GM, Ford and Chrysler

[Lenny]

My parter owned the Car Washes (Redford/Taylor/Romulus) & owned the Detail Center. He was the originator/founder/pioneer of the touchless systems and his Uncle was one of (if not the 1st) people to open the 1st Coin Operated washes in America.

Too funny! I used the DIY indoor facility in Redford many times, many winters it was there. Talk about a small world. My wife graduated from nearby Bishop Borgess High School.

[David Fermani]

I went to Redford Thurston (class of 88) and had alot of friends at Borgess.



Too bad Poly Pro closed. It was an amazing concept, but was managed very poorly. They really tanked in the summer time too. I`m sure we spoke to each other 1 time or another. What car did you use to take in the Redford store?

[Lenny]

I went to Redford Thurston (class of 88) and had alot of friends at Borgess.



Too bad Poly Pro closed. It was an amazing concept, but was managed very poorly. They really tanked in the summer time too. I`m sure we spoke to each other 1 time or another. What car did you use to take in the Redford store?

A tan metallic Mercury Sable that was a company car, and a 1996 Ford Taurus LX with chrome wheels - this one here: Autopia Member Photo Gallery



Do you remember Fairlane Car Wash in Dearborn - Michigan Avenue, near Miller Road? Full service, touchless car wash (not any more, but back when you were here in Detroit). I used them once in a while in the winter (damn salt), too, when I was in a hurry and had to pick up a Ford or Detroit Edison customer for lunch. Back when I used Meguiar`s No. 20, and one of the managers would insist that the kids drying my car got fresh towels before they started drying mine. It was too funny, because ehtey used to be a detailer, too, and he would always ask me "What do you use on your car? It`s got incredible slip!"



You went to Thurston? I graduated from Dearborn Heights Annapolis - we played Thurston often, in football, basketball, and wrestling, if memory serves correct (which at 49 years old, it doesn`t always).

[Twista616]

I`m not a fan of the Big 3 at all! Most people here are for it, I`m 100% against it just like half the Senate...reason being was all the reasons already mentioned in the hearings:

**7500 GM Dealerships vs. 1500 Toyota vs. 1200 Honda= Honda and Toyota outselling GM Ford and Chrystler for the past 15 years.

**Manufacturing plants that arent currently producing , are still paying 95% of wages to people that aren`t even working! (are you serious?) I don`t care about the union, thats just wrong! This economy boggles me when it comes to business principles and practice! 3 million jobs, such an inaccurate number!



We constantly wonder why India and China are soo far ahead of us. Why are all the Doctors, Indian or why are all the tech giants are Chinese. They are soo far ahead of us here its unreal. We complain about them stealing our job, yet we piss away money for non-working employees!



Thats my rant for the day, many will disagree, but thats life, I`m proud to be american, but will never buy an american car.

[Lenny]

I`m not a fan of the Big 3 at all! Most people here are for it, I`m 100% against it just like half the Senate...reason being was all the reasons already mentioned in the hearings:

**7500 GM Dealerships vs. 1500 Toyota vs. 1200 Honda= Honda and Toyota outselling GM Ford and Chrystler for the past 15 years.

**Manufacturing plants that arent currently producing , are still paying 95% of wages to people that aren`t even working! (are you serious?) I don`t care about the union, thats just wrong! This economy boggles me when it comes to business principles and practice! 3 million jobs, such an inaccurate number!



We constantly wonder why India and China are soo far ahead of us. Why are all the Doctors, Indian or why are all the tech giants are Chinese. They are soo far ahead of us here its unreal. We complain about them stealing our job, yet we piss away money for non-working employees!



Thats my rant for the day, many will disagree, but thats life, I`m proud to be american, but will never buy an american car.

If you have a problem with the number of dealerships, which is a valid concern, then you need to educate yourself, then go take it up with your state government and all fifty state governments. All fifty states passed franchise laws, in the late 1960`s well before Toyota or Honda were ever on anyone`s car shopping list, that give all the power to the franchise dealer, not the auto company. GM wants to close a dealer, the state laws make sure that the dealers demands for compensation for closure take 100% priority, and not the auto makers. Closing Oldsmobile cost GM ten times what they had planned for, not because they miscalculated, but because the state courts and supposedly independent arbitrators held GM`s feet to the fire. An auto maker has the odds stacked against them when they go up against a dealer. Toyota is now finding that out when they started threatening to withhold allocations of car inventory from dealers who refused to expand their service departments - it`s going to court, and Toyota is starting to feel the pinch just like GM. Welcome to the party.



This is prime example of misinformation and lack of information, mostly perpetuated by the media. They like to tell news stories in little sound bites, and give only one side of a story, to rile people up in times for the ratings sweeps. And then the mindless sheep known as the American audience just laps up the half truths of the news sound bites and take the crap as gospel.



You`re 100% against it? Then you`re 100% wrong, because you`re basing your judgment on half truths, innuendo and distortions. The Big 3 have their faults, to be sure, but no where near the crap that`s been tossed around. Problem now is it`s been bandied about so much, the majority of people take is as truth.

[Lenny]

I`m not a fan of the Big 3 at all! Most people here are for it, I`m 100% against it just like half the Senate...reason being was all the reasons already mentioned in the hearings:

**7500 GM Dealerships vs. 1500 Toyota vs. 1200 Honda= Honda and Toyota outselling GM Ford and Chrystler for the past 15 years.

**Manufacturing plants that arent currently producing , are still paying 95% of wages to people that aren`t even working! (are you serious?) I don`t care about the union, thats just wrong! This economy boggles me when it comes to business principles and practice! 3 million jobs, such an inaccurate number!



We constantly wonder why India and China are soo far ahead of us. Why are all the Doctors, Indian or why are all the tech giants are Chinese. They are soo far ahead of us here its unreal. We complain about them stealing our job, yet we piss away money for non-working employees!



Thats my rant for the day, many will disagree, but thats life, I`m proud to be american, but will never buy an american car.

And you want to carp about paying people to do nothing, then be fair and go b*tch at Toyota. They shut their San Antonio, Texas truck plant for three months this year, and paid every worker to not build trucks. Honda is going to shut production down for an extra two days in December - and pay everyone for those two days to not build anything.



And Mercedes in Alabama, and Nissan in Tennessee, are offering $100,000 buyouts to workers to leave. Like I said in my previous post - welcome to the Party.