Well... now that the FR-S and BR-Z is out there, I've been hearing a fair number of fit, finish, and even a few operational problems....
.... http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8285 - stumbling
Came from the factory like this.....
Whoops... and either no one saw it (yeah right), or maybe Toyota needs to re-read quality procedures......
Anyone else with issues that are not what they expected????
In reply to oldeskewltoy: What are you showing? Is the rest of the car black?
No, looks like a rejected stamped panel got welded on instead of the proper panel.
Ranger50 wrote: No, looks like a rejected stamped panel got welded on instead of the proper panel.
HORRORS!
Damn I'd be on Consumerist initiating the executive carpet bomb the first time I sliced my arm open on that.
There's been a bunch of reports about weird panel gaps and the headlights having condensation in them. Supposedly the BRZs have better fit and finish (imagine that since they're all built in a Subaru plant from my understanding).
carguy123 wrote:Ranger50 wrote: No, looks like a rejected stamped panel got welded on instead of the proper panel.HORRORS!
Not sure if you're serious, but that does actually look pretty bad. Like, try to get the car replaced kind of bad.
dculberson wrote:carguy123 wrote:Not sure if you're serious, but that does actually look pretty bad. Like, try to get the car replaced kind of bad.Ranger50 wrote: No, looks like a rejected stamped panel got welded on instead of the proper panel.HORRORS!
http://www.hachiroku.net/forums/showthread.php?t=30462 - the story from the original owner....
Yeah... I thought it was the color thing too....
Didn't notice them installing crumpled parts. Hopefully they wouldn't let it through if that was a more structural pannel. Sure would suck to buy a brand new car ready for a salvage title.
oldeskewltoy wrote: Well... now that the FR-S and BR-Z is out there, I've been hearing a fair number of fit, finish, and even a few operational problems. Came from the factory like this.....
Can you provide some background on the picture? Is that your car? How do you know for a fact that it is a factory flaw?
Can't say as I would be impressed if it were my car since there is no elegant way to fix that. Looks like a welding robot shoved it out of the way. Will have to go look and see what is meant to look like.
I would be curious to know where you are hearing about, and for that matter how you come across, the insinuated high incidence of quality issues with the cars?
dculberson wrote:carguy123 wrote:Not sure if you're serious, but that does actually look pretty bad. Like, try to get the car replaced kind of bad.Ranger50 wrote: No, looks like a rejected stamped panel got welded on instead of the proper panel.HORRORS!
Not sure if you're serious, but you have to be kidding, right?
carguy123 wrote:dculberson wrote:Not sure if you're serious, but you have to be kidding, right?carguy123 wrote:Not sure if you're serious, but that does actually look pretty bad. Like, try to get the car replaced kind of bad.Ranger50 wrote: No, looks like a rejected stamped panel got welded on instead of the proper panel.HORRORS!
That is a structural piece of the car and could never be repaired to like new condition without effecting paint, and on a brand new car (read oldskewl's link, it had 9 miles on it) that will always affect the value of the car. There is no way I would buy or keep a brand new car that had a flaw like that. I've seen how structural repairs age and it is nothing like a car build correctly by the factory.
You're telling me you'd be okay with a dealership service tech welding in structural replacements of parts on your brand new $27,000 car? Even though the damage was done at the factory?
In reply to carguy123:
Brand new car with crumpled-paper looking panels welded in?
I expect flaws when I buy a used car. The premium paid for a new car means that while no machine is perfect, it ought to be everything it is designed to be when it is delivered.
I would expect that flaw to be very hard to explain to a potential used buyer. I know I'd be dubious of someone telling me "it came from the factory like that". Yeah, right.
So if it did come from the factory like that, this person stands to lose thousands in resale (or at least face a difficult time selling it).
I'd agree that there needs to be a complete fix if possible, a replacement of the car if not, or a serious rebate for buying a factory second.
In reply to NOHOME:
I doubt the problems are as wide spread as the internet makes it seem.
I would take a 4k rebate thank you!
Bet a prospective buyer would never see that.
The0retical wrote: In reply to NOHOME: Condensed Version I doubt the problems are as wide spread as the internet makes it seem.
There's an owners manual?
I seriously can't recall looking at any owners manual that came with any of my cars. Am I unique in this matter? I do kinda feel sorry for the guys who have write them to such a high standard.
In reply to NOHOME:
The only good thing the owner's manual is good for is fuse locations, oil grades, and oil capacities. Beyond that, worthless paper.
Looks like Autoblog needs to issue a recall on that article:
"If you'd rather have your dealer do the Elmer's Glue work, they will have corrected pages that they can insesrt in the owner's manual for you."
It's more the bottom two paragraphs detailing headlight issues and panel issues that I was referring to.
I think the only time I've opened the owners manual was to find out the oil capacity of my car. 
We are always talking about how toyota lacks soul/character. This is character. It drives brilliantly and is not put together well. Ring any bells?
If the build quality is similar to the WRX I traded in last year, you'll be in for a bumpy ride.
-Improperly sealed headlights and tail lights? Check.
-Bad panel fit? Check.
-Premature parts failure? Check.
-Rattly exhaust and other bad noises? Check.
That car should be brought back to the dealer and demand that Toyota/Subaru does something about it. They should be held accountable for letting something like that slip by. That's almost as bad as 1979 Pontiac Trans Am build quality!
If the dealership had cut the defect out, cleaned it up very nicely, and hit it with a coat of paint, the guy would have never known the difference. Unfortunately for them, that's not what happened. I'm surprised they don't buy it back (NOT LEMON) as-is, sell him another one, and resell it at basically MSRP after doing the repairs. I can understand the guy's frustration, but I really think he's blowing the "structural" part out of proportion.
Pretty surprising that a flaw like that got through body-in-white. After staring at bodies all day, especially coming out of a white paint booth, I'd expect a flaw like that to just jump out at somebody in the plant. Not to mention I would expect the robots to detect when they didn't complete the weld properly.
Bryce
In reply to Nashco:
if they buy it back under the lemon law, they have to advertise that rather conspicuously when they re-sell it. there was an xterra with LEMON tags all over it when i was looking at nissans a while back.
dculberson wrote: That is a structural piece of the car and could never be repaired to like new condition without affecting paint,
Sorry, that was driving me nuts. 
Had to go out and have a look in the trunk of mine to see what it really was all about.
It is a serious defect. For sure when the robot went in to clamp and weld, it caught an edge and shoved it back into the trunk.The panel braces the corner of the trunk. Without it, the rain channel is the only structure in that rear corner. Big safety deal? I am not qualified to say since I don't have the CAD files in front of me.
Cleaned up and left out, 99.9% of the universe would never know about it. If it were my car, I would not be happy and would make an issue.
Now, as to the insinuation that this is a precursor of poor build quality in the entire line, that is kind of silly. Maybe not in the internet world, but silly none the less. Has there been any news of how the dealer reacted when the defect was brought up? EDIT...Read the thread. Can't say as the dealer was quick to make the customer happy, but the jury is still out.
Strizzo wrote: In reply to Nashco: if they buy it back under the lemon law, they have to advertise that rather conspicuously when they re-sell it. there was an xterra with LEMON tags all over it when i was looking at nissans a while back.
Or they give it to one of the race teams that is pestering them for a free BRZ It's not worth trying to resell, that's a big PR hit. One of our cars started off as a normal Miata that was damaged in transit, and Mazda's not allowed to sell repaired cars that are damaged beyond a certain point.
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