If you're buying a new snowblower the only company in the USA that both engineers and builds the engines is Honda and of course they are primarily for commercial use. I'm based in Canada and we can get them at local dealers only, for about $2,600 - $8,000. Much more than you would pay for a Toro or Ariens. There's a good article here explaining who makes what - https://movingsnow.com/2020/2020-snow-blowers-who-makes-each-brand/ Also for OEM Engines like many products there is a design, build and test component. I've seen many people complain about LCT Engines, yes they are "built" in China, no they are not designed or tested there. LCT is very clear on their website - the Corporate Office is in Travelers Rest, SC. "Operations Management, Design Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality Assurance, Production Control, Warranty / Technical Services, Logistics and other Administrative functions are solely based in South Carolina, USA." LCT also has a Shanghai Office - "LCT has a dedicated staff of professional Engineers, Quality Assurance Teams, and Logistics/Sourcing Personnel based in our downtown Shanghai, China offices." So yes, LCT has Chinese Engines, but that doesn't mean that Ariens is using an engine that was designed, built and tested in China because it's 10-20x cheaper for them to do that so they can increase profit margins. Not at all. I don't get the feeling that products made outside of USA or Canada are "cheap". I've been in both mechanical, medical and software engineering and this was never the case. A good example is Loncin, they were known as a Honda clone at one point but they're known globally for their quality engines so much that they sell about 3 Million engines per year - "It has annual production capacity of 2,500,000 motorcycles, 3,000,000 motorcycle engines, and 150,000 all-terrain vehicles (ATVs)." Loncin builds engines for Toro that rival anything Honda or LCT make and there are other brands such as PowerMore that are good quality as well - you will find these on Cub Cadet and Troy-Bilt. Briggs & Stratton? Tecumseh? Yep, built in China too, Briggs owns it's facility there and Tecumseh is part of LCT now. In reality USA companies are using facilities in China to build engines, not necessarily designing them there except in the case of Toro and Loncin. At the very minimum the design spec comes from the brand company and they are doing their own quality assurance. The engine doesn't just show up at the assembly plant and they slap a sticker on it, there's a little more to it than that. Overall I think it's a good thing, product manufacturers in every market are getting sub-components from niche market companies that specialize in them. Think companies like Toyota or Honda are manufacturing every component in their products? They don't make their own steel, aluminum, plastic or crude oil do they? Ever seen a Toyota Oil rig? At some point it must be OK to buy a component from somebody else, and they don't need to be your next door neighbour. I mean... do you ever go to the produce section of the grocery store and think hey, how long has this fruit been in season? It's OK to get your fruit 12 months per year from somewhere but it's not OK to build an engine outside of the border?

"Wow OAA9898 you called me a lier and a retard in one post LOL.Sure its just one case and I said they make them better today then they did back then.But it is a true story.I guess you just do not believe everything you read.Just every thing Consumer Distorts and JD powers writes?Still its a fact you do not see 20 year old Rice burners on the road.Thats a fact.Maybe up on blocks.Even this retard can see that." Actually they did make them good, even back then. Why do you think the imports were so popular? American cars in the '70s were gas hogs of substandard quality. All cars built back then were of abysmal quality in comparison to todays cars. I'm not suggesting imports were perfect at all; however, every car in the 70s had rust problems. The problem with imports back then was that very few mechanics would touch them, so dealer maintenance was necessary and expensive (and therefore often left undone). Guess what happens if you don't change the timing belt on an interference engine? It snaps and the pistons hit the valves, and well, you can guess the rest. If your car has over a 100,000 miles on it, and the engine is ruined due to a snapped timing belt (due to poor maintenance) you could put a couple thousand dollars into an eight or nine year old car, or cut your losses. What choice do you think a lot of consumers made? BTW, in 1985, Honda and Toyota sales were growing but were far from being at the volume of domestic cars sold at the time. Of course you see more domestics; thats simply due to the fact that more domestics were sold. Japanese car companies concentrated their sales in markets were demand was the highest, like on the West coast. You live in Illinois, the demand for gasoline was and is much higher in California, and probably always will be; therefore, there was a greater demand for fuel-efficient vehicles. Hence, more Hondas and Toyotas were sold there as opposed to where you and I live, the Midwest. Despite what you may believe, everything is not the same everywhere, johndeere. And thanks to competition cars today are far better then they would be without Japanese Imports. Thanks, Japan. Don't knock Consumer Reports. Unlike J.D. Power & Associates, they are one of the only non-for-profit consumer advocacy groups left in the country. They accept no advertisements, corporate donations, and don't allow their name to be advertised by manufacturers. Say what you will, that they're biased towards foreign cars, or other garbage like that - but it will be completely unfounded.

I bought a 1995 Acura Legend in 1998 with 32,000 miles on it. It was a 36-month lease turn-in and was literally in PERFECT condition. It sat unsold on the Acura dealerâs used lot because it was the least expensive model, the L 4-door, with cloth interior and 5-speed manual transmission. But it was exactly what I wanted, White with Taupe interior, Bose stereo, Power seats with memory and (the best part) the sweetest 200hp 3.2L V6 Iâve ever experienced! I paid $26,000 out-the-door, which felt like a fortune at the time (I was 23). I drove it 40-50k miles per year until I was t-boned by a commercial truck in August 2005. It had just turned 329,000 miles at the time and didnât burn a drop of oil (synthetic), the clutch had only been replaced once and the transmission shifted like new. Other than scheduled maintenance, the only thing I ever had to replace was the A/C compressor and two ABS sensors. The impact was so hard the passenger-side door panel ended up breaking my right hand and forearm (it was in the middle of the car). The rearview mirror broke loose during the crash and hit me in the head just above my right ear. It left most of the glass mirror fragments in my head and took 38 staples to close the wound! I also had damage to two discs in my cervical spine that required a 3-level c-spine fusion the following year. But I was able to recover from all of those injuries, which was pretty amazing considering how bad my poor Legend looked. I bought a 2006 Mazda3 Hatchback to replace it in December 2005. Eight years later, Iâm just past 190,000 miles and going strong!

To those searching for more on the Toyota engine oil sludge or gel matter, please see the following links: http://www.toyotaoilgel.com http://www.uc2.blogspot.com http://www.autosafety.org Follow "toyotasludge" on Twitter.com Watch the Toyota Sludge video on YouTube.com at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fs7WI2s-CVw If you have blue/white smoke from the exhaust, especially on start up; check engine light on; excess oil consumption or sudden disappearance of engine oil; failed emissions control components such as the oxygen sensor or catalytic converter; a thrown engine piston rod; or complete engine failure, then be on alert! Notify Toyota via CERTIFED letter with return receipt requested about your problem and ask for full repair coverage under Toyotas Customer Support Program for Engine Oil Gelation. Speak up loudly online if Toyota refuses to honor this program or continues to blame you in the wake of proper vehicle maintenance. If Toyota is totally unresponsive in the wake of a failed engine due to engine oil sludge build up, consider going to the following web sites to voice your concern: http://www.ConsumerAffairs.com http://www.RipOffReport.com Regardless of the Toyota response, be sure to file online vehicle owner complaints at: http://www.autosafety.org The Center for Auto Safety http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/ The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Just to make it clear, the Toyota engine oil sludge problemthe one that has attracted so many defamers to follow me around the internetis STILL a problem. There are many later model Toyota models showing signs of the same problem. What is worse, Toyota owners are reporting continued deception at Toyota and Toyota dealerships. Far too many Toyota owners are being told they do not qualify for the CSP repair cost coverage for one reason or another. Still other Toyota model owners who have sludged engines are being asked to pay thousands in repair costs despite proper vehicle maintenance. This is wrong! Toyota Owners Unite for Resolution Charlene Blake cblake@erols.com charleneblake@cox.net