Poor underhood finish and paint mismatch

[meissen]

I made it an extra point to look at Fred's 5th gen last night while we were out on Woodward - paid close attention to the hinges and all that. The only blemish I saw was where it looked like the spray gun sprayed at one angle while the bolt was in so the other side of the bolt didn't get the paint but I was looking at it with a toothpick that the average joe wouldn't even notice. Guess I just don't understand what the deal is.

[myroc]

this whole under the hood paint issue is funny, I just detailed my 4th gen for the meet & greet last week. Some one mentioned under the hood was colored primer not paint and that sure fits my 4th gen firebird.
It seems like some of us were expecting a factory produced show car. None of the other gens were and its not fair to judge GM or the 5th gen on this basis. Its a beautiful new generation muscle car!!! be happy.

Besides that's the stuff we all like to do to make our cars stand out from every other car.

[Lucky SOB]

when my DD wears out I may just have to take the plunge . . .

do it and don't look back. you will not be disappointed.

[MikeM]

Interesting debate . . .

I don't know about trans issues on this car, but let's not forget that the 6-speed Borg-Warner used in the LS1's had some major issues in the first year . . . mine had to be replaced a week after I bought the car because it shredded itself on the highway. For years, that incident, plus my previous "lemon" (a 92 Olds Cutlass Supreme) caused me to swear off GM cars.

Lately, it seems like American manufacturers redesign close to 100% of the parts, make late changes, and then rush the product to market, and often they get a black eye with the customer because of it. They need to take a couple lessons from the Asians in this respect; carry over parts that are sound, make decisions early and stick to them, and don't skimp on the details just to save a few $ because people DO notice those things.

Having said all that, I think GM has made big strides in quality in the last 4-5 years, so I am once again considering their products for our next car, once the lease on my wife's car is up. I think the new crossovers are great (Acadia et. al.) and the Malibu is an excellent vehicle too. The jury's still out on the 5th gen for me, but who knows, when my DD wears out I may just have to take the plunge . . .

[MP81]

And finally as far as quality goes i consider a major issue for example, nissan with the gtr, 80,000 dollar car with 1,500 trans fluid changes, in a trans that probably won't make it 15,000 miles if driven spiritedly at all.

Good example. I've heard if you kill the trans, it's a $20,000 piece or something ridiculous.

[cobalt camaro]

I kind of wish that GM would clear the engine by but then you would also have people saying, "well why isn't underneath the car cleared?" And around and round we go. Overall I think GM did a great job with it, and like said previously it's the first year of the generation, everyone knows there are bugs the first year of any new car, because when they are assembled at test facilities each bolt is hand tightend to spec and need to be in order to accurately and precisely test parts. This does not happen in productions when the guy on the assembly line at 6:00 a.m. got wasted the night before and is having a bad hangover. Stuff happens.... and this is why almost every process for assembling these cars needs to be as simple as possible, so the guy having a bad day can't **** it up. I think the camaro is a great value for the money. Where else can you buy a 426 hp beast of a car with full leather interior for under 40K. No matter how a car is made someone will always be unhappy with the outcome, as a designer you just have to hope the other 9 out of 10 people will love it and want it.

And finally as far as quality goes i consider a major issue for example, nissan with the gtr, 80,000 dollar car with 1,500 trans fluid changes, in a trans that probably won't make it 15,000 miles if driven spiritedly at all.

[meissen]

I *try* not to steer anyone wrong.

[Lucky SOB]

And pictures from inside the striping facility.

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showth...shawa+pictures

why do i ever question you?

[LS1Formulation]

My Formula wasn't cleared from the factory, but I fixed that with a 6 dollar can of clear engine enamel. Looks great!

[69LT1Bird]

Nope, not show car quality, but when my 69 Firebird had a 40% gloss black and it all matched and my back and forth to work 1994 Park Avenue has gloss, it shouldn't be asking for too much. To each their own.

[meissen]

And pictures from inside the striping facility.

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showth...shawa+pictures

[meissen]

Actually Brian... The stripes are dealer installed...

Actually yours were - but the factory installs some of them too.

Credit to Camaro5.com for the pictures:
http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showth...shawa+pictures

[81DaytonaPaceCar]

It seems like some of us were expecting a factory produced show car.

Thank you, Larry...that was the statement I was struggling to put together...but that pretty much explains it...

[Lucky SOB]

Not sure what you mean about the stripes/graphics/etc considering they do come from the factory with stripes.

Actually Brian... The stripes are dealer installed...

Its a beautiful new generation muscle car!!! be happy.

I'm happy!

[98blackbeauty]

this whole under the hood paint issue is funny, I just detailed my 4th gen for the meet & greet last week. Some one mentioned under the hood was colored primer not paint and that sure fits my 4th gen firebird.
It seems like some of us were expecting a factory produced show car. None of the other gens were and its not fair to judge GM or the 5th gen on this basis. Its a beautiful new generation muscle car!!! be happy.