Or you could say that 90% of the time you are carrying around the ICE oily bits but not using them.
Thankfully we all have different preferences and usage, hence the range of choices available
I see, maybe it wasn’t quite enough to trigger the brake lights! I’d guessed it was an EV just by the driving style as I knew what the driver was doing.
That’s to maintain a speed though, you will have already set the speed with the brakes before engaging a low gear. If it’s modern enough the ECU won’t let you anyway.
Not true, selecting a low gear will decelerate my auto car. Probably not quite as much as full regen in our EV though.
That is absolutely true and I respect that but in the effort to be as sustainable as possible we decided we would go all electric. That ignores the fact the car is full of dubiously sourced elements in its batteries of course! And I am getting over the low battery fear too! It’s not perfect but ……
It depends on the speed range of the gear you are selecting. A modern auto won’t let you select 1st at 70mph but if you are doing 40mph in 3rd you could select 2nd safely and the vehicle would slow down on a closed throttle.
2 Likes
On my bike I can change down to 1st at 60 mph and then accelerate to 80mph 
1 Like
…where legal of course.
1 Like
Yep. There’s definitely not a perfect solution at the moment. Until the infrastructure steps up massively I don’t see that changing
I very much agree Graeme. It would be a good idea for @sjw to ditch the bimmer. I’ve had 2 and I would never get another. I had a 325i that needed everything replaced over the years. My company was paying the bills and I was very busy, so I just kept it up. Not very bright, I know. At 200k kms it had had 3 steering boxes, 2 differential changes, on-board computer, 2 wheel bearings, partial wiring narness, valve job, and many, many more things. Then I had a 540i and it needed a clutch cylinder in 6 months. I ditched it after a year.
I have 2 Subarus at the mo and they each have around 220k kms on them, and other than the head gaskets at 150k and regular service, they’ve needed very little work.
I’m surprised at Subaru needing head gaskets at such low mileage (or at all) given that most owners I know rave about their reliability and will happily buy another.
In contrast the ‘premium’ brands we’ve owned have suffered from: failed NOx sensors, failed remote control receiver, HVAC, door seals leaking, sunroof seals leaking, broken seat base, corroded door locks, clutch slave cylinder leaking in the bell housing, lights filling with condensation, steering box issues, ongoing unresolved steering issues, endless trim rattles, paintwork defects, uneven panel gaps, blown speakers, trim falling off and that’s just what I can recall. The cars are or were new/young, the repairs very expensive ( many under warranty thankfully) and the main dealers unimpressive, expensive and indifferent.
In contrast we have had one non-German vehicle from new and over 174,000 miles/280,000 km and 9 years it has needed 3 new door locks at about £160 each, fitted. It’s also needed some suspension bushes but that’s not unusual given the miles. Today it feels just about as it did fresh from the dealer but the leather steering wheel is smooth to the touch. No squeaks and rattles, it all works. That, its capacity to take what you throw at it and the fact that its replacement would be less easy to live with, costs £20,000 more for the same spec and is a year away due to chip shortages is why we’re not selling our car any time soon. We use an independent at £60/hr that is a family business that still delivers proper service. Others have not had the same experience with the same make/model but none has been anything like the catalog of failures I set out in my first paragraph.
1 Like
In the last dozen years:
4 BMWs. The X3 30d needed a transfer box repair, a mirror motor and a glove box lid (the trim came off) in the 10 years we had it from new. Zero problems with any of the others (an 18d X1, a 20d X1 and an m40i X3).
2 Porsches, the only problem being a leaking oil tank for the dry sump, replaced under warranty.
A Defender 90 which seems to need something replacing or repairing every time it goes for service or annual test. It doesn’t have an easy life mind you.
All serviced at main dealers except the transfer box repair since BMW would only replace it whereas an indy repaired it.
1 Like
I’m already looking at moving it on once it’s fixed as scared at the size of future bills even before big mileage on it… A car wow survey shows Honda toyota and Hyundai do well so I’ll start there I guess
1 Like
I think you will miss the rear wheel drive with the front wheels only doing what they are supposed to do , which is steer.
With only 40k on the clock you have been unlucky to have the water pump failure and new heating required imo. The thing to do now is not sell the car in a fit of pique but get it serviced annually and get another enjoyable 100k from her.
Looking at the receipt, you are presumably going to be able to put this down as a business expense which hopefully will take the edge off.
When I switched to FWD to FWD I was amazed how much better it is. (4WD is even better, but more expensive, more complex and adds to fuel consumption - though it came on our TT, and I love it, the car simply going where it is pointed at all times with no drama). I’ve been amazed at the number of BMs and Mercs that get stuck if there is the slightest bit of snow, where the various FWD car we’ve had had no problem. (Of course, it might not be the RWD, but a high proportion of drivers who don’t know how to drive!)
Seems to me the only problem with @sjw ’s car is that with only 40k on it after six years, it’s not getting enough use. So I’d give him ten bob for it! Basically give it to someone who’s going to enjoy it!
Bought this bmw with 15 k on the clock Covid has meant low mileage and its a 20 mile daily commute. Its hardly a stop going out on B roads into the country and return. Other option is doing a £600 pa warranty but I’m aware like any insurance policy they are better at taking the money than paying out. The independent is £103/ hour rather than £165 main agent. Car is according to online valuations worth about £10k + so getting something smaller etc etc is food for thought. I’s worth looking around at this stage and deciding on options. Seat dealer is 2 miles away Honda dealer right the other side of town.I can go and look find out running costs .The last bmw was a 3 series hard top convertible for 12 years. Not too bad but 3 coil packs replaced under warranty in the first 2 years .When I was driving much more I had 7 Alfas and little trouble even tho they were thought of as unreliable.
I’m a John Lewis shopper which means I look at warranty as important…
Ideas have been appreciated!
I guess I also want a car any garage can service!
I think the problem of rwd is compounded on many Mercs and Bimmers by the fitment of wide low profile tyres which achieve zero purchase on ice or snow.
I read with bemusement the other day about a chap who clipped the underside trim on his car whilst leaving his driveway. Looked extremely minor damage to me but he insisted on having it properly fixed and returned to pristine condition. It was a Ferrari and the dealer quote came to just over £14k as repair was deemed not an option and required an entire rear panel to be replaced!
Peter
It may be worth trying an internet search for " Most and least reliable car brands revealed".
It provides a 2020 UK survey from owners, both in terms of reliability and average repair costs.
German premium brands do not fare well. If in doubt, buy Japanese.
The industry bible for car reliability is conducted by J.D. Power.
A search for “JD Power initial quality study 2022” will provide links to a number of their regional quality surveys.
Again, German premium car makers do not fare so well. Interestingly, electric cars tend to fare badly, for 2 reasons. First, Tesla and Polestar reliability is statistically just awful. Second, while the internal combustion engine powertrain is a fiendishly complex system, it is proven. Much of the software in an EV is new, immature and bug ridden. It will improve over time though.
Best regards, BF
2 Likes
Have 2nd hand cars gone up in value?
I went on “We Buy Any Car” and my 2015 Mini Cooper S is worth over 10k. I’ve had it for almost 4 years and paid 13k privately. I thought it would be worth less.
Was thinking of selling it as I only cover about 2-3k miles a year and just seems a waste.
Yep. Supply chain issues have led to shortages on new stock so dealers are looking for low mileage used cars.