Have you guys ever surfed bimmer.org? I spend time over there just for old times sake (had a 325 for many years and am still a BMW CCA member) and they complain as much as we do about dealers and service.

And if you ever happen upon an issue of Roundel, check out the letters column and see how unhappy some of those folks are.

I'm just not convinced that Audi is all that different from other Euro manufacturers.

 

I'm sure you're absolutely right. I've always heard nasties about Beemers from owners who still love 'em anyway.

And, as I have said before, have not MB and BMW also had fuel gauge problems, since I assume that VDO supplies them with the same units?

 

Not too sure about that... I surf Bimmer.org all the time for technical support and other people's opinion... Sure I hear complaints, but not to the extent I hear them on here, and also from personal experience... I haven't driven Audi's long enough to make a concrete opinion, but judging from JD powers surveys, from personal experience, and what I read here, I think BMW is better..

 

In concept I agree. However, my '98 3 series coupe had 0 problems (couple of very minor things) and the service was EXCELLENT. It was a FACTORY-OWNED dealership however (Westchester BMW).

My Maxima was TOTALLY trouble-free throughout the warranty period and by far is the most reliable car I've ever owned (still have it 103,000 miles later).

The 2 worst were an '85 GTI (sued VW to buy it back under Lemon Law) and an '87 LeBaron Coupe (no flames please - I'm a sucker for a pretty face and they were brand new that year).

 

Ever try Wide World Cars?? Regardless if you bought your car there or not, or drive a BMW clunker, they give you a fresh 528i as a loaner car when you have to leave your car there overnight... Good pubilicity to try out a new car, plus gives you something to strive for.. I too never had problems with my car so never really tested the dealer to see how good the service is, and my car is 7 yrs old..

 

Frank, you and I have had similar cars and experiences-- Although I agree bimmer drivers complain equally, I have never had problems (had 5 of them)

My 00 3 series has been totally troublefree and I have received excellent service from both BMW and John Roberts BMW in Dallas. Can't say the same of Audi or Park Place on my 01, 2.7T.

My 96 Maxima SE was the most troublefree car I have ever had, except for a number of speeding tickets I obtained, which I suppose can be blamed entirely on the car. My 94 Integra was equally reliable.

Worst car? By far an 83 GTI that had every conceivable mechanical fault you can imagine--it was fun to drive though!

 

I had a 95 740il and it had lots of little things go wrong with it. The dealer I bought the car from, Neillo, was terrible for service, although the repair people seemed to know what was wrong with the car. My A6 2.7t has had many small problems and they have always been fixed by the dealer. However, the Audi service writers don't seem to know much about the cars even if some of the mechanics do. Part of the problem is that the dealers I have used sell many makes of cars and so their mechanics and service writters don't have a lot of experience with the high end Audis. Another problem is that the 2.7t is very new and Audi seems to be still working out bugs. And finally, I do think that the recent surge in Audi sales is straining the dealer-repair network. I had to wait 2 weeks to get a TBB replaced ($12 part and 30 minutes work put my car out of service for 2 weeks) 6 days for a second TBB and 4 days for a central locking computer.

Audi will probably get the bugs out soon and the dealer-service-parts network will catch up with demand soon or Audi will gain a deserved reputation for poor relibility. By the way I love the car even more than my BMW and so far reliability has been about the same. Parts availability has been a serious issue though.

Most reliable car, Acura Integra, worst, Lotus Europa JPS or maybe my Triumph GT6+ or maybe my Volvos. Gee I never thought about how many unreliable cars I had.

 

We'll probably never know exactly how this played out, but I'm mad at them for making bad sensors AND then for (apparently) taking their GD time making new ones.

However, as in the current Firestone situation, there's the question of exactly when Audi knew about this problem and how motivated they were to fix it. So now, as my car sits at the dealer being serviced, I blame VDO and Audi both. I hope Audi decides to give us something to make up for not having gas gauges for months (more than "a free tank of gas," which is necessary because they have to drain the tank to do the repair! That's like saying that in addition to brain surgery, you'll get a free haircut).

 

fun to drive vs. reliable. Hard to get both. My Fiat Spyder definitely fell into the former category and NOT the latter. My Miata actually accomplished both aims (Japanese Elan).

 

ROFL. That's the funniest thing I've read or heard all day. I think I'll climb into my lovely A6 with the so far fine gas gauge and go home now.