While many car owners would agree that the quality of today's domestic automobiles has improved, there are others who adamantly disagree.


According to a survey of auto mechanics, U.S. car quality is lower today than 10 years ago, and cars are more difficult to service than those of the mid-1970s.

The 1986 survey of mechanics' attitudes about the repairability of modern domestic cars was conducted by Boston-based HBM-Creamer Research for Arrow Automotive Industries, Inc. A major auto parts re-manufacturer in Framingham, Mass., Arrow disassembles and reconditions original auto parts for resale to auto service shops nationwide. Arrow regularly conducts surveys among auto mechanics and consumers to help direct its marketing efforts and pinpoint its needs, explains Sherman J. Collins, the firm's director of advertising and public relations.

Mechanics' rating of the serviceability of foreign vehicles wasn't much better either, the survey showed. They say foreign car quality is only slightly improved since the mid-1970s.

"Car-makers are telling consumers that their cars are getting better," says Harry A. Holzwasser, president of Arrow, "but the best judges - the mechanics - aren't buying that story."

Mechanics in the South Central states were found to be the most critical of the quality of today's cars, claiming it is much worse than it was 10 years ago. Those in the West and Northeast consider quality worse, while mechanics in the North Central states said the quality is slightly worse. Only mechanics in the Southeast said that quality is slightly better than 10 years ago.

Survey methodology

The Arrow survey involved 1,000 questionnaires which were mailed to a random group of automotive-service mechanics who were geographically dispersed across the country, says Hugh M. Ryan, senior vice president/ group manager at Creamer, Dickson, Basford, a public relations firm in Providence, R.I. CDR, which recruited Arrow to do the survey, is the sister company of HBM-Creamer Research.

Mechanics from four different automotive repair centers were sent the questionnaire: Independent garage owners; chain centers (e.g., Sears, Automax); gas stations, and import specialty garage centers. Questionnaires were weighted against all new car dealers.

To increase the response rate, an un-circulated dollar bill was included with the six-page, open- and closed-ended survey. Out of the 1,000 surveys, 220 usable interviews were obtained.

On a scale from 0-10 (0 representing the lowest rating possible and 10 the highest), the mechanics were asked to rate a number of variables about modern domestic and foreign cars, such as serviceability, replacement parts, warranties, and car component quality.

The car component quality issue in the Arrow study has received some criticism because of conflicting findings found in similar surveys conducted by other market research firms. Thomas O'Grady, president of Integrated Automotive Resources, Wayne, Pa., is one such critic. O'Grady, whose firm conducts studies for its clients in the auto maker industry, says that because the Arrow study focused on mechanics who deal with re-manufactured parts, it introduces potential bias in the sample.

"Mechanics who use re-manufactured parts are a select audience who are not associated with new car dealerships," explains O'Grady. "Therefore, the study's sample does not weigh the experience of mechanics at these dealerships."

He also adds that it's fine to ask mechanics about things such as cars' ease of serviceability, but questions regarding cars' quality should be asked of the consumer. Had the question, "How would you rate the quality of today's automobile?" been posed to consumers instead of mechanics, the answers would have probably reflected a more positive attitude.

"There's no question that in general, consumers today believe the quality of today's automobile has improved," says O'Grady.

Yet Arrow's Holzwasser believes the question of quality can rightly be asked of mechanics. When it comes to cars, quality encompasses multiple variables.

"Quality is more than how a car looks, drives and handles," says Holzwasser. "Quality also includes serviceability."

What's wrong?

According to most mechanics (83%), today's cars are harder to repair because it's more difficult to determine what's wrong. Said one mechanic, "Worldwide, today's manufacturers don't seem to care about serviceability."

Electronic, fuel injection and electrical system problems were rated as the hardest thing to solve. Mechanics are most frustrated with repairing electronic systems (mentioned by 36%) and checking or changing parts in the smaller engine compartments (cited by 16% of the respondents). One mechanic said, "Tracking down an electronic or electrical problem on today's cars is rough. All the systems were changed too quickly. I can't be completely sure or satisfied even when a problem is corrected. The diagnostic equipment is very expensive and becomes obsolete too quickly."

Another said, "Car manufacturers are changing their electronic components too rapidly. They're not staying with one long enough to make sure of its quality."

Routine maintenance checks were said to be major jobs now for mechanics. "Getting to items that require frequent servicing, such as oil filters and distributor caps, has become a job," said one mechanic. "Fuel filters, for example, are in difficult-to-reach places," said another mechanic.

According to other mechanics on the inaccessibility of parts: "The engine compartment is too cramped. There are too many accessories mounted unnecessarily on the engine." "In front wheel drive cars, the accessibility of engine components is terrible."

Lack of support

A lack of support from aftermarket manufacturers is making mechanics' job even more difficult, the survey showed. According to the mechanics, aftermarket suppliers are failing to provide mechanics with technical training, technical information or literature, and up-to-date information on problems. Of these, mechanics want technical information and technical courses the most.

"Auto manufacturers have changed the systems in cars too fast," says Holzwasser, who agrees with the mechanics that aftermarket suppliers must do more for installers. "Add to that car manufacturers' desires to bring out a make and model for every American - or so it seems - it's no wonder mechanics can't keep up.

"All of us in the industry must start providing mechanics with the proper information and training they need to do the job right," he notes.

Holzwasser also urged the industry to encourage mechanics to participate in and obtain ASK certification, in addition to receiving supplier technical training. "The complexity of today's cars is demanding that mechanics become more knowledgeable. ASK courses and certification can provide the education they need."

No improvements

Mechanics also cited specific areas of the car where no improvements have been made over the past decade.

Most mentioned the exterior body (16%), quality control (15%), and electrical/electronic systems (10%). They said some progress had been made in the engines (mentioned by 15% of the mechanics), and mileage/ gas economy (14%), but not enough obviously to alter their judgment that quality was down.

Holzwasser says that Arrow has witnessed the decline in car component quality. "Car makers are using more and more aluminum and plastic in their parts. While these materials help reduce weight and improve fuel efficiency, they shorten part life."

He said the re-manufacturing process improves the quality of the original parts through the use of internal elements of more durable materials and re-engineering that corrects car-maker design problems.

Replacement parts are lasting the same length of time, if not longer, than those produced 10 years ago, the mechanics said. Master brake cylinders disc brake calipers, power brake units, fuel pumps, wiper motors, and alternators are lasting longer. Air conditioning units, clutches, power steering units, smog pumps, starters, and water pumps are lasting the same length of time. Only carburetor replacement units were wearing out faster.

Most mechanics (89%) regard themselves knowledgeable about re-manufactured parts, the survey revealed. Almost three-quarters (73%) replace worn parts with aftermarket re-manufactured units, such as those produced by Arrow. Over half (52%) said there is a difference between re-manufactured and rebuilt parts with re-manufactured ones superior in quality and performance.

Re-manufacturing is a mass production process involving the disassembly of tens of thousands of one kind of original car part. The salvageable components are cleaned, tested, reconditioned and repaired as necessary. Those components that make it through this process are then reassembled on an assembly line basis from a random selection of these components. All steps in the process are performed according to strict quality control procedures.

In the rebuilding process, on the other hand, only a single car part is taken apart. Just the broken or worn internal component is replaced. The unit is then put back together.

Warranty ignorance

Another significant finding of the survey showed that car owners are ignorant about their warranties, according to nearly three-quarters (72%) of the mechanics. That's because warranties aren't properly explained by dealers and motorists don't read them.

Warranties aren't being explained, says Holzwasser, because car makers and dealers "want consumers to return to the dealership for every service and repair job. But car owners could save themselves a lot of time and money if they went elsewhere.

"For example," he says, "routine maintenance and the replacement of non-warranteed parts may be faster and less expensive at an independent repair facility, chain-owned service center, service station or repair specialist."

Holzwasser's views are supported by a number of the mechanics polled. One mechanic at a dealership said, "Warranties are opportunities for dealers to sell non-warranteed items to car owners, especially when high- mileage cars are in for warranty work."

Another mechanic at a dealership said, "Many car owners feel they can't go anywhere else because of the warranty, even if it's routine maintenance that's needed."

A third mechanic at an independent repair facility said, "Many of our customers come to us for routine service work because they don't want to wait two weeks for an appointment with a dealer."

Furthermore, additional warranty coverage isn't worth buying, the mechanics said. Almost half (44%) of the respondents said that car owners don't get their money's worth when they buy more warranty coverage. The most mentioned reasons were:

  • Limited part coverage. "Lots of parts are not covered and the customer is misled when buying the warranty," one mechanic said.
  • Car parts covered under the warranty will outlast the warranty period. According to a mechanic, "The items being covered don't and won't normally create difficulty the first 50,000 miles."
  • Most total repair costs over the term of the warranty will not exceed the purchase price of the warranty. As one mechanic warned, "Car owners have to be very cautious when purchasing a warranty. For example, a car owner may buy a four-year/48,000 mile warranty in addition to the new car warranty of three-years/36,000 miles. In reality, the car owner is only buying additional coverage of one-year/12,000 miles."

Arrow Automotive Industries, Inc., headquartered in Framingham, Mass., operates re-manufacturing and distribution facilities in Spartanburg, S.C., Morrilton, Ark., Santa Maria, Cal., Norwalk, Cal., and Melbourne, Fla.