Yeah, unfortunately, BMW reliability has been on the decline for years. Porsche, OTOH, had terrible reliability years ago, but the ratings seem to have woken them up, and Porsche is now one of the best.

I hope BMW wakes-up and makes a major push to improve their reliability, so that someday they can at least match Ford, Kia, and Hyundai. And yes, a BMW is more complex, in general, than those brands, but certainly no more complex than a Porsche, which ranked #2 overall. If Porsche can go from one of the worst a few years ago, to the number 2 spot today, surely BMW could do so as well, if they put the time, effort, and money into it.

Reliability trends, how makes compare

With BMW's declining reliability, I wonder if BMW thoroughly "torture tests" their development models anymore. They should do more than simply drive them in a few extreme climates around the world. They should actually have someone take the cars home and subject them to things like parking under trees (moonroof leaks), a good number of door slams (so door components don't rattle), and potholes (so rims don't crack).

Hmmm, I must have received at least 6 on the X6. Can't even recall the names of the companies other than JD. Most were within the first month or so of ownership. The lastest just came from JD :dunno:

Yes, i forgot about this site, totally agree. Thanks for all you input guys. ;)

This is a true test. there's more potholes in sydney roads than many other developed countries. just do a couple of thousand K's and a BMW is sure to start rattling due to stiff suspension and runflat tires (this is a fact), boot rattles, dash rattles, you name it, i have lived throug this and so annoyed with the brand. Also cheap plastic trims seems to crack.

You haven't driven in the Northeast US have you? Those states don't seem to understand the concept of road maintenance. :stickpoke Everytime we drive any BMW there, the rear suspension heaves/responds every 3 seconds.

The funny thing is, BMW offers non-Run Flats as standard in Germany for most models then charges extra for the RFs. Why don't they do that in other countries as well, give folks a choice?

(I already know the answer: BMW wants to simplify their tire contracts. Most non-M NA-spec cars are sold with M+S tires as default)

There was an article in the last Roundel (I think) where the writer basically recommended not owning a BMW that wasn't under warranty. Sadly I agree with him even though I love the cars.

That said, my 2011 X5 has been perfect so far at 9K. I'll bet it will be fine for quite a while. Still no rattles in it.

Or know how to wrench:thumbup:

Fear of repairs sells many new BMWs... people roll cars with 50k miles into the dealer and sign up for more payments because they don't understand cars and fear getting screwed by the service. They own the cars for the steepest part of the depreciation curve. BMW actually doesnt mind this story as it drives new car and CPO sales.