Jump to content

US vs Mexico Build Quality

OkieMedic
 Share

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 63
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Popular Posts

diyer2
diyer2

I think the build location is a non factor. It's the luck of the draw. This is true with every product we buy IMO. You get a good one or you don't.

Donstar
Donstar

As previously mentioned, this question has come up earlier.  It provides an opportunity for personal politics and prejudice to be expressed.  You may even read some attempts to make up "factoids" to s

OnTheReel
OnTheReel

Nobody is going to be blown away by the build quality of these trucks from either plant, let’s be real here. ?   Personally, I think the Mexican-made loaner I had was put together a bit better 

Posted Images

Thomcat Senior Enthusiast

Thomcat

Posted
Posted
7 hours ago, OkieMedic said:

Has anyone noticed any build quality differences between US and Mexico built trucks?

Si!

 

.02 You've got to figure that a lot of generic assembly materials are locally sourced to save bucks and assure sufficient stock and fast delivery.

 

US and Canada '15 Camaro,  '16 & '18 Malibus , '18 Traverse, and '16 and '19 Silverados.......no problemo!

Loved the look of the Avalanche, that's why every Silverado from now on will also have a fake "sail" sports bar. I tried and gave them a chance but after '07, '12 and '13 Silao mfrd. Avalanches  put together with Mexican snot for sealant which leaked more than a submarine with a screen door.....I only buy GMs with a "1" or "2" as the leading digit in the VIN.

oldmann Senior Enthusiast

oldmann

Posted
Posted
38 minutes ago, Thomcat said:

Si!

 

.02 You've got to figure that a lot of generic assembly materials are locally sourced to save bucks and assure sufficient stock and fast delivery.

 

US and Canada '15 Camaro,  '16 & '18 Malibus , '18 Traverse, and '16 and '19 Silverados.......no problemo!

Loved the look of the Avalanche, that's why every Silverado from now on will also have a fake "sail" sports bar. I tried and gave them a chance but after '07, '12 and '13 Silao mfrd. Avalanches  put together with Mexican snot for sealant which leaked more than a submarine with a screen door.....I only buy GMs with a "1" or "2" as the leading digit in the VIN.

Come again?

Donstar Senior Enthusiast

Donstar

Posted
Posted
9 hours ago, OkieMedic said:

Has anyone noticed any build quality differences between US and Mexico built trucks?

As previously mentioned, this question has come up earlier.  It provides an opportunity for personal politics and prejudice to be expressed.  You may even read some attempts to make up "factoids" to support such beliefs.  There is no differences in build quality.  

  • Like 5
Booger T Enthusiast

Booger T

Posted
Posted

Five of my last six silverados were Mexico built and I had zero problems with any of them, not so with my 19 TB which was built in Ft. Wayne and had nothing but problems with it. As far a parts sourcing I would say the US built trucks use most of the same parts as the ones built in Mexico, only difference is the labor. My current one is a Mexico build and am so far very happy with it.

  • Like 2
fatwhiteboy Enthusiast

fatwhiteboy

Posted
Posted
19 minutes ago, Donstar said:

As previously mentioned, this question has come up earlier.  It provides an opportunity for personal politics and prejudice to be expressed.  You may even read some attempts to make up "factoids" to support such beliefs.  There is no differences in build quality.  

II am on the opposite side with this conversation.  I worked for GM and have owned many.  I think you have to see the Silao plant vs Fort Wayne and Flint before stating they are all the same.  Silao does not use all of the same components as north America.  Many suppliers are local to that plant due to logistics and just in time inventory, so the tolerances and materials are not exactly the same.  Some of the components like the powertrain and suspension are the same but interior, some body panels and paint are definitely inferior.  Any assembly process that is automated up here is manual down there.  Much more room for error especially in that plant.  I would not buy a truck from Mexico due to quality issues as well as the fact that I am loyal to the UAW / American made products.  With that said the vehicles that came out of OSHWA Canada were extremely high quality but GM stopped production up there because the CAW labor rate is higher than the UAW and Mexico.  If GM had their way they would make all of them in China and ship them here.  You earned your money, you have the right to spend it anyway you want, but until you go to Silao and watch how they build trucks, I will disagree that the quality is the same.  I want to support the USA workers.  My last 4 trucks were made in Fort Wayne. 

  • Like 2
Booger T Enthusiast

Booger T

Posted
Posted
5 minutes ago, fatwhiteboy said:

II am on the opposite side with this conversation.  I worked for GM and have owned many.  I think you have to see the Silao plant vs Fort Wayne and Flint before stating they are all the same.  Silao does not use all of the same components as north America.  Many suppliers are local to that plant due to logistics and just in time inventory, so the tolerances and materials are not exactly the same.  Some of the components like the powertrain and suspension are the same but interior, some body panels and paint are definitely inferior.  Any assembly process that is automated up here is manual down there.  Much more room for error especially in that plant.  I would not buy a truck from Mexico due to quality issues as well as the fact that I am loyal to the UAW / American made products.  With that said the vehicles that came out of OSHWA Canada were extremely high quality but GM stopped production up there because the CAW labor rate is higher than the UAW and Mexico.  If GM had their way they would make all of them in China and ship them here.  You earned your money, you have the right to spend it anyway you want, but until you go to Silao and watch how they build trucks, I will disagree that the quality is the same.  I want to support the USA workers.  My last 4 trucks were made in Fort Wayne. 

So your saying that there is no automation at the Silao plant? I highly doubt this.

  • Like 1
fatwhiteboy Enthusiast

fatwhiteboy

Posted
Posted (edited)
5 minutes ago, Booger T said:

So your saying that there is no automation at the Silao plant? I highly doubt this.

Not as much as Fort Wayne, Flint and Arlington (SUV's).  People are cheaper than machines.  Unfortunately Mexico is much like China in that respect.  There is no OSHA so safety for workers is not a concern at all.

Edited by fatwhiteboy
  • Like 1
diyer2 Senior Enthusiast

diyer2

Posted
Posted

I think the build location is a non factor.

It's the luck of the draw.

This is true with every product we buy IMO.

You get a good one or you don't.

:)

  • Like 6
Booger T Enthusiast

Booger T

Posted
Posted
10 minutes ago, diyer2 said:

I think the build location is a non factor.

It's the luck of the draw.

This is true with every product we buy IMO.

You get a good one or you don't.

:)

I 100% agree with you

amxguy1970 Senior Enthusiast

amxguy1970

Posted
Posted

Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, there is no difference. GM (or any manufacturer) wouldn't have one plant supply a completely different quality product than another from different locations. They want them to be indistinguishable regardless of production location. Tons of threads already on this same exact subject, read those, but they do regular inspections of product from both places and I promise there is no difference. Those that say there is just have some type of gotta buy american value in them and that is all that is driving it. For me, I would rather keep my costs down than paying UAW build prices for the same skilled worker...

 

Tyler

L86 All Terrain Senior Enthusiast

L86 All Terrain

Posted
Posted

Do Mexican autoworkers make the same as US autoworkers? Are they protected through the UAW like in the US? 

 

Those two questions should give you your answers. Would you do the same quality of work your doing now at your job for $5 less per hour? Average UAW wage is $35/hr, average Mexican assembly line wage is $3.60/hr. I guess if that is the wage your used to, then your workmanship may not be affected, but if you knew your co-workers across the border were making 10x the amount you were it might..

 

Answer is undeterminable and would be subjective, based off each worker, line supervisors and their moods that day. 

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Latest Articles

  • Posts

    • PunchT37
      AFM Experience

      By PunchT37 · Posted

      I wonder how much carbon is on all those high mileage valves?
    • Atlas
      AFM Experience

      By Atlas · Posted

      When I had a Bumper subscription for a few days when I needed to run title histories on cars I was looking at, I decided to look up a few of my old/past vehicles.   My 2015 Silverado was still actively registered and it last sold in 2024 with 160k on the clock. No idea if that's on the original engine but someone's keeping it on the road or the original AFM stuff is still going.   It used 0w20. I remember feeding it Mobil 0w20 AFE for the first 30k of its life on <5k OCI's.     Edit: Just did a nationwide search on Autotrader for 2015-2025 Silverados with 5.3's and sorted by highest mileage first.   357k 352k 292k 291k 290k 277k 271k 268k 266k 259k 256k   High mileage on a modern 5.3 doesn't seem all that uncommon, but that's just searching mostly dealer ads on Autotrader. FB Marketplace has all kinds of high mileage 5.3's going back to 2007    
    • Chuck FB
      Bridgestone vs Goodyear tires?

      By Chuck FB · Posted

      I can't say I have ever heard of someone getting that type of mileage out of a set of tires even though they rotated on a regular basis but without a doubt if the front end gets wear and those tires are no longer able to track straight it scrubs them off, and driving style and road surface make a huge difference as well.    However that is not what prompted me to comment as it was the new tire theme of sitting in storage waiting to be used scenario. I am sure some tires can last for quite a while in storage if its not too warm and out of the sunlight but unfortunately some tires the way they their rubber compound is formulated they can age and dry out even in a reasonably decent storage location. My brother ran into this maybe three years ago when he was looking at the tires that were on his dually truck and a combination of wear on the rear ones and noticing that the front tires had some cracks around the sidewall of the tire not far from the bead but he had replaced only the front ones not long ago with 2 of the remaining 6 he had left from the initial two sets of takeoffs he had all bought at the same time .... 10 years ago ! ( the years fly by, a truck that only gets used a bit to haul a camper during the summer and sits in a shed for a large part of the year ). That second set of 6 tires, two he had put on the front prior like I said and they had very little wear but those cracks were now present. So we go into the shed where the other 4 tires had been stored all this time and every one of them had the same cracks in the sidewalls and so in the end it amounted to throwing away 6 brand new but 10 year old takeoff tires into the dump that he got a deal on at a tire shop because they aged out. They were a Ford factory equipment BFG tire and those tires did not age well compared to some tires I've seen far older then that and did not show that type of aging. True, they always say up here anyway that 7 years is sort of a limit for age by rights, we don't have the intense prolonged heat that many of you have down in the states that just cook tires and depends on where the vehicle sits when not in use. GB, another words maybe had you bought a set of tires to store it would have been fine as long as you used them up fast enough but there are no guarantees when it comes to rubber, tires or of that other type stored in some guys wallets 😆
    • Head South
      Open Door Chimes When Key is Out

      By Head South · Posted

      2020 2500 HD...I had some trouble getting the key into the ignition switch but went in fine after applying some extra effort. Since then, the door chimes when open when the key is out of the ignition. Also, when I lock the doors with the switch on the arm rest, the driver door locks but then unlocks. (I can lock everything fine with the fob) The message on the little screen displays the "Engine Hours"...kinda weird.   I'm guessing something happened to the ignition switch and it thinks the key is still in there. I unplugged the batteries for 20 minutes, no change. There are a number of videos on YouTube but nothing I can find that address this specific issue. Ideas appreciated, thank you.
    • newdude
      Seems to be Missing a lot of Updates

      By newdude · Posted

      Based on what I can tell, yes.   As for updating it, its a mixed bag.  Updates do fix a lot of issues, but occasionally can create some oddities.  They do more good than harm though overall.     Here's what the most current one does and a  V171 Improvements Important: Improvements will vary by model, build configuration, system, and sales region. Not all vehicles have all features. OnStar and Wi-Fi may not work after remote start CarPlay may not automatically reconnect Part of the Driver Attention messaging screen may be in English even though the language is set to something else XM may not work After a dead 12V the radio may set to Arabic at each startup Bluetooth contacts might not be able to sync with the vehicle During an OTA the 12V battery may drain Customer might see a screen telling them to return to the dealer After changing the Wi-Fi SSID or password a device may not disconnect If a device is connected on the 2.4Ghz band, nothing will connect to the 5Ghz one, which could show as slow Wi-Fi speeds Customers might have noticed Wi-Fi dropping in certain areas and reconnecting later Customer might see the top of the screen blinking during Android Auto Android Auto may not connect CarPlay audio might momentarily cut out The "Add Phone" button may be grayed out The radio may not start up   V167 Most Notable Improvements:   Outside Air Temperature is incorrect. -You may see a popup message for Engine Shift. (Corvette Only) After changing the exhaust sound they get a popup that "mode change not applied", even though it was. -When changing volume, the volume bar is for Traffic instead of Audio. -(Corvette Only) Improvements to the placement of buttons and text. -If the customer receives the message "Apple CarPlay Could not connect", the cursor might move in the opposite direction than expected when using the control knob. -Android Auto automatically starts playing their music, even though they have turned that off in settings. -Intermittently they have a red OnStar LED with no OnStar function and/or no audio. -The minimum length of the Wi-Fi password was increased to 12 characters. -The popup message "Driver Attention Check, check your mirrors or Super Cruise will shut down" may not have come up on the display when it should have. -Startup animation added for 20th anniversary of the V-Series on Cadillacs. -The Navigation app received location improvements when going under long underpasses. -In the Navigation app there are filters for charging points that the vehicle cannot use.   V164 Most Notable Improvements Most notable improvements contained in this release may include: Apps Intermittently, an “SD Card Removed” message will pop up in the Navigation app. While in the audio app, the radio may stop working. Trailer Tire Pressure sensors may not be learned in the Trailer app. Not being able to return to the home screen while in the Camera app. After an ignition cycle, the radio might go to a black screen or stop working if using Sirius XM. Spotify icon truncated on Audio app.   SXM When changing power modes with the ignition switch, the HVAC pop up might appear. During startup, the radio will show the brand splash screen then go blank. Receiving a confirmation pop-up when changing drive modes. A “Return to Dealer” message may appear on the radio screen. SuperCruise setting toggle may not work. System After an ignition cycle, the radio might go black or stop working if using Sirius XM (SXM). Settings When performing a factory reset, the radio may stop working. After performing a factory reset, the radio may stop working when trying to switch users. When trying to go into the Language section quickly after startup, the radio may stop working. Projection Wireless CarPlay cannot be connected after unpairing another wireless Android Auto device. When the Android Auto screen comes up to connect wirelessly, the screen may freeze if the Cancel button is pressed. Removed the Apple CarPlay Cannot Connect screen when a device fails to pair during the autoconnect process. CarPlay information may not show up in the audio app. Near Field Communications (NFC) chime may be heard when NFC does not work. The Cannot Connect screen does not pop up after the first connection on wireless CarPlay fails. Apple CarPlay is now functional in Guam. Over the Air (OTA) When a software update is cancelled, the downloading logo may still be displayed. Energy When using the Energy app, the radio may stop working. When plugging in the vehicle, the display might show “Now” instead of “Charging Upon Plug In.” Instrument Cluster Voice recognition can be started while on an OnStar or phone call. When downloading contacts, there is a progress bar and circles on the Recents page of the cluster. The temperature on the cluster and the display may be different. After receiving and ending a call on the secondary paired phone, the cluster may get stuck on the phone menu. Bluetooth Intermittent Bluetooth connection loss.

  • GM-Trucks.com Clubs

  • Popular Contributors

×
×
  • Create New...