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Italian robots are building the Ducato, are Mexican robots building the PM?

6K views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  FCAsurvivor4now 
#1 ·
#4 ·
I'd had the RAM commercial salesman tell me the PM chassis did not receive a submerged application of primer/sealer... 0:53 in the video shows the base frame/cab assembly getting the 'dip'...
 
#5 · (Edited)
That video is of the Sevel plant in Italy but I would think with the upper US and Canada the dip would be important here. If sprayed on it seems to being doing a good job as we hear no reports of premature rusting and with the first PM vans now 3 years old it would be showing up.
 
#6 ·
If you've not had a chance take a tour of a auto factory sometime. Most manufactures have a tour at at least one of their plants. I toured the Audi factory in Ingolstat and they had every variation of A3 including custom orders and plug hybrids all coming off the same line at 300 cars per day. The robots in the body plant are amazing to watch and makes you realize where all the manufacturing jobs really have gone. There was about 4 people milling around checking on the robots or refilling supplies and that was it. The final assembly had a lot of people working there bolting in parts but I can see as robots become more dexterous with improved machine vision even those jobs will go away.
 
#7 ·
Pretty cool video but I'm in the automation business, so they always are. The level of automation seen here is pretty standard in the automotive industry nowadays.

The "dip" is part of a multi-step process called e-coating. That's the basic, first level of corrosion protection, and the idea with the dip is to get it into every crevice, some of which aren't accessible to the following spray applications.
 
#8 ·
...
The "dip" is part of a multi-step process called e-coating. ...

:(I was under the impression from adds that the frame and body were galvanized (zinc coated) like my real Ram van.
When I told my wife I wanted to buy a Fiat, she said, "NOO Fix It Again Tony's"
Then when I told her it was "Made in Mexico" she said, "Are you kidding or are you crazy?"


Man, I do NOT want to hear "I TOLD YOU SO!"
 
#9 · (Edited)
In SoCAl the rust problem will not be an issue, in fact with some manufacturer's history of trying to keep paint on that galvy you may be better off. Your wife might recall that Tony..... expression came about at the same time British cars were so bad you couldn’t keep 'em on the road and Lucas was known as the “Prince of Darkness”! LOL My VWs of that era had to be jacked up and have the king pins greased every 3000 miles and at the same time I changed the oil and did a tune up! My Plymouth Valiant (a better than average car for the time) would eat a set of points every 5000 miles and no one ever found the reason! Now Mexico is where lots of “Real” Ram trucks are made. How time changes!
Show her this:
http://fortune.com/2015/07/20/fiat-chrysler-best-new-cars/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Chrysler_factories
I am still laughing! Thanks
 
#12 ·
OEM swivel seats that ROCK (not in the good way)

i have the swivel seats that are used for the rv market segment. Every one of them i have examined have the same manufacturing flaws; there is huge excess clearance in critical connection points that allow the seat to move when subjected to any lateral g force. This clearly a mistake in manufacturing, the design would never specify the amount of play that results in disturbing movement while driving. As far as i can see, someone in production plant screwed up and they taking 8 months to tell me there is nothing wrong. Ill show video on youtube soon for all to see, or message me and ill show you.
 
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