Today's Annoying Discovery

[B320i]

Was cleaning up relative's '03 Toyota LandCruiser Prado this afternoon.

Over time, have noticed the front wheel-well plastic trim pieces protecting the engine from splashes has disintegrated. At the point now where the only trim left is the little square bits underneath the screws that originally held things in place.

For a 13 year old vehicle that had done only about 55,000km (34K miles) when it was purchased around 2014, and now has about 100,000km (62K miles), all highway - its pretty disgusting. I have seen far more worn examples of both the Prado and Hilux with this same issue.

Another niggle is the (very badly) cracked dash; common fault.

Point of this post is - I'm terribly disappointed at the quality of these newer vehicles. I own an older Euro with plastic trim in the wheel-wheels. 23 years old, its still 100% intact. Families' old LandCruiser (a '92) has no cracked trim pieces and is still largely in superb condition considering age and mileage.

Newer = Better? I think not.

 

[JC1]

I think it's the trend for manufacturers to reduce costs and get their suppliers to provide parts that lack quality to meet that cheaper price. Once the warranty is done they don't care. Toyota now has the mentality that plagued GM, bean counters have taken over for the bottom line.

Look at Mercedes, they used to be one of the best built cars. Are they still that way?

 

[cjcride]

Older Toyotas were built better.

 

[CourierDriver]

The joys of plastic and cheap production ,,,a lure to the unknowing public,,,every time I see a fender bender and the guys whole front end of plastic is sitting the middle of the road....I guess plastic cars are safer

 

[Kira]

"Waddaya gonna do?", as the expression goes.

Treat new plastic with penetrant or cover it whilst parked.
See if you can tailor new splash guards from stout, garbage bin plastic or office chair "E-Z Roll" surfaces.

Similar cheap splash guards on sis' Jeep were tailorable and I made 'em from the latter above which had been discarded.
The buyer said they looked good.

 

[NYSteve]

Check this out to make your own fender liner replacements:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4...enderliner.html

The dash is a common issue on a lot of 2000s toyota trucks. There is currently a warranty on the 4runners and Lexus GXs(prado's in your world) due to the cracking. Not much to do except hope Toyota offers free replacements.

I would take cracked dash and liners over major driveablility or reliability issues I've had on other cars (looking at you Volvo!!)

 

[SR5]

Originally Posted By: JC1

Look at Mercedes, they used to be one of the best built cars. Are they still that way?


Mate has an A-class Merc. It is a pile of rubbish. Random beeps and warning lights turn on and off as you are driving along. It always has a low oil warning light on, even after a fresh oil change with the correct amount of oil.

 

[Driz]

You do realize those plastic inner fenders are disgustingly easy to work on and you can pick them up all over the Internet aftermarket for really good prices. All you need are some of those pushpins which all a manufactures love so much.
All of mine cracked two from flying ice chunks. But they're easy to fix and easy to replace and you have one other thing going for you they don't rust push pins are plastic so they don't rust or start brushed like screws and bolts do I need attach points. overall I wouldn't say they're necessarily a bad thing or just something that changed over time but you can live with well enough. Feel bashful about just taking some plastic if you've got a broken out part and pop riveting in place for some washers On both sides of the rivets. It doesn't take any Vanessa no one can see it anyway so just climb in there and deal with it it's easy.

 

[bepperb]

The cracked dash would bother me.

Being mad about a 6 dollar part failing on a 13 year old car is a bit much, especially since it's not critical to the function of the vehicle or easily replaced.

If you really think cars were made better 10-20-30 years ago buy an older car. They weren't. Any quantitative analysis will make that pretty clear. I miss my '91 Toyota, but it had quite a bit more broken on it than my 04 does at the same mileage.

 

[slo town]

Originally Posted By: SR5
Originally Posted By: JC1

Look at Mercedes, they used to be one of the best built cars. Are they still that way?


Mate has an A-class Merc. It is a pile of rubbish. Random beeps and warning lights turn on and off as you are driving along. It always has a low oil warning light on, even after a fresh oil change with the correct amount of oil.


My wife's bought new by us 2006 C230 Mercedes was one of the worst cars we've ever owned. This car was very well cared for, like all our fleet. First it swallowed some movable plastic bits INSIDE the intake manifold. This hammered two spark plug gaps closed and killed the right side catalytic converter. In total, this was a $3000 repair bill. And then just weeks later the "conductor plate" and valve body inside the transmission failed. This time a $3500 repair.

So, I spent $6500 in repairs over a 90 day period. At that point I got rid of it, trading it in for our 2011 E90 BMW. Hilariously, I got $6500 for the MB as a trade in.

Modern day Mercedes vehicles are over engineered, unreliable junk.

Scott

 

[Silk]

I hate the plastic used in modern cars, it gets brittle with age. Everything snaps together with no intention of being dismantled again...so when the mechanic (me) comes to pull it apart, it's snap, snap, snap, all broken...and then we get into the drama of explaining it to a customer.

I once did some work for a guy who specialized in pre 1994 Mercedes, he said quality was inferior after that. So of course we worked on later model cars. One day getting the centre consul and dash out of a mid '90's S Class, the clips for the window switches mostly snapped off...grrrr. We found the same piece from a late '80's model that was pretty close, and modified the window switches into the S Class. The earlier Mercedes plastic was of a much higher quality and didn't deteriorate with age. I've also worked in motorcycle shops, the quad bikes are totaly covered in plastic - but they are made to come apart, and the plastic lasts many dismantles.

 

[kschachn]

My Toyotas aren't bad, and the Accord is actually very good. But the BMW is horrible. You just have to look at a clip and it breaks. Add to it the completely non-intuitive way they operate and you're sure to break them all.

On some jobs on the BMW I have spent an equal amount on plastic clips, fasteners and do-dads as I have on the item I am replacing.

Originally Posted By: Silk
I hate the plastic used in modern cars, it gets brittle with age. Everything snaps together with no intention of being dismantled again...so when the mechanic (me) comes to pull it apart, it's snap, snap, snap, all broken...and then we get into the drama of explaining it to a customer.

I once did some work for a guy who specialized in pre 1994 Mercedes, he said quality was inferior after that. So of course we worked on later model cars. One day getting the centre consul and dash out of a mid '90's S Class, the clips for the window switches mostly snapped off...grrrr. We found the same piece from a late '80's model that was pretty close, and modified the window switches into the S Class. The earlier Mercedes plastic was of a much higher quality and didn't deteriorate with age. I've also worked in motorcycle shops, the quad bikes are totaly covered in plastic - but they are made to come apart, and the plastic lasts many dismantles.

 

[hpb]

As it happens, my in-laws own both a Prado and a Hilux, early 2000's models. I'll be at their place over Christmas, so will have a look for this splash guard issue on their vehicles. The cracked dash thing is, as you said, widely known on Prado's - some do, some don't, and it's only cosmetic. Buy them a dash mat for Christmas!

 

[Y_K]

I had a dash crack, a long one, on my Carrera at 42k kilometers, when I lived in Germany. Then, ignition lock broke at 46k. That was disgusting. Sold it to some Gypsy baron from Balkans. Do you have those in OZ?

 

[B320i]

Originally Posted By: "bepperb"
Being mad about a 6 dollar part failing on a 13 year old car is a bit much, especially since it's not critical to the function of the vehicle or easily replaced.

If you really think cars were made better 10-20-30 years ago buy an older car. They weren't. Any quantitative analysis will make that pretty clear. I miss my '91 Toyota, but it had quite a bit more broken on it than my 04 does at the same mileage.

Its not a bit much when one considers this vehicle was so gently used and well looked after by the P.O. that the pieces were already failing.

Yes - older cars were built better. The cited examples in my previous post, vehicles that have traveled 2x (my car) or even 4.5x (their 80-series LandCruiser) further than this 2003 car are in far better cosmetic condition despite having far less meticulous owners.
There are exceptions to this, but for the most part I feel its true. Personally, I will avoid owner a 2000's era car for as long as possible.

What's more concerning is the vehicle has always been garaged and was rarely used, even, in its previous life. Those owners (whom we know) purchased a dash mat early on. Despite their care for the vehicle, it still cracked. Again, I don't get why. I've been in plenty of neglected, older cars where this is not the case.

Originally Posted By: "Driz"
You do realize those plastic inner fenders are disgustingly easy to work on and you can pick them up all over the Internet aftermarket for really good prices.

I didn't say they wouldn't be easy to replace. The point is, on a vehicle produced by a company that have "legendary" reliability, it just isn't good enough.

I still see plenty of the old 1980's Cruisers around with trim in great condition despite the age and abuse these vehicles have endured.

 

[SeaJay]

Maybe the cosmetics aren't as good in the newer cars.

But it is clear that the mechanicals in the newer cars are far superior to the older cars, no question about it.

Personally I would prefer to ride a junker looking car that never needed to go to the shop for mechanicals than a pristine looking auto that was in the shop every few months.