A rant!!

[BGM]

Originally Posted by StanF18

Agreed with all.

But just to play Devil's advocate and make it interesting, how then to explain the Hondas and Toyotas that "take a lickin' and keep on tickin'"??
I'm not even talking about the well-maintained ones. I'm talking about multiple missed oil changes, 250,000 miles on the odometer, and clueless owners, and yet time and again: THEY are the ones enjoying their brand's reputation for durability and reliability, while us Bavario-philes keep running to our indies and dealers for stupid sh#$. Headlight condensation, hatch rattling, CV joints, water pump, A/C blower, squeaks, rattles, leaks, and so on and so forth. Most of the Honda owners don't even know who their service rep is, while we are ALL intimately acquainted with ours. As much as I love my X, I wouldn't fault anyone for "bitching and moaning" about their X. BMW needs to aspire to both the ultimate driving experience AND the ultimate reliability experience. I do not see why they cannot institute more stringent quality control on their assembly lines, especially after certain issues are identified as problem areas on specific models.

Well to play devil's advocate to you playing devil's advocate: Honda and Toyota are not in the same market as BMW. Yes they are reliable but the performance, engineering and tech stuff is not as complex as on a BMW. I guess a better comparison would be to use MB, etc. But I agree and can contest as an almost 8 year owner that you take care of your car and it will take care of you. There are the extreme cases where mechanical meltdowns occur on some owners as bad luck but on the most part I think most are happy with theirs.

[retcav1sg]

I've never smiled driving a honda/toyota/nissan/lexus/infiniti like I do when I exercise the X. There is always a distinct feeling of detachment when driving the Japanese vehicles. Neighbor has a Mercedes S600, same feeling...detached, kind of like you're along for the ride and not "driving."

[The Cleaner]

Originally Posted by StanF18

Agreed with all.

But just to play Devil's advocate and make it interesting, how then to explain the Hondas and Toyotas that "take a lickin' and keep on tickin'"??
I'm not even talking about the well-maintained ones. I'm talking about multiple missed oil changes, 250,000 miles on the odometer, and clueless owners, and yet time and again: THEY are the ones enjoying their brand's reputation for durability and reliability, while us Bavario-philes keep running to our indies and dealers for stupid sh#$. Headlight condensation, hatch rattling, CV joints, water pump, A/C blower, squeaks, rattles, leaks, and so on and so forth. Most of the Honda owners don't even know who their service rep is, while we are ALL intimately acquainted with ours. As much as I love my X, I wouldn't fault anyone for "bitching and moaning" about their X. BMW needs to aspire to both the ultimate driving experience AND the ultimate reliability experience. I do not see why they cannot institute more stringent quality control on their assembly lines, especially after certain issues are identified as problem areas on specific models.

I'll play devils advocate advocate . Japanese cars Perform to a different standard, for example most are front wheel drive (less expensive to produce) they also use parts designed to deliver dependability/reliability over driving experience. Thats because to improve the driver experience you will have to make some design compromises to optimum reliability. Toyotas drive terrible, they have harsh suspensions average brakes and average material quality on the interior. Honda does a little better but they have higher repair cost and the automatic transmission will fail by 100k on many Accords.

A Subaru WRX is a great car but is noisy and rides like a truck. The toyota highlander feels light and cheap. Those are the only cars I have personal experience with but the point is to get to the ultimate driving experience you need to look past the ultimate reliability experience. A SATISFIED BMW owner like myself who has owned at least 10 BMW's is not buying the ultimate reliability machine, I am buying the ultimate driving machine and will accept the need for regular upkeep to maintain it. If I need the ultimate reliability machine I'll look for a manual Toyota corolla or Honda civic.

[Bimmer Ese]

From what I've seen (and dealt) with Japanese vehicles, the batteries do not last, shocks/struts leak/wear prematurely, weatherstripping tears easily and brake pads last around 30K.

Just my .02 pesos

[E61Silver]

It just seems like this board has a number of people that have purchased used high millage BMW's and then are surprised that the car needs repairs.


If you want a trouble free car buy a new one, if you buy a used expect that the car will need repair.

[mrbmwx5]

You bougth a BMW and can't keep up with the maintenance then SELL IT.

[BlackE32_SilverE53]

Mac, I must say a well written statement, one of the best threads I have read. I am a die hard BMW fan because since 1989 with my first BMW, I have had love for the ultimate driving machine. I have put over 300K on three bimmers and working on my fourth now. with all the BMWs even at 300K I was never afraid to put it on the road for a 400+ mile trip at the drop of a dime. Yes I do preventive maintenace, such as when I am checking the oil I lift the car and do a walk underneath to ensure all looks right and no leaks, cracked rubber or anything of that nature. But BMW has been very dependable for me..... My only complaint has been with the seats breaking prematurely in my opinion, but none of my 300K miled bimmers required any major servicings. Yes I paid extra to have all tune-ups (servicings) at the dealer but did all my own oil changes, that way I know my oil is changed and what goes in the car. I have never owned a new BMW, all were used, I do not have the money to splurge on a new BMW but one day after I retire I will by myself that new M6 convertible.

My main point is treat your car right and it will take care of you.... I hope to hit 400K on my 740 as I am less than 100 miles from 100K on my X. BMW has my love and support and I will never buy another car unless it is a BMW!!!

That's my 2cents.......

[X5Dawg]

I am assuming this thread was started after reading the poll that was posted about ditching his X or keeping it (especially since my words about "bat out of hell" were repeated in the original post). Believe me, I have been where this guy is - take it to the shop, have something fixed. A week later, take it to the shop and have something else fixed. I wasted almost 2 weeks of vacation days this year on auto repairs bc most indies are not open on the weekend. In fact, I have paid more to have some repairs done at the dealer just out of convenience bc either they would give me a loaner or they were open on Saturday. Regardless, it sometimes gets frustrating when it seems like the wallet is opening all the time for repairs.

I maintain my vehicle well. I am better at working on electrical stuff than mechanical stuff, so I prefer to pay someone else to do that type of work. And I do take care of my vehicles - many people cannot believe that I have 150K miles on my X. As someone else said, when I take it to the Indy I have them look over the whole vehicle and if they see something they think might become an issue, I tell them to fix it. I have come to realize that anytime it goes in the shop I am to expect a $1K bill - if it's less, then great!!

But I do drive mine hard - I can admit that. That is why I have an "Ultimate Driving Machine".

With that said, routine maintenance cannot always insure that nothing will go wrong. Agreed some of the "breaks" that occur maybe could have been prevented, but when you hear of someone having to replace 5 window regulators, you would think BMW would be out there coming up with something we could replace the defective one with that will not break again (knock on wood I have not had to replace one yet). And no one knows when their tranny is going to go or what causes it. Seems like it doesn't matter if you change the fluid or not, tow with it or not, drive it hard or not - it is going to go out sooner than most people expect bc after all, it is a BMW. I have had mine rebuilt, but the way I see it I am actually ahead of the game bc my last vehicle was an '01 F150 and in 175K miles I had the tranny rebuilt twice.

But I will agree, it is ridiculous for anyone to think that just bc it is a BMW, or for that matter any brand, that you are not going to have any issues with it.

I am still driving my X and hope to put another 150K on it. Hell, the way I see it is I don't have much more that I can replace at this point until the new parts start failing. I am proud to get in it everyday

Please understand many people use the boards to vent their frustrations. We are all here to discuss our vehicles, the good and the bad - we can all relate to one another because we share something in common (please disregard for the "Political" forum ).

Drive on!!!!

[retcav1sg]

Dawg,
I'm just up the road from you in Chattanooga, I did read the poll but did not pull your quote. I agree...more often than not the board becomes a place to vent, that's OK. The board is a wonderful place and great source of information. I don't baby my X but am not one for constant jack rabbit starts. As far as the tranny goes I think it's something we all think about but live in denial of. It's amazing that a bunch of average Joes can converse civilly about an issue like this but the supposed smart folks around the country can't get their collective acts together. Now to really piss you off...Go Dawgs (except when they play Tech)...Sorry

Mac

[ZsX5o3]

Originally Posted by x54.4blue

It just seems like this board has a number of people that have purchased used high millage BMW's and then are surprised that the car needs repairs.


If you want a trouble free car buy a new one, if you buy a used expect that the car will need repair.

I agree, and it's sad because it probably deters a lot of people looking into purchasing an X.