by badandy, September 5, 2004
I've read somewhere on this forum about Corolla's made in the US and Canada,not to sound dumb or trying to start a nonsense forum ,is there really a difference in quality etc, etc, ? I noticed this morning that my 1999 has a made in Canada tag on it and I was just curious.......... Thanks......... badandy
I believe there is a definite difference in fit and finish. The Canadian plant uses the Lexus quality control standard, and hence, better fit. We in Canada, also had fewer problems like the "lights turning themselves on" issue. That seemed to be a US only problem.
IMHO
Most quality issues come from parts problems not assembly istself. YOu'd have ot look at all the vendors used at each location and determine what difference there mgiht be. I suspect most of the parts are identicle at both sites however ot increase teh "economies of scale".
I'm ****uming the "lights turing themselves on" remark is just a joke, since the US cars are desinged to turn on the tail and running lights automatically in dim conditions. The headlights are DRL like in Canada.
No joke. There were a lot of complaints early in the 03 model year of people coming out of the house to find the lights on for no reason.Most quality issues come from parts problems not assembly istself. YOu'd have ot look at all the vendors used at each location and determine what difference there mgiht be. I suspect most of the parts are identicle at both sites however ot increase teh "economies of scale".I'm ****uming the "lights turing themselves on" remark is just a joke, since the US cars are desinged to turn on the tail and running lights automatically in dim conditions. The headlights are DRL like in Canada.
It's sort of like the California emissions issue of the 1980s. The California cars were different.
Canada probably buys as many Corollas as California (one US state). And there could very well be some specific difference relating to one or two issues regarding a particular assembly process at a given plant, but I doubt it. In terms of a better quality car intentionally being built for Canada, I think that would be a marketing nightmare for Toyota.
Are you talking about differences between Corollas made in the USA or Canada, or for the USA or Canadian markets? I'll stick my neck out and say that I'm pretty sure that Canadian owners are looking for pretty much the same thing in their Corollas as Americans -- they want a durable, reliable, and economical automobile that holds it's value. Therefore, there should be no difference between Corollas made for either market; in fact, you can just lump US/Canada into a single description -- the "North American" market.
Now -- there could be differences between Corollas MADE in US and Canadian factories, but that would be a quality control issue unique to each plant. It is my belief that Toyota does it's level best to minimize any of these differences. My first '01 Corolla was a "Canadian" -- and it was just as perfect as my present '03 "Japanese" Corolla. In some minor ways, I thought the '01 was, if anything, BETTER than the '03, particularly from the standpoint of the durability of the paint job. In the two years I owned it, the '01 never developed a scratch or a chip in the paint, whereas the '03 has several in the same time/mileage frame. My rear-view mirror on the right side has the paint completely worn off a small area due to some sort of abrasion, which I think may have occurred at a car wash. The finish on the '01 seemed "harder" if that's possible. I am now resigned to the fact that if I keep the '03 long-term, it may need to be repainted at some point. BTW, it's the "silver" color, whatever they call it -- "Lunar Mist Metallic" or something like that.
Has anyone else with an '03 - '05 J-Vin Corolla experienced any issues with the paint job?
Larry,
I like your paint comment. People ask me what color my corolla is and I tell them GREY. But the official color is something like lunar metallic green.
Hey, you've got to be impressed with the creativity of the toyota engineers.
My Corolla looks your average silver color, but official color is "silverstream opalescent". 
Bleh, mine's officially "metallic moonshadow". I think they should have called it "dustproof grey" as it barely shows when it's dirty. 
Larry: I think your paint issues have more to do with the paint itself than with where the car was built. They probably changed the paint or the painting process somehow. I know my dad's '03 camry has very fragile paint (it already looks like it's been through 5 years of mechanical washers or something).
The new paints are water-based, and hence not as tough as the older paints.
Whaaaaaaattt??? Water-based paints on an automobile? Who's the numbskull who came up with THAT idea? Is this something that only Toyota is doing, or is this becoming common practice among all automakers? I guess I can see the reason why such a thing would be favored by the manufacturers; it would solve a lot of industrial safety and environmental issues realted to dealing with paints that have a volitile solvent base. However, are they going to re-paint my car under warranty every 3 years? I'd like to know the exact extent of paint-related issues with Toyota vehicles manufacturered ever since they went to the water-soluable paints. Anyone have any ideas as to how to obtain this information?
Car finishes in general have been acrylic (water based) for years. The environmentalists ruined our cars.Whaaaaaaattt??? Water-based paints on an automobile? Who's the numbskull who came up with THAT idea? Is this something that only Toyota is doing, or is this becoming common practice among all automakers? I guess I can see the reason why such a thing would be favored by the manufacturers; it would solve a lot of industrial safety and environmental issues realted to dealing with paints that have a volitile solvent base. However, are they going to re-paint my car under warranty every 3 years? I'd like to know the exact extent of paint-related issues with Toyota vehicles manufacturered ever since they went to the water-soluable paints. Anyone have any ideas as to how to obtain this information?
Stew:
That figures. I say all the tie-dyed, long-haired, dope-smoking lefty-liberal socialist environmentalist wackos should be chained to the trees they love so much, and leave the rest of us to do things the proper way! Now, if you'll excuse me, it's lunch time, so I've got to go out and shoot me a Spotted Owl!
AMEN, (hawwwwk-spit)Stew:That figures. I say all the tie-dyed, long-haired, dope-smoking lefty-liberal socialist environmentalist wackos should be chained to the trees they love so much, and leave the rest of us to do things the proper way! Now, if you'll excuse me, it's lunch time, so I've got to go out and shoot me a Spotted Owl!
