An American Honda Employee's thoughts on Honda Quality


The following text is from an e-mail message forwarded to me from a friend on an automotive mailing list. The author will not be identified to protect his privacy (and job, because Honda is very sensitive about protecting their reputation.)

NOTE: multiple "x"s = information withheld to protect privacy

Subject: Hondas, K-car derivatives, and a neat theft prevention idea...

Date: Wed, 20 Aug 1997 23:09:20 GMT

From: xxxxx@xxxxxxxxx.com (xxxxx)

To: Multiple recipients of XXX

OK, you want the truth? I work a plant that casts, machines, and assembles the complete intake manifold assembly for ALL of the Honda Accords and Honda Civics and Acura CLs built in North America. I am the Quality Engineer for the Assembly area. We even make the injectors, throttle bodies, and fuel rails for them. I can honestly say that there is nothing special about Honda vehicles. In fact, the component parts we get from Honda for their own finished product are by far have the most rejects. There, I said it. I didn't want everyone to know that despite my devotion to the Pentastar, I made my living building Hondas. Rest assured, I really don't care for them, but people buying them allows me to pay my bills and afford more Mopars.

And I can say, like a XXXer mentioned about his Acura, my K-car derivative Daytona Shelby Z is 10 years old, has 115,000mi, is relatively easy to work on and gets 24mpg with my foot in the throttle body. It produces well over 1 hp per cubic inch, (1.3 stock and at least 1.8 in current modified form) handles like a slot car, uses no fluids, and eats Hondas and 5.slows for breakfast. Nobody better slam on K-cars if I'm around! They may not be "fashionable" but they did exactly what they were designed to do, be cheap, dependable, transportation that keeps going and going and going....Talk about beautiful engineering, what other design could possibly spawn off so many different body styles? There's great engineering for you!

One last comment before I step down. I worked with a guy who rigged up a great anti-theft device in his GMCrap pickup. He wired the ignition switch to the ON switch of the cruise control. Switch ON, power to ignition, Switch OFF, no power to ignition. Very simple and easy to do, but very unsuspecting to attempting thieves. He also told me that several time, until he got used to it, he was left scratching his head. Any thoughts on this?

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