Apart from design, what would you say the difference between German cars and Japanese cars ? Also, why is a Japanese car so reliable than an expensive luxury vehicle ?
Japanese VS German
akula on 20/11/2016 - 21:13
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Engineering stand point mainly. I am contemplating to buy a family SUV next year and my wife asked me what's the difference and I pretty much said the same thing, different design(Japanese cars tend to be more quirky and European cars tend to be clean lines etc) but Japanese cars are much more reliable than European cars plus Japs are cheap servicing and parts. Other than that i don't know if they have different manufacturing process, different approach/philosophy. Say Korean cars are cheap alternative with less desirable design. In saying that I am totally aware that Korean cars have caught up rapidly in quality and and design. Just wanted to know what ozbargainers think the differentiating factor is.
I think Japanese cars have always established a base level of reliability.
I'm no expert in the matter but i think the saying "Japanese cars are more reliable" has something to do with easily sourced parts for when it does die.
German cars are very reliable. Had several of them, each going and going and going.
The emissions scandals only demonstrates that they lied about the emissions (as did all other manufacturers as it turns out now) but it has nothing to do with the build quality and the cars' longevity.Japanese cars are very good as well. In the end it comes down to personal preference, design, availability, and use of the car.
False! Not all manufacturers lied.
So, which ones do you think didn't?
All diesel manufacturers lied on their emissions. And in fact, all car manufacturers still keep lying on average consumption - just a new report out on this.
Please link, I am happy to be shown I am wrong.
Here mate:
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/apr/23/diesel-cars…
https://www.choice.com.au/transport/cars/general/articles/fu…
But since I am sure you know how to google you can this yourself, too. If you do, you will find many more sources.
speaking to europeans, they think the german cars are reliable and the japanese are prone to failure. just read a clarkson review on a vw golf for an example
its probably all to do with initial price, and availability and cost of local parts, that makes a standard repair job leave you thinking 'even when this economy box breaks its just a bit of spare change' or 'this overpriced crap probably broke for no reason other than to be more expensive'
That's new to me.
Clarkson is an ape so you should take his opinions with a pinch of salt. Often he says stuff just to get attention.
German cars (I own one) are often engineered with technology that is new and revolutionary but also untested. So despite best efforts there are a lot of things that are missed when they are designed. These design flaws and kinks are worked out in the next version on the car and that is around the same time these features first appear on Jap cars. The more reliable perception originates because there is very little untested tech that first appears in Jap cars. By the time that tech does appear it is cost effective and fully tested for mass production.
A perfect analogy would be bursting batteries in Samsung phones. Samsung try to push the boundaries and therefore expose themselves to greater risk. Apple on the other hand puts them in their products when other companies have had them for a year suffered the costs and worked out all the kinks. Apple products have a perception for being more reliable here but they are also considered the more premium brand which is a bit different from the auto industry.
Realibility is the same for jap & European cars. Spares for japs are less expensive but can cost a bomb for European cars.
Most German cars are turbo's so they need RON 95 or higher. Also most have a diesel variant unlike Japanese which is usually petrol.
Korean cars are also considered reliable
http://fortune.com/2015/06/29/korean-japanese-cars-quality/The German brands dropped the ball at different times over the past 20 years. Mercedes produced woefully unreliable and low quality models such as the first generation M and A class in the mid to late 1990s. The A-Class was Benz's first front wheel drive car. The M-Class was the first SUV built in the USA. Both cars were rubbish. It took many years for Mercedes to recover from their drive to cut costs and increase the brand range.
VW made the 2000's Golf too complicated. VW's CEO admitted it himself, although I can't find the quote right now as Google is littered with the diesel scandal instead. Reliability went down as VW tried new transmissions and expanded production in Mexico. Read up on the late 1990s and early 2000s Jettas. Owners were furious.
Japanese brands went with more traditional designs that didn't rock the boat too much. Quality was easier to maintain, although recently Toyota has had a few recalls as well.
Both the Germans and Japanese really need to watch out for Hyundai and even KIA. Yeah I know, both brands produced joke cars in the 1990s but now the brands have models that people buy on looks and specifications instead of because they can't afford anything else.
You also need to consider not just the brand, but where a particular model is built. Japanese cars can be built in Japan (good) or Thailand (OK), or USA (bad, current kluger I think). German cars can be built elsewhere too, South Africa, Spain, USA. German and Japanese cars built in their home country can apply the build quality and reliability standards, other countries not so much.
Exactly why Mazda and Subaru have been growing lately in Australia. Because we get the ones built in Japan. However if it's a cheaper affordable car, it's not the be it end all mark of quality but when it's an expensive car like Audi TT (despite advertised as German) it is built in Hungary.
Get a Chinese Car.
Haha that made me laugh, good one!
Look at the costs of servicing and parts between European and Japanese.
One example is brake pad wear, a workmate had a Mercedes and he constantly mentioned the hassle of keeping the wheels clean, they were always black. When he took it in for a 40K service the pads had to be replaced and it cost him a bomb to replace them.
I own a Japanese car and it is very reliable. I have never owned a European car from new, although I have experience with Alfa Romeos.
I was part of an Australian business that worked with a German business. The Germans used old processes and were very union worker oriented rather than process oriented. The Japanese invented the Toyota system and it is widely used and improved upon. We implemented it at our workplace, at the instigation of our new US owners. Globalisation at its finest.
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Toyota_Way
The Germans have a great engineering tradition but they need to improve their processes. I will be buying another Japanese car, which is cheaper than an equivalent German make, and has more active safety technology standard.
your 1st question leads into things like servicing? parts? after sales?
I think Japanese cars have always established a base level of reliability.
The Germans have went into cost cutting measures that have lead to poor reliability. eg. the mercedes biodegradable wiring loom. The BMW degrading underbonnet plastics. The Porsche IMS thing. The BMW rusting seat frames. The VW emissions scandal.
Of course you have the Takata airbags thing.