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All Forums > Technical > German cars 'among worst for engine failures' > Post Reply
Post #1 Tue, Jan 22, 4:07 AM
CitroenSM
Foose fan - 37679

 Quote from autoexpress.co.uk;

German cars 'among worst for engine failures'

Audi, BMW and VW ranked in the bottom 10 of a study into engine reliability

German-made cars are not as reliable as many believe, according to new research. Warranty Direct has studied its claims data to compile a list of the manufacturers with the most reliable engines - and Audi, BMW and Volkswagen all finished in the bottom 10 out of a total 36 makers.

In fact, the only firm whose cars had a worse engine failure rate than Audi was MG Rover. MINI wasn't much better, finishing third from bottom, while its parent company BMW came seventh from bottom. And, despite its reputation for rock-solid reliability, Volkswagen came ninth from bottom.

Honda scooped the gold medal - the study found that just one in every 344 Honda engines failed, compared to one in every 27 Audi engines. Despite its recent recall woes, Toyota came second and Mercedes managed to outperform its fellow German brands with a respectable third-place finish.

Duncan McClure, Warranty Direct Managing Director, said that engine failures are the worst for motorists as they're the repairs that can lead to the highest costs because of the parts and hours of labour required to fix them: "The nuber of failures may be low compared to areas such as axle and suspension damage but engine repairs almost always result in costs reaching the thousands for motorists who aren't covered by a warranty."

An engine failure on a Range Rover Vogue recently led to Warranty Direct's highest ever claim of £13,000.

Top 10 manufacturers
Manufacturer Failure rate (%) Failure rate (1 in x)
1 Honda 0.29% 1 in 344
2 Toyota 0.58% 1 in 171
3 Mercedes 0.84% 1 in 119
4 Volvo 0.90% 1 in 111
5 Jaguar 0.98% 1 in 103

Bottom 10 manufacturers
Manufacturer Failure rate (%) Failure rate (1 in x)
1 MG Rover 7.88% 1 in 13
2 Audi 3.71% 1 in 27
3 MINI 2.51% 1 in 40
4 Saab 2.49% 1 in 40
5 Vauxhall 2.46% 1 in 41

What's your view? Do you think German manufacturers still deserve their reputation for building the most reliable cars?

Read more: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/consumer-news/62383/german-cars-among-worst-engine-failures#ixzz2IhIaAMyJ
"If God had meant for us to walk, why did he give us feet that fit car pedals?" - Sir Stirling Moss
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Edited by CitroenSM - Tue, Jan 22, 4:24 AM
Post #2 Tue, Jan 22, 8:55 AM
disord3r
Supercar Messiah - 25895

 What do they classify as engine failure? Total catastrophic failure requiring pulling and replacing the whole thing, or do less fatal problems like compression issues or a leaky oil pan gasket figure into those numbers, as well?
effyoo
Post #3 Tue, Jan 22, 9:06 AM
CitroenSM
Foose fan - 37679
Quote from disord3r
What do they classify as engine failure? Total catastrophic failure requiring pulling and replacing the whole thing, or do less fatal problems like compression issues or a leaky oil pan gasket figure into those numbers, as well?
Good question.
"If God had meant for us to walk, why did he give us feet that fit car pedals?" - Sir Stirling Moss
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Post #4 Tue, Jan 22, 9:13 AM
disord3r
Supercar Messiah - 25895

 I'll agree though that on more complex engines, the problems are likely to be more costly due to design and packaging and simply the base cost of the engine.
effyoo
Post #5 Tue, Jan 22, 9:50 AM
CitroenSM
Foose fan - 37679
Quote from disord3r
I'll agree though that on more complex engines, the problems are likely to be more costly due to design and packaging and simply the base cost of the engine.
True, The most reliable engines are the ones built the old school way without tons of electronics.
"If God had meant for us to walk, why did he give us feet that fit car pedals?" - Sir Stirling Moss
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Edited by CitroenSM - Tue, Jan 22, 9:51 AM
Post #6 Tue, Jan 22, 9:57 AM
Unregistered
because racecar - 24732
Quote from CitroenSM
True, The most reliable engines are the ones built the old school way without tons of electronics.
This statement is false in light of this study. For example, see Honda or Mercedes.
1972 Series I Jaguar XJ6 W/ Chevy 350. Yea that's right, it's cooler than your Neon
Post #7 Tue, Jan 22, 9:59 AM
Unregistered
because racecar - 24732

 Also each new reliability study contradicts the last one, granted they're all from different sources but still.
1972 Series I Jaguar XJ6 W/ Chevy 350. Yea that's right, it's cooler than your Neon
Post #8 Tue, Jan 22, 10:20 AM
disord3r
Supercar Messiah - 25895
Quote from CitroenSM
True, The most reliable engines are the ones built the old school way without tons of electronics.
I was thinking more along the lines of not having to remove the engine from the bay to replace something that should be relatively simple, or not having to disassemble half of the engine in the process. It's one thing if it's a Ferrari and it's meant to be built with absolutely no compromises...
effyoo
Post #9 Tue, Jan 22, 2:43 PM
AMGrulz
Supercar Messiah - 54404

 Suck my diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick!



I'm still thinking of replacing the Civic though.
Post #10 Wed, Jan 23, 10:25 AM
c7015
Supercar Messiah - 5939

 I think they do deserve the reliable moniker, it has been my experience they are put together more robustly with a higher quality of materials. I would agree with trying to stay state of the art they have lost some of the mechanical reliability they have had in the past.

I just think of the gm I had , it was never the engine that was going to break , it was going to be everything else , now I have a touareg and I could see the engine failing due to its complexity but everything else is solid as a rock.
CC
Post #11 Wed, Jan 23, 10:52 AM
disord3r
Supercar Messiah - 25895

 if the everything is otherwise reasonably costly to replace, then why do american cars get such a bad rap? they're just shitty in a more financially-tolerable way.
effyoo
Post #12 Wed, Jan 23, 12:13 PM
c7015
Supercar Messiah - 5939

 I think because american cars are shitty in a lot of other ways. So the slightly higher % of mechanical engine failure seems like an ok trade off to take for the other quality attributes you get. (considering most would have a warranty to cover that anyway)

which brings me to my next theory that because its more costly to maintain German cars , that can leave a lot of abused examples in the used market which could also contribute to higher engine failure stats.
CC
Post #13 Fri, Jan 25, 8:20 PM
broken
Supercar Messiah - 14976
Quote from CitroenSM
True, The most reliable engines are the ones built the old school way without tons of electronics.
I disagree. I fully support FADEC systems, as far as aviation is concerned.
Post #14 Tue, Jan 29, 3:38 AM
CrystalBaller
Supercar Messiah - 35444

 german quality
Founding Member of the screaming Chicken Faction.

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Post #15 Mon, Feb 4, 11:32 PM
426hemi
nabe shogun - 21825
Quote from disord3r
What do they classify as engine failure? Total catastrophic failure requiring pulling and replacing the whole thing, or do less fatal problems like compression issues or a leaky oil pan gasket figure into those numbers, as well?
Most likely replacement of the engine block.
I am a machine fueled by oil and the blood of foreigners.
Post #16 Tue, Feb 12, 5:14 PM
Daunter
Supercar Messiah - 3223

 best cars
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Post #17 Thu, Feb 14, 8:31 AM
CitroenSM
Foose fan - 37679
Quote from disord3r
I was thinking more along the lines of not having to remove the engine from the bay to replace something that should be relatively simple, or not having to disassemble half of the engine in the process. It's one thing if it's a Ferrari and it's meant to be built with absolutely no compromises...
Ok.
"If God had meant for us to walk, why did he give us feet that fit car pedals?" - Sir Stirling Moss
(\__/)
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Post #18 Fri, Feb 15, 6:15 PM
Unregistered
because racecar - 24732
Quote from disord3r
I was thinking more along the lines of not having to remove the engine from the bay to replace something that should be relatively simple, or not having to disassemble half of the engine in the process. It's one thing if it's a Ferrari and it's meant to be built with absolutely no compromises...
Ok.
1972 Series I Jaguar XJ6 W/ Chevy 350. Yea that's right, it's cooler than your Neon
Post #19 Sun, Apr 14, 7:06 PM
Gouridebangzi
Supercar Messiah - 3253
Quote from disord3r
if the everything is otherwise reasonably costly to replace, then why do american cars get such a bad rap? they're just shitty in a more financially-tolerable way.
Well yeah. So are Ladas and Zils.
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All Forums > Technical > German cars 'among worst for engine failures' > Post Reply
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