BMW *sigh*

[us AAirways]

I bought a new 128i on Mon. Had it towed to the dealer on Wed because it wouldn't start. They still don't know what's wrong with it, saying Mon or Tue.

My 8 yr old Ford Ranger runs perfectly. Glad I kept it.

 

[poadeleted21]

Owned a German car once, that's enough for me.

My friend is an Audi nut, he says Audi ownership begins at your first check engine light.

 

[Dan Thomas]

My 8 yr old Ford Ranger runs perfectly. Glad I kept it.

So does my six-year-old Ranger. I've had it for a year and a half. Nice truck. They're just a rebranded Mazda, and the best vehicle I ever owned in the past was a 1974 Mazda B1800 pickup. I drove it for seven years and spent hardly anything on it; it just wouldn't quit. The '78 Dodge pickup I bought to replace it, on the other hand, was absolutely the worst vehicle I ever owned. 30 years later I still avoid Chrysler products. I still see them as a waste of good paint.

Dan

 

[comanchepilot]

German cars are very reliable if you get a good one - I have a good one. My wife, has a good one.

If you do not get a good one - you will live a life of misery.

If you JUST bought the car - I'd prob get the dealership manager or owner involved right now - and I would look up your State's lemon law - and become familiar with its express terms - and the MOMENT it becomes effective - get them to buy the car back. You do NOT want the outlier of assembled German parts - sooner or later the 0.001% of bad parts and out of tolerance gets assembled - and that car is a permanent problem because the Germans have some pretty serious design tolerances and if they are not met nothing works right . . .

 

[DC34ME]

I have a 2000 540i M-Sport wagon. It has been more expensive each year than my Debonair, but when it works, best damn car on the road.

 

[Jimmy cooper]

I had a 135 convertible for 8 months. Got rid of it ASAP. Formerly had a porsche 911. No comparison. Had a 5 series BMW sedan, while still working, a 1999, new. Nice car.

 

[AggieMike88]

BMWs can be some nice profit makers for me

 

[bbchien]

I had an Audi. The inverted hanging engine mounts dropped the engine right onto the pavement. I walked away.

POS.

 

[Gary F]

I had a 2002 VW Passat which was a great trouble-free car until my kid totaled it last year.

 

[mondtster]

So does my six-year-old Ranger. I've had it for a year and a half. Nice truck. They're just a rebranded Mazda, and the best vehicle I ever owned in the past was a 1974 Mazda B1800 pickup.

The Mazdas were rebadged Fords, not the other way around.

 

[Jimmy cooper]

My wife has had 2 lexus ES 350's. Never had a burble out of either one. Great road cars. Everything easy to work, radio, seats etc. never had any of the problems hysterically reported on television. I owned a Tacoma pickup that was very nice,tough, no problems. I currently drive a prius V which is very well designed, 44 mpg, fun to drive plenty of power, good radio, excellent dealer experience in all of above. Not so with BMW. Radio was still a mystery when I got rid of it. supposed " free" oil changes for 50 thousand miles really meant TWO oil changes in 50 thousand. Not with my car! Glad it's gone.

 

[Jimmy cooper]

The ford ranger is built by Mazda. When they took over the production they improved it , making it a real nice truck. They termed its former production as "sloppy".

 

[Jaybird180]

I had an Audi. The inverted hanging engine mounts dropped the engine right onto the pavement. I walked away.

POS.

Sorry to laugh at your tragedy Bruce. But it was funny.

Knock on wood, my Bimmer is still in like new condition 3 mos shy of 10yrs old now 170k miles. I drive at both ends of the envelope.

 

[PilotAlan]

We're on our third Mercedes, not a peep of trouble. I put 22k a year on mine.
Ditch the 128 and get a C300.

 

[Skyscraper]

My '96 318i just rolled over to 240,000 miles. Nothing more than basic maintenance since I've owned it. Great car to drive. Nothing wrong with German cars. Like almost every car producing country, some are fantastic and reliable, others not so much...

 

[Hiperbiper]

I have a 2000 540i M-Sport wagon. It has been more expensive each year than my Debonair, but when it works, best damn car on the road.

And when it DOESN'T work it's the best damn car on the side of the road!

Chris

 

[denverpilot]

VW can kiss my shiny metal ***. That's all I will say about our Jetta TDI. Which was traded in earlier this year and hopefully scrapped.

 

[Tmpendergrass]

My '99 BMW 323i is awesome. No unexpected trouble. I do all recurring maintenance myself using non OEM parts from eBay and amazon. Super cheap to operate, reliable, and a blast to drive. Hoping to get into an M3 soon.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[DC34ME]

And when it DOESN'T work it's the best damn car on the side of the road!

Chris

True story.

[/url] Fliegerfixr (2) by zoomskittles, on Flickr[/IMG]

 

[BillTIZ]

I bought a new 128i on Mon. Had it towed to the dealer on Wed because it wouldn't start. They still don't know what's wrong with it, saying Mon or Tue.

My 8 yr old Ford Ranger runs perfectly. Glad I kept it.

I would have them canceling the sale right now and restoring everything to the day before the sale. You should be out $0. Sales tax refund, registration fee/tax refund. Every penny.

They get a lemon car and you walk to another dealer.

 

[Jaybird180]

My '99 BMW 323i is awesome. No unexpected trouble. I do all recurring maintenance myself using non OEM parts from eBay and amazon. Super cheap to operate, reliable, and a blast to drive. Hoping to get into an M3 soon.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have had mixed success with non-OEM parts. I've got non-OEM rear pads on and non-OEM brake fluid and motor oil/ filter, then I'm 100% again. I'll keep the LubroMoly oil and the Blue brake fluid though. I use BavAuto

 

[SoloEqs]

The Mazdas were rebadged Fords, not the other way around.

Depends on where you were.

The Courier (from which the Ranger was developed) was a Mazda B, all Ford did was change the stickers and the grille. Look at the ID plate, and it said "Made in Japan by Toyo Kogyo."

Everywhere but North America, the Mazda B trucks were MAZDA (Toyo Kogyo) trucks until a year or two ago.

This led to some unhappy customers, who came here from other parts of the world and expected the same reliability from the Ranger that they had seen from its cousin, and the new Mazda Bs have been less than popular (I hear that dealers are promising that they will again be TKs starting in 2015 model year).

 

[SoloEqs]

BMW = "Bring money, Wilhelm!"

 

[RV10flyer]

I drove an 80' 518 while in (W.) Germany. Paid a Lt. $1600 and sold it 3 yrs later to a Sgt. for $1000. Patched a rusty gas tank, brake job and that was about it. Best driving machine ever. Too expensive for me to own both a BMW and an RV.

 

[comanchepilot]

My '99 BMW 323i is awesome. No unexpected trouble. I do all recurring maintenance myself using non OEM parts from eBay and amazon. Super cheap to operate, reliable, and a blast to drive. Hoping to get into an M3 soon.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That's cause its the Ford Escort of Germany!!!

 

[RV10flyer]

That's cause its the Ford Escort of Germany!!!

Wonder what they thought of my 518? Ha. No wonder I got a lot of funny looks.

 

[us AAirways]

I would have them canceling the sale right now and restoring everything to the day before the sale. You should be out $0. Sales tax refund, registration fee/tax refund. Every penny.

They get a lemon car and you walk to another dealer.

That would be nice, but I doubt the dealer would ever do it.

I LOVE the car....just wish I could drive it.

 

[mondtster]

Depends on where you were.

The Courier (from which the Ranger was developed) was a Mazda B, all Ford did was change the stickers and the grille. Look at the ID plate, and it said "Made in Japan by Toyo Kogyo."

Everywhere but North America, the Mazda B trucks were MAZDA (Toyo Kogyo) trucks until a year or two ago.

This led to some unhappy customers, who came here from other parts of the world and expected the same reliability from the Ranger that they had seen from its cousin, and the new Mazda Bs have been less than popular (I hear that dealers are promising that they will again be TKs starting in 2015 model year).

I'm aware of that, maybe it was a poor assumption on my part that those participating in this thread are likely driving Ford built Rangers despite what they may think.

 

[us AAirways]

Looks like they are replacing the battery.

I think it is something with the security/smart key system because everything powered up....push the button again to start and nothing, not even a click.

 

[jpower]

I had a 2002 VW Passat which was a great trouble-free car until my kid totaled it last year.

VW can kiss my shiny metal ***. That's all I will say about our Jetta TDI. Which was traded in earlier this year and hopefully scrapped.

I drive a 2008 Passat that we've had for almost 3 years. So far no trouble at all that I can remember. It's a great car. It has a 200 hp turbocharged engine and gets up and goes quite nicely, but I've managed to get 37 and change mpg on the highway. I'll take it.

 

[Dav8or]

So does my six-year-old Ranger. I've had it for a year and a half. Nice truck. They're just a rebranded Mazda, and the best vehicle I ever owned in the past was a 1974 Mazda B1800 pickup.

Hate to burst the stereo type bubble, but if you live in the US, the nice, reliable six year old Ranger you own, is 100% American designed and made. Mazda had nothing to do with it, except that for a time they rebadged it and sold it here as a Mazda. Good job on buying one. They're tough, reliable and a great value if you're looking for a solid little work truck.

 

[Dav8or]

I have a 2000 540i M-Sport wagon. It has been more expensive each year than my Debonair, but when it works, best damn car on the road.

Are you sure? Have you tried the other cars on the road?

 

[olasek]

I have a 2000 540i M-Sport wagon. It has been more expensive each year than my Debonair,

Similarly here - mine 1999 BMW 528iT is very unreliable (owned it since 2002) or to put it in other words - requires frequent and expensive maintenance, some parts you didn't even think of before since in other cars they normally are good for the life of the car need replacement. No more German engineering in my future buying plans.

 

[LDJones]

I had a 2002 VW Passat which was a great trouble-free car until my kid totaled it last year.

My buddy's 2011 Passat has been through one transmission and around $5K of other misc repairs, luckily under warranty, but that just ran out and he's nervous. Last VW for him.

 

[FastEddieB]

BMW cars have never done it for me.

I had a friend with a 70's Bavaria that was nothing but trouble. Single anecdote, but I was singularly unimpressed with the durability of that car, considering the money he spent on it.

Then again, starting in the late 60's, I've owned perhaps a dozen or so BMW motorcycles. In the beginning, they were markedly more reliable than their competition. Gradually the competition caught up with, and in my opinion has over time surpassed, BMW's claim to reliability.

New ones seem to have ongoing reliability issues, largely focused on electronics, fuel injection and switch gear. This from a BMW motorcycle forum discussing the new K1600...

To be fair, some of the replies might be along the lines of "My K1600 has been perfect", but scrolling through that's the exception rather than the rule.

In any case, I currently own two BMW's - a 1999 K1200RS bought new and a 1998 K1200RS with an EZS sidecar bought used. Both are fine bikes and the 1999 has had only two real repairs in 80,000 miles - rear engine seal and rear drive. They're both keepers.

But there's not a single bike in the current lineup that appeals to me in the least.

Which for me, is kinda sad.

BTW, here's me and Karen and Jake the Wonder Dog with my '98, getting ready for a parade in Blue Ridge, GA:

 

[N747JB]

These are the type of issues that drive us dealers crazy! all the new technology is wonderful......until it isn't! We had a new Explorer that had radio issues from day one, we replaced the radio, a couple modules and had several techs look at it, no luck. One engineer from Ford suggested we replace the antenna, why not we've replaced everything else. Bingo! The cheapest, easiest part to replace fixed the problem.

Looks like they are replacing the battery.

I think it is something with the security/smart key system because everything powered up....push the button again to start and nothing, not even a click.

 

[FastEddieB]

Looks like they are replacing the battery.

I think it is something with the security/smart key system because everything powered up....push the button again to start and nothing, not even a click.

This reminds me of a nagging issue with some BMW motorcycle models, including the GS, which is represented as an "adventure" motorcycle*.

Surrounding the ignition is something called an "Immobilizer Ring" which, when it takes a dump, does what it's name implies - it immobilizes the bike until its fixed.

Exactly what you need in the middle of a motorcycle adventure. Not.


*As a counterpoint, to show how versatile these bikes are, check out "Long Way Round" and "Long Way Down", both available streaming on NetFlix.

 

[X3 Skier]

Closing in on 100000 miles on my X3. Picked it up in Munich on a European delivery. Replaced the instrument cluster once under warranty and other than that, nothing but routine maintenance. Winters in the Rocky Mountains, rest of the year in OH. Super in the snow and -20 and everything else.

Cheers

 

[Jaybird180]

Damn this thread! I had a bad dream last night...my Bimmer was stolen! I parked it on the street in a neighborhood I don't recognize (was going to visit someone, who I think I need to pay a visit in real life) I had my 1yo son with me and we only got a few dozen yards, when I realized I forgot to arm the alarm. I tried to do it from the distance we were at and I didn't hear the beep, so I walked closer and closer until I was there and my car wasn't. Several witnesses, all of them thought my loss was amusing.

Bruce, my apology a few posts up really was sincere...promise.

 

[Skip Miller]

I had an Audi. The inverted hanging engine mounts dropped the engine right onto the pavement. I walked away.

POS.

In another stunning example of German engineering, my wife's Audi had the headlight cleaning option that would squirt washer fluid on them. Soon they leaked massively as a seal or three failed. The dealer said "they all do that sooner than later" and then proceeded to explain the only way to repair them was to remove the bumper to get access. I went with him back to the shop to see one repair in progress. IMO it could have been designed to provide access from outside without removing the bumper. So the mechanism was designed to make a simple, inexpensive repair expensive and complicated.

Pfui! Never again. I sold that car from under my wife (it had been run hard and probably needed $4k of repair - not worth it... and bought an Infiniti. That one has been perfect!

-Skip