OT, but interesting
Quote:
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Originally Posted by lo_jack
Actually I think that the BMW business model, which is mostly a function of the entire way the global auto industry has gone in the past 20 years, does not account for people outside warranty or not in a lease. ......
Thinking about that though, any company in the business of building cars does better to sell you a new car every 3 years than to have you hold onto one of their products for a decade and have minimal service issues. That's logic.
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I agree. I find nothing unethical about BMW's behaviour. They are building a particular product, for a specific target market. Buyer beware. You are buying a product, but also a philosophy. They never set out to build a reliable car, or a durable car, as their top design priority. It isn't designed to break, reliability is just some distance down the list. Yes, some run for a long time, and that is great. But BMW set out to build a driver's vehicle, one that includes lots of technology. The two different design briefs are somewhat at odds with each other.
BMW likes to use technology. They aren't the only company that sets a team of engineers to work designing a fix for a problem that some don't see as a problem. The oil separator makes the exhaust cleaner, allowing BMW to get points on the various regulations about ULEV, SULEV, etc. No oil mist in the intake means cleaner exhaust. A complicated solution, to be sure, but one that is predictable given their approach to design.
People who expect BMW to provide warranty on an eight year old vehicle, or one that hasn't been operated according to the owner's manuals clear guidance, should be on their own. During the warranty period, BMW has been covering oil separator failures and just adding it to the cost of the new warranty, when some cases of failures are clearly made worse by the driver's practices (short trips, extended warmups, etc).
Think about this: how many people buy a TV or computer and expect to be using it as their primary device in eight years? Almost none. I am continually amazed at the people who change their oil every 3000 miles, because they believe it will reduce piston wear at 200,000 miles. Can you imagine what it is going to be like maintaining the electronics on an E70 in eight years? The mind boggles. Many of those vehicles will be parked, and not because the engines are worn out.
/rant off