Automotive Quality: Zen and the Art of Warm Fuzzies

During one of my first job interviews, the HR guy threw me a curve ball. How do you define quality? The question stopped me cold. I’d just read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, in which the main character went insane trying to answer that same question. I don’t remember what I said, but thus began a long-term intellectual exploration. I know this website has tried to define this seemingly nebulous term many times, but here’s what I’ve been thinking.

In software engineering, ISO 9126 defines quality according to six characteristics: functionality, reliability, usability, efficiency, maintainability and portability. Domestic automakers use similar design, performance and longevity parameters to bible stack swear they’re building quality products (these days).

And yet American consumers ain’t buyin’ it (literally). They continue to believe that The Big 2.8 have lower quality automobiles than foreign or transplanted product. The domestics dismiss the apparent discrepancy as a “perception gap.”


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woood - 6/1/2007 10:55:24 PM

+1 Boost

Definitely not a perception gap. Quality for me in a nutshell, is your vehicle must must live up to its advertised or given warranty period or mileage without an assembly or design related problem other than damage caused by the car's owner himself.

Agent009 - 6/2/2007 2:43:03 AM

+2 Boost

If you are expecting perfection, then you will be sorely disappointed. There is no such thing.

There are flaws in every product. (mechanical or design) It all depends on what you are willing to accept. A car is merely a set of compromises.

A great ride to some is a wallowing pig to others. To some two cup holders for the front is enogh, to others they demand for.

stevenv1999 - 6/2/2007 12:39:17 AM

+3 Boost

Quality to me starts with tactile feel, then NVH. If a car company cares enough about how a button or switch feels, the rest of the car is sure to feel the same. The little things matter above all else. Take an S-Class Merc. The door seals are flush with the outside door seams. It is details like that that make a car great and of course show the pains a manufacturer will go through to produce something special, hence, actual quality and not just perceived.

Agent009 - 6/2/2007 2:43:33 AM

+1 Boost

good point

izfuney - 6/2/2007 4:17:06 AM

+1 Boost

Hmm ..I would take quality as measured by JD Powers / Consumer Reports.
They are established standards/Insititutes that conduct serious amount of research into what quality is and how it is measured for comparison purposes .

The author of the above article is trying to give us his zen crap to mask that fact that there are open standards for handling quality manufacturing measurement. Any subjective measurement such as "fun to drive" cannot be quite measured as it is different for different folks.

Similarly i take the NHTSA and IIHS rating for safety irrespective of what the manufacturer says.

When the domestics do well in JD Powers and deliver products with atleast decent customer service, the people will flock to it.