BMW's are crap and unreliable.

[AB]

Someone said:

First Focus ( 02 Zetec ) was replaced with a Bmw E36.... Bmw are a crap drive and really unreliable.
Second Focus ( 03 Elle ) Was replaced with a Bmw E46....Bmw are still a crap drive and still really unreliable.
Went to peugeot then an St220 and then to a 2.2 TDci Mondy ......None of them drive as good as a Focus.

Oh look,i got another Focus...Best Drive.

Have I missed something? Are BMW's renowned for being unreliable?

Are they renowned for being crap to drive?

I always thought the opposite, happy to be told otherwise.

[roscozs]

What problems did you have with the BMW's. Every Ford I have owned has had at least one niggle.

[AB]

I've never seen a problem with any of the BMW's that either myself or my family/friends have owned.

The above quote isn't from me.

I always thought that Mercs went through an unreliable phase, but had sorted themselves out now. Not BMW.

[roscozs]

Oh yeah sorry.
My Father has had E30, E36 and an E46 all of them new. Whilst still in warranty one needed a new radiator, another needed new lower arms as the bushes had split and his last one a E46 323 he had to throw back due to a dual mass flywheel fault that couldn't be resolved. However he still says they're the best cars he has ever owned. Just this week infact hes gone out and ordered a E90. Fords in my experience have been much the same as the BMW's for reliability but I would never put them on a par, engineering wise.

Edited by roscozs on Saturday 11th July 16:55

[V6Alfisti]

I don't think they are any less reliable than other European manufacturers.

However the 7 series did suffer from all sorts of electrical gremlins.

The 3 series had many turbo failures, bushes perishing and rust keeps popping up on E46 models e.t.c

VANOS issues keep re-appearing and Nikasil issues on the older ones

They certainly aren't faultless, but neither are VW/Audi/Alfa/Merc e.t.c who all have their own issues

[lambo_xx]

From my experience any BMW I have owned has been great. The fact that you see so many VERY high mileage cars is a testament to their reliability. Mercedes on the other hand are terrible. They used to be the best, but sadly n the 90s they let their build quality and dealer service slip.

[The GMan]

AB said:

I've never seen a problem with any of the BMW's that either myself or my family/friends have owned.

The above quote isn't from me.

I always thought that Mercs went through an unreliable phase, but had sorted themselves out now. Not BMW.

I think you have answered your own question. BMW always take a kickin' and of course you might get the odd Friday afternoon car.

Another point the spec of BMW is never mentioned above. So what was being compared. I can't imagine their talking about an E36 M3 or even a decent spec E46.

[jamoor]

I think ford and BMW are on par.

Ford are excellent value for money though.

[Gun]

Well I've owned two Fords, a Cougar and a Focus ST170, and they were the two most unreliable cars I've owned. The 8 series I've owned however was faultless.

[Sport Coupe]

BMW's are not crap and unreliable.

The problem is that there are a lot of dog eared BMW's out there as people can't afford to maintain them properly - thus they get used, abused, and then passed onto the next owner. 3 Series variants and owners are the worst for this in my experience.

Fords are cheaper to maintain and also the owners get a newer less abused example for their money meaning that the ownership experience can be better.

Find a good example of both cars and there is no comparison.

[croyde]

I've had my E36 since bought almost new in 1998, just can't bring myself to get rid of it. It's been a victim of vandalism a few times but it's never let me down and a great car to drive.

I had a Discovery 3 from new in 2005 and it let us down 2 times whilst on holidays and a number of other times. This from a car that is supposed to take you off on all sorts of adventures. Mind you I did like it but it had to go once the warranty ran out as I could not trust it.

[The GMan]

I think another problem is some people buy low spec BMW's expecting the world. When of course a de-badged 318 is not going to have similar luxuries as a similar priced Ford.

[ipwn]

Mine is on 120k .

Problems :

Transmission went - 1300
xenon ballast - 200
something thing got to do with power steering coil went randomly - 300-400


However I love it to bits, looks fantastic, drives brilliantly, has all the extras ticked apart from 1 I think ! Looks like it has around 20k on the clock from the inside

Edited by ipwn on Saturday 11th July 17:13

[Mr Dave]

My dad has a 2000ish 525, has had only one fault which is the ABS ECU failed. It feels much better than brand new cars even though it has 150k on the clock, great to drive, decent enough performance for what it is and gets great mpg.

I will be buying a BMW in the future based on that car.

[AB]

My old Focus 'ink' is still on the drive with less than 45k miles on it - bulbs blow regularly, it rattles, drivers window has stopped working, electrical faults in abundance.

The 8 series, as mentioned, pretty much faultless.

Z4 is nearing 65k miles now, its had a suspension bush replacing.

All of the above have been serviced as suggested by manufacturers with no expense spared.

I loved my Focus, fantastic handling little cars, but when someone says they would take one over a decent E36/E46 or even made the following comment...

Someone said:

I am a fitter for a living and have driven hundreds of beemers over the years...if your statement is correct then they are all lemons as i havent found one a nice drive yet. As for the reliability....I can honestly say that about 70% of cars that come in with th MIL on are beemers....Head gaskets...Leaking diesel pumps....snapped rear springs...trailing arm bushes popping out.....cam sensors....ECT sensors.......Ok Bored now.

(above was a response to "Must have been a lemon mate")

and

Someone said:

Nah,i have driven everything from the old E30 right up to Z4s and X5s and a few of the new M3s and M5s still not impressed enough to own one.

You gotta laugh... but I think the comment regarding older abused models is probably true - this guy being a 'fitter' and all.

Edited by AB on Saturday 11th July 17:19

[Zod]

this isn't the idiot who turned up about a year ago claiming to be a mechanic who had tried every M car and found them all to be slow and st, is it?

If the guy likes Focuses and thinks they are the best car available, it's probably best to leave him in his odd world.

[The GMan]

Zod said:

this isn't the idiot who turned up about a year ago claiming to be a mechanic who had tried every M car and found them all to be slow and st, is it?

If the guy likes Focuses and thinks they are the best car available, it's probably best to leave him in his odd world.

Ha ha ha.I think it might be best to as he sounds like a dork!

[Sport Coupe]

AB said:

Someone said:

Nah,i have driven everything from the old E30 right up to Z4s and X5s and a few of the new M3s and M5s still not impressed enough to own one.

You gotta laugh... but I think the comment regarding older abused models is probably true - this guy being a 'fitter' and all.

Being a 'fitter' we can deduce that when they say they have driven the cars in question, it actually means that they have moved said vehicles from the customer parking area to the workshop ramp and back again.

Very apt I think: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1auRCameVY

[V8mate]

lambo_xx said:

The fact that you see so many VERY high mileage cars is a testament to their reliability.

Maybe, the fact that you see so many high-mileage BMWs is testament to the fact that the badge is popular with junior/middle managers and salespeople who do a lot of mileage.

I'm not saying you're right or wrong, but your theory doesn't necessarily rule out regular niggling faults.

Look at Peugeot 407s and Renault Lagunas. Always plenty of 100k+, 3 year old cars in the marketplace. Their price and comfort meets a need, rather than them being super reliable.

[kambites]

I don't think BMWs are any more or less reliable than any other mainstream European cars these days. Japanese cars seem to be slightly better built, but there's very little in it in Europe.