Toyota's Rogue Wipers

 Toyota has a flaw that has slipped through its famous production systems. A problem it chooses to ignore - or brazen it out - but the backstreet mechanics of Delhi are making the most of it, poking fun at the global auto giant and its much vaunted claim to high quality products.

The problem is with the switch assembly that controls a range of functions related to windscreen wipers, headlights and indicators.

Set yourself in this situation: You are driving down a busy expressway. It is rush hour traffic and there are vehicles of all shapes and sizes speeding alongside with their customary disregard for driving etiquette - jumping lanes, flashing high-beams, blasting away at their horns...you get the picture. Suddenly, for no apparent reason your windscreen wiper jumps to life, squeaking long arcs on the dry glass surface,  refusing to respond to any switches, distracting you from your focus on the road. Clearly a dangerous situation to be in.

The first time this happened on our Toyota Etios in 2018, the only way to stop the windscreen wipers was to pull off the road, to shut down the engine and restart. We took it immediately to the Toyota workshop and they said it was a 'rare malfunction' and that the only solution was to replace the entire switch assembly. At around INR8000 it was an expensive spare part to replace.

A few months into the Covid lockdown the new assembly unit developed exactly the same problem.  This had happened well within a year of replacement but the vehicle could not be taken to the workshop due to the lockdown restrictions, and the only consolation Toyota could offer was, "If you had sent us an email complaint during the lockdown we could have extended the warranty period...". 

So what was the solution? - "Sorry, but the only option is to replace the assembly unit once again...it is however not readily available, so once you confirm your order, we will get it for you in a month's time..". Then came the kicker - the cost of the unit had gone up - it was now over INR12,000!

We fretted about this for a while. Was it worth spending so much money for second replacement? Would we have to replace the assembly yet again a year later? What if the sudden activation of the zombie wiper led to an accident on the roads?

Ultimately we decided to get a second opinion from one of the numerous mechanics who hang around the tiny workshops at Sector 2, NOIDA. It was young Irshad who took up my case. He took one look at the car and said nonchalantly, "Since you don't want to get the assembly replaced again, I will solve this problem for INR300. It will take about 15 minutes."

Then, as I stood by watching in wonder and amazement, he deftly removed the steering wheel, pried out the assembly panel, and opened a plastic cap that exposed the electronic circuitry. He looked closely at the soldered points for a few minutes, turning it over, checking and re-checking, and then with a quick, sharp flick of the screwdriver, made a 3mm incision into the green plate.

Clearly this was nothing new for him - it was a practiced hand at work. "I have done this for scores of cars", he confirmed, "It is a common problem in Toyota cars as well as the Maruti Swift model...the assembly is too expensive so I get lots of business!"

As promised by Irshad the car wipers have never gone rogue after this 'operation'. The only downside is that the 'mist' and 'low' options on the switches do not work anymore but I am quite happy with the remaining two options, 'medium' and 'high', fully functional.  On the whole this was like having an appendicitis operation instead of suffering a sudden, painful rupture!

One important learning from this experience has been that the Japanese claim to high quality autos needs to be taken with a pinch of salt and loads of skepticism...so much for the acclaimed Toyota Production Systems.

A Tale of Two Retailers

A 3in1 phone-lens at Miniso - solid Value for Money

"Oh, Miniso?", said the sales-person at Muji, "You could call them our 'poor cousins'. Our prices are higher because we sell high quality products".

We have all heard this quality spiel before. Every fruit vendor in Delhi uses that line to sell his wares. At Muji, apart from sounding contrived and utterly unconvincing, it also presumes that the Indian customer is a fool.

Miniso and Muji are two retail brands with a lot in common. Both proclaim their Japanese pedegree in design aesthetics and quality while getting most of their products manufactured in China; both have 'affordable quality' as their USP, and both represent the changing face of Japanese FDI in India which is trying to diversify from its hitherto narrow focus on the automobile sector.

In their approach to the Indian market, however, Muji and Miniso could not be more different. 

Muji @DLF Mall of India, NOIDA

Muji is a company that started in the early 1980s in Japan. It is positioned as a "reasonably priced" brand, keeping the retail prices of its 'no-brand' products "lower than usual" by the materials it selected, streamlining its manufacturing processes, and minimising packaging. However, in India, it has chosen to tie-up with the Reliance conglomerate and positioned itself as an upmarket brand. 

Miniso, on the other hand, is a relatively young company, started in 2011 by Miyake Junya, a Japanese designer, and a Chinese entrepreneur, Ye Guofo. Unlike Muji, its sells quality products at prices that are actually reasonable by Indian standards.

The difference between the two retailers is quite telling at the DLF Mall of India, in NOIDA. Here, Muji has take up a large space on the first floor ('International Boulevard') while the Miniso outlet is about a fourth in size on the lower ground floor, at the same level as other budget shops, BigBazaar and Store99. While the Muji store exudes a lavish sense of space and luxury, Miniso is cramped with overflowing shelves and narrow aisles. 

Perhaps the biggest difference is that while Miniso is full of customers stuffing their baskets and lining up at the payment counters, Muji remains desolate in comparison. A handful of people saunter in as though they are visiting a museum, and most of them walk out without making a purchase.

Miniso @ Mall of India, NOIDA

What expains this difference? The price-tag could be one. In India, Muji's products have drifted far from their motto of being "reasonably priced". Most of the products in fact come with a two price-tags, and, amazingly, the Japanese JPY price is less than the equivalent INR price! For instance, a simple ruler carries a Japan price of JPY150 (INR93)and its India price is INR150! 

It is when I asked the Muji guys about this that I got the Miniso-is-our-poor-cousin comment. When I ask them about the rush in Miniso stores compared to Muji, their answer was - "Oh, that must be because this is NOIDA, where people cannot afford Muji quality!". 

Having lived in Japan for two years, and interacted with the impeccably polite and tactful staff at Muji stores at Tokyo and Tsukuba, one thing is certain: For all the investments they are making in India, staff training in India is far below Muji standards.

This summer, while Muji tries to weave a snooty cocoon for itself and attempts to attract customers with "upto 50% discount", Miniso, the 'poor cousin', has already expanded to 19 stores in NCR Delhi alone, and is laughing all the way to the bank.

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LINKS & REFERENCES

* (2017) - How Miniso became a mega success - http://knowledge.ckgsb.edu.cn/2017/05/31/c-suite-interview/miniso-mega-success-interview-ye-guofu/

* (2017) ET - Japan's investments in India is getting diverse - https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/finance/japans-investments-in-india-getting-diverse/articleshow/58863341.cms