Best Time To Have Your BMW Built

parkpo31 · 12-13-2006, 05:21 PM

Years ago I heard that you "didn't want to buy a car that was built on a Friday." The belief was that cars built on a Friday had more problems than cars built on other days. The logic was that on Fridays the factory workers were tired and ready to leave for the weekend and consequently build quality decreased.

I always wondered if that was just an old wives tale or if there were actual studies that showed that car components manufactured on certain days or during certain times during the year had a higher percentage of errors/issues than cars assembled on other days/months.

Does anyone know if there is any research showing a variation in the quality of a car constructed during certain days of the week, certain weeks during the month or certain months during the year? For example would a car constructed the week before Christmas have a higher or lower percentage of defects than a car constructed the week after New Years?

Maybe with modern day robotics it's a none issue but when you look at the BMW assembly lines you do see a lot of human interaction in the manufacturing process. We all have good/bad days on the job and I know many people get a little more slack around the holidays (due to so many other things taking our time/attention). So maybe there is truth in the old idea? Any thoughts or evidence?

Cheers!

user1 · 12-13-2006, 05:37 PM

Maybe true for American cars where unionized workers have a Monday thru Friday job & little incentive to go the extra mile (cant be fired). I remember seeing something on TV about a new plant BMW was finishing. They had a mass transit system to bring in all the workers from surrounding towns. Anyway, it mentioned having all kinds of work hours and work weeks. So the factory isnt like a 9-5/M-F job. People are constantly starting and ending their day or work week. It was done to help the flow of workers in and out of the factory & to keep everthing running at peak production. Having a BMW built on Friday shouldnt mean much. That Friday could be the worker's "Tuesday" (second day of his work week) depending on his schedule.

12-13-2006, 05:21 PM	#1
parkpo31 Enlisted Member 4 Rep 46 Posts Drives: 2007 Jet Black 335i Coupe Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Atlanta iTrader: (0)	Best Time To Have Your BMW Built Years ago I heard that you "didn't want to buy a car that was built on a Friday." The belief was that cars built on a Friday had more problems than cars built on other days. The logic was that on Fridays the factory workers were tired and ready to leave for the weekend and consequently build quality decreased. I always wondered if that was just an old wives tale or if there were actual studies that showed that car components manufactured on certain days or during certain times during the year had a higher percentage of errors/issues than cars assembled on other days/months. Does anyone know if there is any research showing a variation in the quality of a car constructed during certain days of the week, certain weeks during the month or certain months during the year? For example would a car constructed the week before Christmas have a higher or lower percentage of defects than a car constructed the week after New Years? Maybe with modern day robotics it's a none issue but when you look at the BMW assembly lines you do see a lot of human interaction in the manufacturing process. We all have good/bad days on the job and I know many people get a little more slack around the holidays (due to so many other things taking our time/attention). So maybe there is truth in the old idea? Any thoughts or evidence? Cheers!
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12-13-2006, 05:37 PM	#2
user1 First Lieutenant 8 Rep 309 Posts Drives: 01 330ci; 07 335i Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Irvine iTrader: (0)	Maybe true for American cars where unionized workers have a Monday thru Friday job & little incentive to go the extra mile (cant be fired). I remember seeing something on TV about a new plant BMW was finishing. They had a mass transit system to bring in all the workers from surrounding towns. Anyway, it mentioned having all kinds of work hours and work weeks. So the factory isnt like a 9-5/M-F job. People are constantly starting and ending their day or work week. It was done to help the flow of workers in and out of the factory & to keep everthing running at peak production. Having a BMW built on Friday shouldnt mean much. That Friday could be the worker's "Tuesday" (second day of his work week) depending on his schedule.
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