Blowing engines 997......

LOL

http://www.rennteam.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=77222&an=0&page=0#77222
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

"German reliability" seems more and more to be just a myth. Mercedes have admitted to a whole gaggle of recent design faults in much of their hi-tech electronics, and having recently bought a used BMW I did my homework on known problems and discovered some really stupid general design problems there too, such as a V8 engine block that is corroded by unleaded fuel! A friend with an early 1990s 911 Porsche has complained to the local Porsche dealer of the need to constantly top up the oil (0.5 litres / 1000 km) only to be told that this is normal for that model. Maybe Porsche employed the same metallurgist as BMW.

In their defense though (if it is a defense) I have recently read that the German car industry has the highest paid production line workers which would invariably put strain in their production budget elsewhere.

Eighteen months ago I toured the Porsche factory. I was amazed that the components going into the motors were not made by Porsche but came from all over Europe. Each motor was built by one person on a production line. The guide said that if any part from a 5 cent washer upwards was found to cause a problem the supplier was up for the cost of lost production or rebuilding the offending motor. They did run all motors pretty hard before putting them in cars. The Porsche factory certainly came as a surprise as they are really a design house and assembly line rather than a true manufacturer. Total opposite to Ferrari. Regards

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A friend with an early 1990s 911 Porsche has complained to the local Porsche dealer of the need to constantly top up the oil (0.5 litres / 1000 km) only to be told that this is normal for that model.

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The owner's manual for my Toyota Tundra warns that you might lose 1 quart / 1000 miles. After driving the truck for 3,000 miles, I haven't yet noticed any sort of oil loss.

all u say here is true at all.
I also have a M3e36 and my lucky is only maybe that I care this car as I will do if I have a gt40.The value money anyway is really too much higher if u really look the quality of what u are buying(mine one at the time was for 68.ooo euros..)
And they also have less quality in e46 series and even less more in all the newer ones.
My dad has a bmw 330diesel with a lot of engine problems..all generated by poor and cheap material used in assembly of the car(cloutch rebuild 3 times in 50.000 km..).
the same for Mercedes and audi.
In country as mine anyway those cars are a true status symbol and seems people does not care at all of the true quality of them.
Just u need it to show something cool to friends.

And here in Italy..japanese cars are looked wrongly as cheap ugly cars...

paul
P.s.my everyday 1990 ford fiesta is still a workhorse..i use it everyday and in the hardest conditions.I was tempted to destroy that some years ago for its high mileage and buy a SUV....btw now,also with this love for the gt40 I love it again, really.. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I have an early 90s 911 (993 shape).
It does use a bit of oil, but not excessively. A friend has a renault that uses more, and they too say it is an ecceptible level of use.

I'm sad to see they are having problems already. This can only harm the reputation of the car, and ultimately lose the owners more money.
When the cayenne & toureg came out they too had problems, although mainly gearbox electrics.

As for assembling components rather than building themselves, all 'manufacturers' do that, including Ferrari. It is called outsourcing and is what results in lower production costs. It doesn't make sense for an auto manufacturer to make their own pistons/rods/pumps etc when they can buy them in made to their spec from a specialist manufacturer.

All auto makers are having difficulties with different aspects of their cars.
I have an Audi that has a lifetime warranty on its wheels as they have a tendancy to buckle so easily. At 35k miles it has just had its gearbox overhauled too :|
Bmw have problems with M3's blowing engines. Hondas have recently had problems with cam belts snapping and vtec systems jamming.

Its a shame, but I guess all the time the makers strive for maximum market share and profits sometimes issues will be missed...

Maybe this is just a case of the squeaky wheel getting most of the attention but there are levels of unreliability. Speaking purely from my own experience, the major Japanese manufacturers are in a league of their own when it comes to reliability. That’s not to say that they don't have the odd design fault, but it is relatively rare.

Ironically, it seems that a poor reputation for reliability usually results in more reliable cars in the long term if the company is to survive. The "Made in Japan" tag has forced Japanese manufacturers to be better rather than equal in reliability. This also seems to have been the case for Triumph Motorcycles (manufacturing more components in-house than any other motorcycle manufacturer) and now it seems Alfa Romeo (again from personal experience), then there is Jaguar and Lamborgini who I suspect are about to put themselves into that catagory too.

Conversely, a very good reputation in reliability might cause the company to become apathetic and drop the ball when the going gets competitive. I suspect that some of the prestigious European manufacturers are about to get big kick up the backside.