I have friends who are happy with BMW. I have friends who are happy with Audi. I have friends who are happy with Porsche. And more. And I have friends who diss any one of them too. Good experiences and bad experiences will happen with any one of those manufacturers, as they also do with the domestics.

The asian cars offer a lot a great build, quality, and value, though dollar for dollar the public finds they tend to have a more bland character from the equivalent domestic or german cars. In the end it depends on personal preference and values. I see merit in all the options out there and have owned much of the spectrum, happily so.

Germans must like to put batteries under seats. Mom's got a '73 beetle and it's under the back seat.

I hear ya, the BMW experience is also a sum total of 5 more, purchased by other family members. The reliability of BMWs is just terrible. On the other hand Jap luxury brands are very reliable but I find them less compelling in the design dept. Almost every single model shares 80% of their parts with the lower cost counter part. Lexus ES 350 is a Camry. Infiniti Q50 is a Maxima, same with Acuras. TLX= Accord...etc.

I had an R8. I miss it but don't miss the lease payments. I had a bad experience at a dealership once but all other times it was stellar. If you think Audi is bad, try a Range Rover....maybe I had a lemon that I could not make lemonade with.

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We have Volvo xc 60 love it only downside can't fit a pin because the tail gate is tampered at the top.

Also have the sedan.

Really car battery under seat?

Audi sounds like the Stern of car manufacturers.

How do you go back to regular vehicles after leasing an R8? I would be so sad.

Did you see this?

http://wdtn.com/2016/10/04/dangerous-fumes-from-car-battery-suspected-cause-of-mystery-deaths-of-woman-and-toddler/

Current car is an LX570. My second one. I've had 21 cars and the LX has been my second favorite. GT-R being the first so #2's saying a lot. Freaking great vehicles.

It was amazing when I drove it but I live in NJ and it did not come out in the rain or snow. I had a little bit over 5000 miles after three years. Needless to say, I barely drove it. When I turned it in (got bought out of the lease early) I felt like I had one of my nuts ripped off. But luckily, you only need one nut to make a baby. Now I drive a Jeep only, no second car and I can fit pins in it. Thats what really counts.

200K on my VW Jetta. Nothing but regular maintenance.

Same here =xc/s60. The only way you could fit a pin is with the head off. No fold. Underrated vehicles, IMHO.

Yes we do like to modify the hell out of our cars, stock standard cars just dont cut it over here.

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In 2013 they switched over to the Avalon platform for the ES 350

Any of you luxury car owners ever read "The Millionaire Next Door"?

Automotive
Unsafe
Designs
Incorporated

I drive a 2002 Honda Accord. So bare bones, it doesn't even have an automatic transmission.

I call it the 'lady-killer', because women love a man who drives a family sedan. It screams "This guy definitely doesn't have a car payment, and knows how to be fiscally responsible." Bam! Sexytime, every time.

Just kidding. I really call it the lady-killer because I have an exhaust leak under the hood, and every time I come to a stop at a red light, fumes find their way through the vents (if they're on), and fill the cabinet with definitely noxious gases. Fun.

Had Volvo XC90 years ago: rust and electric issues.
Had Benz AWD sedan. Chronic alignment issues, cheap feel of interior, expensive maintenance.

Got a Subaru. Haven't looked back.

Glad to see there are 200 Series Land Cruisers here (aka LX570). I love my 100 Series and will be looking for yours in 10 years. These go for over 300k miles easy.

When 2022 finally rolls around i'll be looking to import a 2007 Audi RS4 wagon...then regret it immediately when the brakes need done.

Never had a bad experience with a Honda nor have I ever known anybody who did.

My uncle gifted me a REALLY nice new looking 2002 F150 after the car lot wouldn't give him squat for it but I still prefer the minivan for daily driving and pin pickups, much more comfortable too IMO even though the seats are a little firmer (preferable to me?). The local collectors give a little giggle from time to time but they shut up when it started raining out!

I have put over 3,000 miles on it in the last two months with no trouble, knock on wood. Shouldn't say that before a long trip...

Has brought home most of my 45 games and also brought probably half of them from my home in PA to where my games are at in NJ.

Hell, I've even fit four pins in at ONCE! For a trip from York, PA to Union, NJ (in the rain!) with a few-day stop at home in between!

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Audi brake systems are not diy. To change the brake pads you need a computer hookup to retract the pistons. One of the reasons I'll never buy an Audi. My daily driver is an 05 Acura rl and my wife drives a 16 pilot, both are very reliable and easy to work on. I have a 86 911 that I can get my thrills with, although the RL is a blast to drive. Never would I own a modern German performance brand car, they are absurdly expensive to fix. Japanese, Korean and possibly American is the way to go if you plan on owning the car a long time. I usually own a car more than 10 years.

My 1999 Toyota Land Cruiser is a champ. Bought it new and now nicknamed Old Blue. Wife likes BMW X5's, they drive great but are money pits after the warranty ends.
I considered upgrading to the lx570 but just not worth the money to me. I have several friends ready to fight it out with a choice of weapons if I ever decide to sell!

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Lamerican cars? ahahahahaha more like barges! Stop swallowing the donald trump fodder!

I own McLaren and BMW (3 of the latter currently 12 odd in total) had BMW for 16 years, two issues, I had the actuator failure on my E92 M3, which i admit is BS that BMW don't tackle that properly, but luckily whilst under warranty, there is a proper fix for this now with metal gears. other was a pump failure on rear suspension which was out of warranty but BMW sorted it for free. I do agree that the build quality from E46 through to current F82 has gone downhill significantly.

Now I know this is pinside.
I know we don't often post with facts or data
but step back from the thread, here is some factual data:

Reliability of American cars, only one in the top 10! two in the top 15!

Meanwhile, Tesla came in near the bottom at 25 out of 29 (which surprised me!)

Here’s a look at the reliability rankings, from best to worst:

Lexus
Toyota
Buick
Audi
Kia
Mazda
Hyundai
Infiniti
BMW
Honda
Subaru
Acura
Nissan
Mini
Chevrolet
Porsche
Mercedes-Benz
Ford
Volvo
Lincoln
Cadillac
Volkswagen
Jeep
GMC
Tesla
Dodge
Chrysler
Fiat
Ram

You may now go back to posting anecdotal rubbish and how Stern stole your first born child!

Neil.

Also had Q7 and experienced the $2.5k brake job. Couldn't believe it when they said the rotors can't be turned because the Audi tolerances are too tight. Last Audi.

I consider the German cars to be great to own if you a person who is very, very rich and/or a person who trades in his car every year before anything can break.

My wife has a Mercedes ML350. What a miserable vehicle. I hate driving it. The transition from driving to stopping to driving again is just appalling...just no smoothness at all. It's a punishment. Plus the controls are flat stupid. For example, the radio comes on at a pre-set, low volume every time you start the vehicle. Even if you turned it off the last time you were driving. Oh, another good one - if you attempt to drive the car with the door open the vehicle engages Park automatically! Makes one hell of an unpleasant noise...

Why would you drive with the door open? Let's say you just washed the pig and want to nose it 20 feet into the garage. So you don't bother closing the door all the way and try moving the vehicle. It lets you roll with just enough speed that when it slams into Park you think the trans has fallen out. Just. Flat. Stupid.

Until recently I had a Lexus LS460L which had its share of small issues, but regardless, the difference was night and day. The Lexus excelled in every way possible, by a lot. It drove, rode, handled, and did everything better. The battery was under the hood, too.

300,000 on my 1993 Toyota extra cab 4x4 pickup, 5-speed, 22RE four cylinder. 110 thundering HP. Bought new. Basic maintenance done as per manual.
Uses no oil, original starter, original exhaust system, will not die. hauls pins no problem.
One trip to the dealer ever to replace an steering idler arm under a factory recall.. that is all.

Been looking at new Tacoma 4-door 4x4's, but reluctant to let go of my old truck.

That doesn't sound too healthy, might want to put some in

This depends on the transmission shifter, or Park Brake design.
On M.Benz this feature is on most of them since 2013 or 2014.
BMW on some models does something similar. Can not move the vehicle if the hood and or door is open or partially open.
Audi on some models as well. With an electronic park brake.

While I detest being told by the car how I can or can't drive it...if M-B must tell me I can't drive it with the door open, then it should not even let me put the vehicle in gear with the door open. But to let the vehicle go in gear, get rolling, then dump it in Park is just foolish. I don't know how to say it in German, but the English phrase is 'lousy engineering'.

It also has the worst brake pedal feel of any modern car I've driven. Very abrupt engagement - abrupt without being aggressive- then a little more push produces a mushy and unwilling feel. Yucky.

I like barges.

I have heard about the BMW actuator problem in another thread. One for each head at $2000 each. For what I paid for my big car I could have bought 8 of my cars for the cost of 2 of your plastic gears and had $400 left over. $4000 for an engine? That's almost 4 long blocks for me. A computer to compress the brake pistons? I use a big screwdriver. My "computer" is a set of points and a condenser. I can probably outrun you to. Well I take that back it tops out at 130 mph but with the 455 and positraction it gets there pretty quick.

I guess I am just cheap and enjoy working on my own stuff. To each their own I guess.

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Wrong, Audi brakes can easily be DIY, as I posted earlier. More completely bad information on Pinside, surprise, surprise.

A computer is not needed to retract the caliper pistons. The newest EPB (electronic parking brake) equipped Audi's will need dealer service or VCDS to work on (replace) the rear brakes. Yes, VCDS as I mentioned before will work for that.

There are even detailed videos showing EPB service and steps. https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_707217495&feature=iv&src_vid=cHJMI4QkSy8&v=zFZJj39FZ3s . More brake service info here as well. http://wiki.ross-tech.com/wiki/index.php/VW_Touareg_(7P)_Parking_Brake

There are a ton of youtube videos showing Q7 and Audi brake service and pad/rotor replacement done DIY. There is even a work around for EPB service without the dealer or VCDS if someone wants to roll the dice. http://www.a5oc.com/forums/a5-s5-topics/23988-rear-brake-job-without.html

All the info to do brake work yourself is easily found on the net. And many people DIY.

To retract the rear disc pistons one will need a tool. And that is usually the case for any newer car now, whether it is european, domestic, or asian. Here's an inexpensive universal tool to do that for example, $20. One will need a tool like this to do the brakes on newer domestic GM and Ford vehicles too. ebay.com link: 22pc Universal Disc Brake Caliper Piston Pad Car Auto Wind Back Hand Tool Kit

Beware that any newer vehicle with an electronic parking brake may require special equipment or service, but Audi's can be done DIY easily with the aftermarket availability of a relatively inexpensive and proven full electronics controller.

German cars are expensive all around!! I have a Porsche 911 that had cost me a ton to maintain. The cost of my repairs is close to cost of a new chevy. Lol

There is nothing special about the brakes on the Audi. You just need a tool to reset the electric e-brake and triple square spline bits.

And mind you that's just for the front. The rears are normal. Love my audis. Q7 and rs7. Both fantastic.

Have had my A6 since new in 2010. Never a problem. Best car I've ever owned. Audi's do require a special tool to reset the rear brake pads on replacement due to the electric parking brake. Obviously learning how to do the basic maintenance yourself is the best route for saving $$$. After my Audi came off warranty I now take it to a local mechanic who can do most everything on the car for tons less $$$ than the dealership.

As far as dealerships go, it's hit or miss. My local Audi dealership has a fabulous service department but you pay for it.

Now as far as doing brake jobs on a car, again the Audi has a special tool for the rear brakes, but otherwise disc brakes are easy as can be to replace. I have a track car with Brembo's up front at GT500's on the back. I can swap the brake pads and bleed the brakes in about 45 minutes (but I probably do this 5 times a summer due to track use). The fronts on the Audi can be swapped in probably 60 minutes with just basic tools.

Funny how a pin forum turns into a car forum pretty quickly around here

What , a rock ?

The biggest pile of crap i ever owned was a 2010 BMW 550i GT. It was in the shop 9 times in 8 months for more than 3 days each time .
Still under full factory warranty. I told the sales manager that the car was obviously a lemon and I would like for him to make me an offer to buy it back or trade it it in on something different , his response , we have no interest in buying that car back. WTF !
Drove up to Scottsdale Toyota and came back with a 2010 4 runner , fuck BMW.
Well except for the 1974 model 2002 with 48k original mIles I have .

Ice - What year is the car?

My wife has an 2015 Audi A5 convertible. Love it but will not keep it long after warranty because it seems like all 3 digit repairs on my Lexus and Infinti's in the past will be 4 digits on our Audi.

It seems like people constantly get dicked with repairs on German luxury cars, but always go back to them and never switch to Japanese or American luxury cars. Wonder why that is?

You notice that?

The local audio dealer here is known for airing up tires with nitros/co2 and charging $150 .
I don't know why or if it's recommended but I'll just take plain ol' air .

Yes the throttle actuator $2000 x 2

I sold my car the same day I had number one repaired, not sure but figured I had to fix it, as selling the car in limp mode was not going to work.

Also it's so ubiquitous that BMW should fix it for free or partial price.

I had an Acura MDX needed catalytic converter but was out of warranty so I paid $900 or whatever it was already at 95K miles. But a few months later Acura sent me the money back because they found the cats were failing too often and they extended the warranty to 120K miles.

That's the way to treat a common problem but BMW looks at their problem as a money maker.

In that video I posted said the original clutch pad was too weak so when fixing need to upgrade to the year later spec. BMW should extend that fix because it was their error.

IMO

22re motor is a very good motor and easy to work on. Just need to replace the timing chain before it rubs thru the timing chain cover. Don't currently own one, last was a 1994 4x4. Others are 94 pickup 22re, 86 pickup 22r, 82 celica 22r and a 79 celica 20r.

Your parents are clever.

rd

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Don't worry, he probably just drives a Peugeot

Beep beep

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Art in Engineering.....

Chinese junk, sure. Buy OEM or OES for proper performance and durability.

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www.ross-tech.com . I bought the interface for $300.00 eleven years ago and replaced the rear brakes three times on my A8 which requires the software to open & close the calipers to the pads & rotor dimensions.

Also use the interface countless times on my Beetle and Son's TT. Useful for so much troubleshooting & maintenance. Also for the "Service!" Indicator reset.

BMW has a ridiculous priced service interface. Same for Mercedes. Audi & VW, while complicated, can still be serviced by individuals with proper tools & equipment.

That is considered regular maintenance. I changed mine at 150,000. The main issue with these is they used a plastic guide rail. The upgrade when changing it out is to use a rubber coated metal guide. Or if you want to go all out, you can retrofit the older double row chain & sprockets off of a 20R. Great little engines. Just keep an eye on the front cover seal & dont get them overly hot.