Think Audi's interior is 'better' than Ford's?

G35stilez

G35stilez

Ari Gold
Think again...


Recently we discussed a company called Johnson Controls in my Marketing class. I was extremely surprised to find out what they did and for whom.

Johnson Controls designs and manufacturers entire cockpits/interiors for auto manufacturers. Those included are:

# Alfa Romeo
# Audi
# BMW
# Citroen
# DaimlerChysler
# Fiat
# Ford
# General Motors
# Jaguar
# Honda
# Lancia
# Land Rover
# Mazda
# Mitsubishi
# Nissan
# Opel
# Peugeot
# Porsche
# Renault
# Rover
# Saab
# Seat
# Skoda
# Smart
# Suzuki
# Toyota
# Vauxhall
# Volvo
# VW


So next time you go to hate on Ford's interior, remember, they aren't the ones making it...

http://johnsoncontrols.com/asg-intro/CompanyOverview.asp


Enjoy.
 
Sean,

Good thread but it still matters how you design and assemble even if the parts are from Johnson Controls.
 
That doesn't mean that Audi dashes and Ford dashes are the same material. It just means they subcontract the parts.
 
Johnson Controls manufactures to the auto makers specifications. I worked in the printed circuit board industry, we made circuit boards for every major electronics company in the world. They send us their data and we sent back what they asked for.
 
Ford makes the Mustang and they also made the Pinto. Just because one company is in charge of creating something doesn't mean they always use the same level of quality. It holds true in everything. Zymol makes waxes that cost $1500 and they also make waxes that cost $8. You can't hang quality on just name. Sometimes the product itself has to be evaluated.
 
SilverLexus said:
Sean,

Good thread but it still matters how you design and assemble even if the parts are from Johnson Controls.
Click to expand...

Totally agree. A subcontractor can make whatever you want according to your own specifications in many cases. It comes down to how much money you want to spend in a particular area. My weekend car doesn't have particularly high quality materials for the dash for its price range, for instance.

If anything, now you can "hate" even more on Ford, because they have the same resource available to them as Audi. :p

- J
 
PEI Detail said:
A $1500 wax? That'd be great. Is it on autogeek?
Click to expand...


It's true. Here you go. A member on Autopia sent me a chunk a few years ago. The stuff is really not that great. I actually prefer S100 to this. I suppose if I paid the $1500 bucks for it then I would have to say it was great, but as an objective tester I can say it's not worth it. Any of the Pinnacle waxes looked better IMHO.
 
if i am paying $1,500.00 for wax, it better come with girls in little bikinis to help apply or to watch applying it or... anyways where was i ? if you look at the interior of a pontiac pursuit :horse: , compared to a buick allure(lacrosse in the u.s.) same company far different quality and appearance. like fuzz and vantage said it all depends on what the situation calls for.
 
I'm fairly sure that the quality of Leather is better in the Porsche and BMW than it is in the Suzuki and Nissan. It may come from the same place, but I think they are perfectly willing to lower their standards for the right contract.
 
maximv1 said:
if i am paying $1,500.00 for wax, it better come with girls in little bikinis to help apply or to watch applying it
Click to expand...

Yes bikinis are good, but back to subject I find that almost all the major US auto makers have crappy mostly plastic interiors...just my 2 cents....nevertheless I still buy then again and again. :shuriken:
 
maximv1 said:
if i am paying $1,500.00 for wax, it better come with girls in little bikinis to help apply or to watch applying it or... anyways where was i ? if you look at the interior of a pontiac pursuit :horse: , compared to a buick allure(lacrosse in the u.s.) same company far different quality and appearance. like fuzz and vantage said it all depends on what the situation calls for.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but you get 22oz, and not 8oz. And, free shipping!
What a deal!
brenton
 
The free refills are the real perk, not sure what the turn around time would be, and you'd have to wax your car every day to realize any savings over buying nothing but souveran (for basically your entire life, assuming you lived a long time).
 
I did the math once on Autopia. It turned out that you would have to use one jar a year for 60 years to equal the value of using P21S for the same period of time. I don't know about you, but I am hopeful that there will be great leaps forward in paint technology in the next 60 years and I hope we aren't still using the same technology in our waxes then. I wouldn't want to marry myself to a product that will be obsolete in a short time.

Of course if you compare it to waxes like Souveran that sell for $70 a jar, you would only have to marry yourself to Vintage for about 21 years to get the same value out of it. I don't use so much paste wax that I can use up a whole jar in one year, so I guess it would only be a value if you are waxing a ton of cars by hand. That is a huge amount of overhead for a crummy wax though...
 
sharpie said:
Yes bikinis are good, but back to subject I find that almost all the major US auto makers have crappy mostly plastic interiors...just my 2 cents....nevertheless I still buy then again and again. :shuriken:
Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more. Most U.S. cars have interiors that are :horse:

On the subject of Zymol Vintage, I would NEVER pay $1500 for this wax. Having said that, I use this wax regularly and it's the best wax I've ever used hands down no contest. It's just not 100x's better than other waxes. Maybe only 10x's.
 
When you say it is the best you have used, what makes it the best? I see low durabilty and its a pain in the ass to apply and buff off. Pinnacle Signature or Trade Secret apply much easier and look just as good from what I have seen. The durability on those is better than Vintage too from my testing. I'm curious to know what you are using as a basis for comparison. I was expecting it to be a lot better than it is for what the price tag says.
 
Johnson controls is contracted to design and manufacture the components, to the customers specs, that only means they will do what the customer tells them to.
The customer will dictate the quality of the materials to be used not Johnson, and even then it still will have final assembly done at the auto manufacturer.

Here is a simple example
Auto maker "A" wants fine grade leather with 9 clips to hold the panel in place.
Auto maker "B" wants the least expensive leather with only 6 clips to hold the panel in place.
Both are being designed and manufactured by Johnson, but which do you think will hold up to the test of time.

JMHO
"J"
 
Obviously you have never sat in a Ford and an Audi? ;) I live about 5 minutes from Johnson Controls and know a few employees there. They make everything from car seats for the Jeeps to home thermostats. Just because they make it doesn't mean it is all the same. It all depends on what material and design the companies spec out and use. Audi could spec out nice quality leather and Ford cardboard for all they care. ;)
 
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