jungy4

Anyone have experience with owning a BMW or Audi?

How is the reliability or maintenance compared to the TL?

I am looking to get 2010 or newer A4 or 328/335 with 6MT.

Drei

iTrader: (2)

Based on what I know, Acura>BMW>Audi

Read around the BMW and Audi forums and you'll see that maintenance can be quite expensive compared to Acura

azatabbasov

I switched from an bmw 330i to an acura tl. Trust me you dont wanna go there. To much maintance and to much money to spend. I like the acura more cuz its regular car but still luxury

NBP04TL4ME

Was just reading Consumer Reports and they rated 23 Marques. Lexus was #1 for the second year in a row (first time anyone has done this). Acura was #2, Audi was 3 and BMW was #10.
Overall European manufacturers have improved and Audi has improved significantly. However with that being said Japanese still own the road occupying 7 of the top 10 spots.
I personally would be gun shy owning an Audi or BMW as I know way too many folks with crazy expensive repairs on their A4/A6/328/330/540 cars. Silly crazy stuff like seat heaters going out to the tune of $600 to steering racks leaking and failing $1300.
I'm very happy with the Japanese cars in our garage. As mentioned above, if you go visit the other forums you will likely hear something different.

ez12a

dad has a 01 325i, hasnt been a dream in terms of reliability. cousin also has an e46 330i, also the same story.

1black_seven

iTrader: (2)

My mom dated a BMW corporate guy when I was going through high school. Guy owned about 4 BMWs, one of which he loaned me for personal use. The only problems I ever recall were the shocks going bad. Other than that nothing stood out, or I just didn't know about them.

Speeden6

iTrader: (2)

I had a Audi, It lasted 3 months before I was sick of it always being in the shop for the most stupid shit. Run from them!

flyromeo3

maybe ive been one of the lucky ones with no electrical issues in my S4 but, BMW and Audi is known for that.


Maintenance on the other hand is a bit tougher since there is almost no room in the engine bay if you ever have to replace any components in there. this is for both audi and bmw


Now when it comes to reliability, the 335i I leased. at times wouldn't start. It was diagnosed as a loose ground bolt, which I found strange. developed a leaking turbo seal and an issue with the left front strut.
Ultimately, im greatful it was a lease.

SSM4DR

iTrader: (1)

I recently traded my 05 Acura TL for an 2006 BMW 5 series AWD. All I can really tell you is that parts and labor is a bit more costly. But man, it drives smooth!

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

I had a late model BMW 535i. Loved the car, but it nickeled and dimed me to death.......

jungy4

I am guessing VW will be same as Audi on maintenance?

Jesstzn

I had an 03 Passat befor the TL and never cost me a cent. Quality was away above the TL as were features comparted to the 06 TL . Only reason I didn't buy the 06 is thats the year they changed the family grill.

losiglow

iTrader: (1)

My neighbor owned a 2010 M3. We car chat a lot and he loved the car. Said it was pretty reliable. The only gripe he had was maintenance. Specialized fluids and parts that were much more expensive. Granted, that was an M3, not the 3xx series. Different animal.

He sold it last year and picked up a used Lexus IS350. He says it's not as quick but the maintenance is night and day in cost. The M3 looked better as well IMO Oh, he also griped about the resale. He wasn't able to get much out of a BMW with 80K+ miles. That's sort of the equivalent to a Toyota or Honda with 200k+

SamDoe1

^ This. Also mods and anything else you want to do to the car is more expensive. If you want an AWD BMW, increase maintenance costs by 25%.

VW and Audi share just about everything except for the badge. They hide it well but the cars are VERY similar.

OP, I came here after owning a 330Xi 6MT simply due to the maintenance costs to keep the thing in good running condition. Sure, I did more maintenance than I probably needed to but you don't know expensive until you've had a major component failure on a BMW. Cost to maintain is far more too. For example an oil change parts only is ~$60-70 to DIY, dealer will charge $120. The car is super easy to work on and everything makes sense in terms of placement and access but you just have to work on it ALL THE TIME.

I've been around the block and back on the E46 platform so feel free to PM me with any questions you might have.

The thing that sold me on the TL was when I asked about typical issues and problems with an 07-08 Type S you all responded with there weren't really any to worry about. In contrast, I could give you 10 things that go wrong on an E46, 12 if you are looking at an M3.

All this said, they are fantastic cars in every way when it comes to driving it. You haven't lived until you've thrown an older BMW with the NA inline 6 through the corners. Pure driving joy. If I could get one for a fun weekend car, I'd do so in a heartbeat.

flyromeo3

one good thing is you can buy certain VW parts that will work with your AUdi.

Just like how Acura sells their honda parts for a bit more of a premium.

Yet honda sells the same part a lot less.

Honda/Acura share the same part numbers

Audi/VW doesnt.

GhostTL09

iTrader: (1)

RUN AWAY!!!! Unless you plan to spend every weekend with the hood up checking fluids, belts connections, etc. My brother owned a 95 M3. It was beautiful...BUT, Sunday mornings were reserved for maintenance. lol

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

Why am I not in a 335i today?
because of high maintenance cost.

sure, i could afford a 335i, but probably couldnt afford the maintenance

flyromeo3

thats the same thing I said when I returned the 335i i had leased.

losiglow

iTrader: (1)

Definitely. Used beamers go cheap. It's keeping them running that hits you in the wallet.

Tmerema

Having had a Passat for several years and running it to 200k miles, I can tell you that like any car there is maintenance to be done. Any engine with a timing belt will need major maintenance every 100k miles or so, but I can tell you that in 200k miles I never needed a clutch, and not one major mechanical part failed. It had the coil pack issue, and it seemed to like to go through rear brake pads. But aside from that and tires/fluid changes, it was a dream to own (and drive). I should also mention that was 200k miles in Chicago traffic, few road trips.

iHeartmyHonda

I almost purchased a B5 Audi A4 2.8 quattro.. it died the day I went to sign the papers.. Didnt bother looking further into it just said fuck it and got my deposit back. A buddy of mine has the 1.8T b5 A4 and its constantly breaking something.. last week it was the CV.. before that the key snapped off the switchblade and just before the winter he blew out the the down pipe somehow.. IMO Audi is overpriced and constantly in the shop. BMW is more reliable from what ive seen but parts are really expensive. My buddy Dimitro has a '08 328i coupe and the car is mint no problems.. had to get his oil changed and it cost 140 dollars.. like wtf.

3gstealth

iTrader: (2)

My previous car was a 2002 S4. It spent more time in the shop than it did in my garage. Luckily I bought it CPO so it only cost me a $50 deductible every time something broke. I think just about everything that could go wrong with a car, went wrong with that car. Previous to that I owned 2 VWs. VR6 and 1.8t. They both started falling apart about a year into ownership. After 3 german cars I finally learned my lesson and bought my TL new in 06. 8 years later, no major issues to report.

DynamicJ32

From what I know, they're usually okay until they reach about 5-6 years old or over 80-100k miles.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

Ze German carz are damn Zexy zho

geekybiker

Picked up a MB c350. MB has the best reliability scores of the germans, but I'm already finding them expensive. Oil change was 8.5qts and requires full synthetic. The filter is a special fleece filter that is twice as expensive. I had $70 in parts doing it myself. Even the wiper blades were like $30 a set. Parts in general are similarly expensive and it seems like they go out of their way to make any DIY hard on the car. For example resetting the oil indicator isn't in the owners manual. If I wasn't able to take take of most wrenching myself I would be cautious.

subinf

No real issues with the Audi but I don't drive it much as the mpg is horrible and I like the TL. Cost of ownership is insane but so far all mechanical components haven't had issues. There are some weird electrical quirks but nothing major.

1black_seven

iTrader: (2)

Das Deutch Auto ist schone

FTFY.. I think. I don't know what "sexy" is in german, and german conjugation really puts a stick up my butt.

i_love_cars

iTrader: (1)

I have a 135i and I have a tough time staying off the boost now that I've modded the shit out of it and it's fast.

I fully expect it to break but at 66k miles the only issues it has had were water pump and the infamous wastegate rattle that required the turbos/wastegates to be replaced - all under warranty mind you. Otherwise no problems.

That said, German reliability is always in question - I just don't give a fuck because they drive 8780709 times better than my Acura ever could, and my TL is *worked* over for performance drivability, brah. I'm willing to pay the price for the pure driving joy I get out of my 135.

It is important to note that while I am selling my TL, I am replacing it with a beater 1998 Corolla as my winter/alternate - I firmly believe that anyone who DDs their BMW outside of a lease and has no other vehicle available to them is a huge idiot. You need a 2nd car (Japanese) if you are gonna have a higher mileage BMW. Plain and simple.

1black_seven

iTrader: (2)

^^ holy cow has that thing still not sold yet? I will look into this.

Dave08TL

^exactly...I owned a 2008 base TL, sold it for a 2008 BMW 335i, Now I'm selling it due to headaches and maintenance and just picked up a 2008 KBP TL type S

Healingduck

I can feel your wallet aching already OP....

In terms of reliability.... Really it's a crap shoot from the people I've talked to who have owned those cars. One girl owned an S5 and the other guy owned an M3. You're not gonna get fantastic reliability with either, so I would say if you're set on either one of those, just choose the one you like more. And if at all possible, get one with an extended warranty!

sleeper22

I traded my 05 TL back in March for a 09 328i that had 49,500 miles. I bought a 3/36 extended warranty but from what I have researched the 328i is a very reliable car. Yes the water pump can go but other than that it drives fantastic. Very smooth and gets good MPG. Hopefully I made the right choice and to tell you the truth I really liked the TL. It had almost 122,000 miles on it but overall a very reliable car. The BMW bug bit me as they are a blast to drive.