A bad rep is hard to lose, bro.

CR is not the mag I used to tell me about the E70's handing, performance etc. But is it the mag I used to tell me about reliability. The CR reliability ratings are based on SURVEYS of auto owners. It is the owners themselves that are telling the tale, not the CR appliance testers.

The E70s seem to be more reliable than the E53s but still not in the top ratings. You only have to look at the number of people reporting that they had to take there vehicle into the dealer within the first few thousand miles, to know you are reading a BMW forum, not Lexus.

Take just the subset of the X5 35d. We already know of one catastrophic engine failure, where BMW probably didin't install one of the rod bolts. Four 35ds have had the exact same Air Temp Sensor replaced. One is having 2 of the fuel injectors and one of the exhaust fluid tanks replaced. Another has had the other exhaust fluid tank replaced....

As you probably know I bought a 35d anyway. I'm just keeping a very watchful eye on the reliability issues. Hence the failed Air Temp Sensor thread, etc.

Funf Dreisig