# I thought BMW was supposed to be a safe option?



## Paul77 (Jul 30, 2015)

Bought my 2010 BMW 320D manual last year. Everything going great until last week, when I couldn't select reverse gear. Managed to get it to the garage I usually use, and this morning I'm being told that it needs to be sent away to a specialist who can rebuild the gearbox, if they can get parts for it. They thought it would just be a simple job of a selector or linkage. 

I've had all sorts of cars. Fords, Vauxhalls, and my last VW Passat so I thought I'd treat myself with the beemer but this will be the first time I've ever had gearbox problems. Utterly crazy and apparently a common thing to go wrong. Even newer ones have this issue. BMW just replace the box to the tune of Â£4k too according to reports on the net. 

I'm in total shock with it really. Â£500 at least for the rebuild without VAT, and because mine is a stop/start car and gear indicator to tell you what gear to be in for the Eco warriors then it may be more. Surely a huge company like BMW would make parts readily available for this sort of thing? It's crazy. 

Oh well, we'll see how it goes.


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## Rooter (Jul 30, 2015)

keep kicking off, escalate and escalate your unhappiness. I had at the time a 9 year old BMW, after some research i found the problem i had was more common than they let on. (i had a 330D 2000 model at the time, and the rear diff ripped out of the floor!!!) They ended up fixing it free of charge, a whole new floor was fitted. This was on a car i had bought second hand for 6 grand and was 9 years old with 100,000 miles on the clock. Oh and i had a brand new X5 for 3 weeks while they fixed it too...

Get googling bmw forums for others with the same issues, what you are really looking for is the job code for the work they are doing, if you can find that and it is more common, or even a recall in another country, thats the jackpot!


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## Paul77 (Jul 30, 2015)

Defo worth keeping my ear to the ground on it. Cheers fella.


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## Alex1975 (Jul 30, 2015)

Not really the safe option... BMW are the 28th most reliable car manufacture.

http://www.reliabilityindex.com/manufacturer


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## USER1999 (Jul 30, 2015)

I have always found bmw to make unreliable junk, expensively.


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## Smiffy (Jul 30, 2015)

If you bought it less than a year ago, hopefully you'll be under warranty?
If not..... good luck.


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## Lord Tyrion (Jul 30, 2015)

Find the main BMW forum. I am on a Volvo one and they are a mine of information. A BMW one will be able to guide you with advice and other options.


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## Paul77 (Jul 30, 2015)

Yeah I used to be a member of the VW forums and V.Astra forums too a while ago. Ended up with car hypochondria by the end of it. Shame. I really like the car so I want to get it sorted. How it gets paid for is the challenge if I can get BMW to do it, fair enough.


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## Tommo21 (Jul 30, 2015)

Dont be fooled guys....all cars have their faults. My mate got a new Audi a3 and the geearbox is knackered, within the first few weeks. My passat from a few years ago let go a connection rod, loose bolt, straigh through the sump.

So, they all can have horror stories but my A6 has done near 120k and you would not know it. Touch wood.


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## Paul77 (Jul 30, 2015)

Tommo21 said:



			So, they all can have horror stories but my A6 has done near 120k and you would not know it. Touch wood.
		
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That's it now. You've jinxed it lol 

My old Passat Vaccum pump failed one night out of no where. No brakes driving along the road. I did have brakes, I just had to stomp on the pedal. Â£650 repair bill exactly two years ago lol.


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## Smiffy (Jul 30, 2015)

Japanese cars have less faults than other cars....even German ones!


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## Paul77 (Jul 30, 2015)

My mate is now laughing because he has a Honda Accord and is doing the "I told you so" thing. If he doesn't shoosh, I'll be loosing a 7 iron.


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## Rooter (Jul 30, 2015)

Smiffy said:



			Japanese cars have less faults than other cars....even German ones!


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Should have bought a Lexi. It's the Japanese Mercedes.


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## delc (Jul 30, 2015)

German cars are over-rated, over-priced junk with an unjustified reputation for reliability. Buy Japanese/British cars if you want something reliable!


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## la_lucha (Jul 30, 2015)

Lord Tyrion said:



			Find the main BMW forum. I am on a Volvo one and they are a mine of information. A BMW one will be able to guide you with advice and other options.
		
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Which Volvo forum do you use generally?


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## Rooter (Jul 30, 2015)

delc said:



			German cars are over-rated, over-priced junk with an unjustified reputation for reliability. Buy Japanese/British cars if you want something reliable!
		
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Sorry Delc, but that is utter tosh.


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## Smiffy (Jul 30, 2015)

Rooter said:



			Sorry Delc, but that is utter tosh.
		
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Their petrol filler caps are bigger


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## delc (Jul 30, 2015)

Rooter said:



			Sorry Delc, but that is utter tosh.
		
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That's the opinion of a mechanic friend of mine who works on them!


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## MegaSteve (Jul 30, 2015)

Our last two French cars have been ultra reliable despite what others have to say... 
Mind you, so were the German made one's before that...

Cars these days are more reliable than those from when I started driving... 
De-cokes @ 30K... Clutches @ 20K were the norm...


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## Alex1975 (Jul 30, 2015)

I dont think German cars do have a reputation for reliability, they have a reputation for build quality. They do not tend to squeak or rattle, the materials are solid. They are not Lexus though...


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## Lord Tyrion (Jul 30, 2015)

la_lucha said:



			Which Volvo forum do you use generally?
		
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http://www.volvoforums.org.uk

Decent site and Volvo is one of those brands where a lot of people are repeat customers so the knowledge is pretty strong and deep.

Are you on there or do you use another one? I think this is the main one but I have no link to it, other than using it, so I am not putting any others down.


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## Foxholer (Jul 30, 2015)

Alex1975 said:



			Not really the safe option... BMW are the 28th most reliable car manufacture.

http://www.reliabilityindex.com/manufacturer

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That index also factors in the cost of failures! So BMs probably more reliable - just also much more expensive when something does go wrong. So depends on what you mean by 'reliable' (or 'the safe option'). I've had British cars (Rovers) for about 40k miles and German ones (BMW and Audi) for about 600k miles and I know which I considered 'more reliable'!

Hope it works out Paul - keep at the manufacturer, as that sort of failure simply shouldn't happen except by a fault or mis-treatment.


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## GreiginFife (Jul 30, 2015)

Previous car was a BM 3 series coop (E92) and had it 6 years with not a single issue. Ok so had to do brakes and tyres, a couple of shockies and bushes but thats only to be expected. But build nd relibility, even in the crappiest of crap weather, was second to none.
Now got a Mercedes A220 and so far (had it a year this month) its been faultless as well. 
I would say they aint too bad overall. FH is right though, parts are bloody expensive for German motors, even VAG are now as expensive as BM and Merc.


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## Fish (Jul 31, 2015)

delc said:



			German cars are over-rated, over-priced junk with an unjustified reputation for reliability. Buy Japanese/British cars if you want something reliable!
		
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Rubbish!

Well I've had my Merc 4 years now, 179k on the clock, been through every MOT without anything mechanical showing up and passing 1st time every time, only had to buy brakes & tyres and 1 bulb in that period, she's never let me down, its an absolute star and only cost me Â£600.

I've had all the top of the range cars from new in the past and now with my 17yr old bus I'm of the opinion that new cars are over-rated.


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## Blue in Munich (Jul 31, 2015)

Fish said:



			Rubbish!

Well I've had my Merc 4 years now, 179k on the clock, been through every MOT without anything mechanical showing up and passing 1st time every time, only had to buy brakes & tyres and 1 bulb in that period, she's never let me down, its an absolute star and only cost me Â£600.

I've had all the top of the range cars from new in the past and now with my 17yr old bus I'm of the opinion that new cars are over-rated.
		
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Not exactly; you bought a car from an era when Mercedes did have a reputation for quality & reliability.  Read reviews on more modern Mercedes and you are liable to read phrase like this.

"The effect of it and other problems has been to destroy Mercedesâ€™ reputation for â€œqualityâ€ and led to a tumbling of its used car values."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring...sty-Mercedes-and-lack-of-satnav-upgrades.html

Interestingly, further down was this gem;

Mercedes-Benz has successfully been sued in a regional court in Germany for economy figures that were impossible for a normal driver to obtain.


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## Fish (Jul 31, 2015)

Blue in Munich said:



			Not exactly; you bought a car from an era when Mercedes did have a reputation for quality & reliability.  Read reviews on more modern Mercedes and you are liable to read phrase like this.

"The effect of it and other problems has been to destroy Mercedesâ€™ reputation for â€œqualityâ€ and led to a tumbling of its used car values."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring...sty-Mercedes-and-lack-of-satnav-upgrades.html

Interestingly, further down was this gem;

Mercedes-Benz has successfully been sued in a regional court in Germany for economy figures that were impossible for a normal driver to obtain.

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I've had new ones, my last 1 being a C220 Sports Coupe on a 53 plate, kept her for 3yrs without any problems at all putting around 30k a year on the clock. My wife had the original A Class and had that for 5yrs and again, no issues!


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## Smiffy (Jul 31, 2015)

Made me laugh when a mate of mine started working as a salesman at a Merc dealer, he'd been there a week and came to pick me up in his new company car for a game of golf.
He had to walk round and unlock the passenger door manually 'cos his central locking had packed up


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## la_lucha (Jul 31, 2015)

Lord Tyrion said:



http://www.volvoforums.org.uk

Decent site and Volvo is one of those brands where a lot of people are repeat customers so the knowledge is pretty strong and deep.

Are you on there or do you use another one? I think this is the main one but I have no link to it, other than using it, so I am not putting any others down.
		
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I've not used either yet as I've had the car less than 12 months with no issues, but I thought it's about time to look into one as I have an AC leak.


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## Paul77 (Jul 31, 2015)

I want my BMW back. I'm sick and tired driving my good ladys Polo and having BMW, Merc, Jag and all sorts of other big car drivers bully me all over the road. Driving up my ass, under taking and the like. I mentioned it to HID and she replied "Welcome to my world" Honestly it's just shocking the way folk treat small car drivers out there. 

People need to have a word with themselves.


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## Ethan (Jul 31, 2015)

Well, no car make is foolproof, so long as there are moving parts, electrical components or humans driving them, sometimes they will go wrong.

I have an Audi A6, 108k up in 7 years and it is the best car I have ever owned and I would replace it with another tomorrow. There have been a few repairs needed over those years and miles, and Audi dealer work is not cheap, but nowadays I use an independent. 

Have owned a number of BMW 3 series in the past and found them pretty reliable, and would happily consider another Beemer.

Never really liked Mercedes, though.


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## MegaSteve (Jul 31, 2015)

Think the youth of today are missing out on the spirit of adventure that should be associated with motoring... Setting out on a journey with only an evens chance of reaching your destination is true motoring experience....


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## Paul77 (Jul 31, 2015)

MegaSteve said:



			Think the youth of today are missing out on the spirit of adventure that should be associated with motoring... Setting out on a journey with only an evens chance of reaching your destination is true motoring experience....
		
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I did used to get that feeling. I had a Mk4 Vauxhall Astra at the time lol. 

Only reason I bought a more "Reliable car" was because I was working as a sports photographer at the time and having car issues wasn't an option. Deadlines and all that. Maybe this is my wee car telling me it needs a rest from doing 250 miles a week


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## Foxholer (Jul 31, 2015)

Paul77 said:



			I did used to get that feeling. I had a Mk4 Vauxhall Astra at the time lol. 

Only reason I bought a more "Reliable car" was because I was working as a sports photographer at the time and having car issues wasn't an option. Deadlines and all that. *Maybe this is my wee car telling me it needs a rest from doing 250 miles a week *

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That's not a very large mileage - about 12.5k per year. I was doing 1000miles per week for 5 years a while ago! And, likewise, reliability - once the journey began - was critical, which is why a higher quality, higher capital cost, higher (if  maybe less frequent) maintenance cost, but more comfort and far greater peace of mind, is actually justifiable!  

And the 2 Audi A6 Diesels I had were absolutely top notch! I always had the impression that the BMW had 'gadgets' that were not fully reliable - and it may be that this is the case for the OP too!


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## Paul77 (Jul 31, 2015)

Foxholer said:



			And the 2 Audi A6 Diesels I had were absolutely top notch! I always had the impression that the BMW had 'gadgets' that were not fully reliable - and it may be that this is the case for the OP too!
		
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Mine doesn't have any fancy gadgets lol. 

I like the sound of this Audi A6 you speak of.


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## la_lucha (Jul 31, 2015)

MegaSteve said:



			Think the youth of today are missing out on the spirit of adventure that should be associated with motoring... Setting out on a journey with only an evens chance of reaching your destination is true motoring experience....
		
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I agree. I once left a fiesta At the side of the road and rang the scrapyard. Having only got halfway to snowdon


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## Paul77 (Jul 31, 2015)

la_lucha said:



			I agree. I once left a fiesta At the side of the road and rang the scrapyard. Having only got halfway to snowdon
		
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I guess that's where the saying 

FORD = Found On Roadside Dead comes from lol


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## Fish (Jul 31, 2015)

MegaSteve said:



			Think the youth of today are missing out on the spirit of adventure that should be associated with motoring... Setting out on a journey with only an evens chance of reaching your destination is true motoring experience....
		
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That was every school holiday heading for the coast with 4 of us rammed into a Hillman Imp with all the luggage strapped to the roof, within 50 miles the cars behind would be flashing their lights signalling that we had steam & water pishing out from the boot, where the engine was 

My dad then went from 1 extent to the other and got a Zephyr Zodiac, what a great car that was, bench seats and column drive and it was big, very big :smirk:


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## Ethan (Jul 31, 2015)

MegaSteve said:



			Think the youth of today are missing out on the spirit of adventure that should be associated with motoring... Setting out on a journey with only an evens chance of reaching your destination is true motoring experience....
		
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Ah, you mean driving an Italian car?


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## Ethan (Jul 31, 2015)

Paul77 said:



			I guess that's where the saying 

FORD = Found On Roadside Dead comes from lol
		
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FIAT - Fix It Again, Tony.


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## Foxholer (Jul 31, 2015)

Paul77 said:



			Mine doesn't have any fancy gadgets lol. 

I like the sound of this Audi A6 you speak of. 

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You might not think you have, but there will definitely be 'BMW innovations' that may be great and may turn out to be liabilities!
My (D Reg) 528 had an innovation that switched the engine fan off/down when it (supposedly) wasn't needed. Unfortunately, this also happened when the car was stationary, so the temperature under the bonnet could get really high. On a snow delayed M25 trip once, it got to 145! The Thames Valley Police had to ditch theirs because of chronic overheating! And the 'Service Level Lights' innovation wasn't a complete success either! I got mine replaced FOC by complaining (a lot and loudly) when it played up (missing lights) yet they were advertising that feature as particularly special! They are an 'innovation led' company, but maybe their stress testing is not up to the levels needed. I remember some old Mercedes comment about their 'new' features being tested for the equivalent of 10 years service before being put into production - though they went through a period where their quality was not up to scratch!

The A6s were great - the first was an A100/A6. Wouldn't choose one now though - the A5 would be my choice!


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## Blue in Munich (Jul 31, 2015)

Paul77 said:



			I guess that's where the saying 

FORD = Found On Roadside Dead comes from lol
		
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Thought it was Fixed Or Repaired Daily?

And another manufacturer; Lots Of Trouble, Usually Serious.


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## Foxholer (Aug 1, 2015)

Blue in Munich said:



			Thought it was Fixed Or Repaired Daily?

And another manufacturer; Lots Of Trouble, Usually Serious.



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I notice you haven't mentioned the one for BMW!


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## Blue in Munich (Aug 2, 2015)

Foxholer said:



			I notice you haven't mentioned the one for BMW! 

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I didn't know there was one for broken down BMW's, do enlighten meâ€¦â€¦...


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## apj0524 (Aug 2, 2015)

I work for a company that makes the stop start sensor and magnet, replacements are 10 euros for the set

On a another note take it from someone who sees what the stop / Start does to gearboxes over time, so I turn mine off on my and my wife car, because in my opinion the bearings and other components in the gearboxes up to the job of Stop / Start and the lack of oil in the bearings


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## richart (Aug 2, 2015)

Ethan said:



			Ah, you mean driving an Italian car?
		
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 17 years and counting and my/my daughters Alfa has completed every journey. Think it might be a rogue Alfa though.


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## Foxholer (Aug 2, 2015)

Blue in Munich said:



			I didn't know there was one for broken down BMW's, do enlighten meâ€¦â€¦...
		
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Rather too politically incorrect! Especially having been chauffeured in a rather splendid one quiter recently! 

But it's in this list! http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=BMW&defid=5141443


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## la_lucha (Aug 3, 2015)

richart said:



			17 years and counting and my/my daughters Alfa has completed every journey. Think it might be a rogue Alfa though.

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I've had two 156's the second was a 2.5v6 that was extremely thirsty. lovely car but too expensive to run. The first was a 2.0 Tspark which I loved until the timing belt went and that was the end of that. Things got mashed inside.


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## Hobbit (Aug 3, 2015)

Tommo21 said:



			Dont be fooled guys....all cars have their faults. So, they all can have horror stories but my A6 has done near 120k and you would not know it. Touch wood.
		
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I've had Audi's for about 12 yrs. The current A6, the 4th, is excellent. The previous A6 was a dog, but having had 2 before I knew it was a Friday afternoon car. 

Once had an Astra that had gearbox problems in the first 6 months... just luck of the draw.


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## richart (Aug 3, 2015)

la_lucha said:



			I've had two 156's the second was a 2.5v6 that was extremely thirsty. lovely car but too expensive to run. The first was a 2.0 Tspark which I loved until the timing belt went and that was the end of that. Things got mashed inside.
		
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 This is a 156 2.0 Tspark. Had it from new, and it still looks good.

Looking forward to trying out the new Giulia when it comes out over here.


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