Worse overall build quality for US market Yaris?

[dj92]

Hi,
as I see all the trouble people here have with their rides and find myself having none of that, I ask myself:
Is the build quality of the Yari sold in the US worse than that of e.g. the TMMF ones?
I neither had any clutch problems nor a considerable amount of coal on the throttle nor a defective oxygen sensor nor any electric problems, even my battery still works like a charm although it is 5,5 years old now.

[phaznet]

Japanese built, no problems yet.
One reason I chose the Yaris was because it was built in Japan. I think at the time of purchase, only the Yairs and FJ Cruiser were the only Toyota's imported from japan.

[ilikerice]

Well, the majority of the people here on this forum are from the U.S. I would say. With that said, a lot of people get on these forums to research some solutions to their problems. So you will see that most posts will consist of that. People don't care too much about something unless they have a complaint about it.

You know, people who complain about something speak louder than the ones who are happy with what they have? I will say that many people here have nothing but good things to say about their yaris, but who wants to post up every time they had a good experience in thier yaris? Threads would be more frequent about that than the usual "what oil should I use?" threads.

[vrait]

My only issue is a creaky radio haha. These cars are great. People go to forums for help. Not much else.

[shepd]

Europe offers a much better environment for vehicles. Much of the US spreads salt all over the roads contributing to early rust damage (and other weird issues). While it also gets cold in parts of Europe, the US has some REALLY cold areas that then proceed to get REALLY hot (and more snow than much of Europe ever sees). On top of that, there's parts of the US that record world record high temperatures.

The US also does not maintain roads to anywhere near the standards of European roads (Dusty, dirty, potholed pavement--and plenty of dirt and gravel roads, too). Lastly, US roads rarely have roundabouts, but instead 4-way stops, which leads to a LOT of clutch use.

Also worth mentioning is that American drivers tend to drive their vehicles much further distances than European drivers. Few in Europe would consider a 1 or 2 hour commute by car. Many in the US find that normal.

[Kar98]

Originally Posted by shepd

Europe offers a much better environment for vehicles.

Also worth mentioning is that American drivers tend to drive their vehicles much further distances than European drivers. Few in Europe would consider a 1 or 2 hour commute by car. Many in the US find that normal.

That was pretty much my commute clear across town in a small to medium sized German city.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by shepd

Europe offers a much better environment for vehicles. Much of the US spreads salt all over the roads contributing to early rust damage (and other weird issues). While it also gets cold in parts of Europe, the US has some REALLY cold areas that then proceed to get REALLY hot (and more snow than much of Europe ever sees). On top of that, there's parts of the US that record world record high temperatures.

The US also does not maintain roads to anywhere near the standards of European roads (Dusty, dirty, potholed pavement--and plenty of dirt and gravel roads, too). Lastly, US roads rarely have roundabouts, but instead 4-way stops, which leads to a LOT of clutch use.

Also worth mentioning is that American drivers tend to drive their vehicles much further distances than European drivers. Few in Europe would consider a 1 or 2 hour commute by car. Many in the US find that normal.

I would agree with most of this. The only thing I wonder about...is there THAT much salt use that 'much of the U.S.' would be the correct term? I haven't driven in Europe during the winter (have only taken trains, buses, taxis, and been a passenger with a friend driving on multiple occasions). In parts of Europe where the climate is similar to U.S. areas where salt is used, what do authorities do under those conditions?

[shepd]

Road salt use in the USA is popular, although obviously limited to appropriate times of year. Some of the red states (lol) would be using road salt only a few days of the year, others for several months:

http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulle...ad-salt-27855/

In Europe, the more popular option is to encourage (or require) drivers to use studs. In fact, Europe is where those nice non-road-surface-damaging rubber studs came from. In specific areas that have heavy snow, snow tires and chains are required by law. Why change the road when you can change the vehicles driving on it? :)

http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Snow_tire#/Europe

And Kar98, I feel for you man. :) I moved because I won't drive that far to and from work. I like driving, but commuting isn't fun.

[dj92]

Not minding some (really just a few!) km², studs are forbidden in Germany (and many other European countries as well, I think)
It depends on where you look whether there's a lot of snow during winter or almost none at all - 450m vs. 100m above sea level can make a huge difference.

[IllusionX]

Yeah many part of souther Europe is not cold enough to have tons of snow.

And living anywhere near urban area is not stud friendly, especially if you need access to underground parkings.

[nookandcrannycar]

Posts 8, 9, 10...Very interesting. Glad I asked.

[dj92]

Originally Posted by IllusionX

Yeah many part of souther Europe is not cold enough to have tons of snow.

TBH, the last time I saw a considerable amount of snow on a road was about 4 years ago.
The last time I remember we had to use snow chains was about 14 years ago when we had a Golf Mk3 estate

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by dj92

TBH, the last time I saw a considerable amount of snow on a road was about 4 years ago.
The last time I remember we had to use snow chains was about 14 years ago when we had a Golf Mk3 estate

This post + IllusionX's post you quoted set the wheels turning...wondering...What is the southernmost ski resort in Europe? After searching, it appears to be Sierra Nevada () in Spain, 27km outside of Granada. Must add this just below the Gobba di Rollin at Matterhorn Glacier Paradise on my bucket list.