the question is a rather obvious and
>adamant 'Yes' for most Vanagon owners.

Yes, not all Japanese manufacturers are consistently producing
reliable cars. My own experience with Nissan (and Infiniti is Nissan)
is terrible, as are those of other Nissan owners I've known. There
aren't many Nissans in NZ's taxi fleets... I wonder why?

Honda (Acura)? Not many Hondas in the taxis here either. In fact most
taxis are Toyotas. Wonder why.
--
Andrew Grebneff
165 Evans St, Dunedin 9001, New Zealand
<andrew.grebneff@stonebow.otago.ac.nz>
Seashell, Macintosh, VW/Toyota van nut