• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

I hate German cars.

Share this page

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]I would bet that he would describe his SL as being over-engineered, too![/QUOTE]

Oh Yeah!! Its just a tiny tank...

Jerri & I just got back from driving through the Jaguar lot...she's not sure if she likes the S Type (my favorite), doesn't like about the X Type, & I told her the big Jag wasn't in the equation...she said she likes the old Jag's - so, its my mission to show her the S Type is pretty darn close (stylewise)

Does that give you a hint about any future Mercedes purchases (& Jerri's on her 4th right now!)?
 
Steve said:
Case in point, the bodyshell on certain late-model 5-series Bimmers where the rear suspension mounts is weak, and starts to fail (!). BMW's stock answer is that it is due to abuse or even the car being raced, but this is happening on the family grocery-getters. Mechanical niggles seem to be increasingly more commonplace, too.
Click to expand...

That was true for very early production E46/3-series cars circa 98 (323, 328), the rear subframe mounting points get fatigued from kids trying to drag race them. Later cars have reinforced subframes. I have never, ever heard of a stress failure on an E39 5-series, which is the basis for the 400hp M5.

I think some folks are missing my point. The basic mechnicals are well engineered - I wouldn't trade their inline 6 for anything from Honda. The X5 is the strongest, safest vehicle the IIHS has tested in their benchmark offset frontal crash test. Ever. It's the little (and expensive) crap that they need to get better.
 
All this sounds familiar. Former coworker of mine had a 3-series (I think it was an '02 or '03), which she recently got rid of for a Civic. Apparently the car was nickel and diming her into the red. Things like CELs for no reason, the famous window regulator clips (all four windows at one time or another!), and I don't know what else. The trans went bad (I blame this on BMW's "no refill for the life of the car" policy on trans fluids. What sorta magic oils and stuff do they have, anyway?). Water pump, which ruined the radiator. The car had all of its servicing (her parents paid for that until a coupla years ago), so this was stuff wearing out. And the expenses were just horrifying! Twice what I've paid for similar work on any of my cars, including having an LBC guru work on my MG!

And frankly, I don't think the BMW did anything better than an equivalent Accord. In day to day commuting and long distance hauls, in ride comfort, handling, acceleration, NVH, the 3-series wasn't anything special.

-Wm.
 
I was a "Service Advisor" in a BMW shop and "fixed" a car in the driveway... was dressed down severely by the "Service Manager" for that faux-pas. I left that place soon after. Supposed to shove the car into the shop and "build" a ticket...


...'nuff said.
 
See this is why I lease new cars. With servicing included.
Leaves me more money to pour into the Triumph /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/frown.gif
 
I tend to think that any "luxury/techy" vehicle is going to have issues if driven hard. My STS was great until it was demoted to commuter...since then I've had a pile of problems...and it's only got 75,000miles. All of the more basic vehicles I've owned have been great...The Camaro is pushing 400,000km's and the only things that have been replaced are exhaust systems, brakes and batteries, and one fuel pump. Even the Sonoma has been really beat on in the last 3 months since I bought it and it's been problem free...which is weird because I was expecting something.

As far as BMW's go I've never been a fan, my sister in law has a late 90's 3 series convert thats been nothing but trouble. And she just bought a new replacement....no word on it's reliability yet.
 
Have worked on Hondas for years and driven them as well. My last car went 400,000 km (250,000 mi) and never even got a clutch. A Honda may not have the status of a BMW but it is the number one car in North America for retaining it's value and has a very good record for ease of maintenance. I will admit they are boring, but then, that's what the MGB is for.And if that isn't enough fun, then I have a 64 El Camino with 375 hp for some stoplight challenges. In all fairness, most cars now are having some sort of electrical problems,as they have everything made as quickly as possible so they can sell more. Then they hand it to us guys in the back to make up for these shortcomings. As we are generally paid by the job, rather than the hour, and human nature being what it is, the consumer is at the mercy of two or three people, and if they are unscrupulous then you see what happens. My suggestion is to get to know the man who is actually doing your work and then when you find one you trust your service level will go up dramatically.
Dave
 
What the real shame is, a whole bunch of BMW car parts just washed up on a beach in England, including X5 gearboxes, windshields, exhaust pipes and crates of other bits.
As well as 50 BMW motorbikes, Beemers Galore.
branssalvageAFP_468x309.jpg
 
In the 'olden days' towns along the coast had salvage rights to anything they found washed up on the beach...is that still applcable?
 
WSJ says that police let people have it so long as they filled out some type of form. Insurer has a year to seek it back. Wonder how accurate that data was :smile:
 
That must be why police are telling everybody they have to declare what they got or they're in violation of the law!

Wonder if BMW's insurer would try to reclaim those bikes?
 
tony barnhill said:
Jerri & I just got back from driving through the Jaguar lot...she's not sure if she likes the S Type (my favorite), doesn't like about the X Type, & I told her the big Jag wasn't in the equation...she said she likes the old Jag's - so, its my mission to show her the S Type is pretty darn close (stylewise)(& Jerri's on her 4th right now!)?
Click to expand...

The S-type is basically a Lincoln LS with Jaguar coachwork... meaning any Ford dealer can work on the car and provide parts (since most are the same basic part number). I love the S-type, as well. Jaguar really nailed the styling. However, because it is a Ford in Jag clothing, the value drops like a stone after new purchase - moreso than other luxury models. The plus side is that bargains can be had on models that are a few years out-of-new.

I agree with all BMW comments... I had a 330i several years ago and, while it was a great car, was glad to get rid of it once the included maintenance and new car warranty expired. I am guilty of having an older Audi A4 as a daily driver but can justify ownership since I do most of the maintenance myself - I even tackled the dreaded timing belt change back in July. No way would I ever take it to the stealership... they quoted me $1,200 for the timing belt change that cost me $250 in Audi-brand parts and 4.5 hours in my garage. And the $250 included all other belts, a new water pump (might-as-well) and thermostat.
 
I saw that report too! Free stuff so long as you tell 'em your taking it! I dunno about struggling with that bike, looks like a bunch o' kegs behind 'em, hehe!!
All brand new booty too!! I wonder how much salt damage?
 
The police in the UK are trying to stop people taking that stuff. There are old statutes on the books that they are dredging up to put a stop to this. In addition, the Theft Act has wording that will cover this as well, pretty much the "theft by finding" routine.

The laws are very different over there with regard to what washes up!
 
Yesterday I cured the "kid hauler problem" for a pal. He got back from Iraq last week and the second thing he did after dropping his duffel bag:smile:..was to come and visit me. Anyhow, I'm doing a body off resto on his 71 beetle vert...pans, body on a dolly...everything new. He said he wanted a split bus..up to a 67. Walked him into the shop and showed him a 66 on the rack getting a new 1600 single port 12 volt. New tires, brakes..all work done including body and in primer. He was sold. He has a month at home, then six weeks in Albuquerque where he'll attend the AF NCO school..while there he'll get orders to his next base..either in SC or Utah...and then back to Iraq.His wife is military also so they both run the risk of being sent..and leaving the kids with family. But being good people..they don't gripe..they just do it.
 
We've had a 1993 BMW 325is for just over five years. From a drivetrain standpoint, it's been a great car. It also looks pretty good after having been lowered at least an inch, and the drive is pretty nice with Dunlop Sport A10 tires and Bilstein sport shocks and struts. It's not long before it turns over 200k miles.

Overall, we've enjoyed it and hope to hang onto it. But the little things on that car will absolutely eat you alive. A rebuilt alternator five years ago was over $120, which seemed like alot to me. Alot of the other parts are just as bad.

The worst part about it is the interior. The seats are good, but anything vinyl is prone to rot. There were vinyl-covered pieces over part of the seatbelt. They turned into black tarry goo that ruined one of my white shirts. The rear quarter panels got all bubbly-looking, and will have to be reinstalled with contact cement and velcro. The dealer wanted $150 per panel. The door panels also started coming apart from the inside out. Once it got to the point that the doors wouldn't open and shut right, we had them replaced for over $800.

Recently, a friend helped me rebuild the front suspension. The seals on all the ball joints were bad. We changed out the control arms, tie rods, and sway bar ends for a few hours and maybe $300 in parts. The dealer wanted at least $1400 to do the job using bone-stock parts. I used better-than-new aftermarket and came out much cheaper.

I'm not ruling out ever having another one. In fact, I'd like to have an early-80s 320i or one of the sharknosed 5's with a stick.

But we won't buy a new one, or one of the newer models. They are overpriced and over-rated.
 
I already said that Honda prices can be high. Today my wifes S2000 was in for its MOT and service It needed new front pads ( not discs, or rotors as you would say) That cost ÂŁ260 (about $500) and we were advised that a bush in a front suspension arm was "torn" and would need to be replaced. Only problem, Honda dont do a bush, you need the wole arm, and it costs ÂŁ430, Oh and then you need an alignment check, that will be ÂŁ90. Thats $1000 guys. On a 38000 mile car thats used by a lady doctor doing house calls! Anyone want to buy a Honda?
 
Back
Top