View Full Version : German Cars Not Reliable?
Clocker
08-07-2003, 06:48 PM
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3129581.stm
I found that article interesting and suprising at the same time...
C
Alas, they are plagued with electrical problems.
Santilli
08-07-2003, 08:10 PM
Yes. The electrical problem is called an onboard computer...
s :jumpin:
:tounge:
Mercutio
08-07-2003, 08:23 PM
Swedish ones are pretty nice though.
blakerwry
08-07-2003, 08:24 PM
most cars old enought to not have an onb oard computer are probably pretty unreliable these days.
EdwardK
08-07-2003, 11:24 PM
When BMW decided to sell South African-made 3 series cars in Australia, the first batch/series of these cars were not adapted properly for Australian conditions. A classic example is during rain/wet weather, when the driver turn on the rear window de-mister, the rear window would shatter.
blakerwry
08-08-2003, 12:14 AM
minor flaw
e_dawg
08-08-2003, 12:22 AM
yep. did we not discuss this at length on the car thread?
EdwardK
08-08-2003, 04:12 AM
yep. did we not discuss this at length on the car thread?
Opps! Me bad and forgetful! Going to a corner in emabarrassment now :oops:
I would like to see the types of reliability problems included in those surveys. German cars have lots of reliability problems, but most are minor problems like broken plastic, electrical problems, etc... American cars may have more problems with the mechanic....
Just to give you some idea of the data recorded by Consumer Reports:
Volkswagen Passat: “Recommended -- The Volkswagen Passat remains our top-ranked V6 family sedan despite closer competition from the redesigned Honda Accord.”
Volkswagen Jetta: “Reliability has dropped below average.”
BMW 5-series: “Recommended -- The BMW 530i becomes the best car we've tested.”
Mercedes Benz C-Class: Problems with Electrical; Body Hardware
Mercedes Benz M-Class: Problems with Electrical; Power Equipment; Body Integrity; Body Hardware “Interior fit and finish isn't on par with other Mercedes models. The Mercedes ML430 V8 is a very capable and well-rounded vehicle. Handling is secure, braking is good, and the interior is bigger than it appears. But we actually prefer the six-cylinder ML320, which handles better, offers more comfort, and costs about $7,000 less. But it uses expensive premium fuel. And even though reliability has improved somewhat, our reader surveys show that it remains poor.”
This should give you a brief across-the-board snippet of popular German cars and models. It seems, that while there are perfectly good German cars, there are equally bad ones. Mercedes seems to build the worst at the moment.
Clocker
08-08-2003, 10:31 PM
You will find that electrical problems are the biggest challenge for all automakers overall.
C
Pradeep
08-12-2003, 10:26 AM
There was a story on local news about reliability and the percentages of makes going in for workshop work. Apparently 60% was accounted for by Land Rover/Range Rover. Astonishing when you think of the low numbers sold in the US.
Howell
08-12-2003, 12:00 PM
There was a story on local news about reliability and the percentages of makes going in for workshop work. Apparently 60% was accounted for by Land Rover/Range Rover. Astonishing when you think of the low numbers sold in the US.
Was it world-wide reliability or just US?
There was a story on local news about reliability and the percentages of makes going in for workshop work. Apparently 60% was accounted for by Land Rover/Range Rover. Astonishing when you think of the low numbers sold in the US.
<typical response>
But I have a friend who has one and they don't have any problems so there shouldn't be a problem with those vehicles and those statistics are incorrect because of my experience with one vehicle I must be right
</typical response>
Consumer Reports wasn't able to collect enough information in order to provide reliability data for the Discovery or Range Rover line. I'll have to check again if they have any data for the Freelander line-up. Thanks for the information Pradeep.
Consumer Reports did test the Freelander, but there wasn't enough consumer data to rate the reliability.
Pradeep
08-12-2003, 02:13 PM
[Was it world-wide reliability or just US?
Definitely not world wide, perhaps US or just NY.
The Freelander had pretty bad crash-testing results didn't it?
The IIHS (Insurance Institutue for Highway Safety) crash test was ranked as Acceptable, but the other crash tests were marked NA. The Acceptable mark is nothing to write home about when you look at all of the individual results (http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/summary_smsuv_overall.htm#freelander) from the IIHS.
At least the unreliable M-Class from Mercedes did well in th IIHS tests and received a "Best Pick" stamp of approval. So, if the car isn't in the shop, you should be pretty safe in it. :)
Howell
08-12-2003, 04:24 PM
Considering the amount of time it spends in the shop and statistics. It may very well make you immortal.
its.fubar
08-14-2003, 01:12 PM
One thing that I find unacceptable and strange, the more you pay for a European Car the more problems you get but do not expect, but if you purchase a Japanese Car you seem to get a far-more reliable vehicle at a considerable cheaper price.
why is this and what are the European motor company's doing wrong or do they care?
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