jimvoorhies.com

You’ve heard that old proverb. It starts off a long chain of connected things that happen because of a missing nail.

The crux of it is that little things matter, sometimes even more than the big things. I’ve been reading Steve Jobs’ bio, and it really reinforces this concept. The tiniest of details, carried through an entire product, make the difference in how that product is viewed. Apple carries it to the entire experience, even how the packaging itself looks and works, how the stores look and operate, it’s all planned out In detail. That painful attention to detail in every aspect drives Apple product design and it’s led them inescapably to where they are now.

For years, other companies and industries have tried to do something similar. The auto industry is full of companies that seem to put forth that added effort. And also full of companies that did that and failed to keep it up. VW was like that once. The original Beetle was lots of things, but it was also totally reliable. The new Beetle wasn’t. By the time it was released, VW made cars that weren’t as qualitatively superior any more. They were still decent cars, but they were plagued with issues.

I think Honda is on the same path now. Our first and second Hondas were good cars, both Civics. But time has moved on and even Consumer Reports has failed to recommend the new Civics any more. My Fit is the same way. Honda has cut corners here and there and the result is that the level of quality, the experience of ownership, has lessened significantly. Mechanically, it’s probably as excellent a car as any I’ve owned. The engine and transmission will probably last over a quarter of a million miles. Easily. How they arranged the back seats so they provide huge amounts of storage room and flexibility are good design features. But I won’t buy another one. They’re cheaply done now. The difference shows up in the small details and it is they. Hat reinforce cheapness and inferior quality that takes the shine from the H on the hood.

I rest my left arm on the door next to the glass. In the two prior Hondas we owned, that area was plastic or vinyl and the door panels below that were vinyl or cloth. But that area where higher wear should be expected was a material designed to handle the wear. In the Fit, they’re cloth right up to the window. After 60,000 miles on my car, it’s showing wear there. The fabric’s become worn down and it’s shiny. It’s poor design and poor quality and not representative of the Honda of prior years.

I’ve owned a lot of cars in my lifetime and, since I tend to keep my cars a long time, I’ve seen lots of things wear out. Take floor mats for example. I recall one of my old cars where I wore out the floor mats and had to replace them where my heels dug in. The original mats that came with it were thin rubber ones and I bought thicker replacement mats once the rubber ones wore out. But it was after about 150,000 miles or so. The floor mats in the Fit – thick carpeted ones -have worn out in 60,000 miles – almost all the way through. If I replace them, Honda only sells a full set that includes both front and back.

None of these are big things but they create a perception in the owner (me) of inferiority. Perceptions are not reality, of course. The perception of poor quality does not mean my car will deteriorate quickly. The reality is that car quality over the decades has increased significantly and my car will be comparable. But it never will be as good as it might have been. My perception is that it’s not worth as much as it should be (and worth less on resale because of the diminished quality). My expectations were higher based on my previous Honda experience and that expectation and my perception of it drive my experience. Reality does not.