GM is in trouble - Power Steering Issues

[cargirl1990]

Well, all car companies aren't perfect. Each one would have problems here and there and so on and so forth. But, usually, when a manufacturer produces a car, there is some cars that are pretty crappy, some that need repairs once and a while, and some that really don't go through any problems at all. Is it safe to say that humans can be the same way? Some of us go to the doctor constantly, some only go once and a while, and some don't need to go at all. I'm not saying that these certian individuals are perfect becuase they aren't. Anyways, thats what I think.

[kalel21]

What was GM's profits last year?

[cargirl1990]

What was GM's profits last year?

Hoping I'm right but they had around $2,084,492. According to Wikipedia (thats where I got it from), thats down.

[csl177]

Wiki, huh? Better to read actual source material, like financial reports. There was no "profit".

*The company’s Q1-09 revenue dropped by 47% to 22.4-billion

*GM lost $6-billion in the first three months of 2009

*Despite $15.4-billion in Government infusions- the company only had $11.6-billion of cash on hand as of March 31st

*GM North American market share dropped 3.8%- from 21.7% Q1-08 to 17.9% Q1-09

*GMNA dealer inventory currently sits at 767,000 vehicles – a 4.5-month supply if all plants sat idle

[Ferrer]

Wiki, huh? Better to read actual source material, like financial reports. There was no "profit".

*The company’s Q1-09 revenue dropped by 47% to 22.4-billion

*GM lost $6-billion in the first three months of 2009

*Despite $15.4-billion in Government infusions- the company only had $11.6-billion of cash on hand as of March 31st

*GM North American market share dropped 3.8%- from 21.7% Q1-08 to 17.9% Q1-09

*GMNA dealer inventory currently sits at 767,000 vehicles – a 4.5-month supply if all plants sat idle

Now, that makes much more sense.

[cargirl1990]

Numbers make no sense to a girl like me.

[culver]

cargirl,
Why do you post so much to say so little?

[csl177]

The question should be "HOW CAN you post so much and say so little?"

A subtle but important distinction.

[cargirl1990]

I'm only trying to contribute. Don't single me out.

[sirfignewton]

As far as reliability is concerned, I have a 271,000 mile 4 cylinder Nissan car with the original power steering pump and engine. Power steering leaks a little in winter and doesn't during spring, summer, and fall. It is true that every brand has issues. It is also true that GM has more issues.

Just have to put my 2 cents in, I have a 94 Chevrolet S-10 base model that has 261,000 original miles on it and they only thing i have had done to it is normal maintenance. And this is from the era of crappy American cars. I find it amazing that it is still going strong. I also think that GM has finally started to make better cars, thanks in part from the Australian Division Holden (platforms for the now dead Pontiac g8, the new and so much improved Camaro) I believe firmly that the "Big 3" destroyed the American car by not innovating through the 70's 80's and 90's.

[sirfignewton]

Wiki, huh? Better to read actual source material, like financial reports. There was no "profit".

*The company’s Q1-09 revenue dropped by 47% to 22.4-billion

*GM lost $6-billion in the first three months of 2009

*Despite $15.4-billion in Government infusions- the company only had $11.6-billion of cash on hand as of March 31st

*GM North American market share dropped 3.8%- from 21.7% Q1-08 to 17.9% Q1-09

*GMNA dealer inventory currently sits at 767,000 vehicles – a 4.5-month supply if all plants sat idle

Now that was before restructure.
GM | General Motors: Investors: Sales Deliveries and Production Schedules: Current Release

does not say great things but a definite improvement to last year. I know that Q1 is not over but thanks to Toyota for stopping sales!! I have always been a car fan, I love cars, but really as an American citizen want to see strong numbers from the Detroit Automakers we are a falling country as far as the wealth we once enjoyed. I'm hoping for a revival!

[LTSmash]

I'm only trying to contribute.

Eddie Irvine tried to contribute too. Look what happened to him.

We demand Michael Schumacher posts from you.

[culver]

Just have to put my 2 cents in, I have a 94 Chevrolet S-10 base model that has 261,000 original miles on it and they only thing i have had done to it is normal maintenance. And this is from the era of crappy American cars. I find it amazing that it is still going strong. I also think that GM has finally started to make better cars, thanks in part from the Australian Division Holden (platforms for the now dead Pontiac g8, the new and so much improved Camaro) I believe firmly that the "Big 3" destroyed the American car by not innovating through the 70's 80's and 90's.

I would argue that the companies did innovate in the 80s but they did it sporatically and it was often paired with some other fundimental flaws that hid the creativity. For instance, GM came up with a number of interesting technologies in the 80s on cars like the Corvette and Cadillacs. The Buick Reatta and Regal (I think) were the first cars to have touch screen displays to control the radio and climate control functions. Of course the problem was the technology wasn't up to snuff yet. So instead of being a good thing (well I'm not sure it's a good thing even today) GM introduced an unreliable system that furthered the view that GM couldn't produce a reliable car. Then again Chrysler set the standard for mini-vans that we still follow today.

For came up with the Taurus which was a great car but again wasn't Toyota reliable. Ford also introduced the key pad keyless entry system (I love that system) but it never seemed to catch on.

Basically if you look in detail at the 1980s you can find may attempts at innovation especially by GM. You can also find many of these technologies that didn't really take off at that time have become widely used in modern times (plastic body panels). However, because they were executed poorly or applied to poorly executed cars the overall impact was minimal and the credit for their innovations weren't really acknowledged.

Once we get into the 1990s the high cost of labor and retirement pensions had put such a pinch on the big three that most of their "innovations" seemed to be geared around cost reductions (again Chrysler was very innovative and Toyota benchmarked Chrysler as the leader in this area). But thanks to quality issues as well as taking so much content out as to make the cars feel cheap, again the result was we didn't like what Detroit was delivering.

You are correct that the 70s-90s were a bad time for the domestics.

[sirfignewton]

You do have a very good point on the 80's. I do concede on that point. But where GM failed was to innovate on a few of the more basic points on a car. Poor suspension, poor power out of the corvette 205hp on the first redesign in 14 years, they "Innovated" crossfire injection, which only lasted a year be for going to a TPI. Not to mention these cars were equipped with a "innovative" electronic dash that worked part time at best. The overall of my point is that what the Big 3 "Innovated" was moot, or worse picked up by import companies and made better. Although in my original post i never said anything on the point of poor fit and finish, that also is a big factor. I was watching a TV show on GM (forgot the program name) that said that up to the "00's" they let brand new cars roll off the line incomplete in some way, 1 out of 10. The reason i point out the flaws of the Corvette is that it is and has been a Flagship car for GM.

[culver]

Your point is well taken though GM at least did suspension inovations in the 80s. The 1984 Corvette introduced forged alloy suspension arms to the market. It also introduced the composit spring in a dual pivot arangement.
There is a story behind the Corvette's short lived port injection system. It was the result of a licensing conflict with Bosch (IIRC). It was not a choice the engineers wanted.