http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3129581.stm
I found that article interesting and suprising at the same time...
C
I found that article interesting and suprising at the same time...
C
German Cars Not Reliable?
- Thread starter Clocker
- Start date
Buck
0
Alas, they are plagued with electrical problems.
Mercutio
Fatwah on Western Digital
Swedish ones are pretty nice though.
most cars old enought to not have an onb oard computer are probably pretty unreliable these days.
EdwardK
0
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.
minor flaw
e_dawg
0
yep. did we not discuss this at length on the car thread?
EdwardK
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e_dawg said:
Opps! Me bad and forgetful! Going to a corner in emabarrassment now
zx
0
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....
Buck
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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.
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.
Pradeep
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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
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Pradeep said:
Was it world-wide reliability or just US?
Buck
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Pradeep said:
<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.
Buck
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Consumer Reports did test the Freelander, but there wasn't enough consumer data to rate the reliability.
Pradeep
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Howell said:
Definitely not world wide, perhaps US or just NY.
The Freelander had pretty bad crash-testing results didn't it?
Buck
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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 from the IIHS.
Buck
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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
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Considering the amount of time it spends in the shop and statistics. It may very well make you immortal.
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?
why is this and what are the European motor company's doing wrong or do they care?