Are CBU Japan cars really better?

[ryan]

I was chatting with a friend earlier who happens to own a car dealership.

He said that CBU Japan cars usually have better quality/finish than Thai or locally made ones. From experience according to my friend, CBU Japan cars are less problematic than Asean-made cars. Of course, Asean made cars are always improving but they are still behind Japanese made ones daw.

I'm curious, is this true? Or is this just a wrong perception? What do you think?

[mikmik316]

I would agree.. We had a CBU 97 Rav4 and a Locally assembled 98 Rav4... It has better fit & finish IMO... and from the article I read about Toyota, they said that it's quite hard for them to implement their JIT and other strict quality control practices when they set-up shop in other countries BUT they are also doing their best to address those issues...

Problema kasi sa Asean at Locally made tinitipid ang materyales... case in point... when we had our SKD Civic way back 1992, they used Rugby haphazardly at walang masyadong insulation... one reason also my Dad sweared to God he will never buy a Honda again...

[oldblue]

i believe so too. we have a '99 CRV CBU. hanggang ngaun no major problems in and out.

[wakin]

i believe so too. we had a 89 corolla gli na cbu. ang tibay! ayaw masira. (exag)

[m_ron]

Yes, much better quality pag assembled in Japan. top of the line plant and the strict quality control.Here in the US, lexus lang ang assemble in Japan(I'm talking about toyota plant).

[alwayz_yummy]

one of the reason why i rather opt to import a JDM surplus and supervise the conversion, than buying a local, especially korean/non-japan converted unit.

even the paint finish makinis parin after 10 years, not much local repainting shops can match it, especially sa mga tapaludo(no need for much undercoatings...)

[Blackraven]

Generally for me, it's Japan-made CBU pa rin all the way.

Case(s) in point:

-sat on a Nissan Teana 230JK in a Nissan Shaw dealer. Materials were very smooth, center console looks built to last for decades, seats are evenly done (walang twitches or threads sticking out). Hard to spot any flaws at all.
-test drove (with my dad) a Mazda 6 2.3L (Made in Hiroshima, Japan). Interior was solid, the black car paint stayed clean & clear althroughout, the piano black center console looked awesome and had ZERO tampering & scratches,etc.

and my favorite point....

-sat in the new Toyota Previa for three times atm. The car is made in my favorite Toyota factory (Fujimatsu factory line no.1 & no.2) and I can say that no other overseas Toyota plant can emulate such quality & reliability. The steering wheel feels solid (ie. no cracks, gaps), the layout of the centre console is 100% intact (no defective buttons), interior materials are of highest caliber of quality, pushing the center tray shows no mechanism faults whatsoever, exterior of the car is amazing, all exterior lights/lamps (front & rear) work flawlessly, the power tailgate & sliding doors appear solid all the way (last for decades) and headlamp washers (which are not available in Japan) really work & shows that even overseas export features (not available in local JDM versions) go through the same, rigourous quality & reliability control testing that all other vehicle features go through with.

Of course, I'm not saying that local & ASEAN factories are crappy when in fact these are also good quality factories (like Ford group Philippines factory) pero there is this certain amount of quality that no other overseas factory can ever emulate.

[number001]

Generally for me, it's Japan-made CBU pa rin all the way.

Case(s) in point:

-sat on a Nissan Teana 230JK in a Nissan Shaw dealer. Materials were very smooth, center console looks built to last for decades, seats are evenly done (walang twitches or threads sticking out). Hard to spot any flaws at all.
-test drove (with my dad) a Mazda 6 2.3L (Made in Hiroshima, Japan). Interior was solid, the black car paint stayed clean & clear althroughout, the piano black center console looked awesome and had ZERO tampering & scratches,etc.

and my favorite point....

-sat in the new Toyota Previa for three times atm. The car is made in my favorite Toyota factory (Fujimatsu factory line no.1 & no.2) and I can say that no other overseas Toyota plant can emulate such quality & reliability. The steering wheel feels solid (ie. no cracks, gaps), the layout of the centre console is 100% intact (no defective buttons), interior materials are of highest caliber of quality, pushing the center tray shows no mechanism faults whatsoever, exterior of the car is amazing, all exterior lights/lamps (front & rear) work flawlessly, the power tailgate & sliding doors appear solid all the way (last for decades) and headlamp washers (which are not available in Japan) really work & shows that even overseas export features (not available in local JDM versions) go through the same, rigourous quality & reliability control testing that all other vehicle features go through with.

Of course, I'm not saying that local & ASEAN factories are crappy when in fact these are also good quality factories (like Ford group Philippines factory) pero there is this certain amount of quality that no other overseas factory can ever emulate.

Just wondering, how would one know if the unit came from this Japanese particular plant? Was the info. decoded from the v.i.n.? And lastly, how do you research on which plant is the best? What about the '06 Rav4, they are also CBU from Japan but which plant are they from?

[the josh]

I think they are better simply because of strict compliance in Quality Control

[OTEP]

They are generally better because the employees are happy. They are not stressed, they are paid well, they are given the best equipment to make manufacturing easier and there are numerous plant rules that help maintain vehicle quality like no wearing of watches or belts (that may scratch parts).

Compare this to a Land Rover plant (back when they were not under Ford or BMW) where the employees were actually eating while they assembled vehicles. And when new management told them to take off their belts and watches and stop eating while on the assembly line, gusto pa magstrike! No wonder Land Rover is known for their crappy build quality. Though I believe that they have done steps to improve quality, the stigma is hard to forget.

Dito naman sa Sta. Rosa, employess are not really paid that well which is kind of stressful especially kung may sinusuportahang pamilya, etc. The employees are also not capable of buying the products they produce (hence, wala silang masyadong malasakit sa ginagawa nila). Management is not exactly giving them a world class working environments (some things are still done the caveman way). Kaya hindi na rin ako magtatakang medyo may mga units na Lemonade flavor.

[mbt]

Well, Toyota's best factories are located in Japan. In fact, if I remebr right, only one factory in the world is certified to produce Lexus vehicles, Toyota's best factory in Japan.

Er... don't get me started on CBU vehicles from Shanghai though, hahaha

[Blackraven]

What about the '06 Rav4, they are also CBU from Japan but which plant are they from?

Check the left side door na ibenbenta dito:

Toyota Motor Corporation Japan:
ACA33L (A33 = RAV4 LWB 2.4L engine or if not then A20 = RAV4 SWB 2.0L engine)

Plant: A54

A54= Tahara factory (Toyota Motor Corporation & Lexus Motor Corporation)
Gawaan ng mga Lexus vehicles. Thus, this is the known as the "main source" of all Lexus vehicles.

Vehicles made here:
RAV4, Avensis (option-fitting only), Lexus GS, Lexus IS, Lexus LS, Lexus RX (and JDM Harrier) among others.

Summary:
Ang RAV4 na binebenta dito ay gawa sa pagawaan ng mga Lexus na kotse. Gawa ito sa pinakamagaling na pabrika ng Toyota Group sa buong mundo. Kaya pala wala pang nasisira na RAV4 na bago. All in top-shape pa rin :P



Tahara factory is one of the 12 Toyota factories located in Aichi area.
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Other tidbits of info:

New Outlander (like the one na parating dito)

ALL UNITS ARE 100% MADE IN JAPAN (Okazaki factory and Mizushima factory)

No unit has been made outside Japan so full Japan-made quality is ASSURED

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Yaris (Sedan and Hatch)/Belta/Vitz/whatever

Kanto Auto Body Works, Tsutsumi, Japan

Yung Yaris ni Kokonat is made from the factory as well as yung mga units na papunta sa States.

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and......
Mazda 5 is still made in Hiroshima, Japan (kaya no plans for overseas production atm)

[cocoy]

whats the price difference for a japan CBu and other asean asemble car? isnt the no term cheaper labour equals lower quality products? jst my thoughts...

[Blackraven]

whats the price difference for a japan CBu and other asean asemble car? isnt the no term cheaper labour equals lower quality products? jst my thoughts...

As stated nga by Sir OTEP, the cheaper labor may also negative downsides as well. If workers are paid lower and have lesser benefits, this may indeed affect the quality of work. Also, in Japan, the quality control standards are stricter unlike in factories/plants outside it where it is lessened.

In Japan though, kung may nalaman na may defect/problem sa kotse, it can be traced kung sino ang gumawa ng kapalpakan ang that worker will take the hit for it.

So in short, automotive workers/employees are paid higher because they are expected to perform to higher standards. Slack off and they're finished (over there).