German Reliability

[BokCh0y]

So we've all heard about Japanese cars - mainly Toyota and Honda in regards to higher mileage and the reliability. So since Toyota's are known to be able to surpass the 250 000km point and keep on going, I was just curious about the German cars.

Does anyone here know if the engine reliability is the same with German cars like BMW, VW, Benz and Audi? After they go over 220 000 km's are they still just as good as the Japanese cars? Can they surpass the 300 000 +km range?

[three.eighteen.]

the engines will last but most of the cool gadgets get messed up along the way

[Hakkola]

My car has 275 000km and it's fine, I had to replace the headgasket and a few other things but the engine will last until 400 000 easy.
I actually want a new engine, (more power) but can't justify it at such a "low" mileage.

[Mr. Burns]

VW TDI engines go forever.

[brandon]

My last 3 car's have been German 2 bmw's and 1 audi. In every single one of them the electronics have been screwy!!

[BokCh0y]

yeah i heard that about the electronics. been checking out a bunch of bmw's lately and they all have had some type of elec. prob. usually heated seats don't work, cruise control, cd changer or locks. but some of that stuff is not a big deal to me.

[Kaos]

Originally posted by BokCh0y
yeah i heard that about the electronics. been checking out a bunch of bmw's lately and they all have had some type of elec. prob. usually heated seats don't work, cruise control, cd changer or locks. but some of that stuff is not a big deal to me.

There actually alot more that go wrong with BMW's.
As stated in the BMW owners club:
Common problems are Rear shock mounts, flex disc and O2 sensor, etc...
But get aftermarket parts to fix it.
Its just like any other car.
It just seems you have to constantly fix a BMW.

Im going on 226 000 km and still going strong, I have a feeling my head gasket needs a change and my power steering lines has a crack in it.
My brother in law had 300 000km + on his 318 and swapped in a M50. These cars are built to last with a tune-up now and then.

[Fivewayradio]

I don't trust VW for shit, but I've owned a couple that had upwards of 250k km. I think basically any BMW with a six can last up to 300k km if it's maintained on schedule. There are some exceptions to that like the engines with the screwy cylinder linings. But on the whole the motors are fairly strong.

And I think electric gadgets are bound to fail no matter who makes the car. It's a function of dirt, moisture and vibration over the course of years. But you still see 70's BMWs and mercedes with power options that still work.

I also look at what cars are still on the road after 20 years. You see tons of BMW E30s and E28s as well as Benz 190s and 300s from the 80s. You hardly see any Ford Tempos of the same vintage and there were probably 100 times more tempos on the road.

[heavyD]

Originally posted by three.eighteen.
the engines will last but most of the cool gadgets get messed up along the way

That about sums it up. Mechanically they are pretty solid but the electronics are not as reliable as Japanese or even American made vehicles. This may not sound like a big deal but replacement parts aren't cheap and add up.

[Hakkola]

Maybe for bimmers but I've never had a problem with any electronics including headrests, chairs, windows, sunroof, mirrors or anything else.

[BokCh0y]

yeah i'm a little concerned about the electronics but not as much as the long term reliability of the engine.

I'm lookin to purchase a 93-98 BMW 3 Series as a second car to keep the km's down on my current car but am a little concerned about the engine on the german cars. Like I said before, I've heard stories about Toyota's and the 1 000 000 km mark but actually haven't heard much about the German cars. Most of the ones i've seen are about 150 000 kms which is not bad at all considering they're about 7-12 years of age.

I am more at ease now though, thanks guys.

[oneshot]

yeah i'm not sure about the german stuff. i know the honda's are kickass.

[BubbaSTi]

Well I had an '86 Jetta with the 1.8 and it ran damn fine at 230,000 kms. Better than my Grand Am at 126,000 kms. I had an aquaintence that had an '85 Jetta and it had about 760,000 kms on it. Same specs as my car and I drove it and it was pretty much the exact same. It felt a little different in handling but that was it.

I would say, if you take care of the car, it will last longer.

Doesn't matter if it is American, Japanese or German.

American cars tend to last less then the other though.

[benyl]

Originally posted by oneshot
yeah i'm not sure about the german stuff. i know the honda's are kickass.

wtf does this have to do with the topic at hand?

Back on topic: I have heard (this could be an unfounded rumour) that Merc engines are rated to go about 1 000 000 km before a rebuild. I think that is an exageration, buy I know of a few 190e with well over 400 000 km and the engines were still running strong.

[BokCh0y]

^^^^ hahahaha

[nismodrifter]

194k miles on the old 300SD = 313k kms and it was running great until someone decided it would be nice to hit it

I miss that car really bad.

Jetta has 150k on it and in the last 2 years of ownership it has costed ~$100 in repairs (MAF sensor = $80, glow plugs = $6x4=24)

G3rm4n f0r lif3!!

[Redlyne_mr2]

The bodies on the old euros are awesome. I hate the eletronics though. Bosch sort of sucked back then and those stupid rubix cube relays always failed. For some reason the old euros like to leak oil as well. Maybe thats just porsches though.

[ZorroAMG]

Yeah, the euro inline 6's are very strong. the M104 in Hakk's car was prone to headgasket and valve guides and wiring harness issues but once those are addressed 300-400K is common. The M103s in mine also have headgasket and valve issues but once fixed can run 400K EASY. I've been in cabs in europe with 1000 km on them meaning they've been around and back (million plus) with only one rebuild....

As Redlyne said...Bosch, while innovative = teh gay LOL

My car is 15 yrs old and needs a few things this summer, but there aren't ANY domestics that can last mechanically or cosmetically like it has. Euro styling has much more staying power IMO than Jap/Dom.....we just need to get up to par with Japanese reliability.

[euro_racer]

on audis i had lotsa problems with electricity and some other litle things....vw on the other hand i had never a bad experience so far......i know of a mk1 jetta tdi with over 500kim on original engine

[sputnik]

Originally posted by euro_racer
on audis i had lotsa problems with electricity and some other litle things....vw on the other hand i had never a bad experience so far......i know of a mk1 jetta tdi with over 500kim on original engine

MK1 Jettas dont have TDI engines. They are just plain (and slow) turbo diesels.

The Audi 1.8T engines (98-01) are documented as one of the worst engines in terms of average repair costs.