Build quality

[bernhund]

I've heard it said the build quality of our cars isn't too good. Well I was out in mine this evening and was thinking that although I now have 67000 glorious miles on the clock, the car doesn't actually have any rattles. No noise from the dash nor clonking doors. The clams close properly, as they always have and the interior is fine too. Nothing has snapped off in there and the only sign of wear and tear is the drivers seat. And that's not so bad that I'm planning on doing anything about it yet. Those of you who know me will also know that I'm not one to constantly tinker and polish; I'd rather be out in it. So it hasn't be lovingly cared for as much as some of yours. But with that mileage, I'd say it has weathered extremely well for a low volume car 'built in a shed'.
My wife's Juke is now a year and a half old with 28000 on the clock and the dash rattle is so annoying, I struggle to drive without keep focusing on it and giving it a push in the hope it might stop!
I've even got my original exhaust still, albeit I think it's on its way now as the sound may have got a little deeper in recent months.
So there you have it. There might be some cheapy bits bolted to a Noble, but my reckoning, they ain't so bad after all.

[bernhund]

AMG Merc said:

Well said that man

IMH Noble build quality is very good. I'd expect that the percentage of builds suffering issues with paint, wheel cracking etc. over the past 13 years is similar to those experienced by any of the world's major car brands. Of course, it's the nature of reporting that you generally hear about the "bad" stories and not the good - like in this post.

I'm in an industry where people just love to moan and be overly picky about things. When they don't moan it is very rewarding. I believe too many people forget to give praise when it's needed because they've become so negative over the years.
In the case of the Noble, I'm not praising it just because I have one, but because it does an excellent job. That chassis and suspension? On our public roads? You get a comfortable but hard ride and yet it hasn't shaken the car to bits, so what can you say about that? My wife's car is effing awful!!!

[bernhund]

mgbond said:

Not sure I have ever herd the build quality was an issue. I think the issue has always been reliability.

Well I certainly can't quote where I've read/heard about quality, but I'm pretty sure there has been talking of cheap plastic bits & Ford parts bin derogatory remarks. They're even saying things about the M600 & it hasn't had time to even prove itself. And that's the point..how can people make comments before a car has even covered a reasonably high mileage?
As for reliability, I don't think mine has done too badly there either. As I said, it still has the original exhaust. The engine itself has never had one issue either. Bits n pieces like discs, pads & shocks obviously have been replaced. The bad bits have been too many turbos, but then that's turbos for you. I sorted the manifolds & fitted lsd, so they're fine.
If Le Mans were on this weekend, I wouldn't think twice about jumping straight in and driving down. All I'd do is check my fluids.

[bernhund]

mgbond said:

bernhund said:

Well I certainly can't quote where I've read/heard about quality, but I'm pretty sure there has been talking of cheap plastic bits & Ford parts bin derogatory remarks. They're even saying things about the M600 & it hasn't had time to even prove itself. And that's the point..how can people make comments before a car has even covered a reasonably high mileage?
As for reliability, I don't think mine has done too badly there either. As I said, it still has the original exhaust. The engine itself has never had one issue either. Bits n pieces like discs, pads & shocks obviously have been replaced. The bad bits have been too many turbos, but then that's turbos for you. I sorted the manifolds & fitted lsd, so they're fine.
If Le Mans were on this weekend, I wouldn't think twice about jumping straight in and driving down. All I'd do is check my fluids.

Yeah, I get the ford bin bits but that's not build quality but quality of parts used. There are loads of people that have reliable cars and quite a few that have had issues. It's a hand made car so it's bound to have some issues.

Maybe I used the wrong term 'build quality' when talking about criticisms of the Noble? I used it as an 'umbrella' term for the critics of the car.. you know, poor design, cheapy parts, reliability. But what I'm really saying in a nutshell, is that for a high miler like mine, which has seen plenty of snow, rain, frost and all the other st the British weather can throw at it, it has done remarkably well. I expect low volume cars like these to have problems; it goes with the territory. So just a summery for those with low mileage and hope for the future that it doesn't rattle itself apart. Mine lies testament to that. (that doesn't mean to say everyone else's will of course!)