Three Recurring Deficiencies of Foreign Automobiles

During the late 1990s and early 2000s Toyota became one of the most respected automakers on the planet when they announced 100,000 mile warranties and earned a reputation for making solid, reliable automobiles. I have personally owned three foreign cars, running the odometers well past 200,000 before selling them.

Companies like KIA, Hyundai and Honda have all used Toyota's recipe to varying degrees of success. U.S. automakers who were burdened by heavy union demands and outdated business practices are starting to regain some customer loyalty, but foreign automakers have gotten a strong foothold that will not be relinquished any time soon. Although they have a reputation for reliability, there are certain deficiencies that are exclusive to vehicles developed or manufactured in the orient and these problems are common to the majority of foreign brands.

Door Handles

Every foreign car I've ever owned has endured more neglect, and been extremely reliable regardless. It's obvious how Toyota could conceive a 100,000 mile warranty because these car's engines are performing well routinely for over three times as long. I've also had broken door handles, both interior and exterior, on all three of the cars as well. Rolling down a window to open a door from the outside has become such a habit that I do it even when in a friend's car now. The motors that power the windows also break down faster in these cars. It leads me to believe that sacrifices in component quality have been made on parts that aren't essential to powering the vehicle.

Windshields

Even though Toyota's engineers have led to way in innovation as far as motors and assembly line work goes, they have yet to solve the problem of de-frosting a windshield. On winter mornings it is often like playing a game with no rules trying to get the fog off of my windshield so I can drive to work. The air conditioning system often makes the haze worse, and my friends have coined the term "taming the windshield" because of the aggravation derived from clearing the view in Toyota trucks.

If you ask anyone who owns a Toyota about defrosting compared to a domestic vehicle, they are likely to score the domestic brand higher. The best method I have found to keep streaks at bay and clear my view quickly is to start on cool and advance the temperature a little at a time for about 2 minutes. It would be nice if I didn't have to worry about it at all.

Got Metric?
If you have recently switched to foreign autos for fuel economy or reliability, odds are you've run into problems when trying to use your standard wrench set on the nuts and bolts that are metric. It seems obvious that any cars developed outside the U.S. will use metric fasteners. Since the speedometers read in MPH it begs the question of how much would it cost to re-tool the factories so you could use your standard tools for routine maintenance. While it's only a minor convenience, the minor convenience can lead to putting off maintenance which leads to major car trouble. All in all if having Metric fasteners is one of your most widespread problems, you've got a great product!