British Leyland -They were crap and they knew they were.
Discussion
PH lurker said:
Is this acted by actors, not BL workers? If so could that be 'Denzil' from Only Fools and Horses part way through?
Certainly was, lots of other familiar faces in there too.I am sure it ws supposed to be a motivational, improve quality video for the employees, the problem with Leyland and other British manufacturing industries of the time though was management and complacency.
how come there is such an appetite for knocking the british car industry? there were some good cars built by british leyland and some bad ones as well, just look at some modern cars, take the bmw 2.0 diesel, cam chain failures, swirl flap issues, google these issues, also google mazda diesels etc, you dont and nor will you see clarkson and co making a programme slagging off any of these, you know why, because it,s not a story, slagging the uk car industry is... in fact slagging off the uk about anything is ok and seems to be a good story, was there any other sh*te car makers, or did we corner the market?? why do we do it to ourselves??
The_Burg said:
Shame, BL actually produced some good cars.
In fact all except the Marina.
Even the Allegro was actually a really good car, (not many may agree(, great ride quality, practical and cheap. The 1750OE series were even moderately quick. The Princess was a great cruiser and the Ambassador fixed the major issues except they lost 2.2 straight 6.
'Twas the E-series In fact all except the Marina.
Even the Allegro was actually a really good car, (not many may agree(, great ride quality, practical and cheap. The 1750
- and the vid makes me think they were saying that quality was everybody's problem but also nobody's problem 
... A bit unclear (symptomatic of the regime?) - and if only the driver of the Teal Blue Allegro had reached for the handbrake when he realised his brakes had failed... 
And this from an ardent BL Fan
; I've just done 500 miles in an MG Maestro 1600 (with R-series engine, derived from the E-series) in the past 36 hours! 
micky metro said:
how come there is such an appetite for knocking the british car industry? there were some good cars built by british leyland and some bad ones as well, just look at some modern cars, take the bmw 2.0 diesel, cam chain failures, swirl flap issues, google these issues, also google mazda diesels etc, you dont and nor will you see clarkson and co making a programme slagging off any of these, you know why, because it,s not a story, slagging the uk car industry is... in fact slagging off the uk about anything is ok and seems to be a good story, was there any other sh*te car makers, or did we corner the market?? why do we do it to ourselves??
You kind of miss the point (and your shift key, that was quite a mission to read).The sort of issue you highlight with modern German and Japanese cars are caused by engineering problems - somebody misjudged the endurance strength of a component, or a potential issue that comes up in real service was not considered in testing, so stuff breaks. It went wrong at design stage, but was built exactly as specified and with very high precision. The quality of that particular part was faultless, as in it was made to spec, it just wasn't designed right.
BL was the absolute opposite, some good design work being done, but the line workers flatly refused to put anything together properly. Had BL's designs been put together by a 70s Japanese workforce, who were paid (as is usual there) on the basis of company profits and had a strong partnership, they'd turn out pretty good. As it was, the workmanship was horrendous so no matter how good the cars were supposed to be, they ended up pieces of crap.
I was a very young boy when my dad took delivery of what i remember as their first car, a cream Triumph Toledo. I don't remember much about it but a Vauxhall Viva followed, then a Renault 11.
I've heard some stories about the trade unions and some of the stupidity they got up to. Stuff like the toilets running out of loo roll and rather than someone popping down to Gateway or Mainstop for two packs of 24 a 24 hour strike being called and someone getting a disciplinary for being late constantly and another strike being called until management caving in and dropping the disciplinary. Are these things just legend or were the unions so hopped up on power they literally drove BL into the ground with their crazy demands and self satisfying egos?
Does anyone know of any material online that documents any of this? The Americans very nearly destroyed their own car industry by refusing to believe that their public would start buying Germand and Japanese small(er), more fuel efficient cars. BL eventually died their own death and eventually dragged Rover down with them (but not before BMW had taken everything they wanted!)
I've heard some stories about the trade unions and some of the stupidity they got up to. Stuff like the toilets running out of loo roll and rather than someone popping down to Gateway or Mainstop for two packs of 24 a 24 hour strike being called and someone getting a disciplinary for being late constantly and another strike being called until management caving in and dropping the disciplinary. Are these things just legend or were the unions so hopped up on power they literally drove BL into the ground with their crazy demands and self satisfying egos?
Does anyone know of any material online that documents any of this? The Americans very nearly destroyed their own car industry by refusing to believe that their public would start buying Germand and Japanese small(er), more fuel efficient cars. BL eventually died their own death and eventually dragged Rover down with them (but not before BMW had taken everything they wanted!)
Edited by MissChief on Sunday 2nd June 01:41
The intro & the outro featured Stratford Johns (Z-Cars, Softly Softly etc), who also narrated. Most, if not all of the speaking parts were played by actors, including Trevor Bannister (Are you Being Served?), Trevor Eve (Shoestring etc), Michael Robbins (On the Buses), Madeline Smith (anything involving eye candy) & Kenny Lynch (anything involving a token black person).
Yes, the build-quality of Leyland cars was abysmal, but 'Buy British' was the theme of the day, and that's what we did. Before effective rust-proofing, the main car-killer was tin-worm, and all makes suffered from that, surely?
Leyland could also be credited with several innovations, the Mini being the obvious one, but also the Maxi - possibly the first proper hatchback.
Yes, the build-quality of Leyland cars was abysmal, but 'Buy British' was the theme of the day, and that's what we did. Before effective rust-proofing, the main car-killer was tin-worm, and all makes suffered from that, surely?
Leyland could also be credited with several innovations, the Mini being the obvious one, but also the Maxi - possibly the first proper hatchback.
micky metro said:
.
how come there is such an appetite for knocking the british car industry? ......... GOOD STUFF ......... why do we do it to ourselves??
.
M M .... Do YOU really have to pose those questions? how come there is such an appetite for knocking the british car industry? ......... GOOD STUFF ......... why do we do it to ourselves??
.
For far too many decades our beloved and very cushioned against reality, highly over rewarded media have reported anything UK Industry related ALWAYS with a negative slant. Clarkson repeatedly spearheading the negativity onslaught with vigour where home product cars are concerned.
If you do really have to ask because you are genuinely puzzled, may I politely remind you that this is the land of the self-inflicted, where we excel at getting far too many things quite simply WRONG. Going on for decades. It is not bad luck or mere coincidence things have reached their current state.
Mind you, to be fair, we are good at some things like paying over the odds for German "superior" cars by the shipload whilst dancing on the grave of MG and Rover ... often with glee. As my Porsche driving "Big I am" neighbour and several others reminded me at a neighbourhood New Years Eve party. I outnumbered and alone there being castigated for my choice of cars when the 'discussion' became so heated that our better halves had to break it up! Porsche, Mercedes, AUDI, Volvo, Alfa, BMW, VW et al owners going on about superior Germanic build quality!
Only in the UK. ...
Sometime later, Porsche Dad's son came over and told me said superior Germanic Porsche burnt out on the nearby M5's hard shoulder. His Dad kept that quiet. Another's partner let slip their BMW needed £1500 worth of transmission and other repairs. I will not mention other problems but, one or two came over with the question ..
John, you know about cars, my *********** has a BIG problem ...
Still, rest assured things can only get worse in the land of the self inflicted.
By the way, I'm all in favour of all these very necessary economic measures those we entrust with this nation's well being have in process a massive "cuts" programme currently.
Yes, well in favour of these cuts, just as long as they do not affect me.
Now, where's my dictionary... I'm off to look up the meaning of the word ..... Unsustainable..... whilst deciding on the colour of my next new car ... a mighty 3-Series diesel ...
After all, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. do not want to feel not one of the cool 'in crowd'.
If it was not so serious for the Nation's longer term , it would be laughable.
No way would I ever buy a BMW, nice cars and all that but some of us will never forgive them for their asset stripping and cherry picking handling of the Rover Group. The whole sheebang they bought for peanuts. Leaving those asset stripped, cherry picked remnants of the former Rover Group to struggle on to extinction. I could buy a new MG ... Made in China! The IP of the MG-Rover remnants purchased by the Chinese for little more than loose change relatively speaking at the receivers sell off!
Foreign control of British assets. You know it makes sense. Bavaria uber Longbridge .....You couldn't make it up.
With no real home product of interest to me for a long time now, with that lack of home product choice in mind, I might consider something with a three pointed star up front. I believe they are no longer suffering from serious premature structural corrosion problems.
All the Fords, Japanese and GM products available here in the UK have as much appeal as say a white goods fridge, dishwasher or tumble drier.
All too bluddy late now, I have seen signs that within our beloved media, some have changed the habits of a lifetime! They are far less prone to report anything UK industry related with that perma-negative slant. Praise be. In fact, their appears a conscious effort to present a positive slant on these matters. Even our Government stress how important UK Industry actually producing things here is in the overall balance of the nations finances and commerce. Indeed, huge rewards for failure is no longer as widespread within the city and banks. Good grief... can it last.
All to bluddy late I fear. Hope I'm wrong.
That's how I see these things.
EDIT to add @ 02:25
In October 1970, I went along to Mill Garage in East London, ( now under the M11 motorway I believe) with readies and my 1965 MGB to buy the beautiful pale primrose MGB slowly rotating on the turntable as showroom centre piece. Complete with chrome wire wheels and thin line white wall tyres. One of the most beautiful cars I've even seen and still a vivid memory. Imagine my disappointment to see a SOLD sticker on the screen. No problem, I'll order one to the same spec.
Further disappointment shortly after that too.
"Long waiting list Sir, most of the production going to the United States! Be at least six months or more before we could get one for you!"
There was a time when folks held MGs and other British cars in high regard. Actually, in my direct experience, unlike here in the UK in recent times, both modern Rovers and MGs are held in higher regard on Mainland Europe and elsewhere in the world. I have helped their owners on a number of occasions to obtain parts for their cars which would be difficult or impossible to locate in their country. Bearing in mind that all those cars are at least eight years old now, often much older.
Worth repeating, only in the UK. The land of the increasingly self-inflicted.
Edited by MGJohn on Sunday 2nd June 02:25
MGJohn said:
With no real home product of interest to me for a long time now, with that lack of home product choice in mind, I might consider something with a three pointed star up front.
Sorry, have you been somewhere else these last 4 or 5 years? Jaguar, whilst foreign controlled, are making superbly designed, superbly specified, superbly engineered and superbly built cars right here, on the same ground where cars were thrown together with reckless abaondon 30 years earlier. I have visited the XJ production line and it is both fascinating to watch, and heartening to see a good British brand going from strength to strength.The same goes for Land Rover, though they are a special case - the only profitable arm of BL and the only vehicles with a reputation for continuing to work in the harshest circumstances, somewhat at odds with the rest of the BL products.
NelsonFox said:
MGJohn said:
With no real home product of interest to me for a long time now, with that lack of home product choice in mind, I might consider something with a three pointed star up front.
Sorry, have you been somewhere else these last 4 or 5 years? Jaguar, whilst foreign controlled, are making superbly designed, superbly specified, superbly engineered and superbly built cars right here, on the same ground where cars were thrown together with reckless abaondon 30 years earlier. I have visited the XJ production line and it is both fascinating to watch, and heartening to see a good British brand going from strength to strength.The same goes for Land Rover, though they are a special case - the only profitable arm of BL and the only vehicles with a reputation for continuing to work in the harshest circumstances, somewhat at odds with the rest of the BL products.
Your comment "thrown together with reckless abandon" is erroneous. I strongly suspect media brainwashing! I base that on the best evidence available, that of my own eyes and ears rtaher than media brainwashing or dahn the pub talk.
One other thing, like other "foreign" manufacturers based here have threatened to do, it could merely be a matter of time before TATA production is progressively moved elsewhere when it suits them. BMW are not the only manufacturers to pull the plug.
I was recently stopped by a 'plain clothes' patrol car in the small hours recently. It was a BMW ... Oh the shame, not by being given a late night check, but by the officers driving a BMW! Oh the shame!
"You were a bit brisk their Sir" ...
I had suspected who they were and they followed me closely for several miles before stopping me. I used the handling and performance of my ZS to put considerable extra distance between us on the faster stretches and large roundabouts etc, all within the speed limits. When the blue lights came on it was no surprise and only a mile from my home. They had already checked the Insurance and were concerned about late night drinkers. I had used my wife's car to pick her up from her firm's annual 'do' where she had a drink or two. I rarely drink as I value the ability to drive too much.
Oh the shame! Can you imagine a Yurgen or Fritz being pulled over on a German road late at night in a Police Car made in England...
... Be pleased to know if that does actually happen.Cannot sleep tonight. Far too hot. What is this weather about this year? Still, not complaining, could be worse.
MGJohn said:
With no real home product of interest to me for a long time now, with that lack of home product choice in mind, I might consider something with a three pointed star up front.
Well the rust proofing will be reminiscent of BL anyway O/T In fairness, MG/Rovers don't seem to rust, even abused old 214's I still see knocking about. Try finding a panel on a late nineties Merc which doesn't resemble swiss cheese.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff