Wifey's Altima was getting really long in the tooth. 15 years and pushing 300,000 miles. She is good about not being a spendahollic, but she even got to the point of agreeing that it was time.

We were in Las Vegas for the kid's spring break and they had one of those big sales events with a bunch of dealers putting hundreds of used cars on sale in a big lot behind a casino. We got in the evening before it actually opened because we were leaving the next morning. We had in mind something like a Nissan or Toyota, two years old, +/- $20,000. They had several BMWs there (which we had never thought about) and which were in the price range. We ended up getting a 2007 with 83,000 miles on it. There are some features like side mirrors than rotate down when you go into reverse which are, how do I say, amusing. I had not worried too much about that because somehow I had the idea they were an excellent car which last a really long time.

Well, let me tell you - NOT.

We have spent thousands on the car in a few months. Oil leak (which we could not originally see because the car has some sort of a cover down there). Brakes that were missing parts. A door latch system that broke. The window roll-up mechanism on one door has gone out twice. That is not to mention several smaller things that you find out as you get to know the car. In short, the car is like a 1970s American car.

I called up to complain to the dealer and the guy pulled up the records (he claimed) and said that the dealer had already spent so much money fixing things that there was no money (yeah, I know. And if you believe that . . .).

Two questions.

Is car just a statistical anomaly? The very odd lemon in the normally stellar BMW universe? Or has BMW managed to pull off a marketing coup and create this image of German engineering magnificence for pieces of crap?

Is there some way I can at least be a tiny pain-in-the-ass for the dealer? Some website where people go to check feedback on brands and dealers?

My last advice is do not buy a BMW unless you live very close to one. We tried our local mechanic for the first problem and he just screwed it up more. The nearest dealer to us is two hours away and, needless to say, repairs are a pain in the ass. Live close, have free time and have mucho dinero. BMW will relieve you of both.

There are several things.

In 2002, I bought an allegedly brand new Dodge Dakota pickup. I had had a 1993, which was an amazing truck. The 88 before it was so/so, but had a major flaw with its fuel system delivery into the hybrid carb/injection thing it had. We solved this by slapping a 1985 Shelby Charger carb on it and ripping things out until it worked.

With the 2002, the last straw was when we had a meeting over Lemon Law with the 2 lawyers. I called a halt, took them out to the parking lot, and pulled up the carpet. There was sand and dried mud under all of it. End of case. I win.

The truck had been underwater and dried out, but someone missed that part. This is one, and the most likely case, when you have glitch after glitch.

We once redid an 89 Dakota that had gone into the drink, and it took all summer to get all the problems out of it.

The other suspect would be salvage/rebuild. This can easily be kept off a title, if the rebuilder knows what he's doing. I once assisted in putting a 1985 Dodge Ram 150 4wd back together from two different trucks. One had burnt in the front end. One had been smashed in the rear end. When it was done, there was no salvage title and it looked like a new truck. Bugs did crop up, though, but that was to be expected.

What's the year of the car?

Most states' Lemon Laws are in fact useless. What I got them with was the Magnunson Moss Consumer Protection act. I got with Krohn and Moss

http://www.krohnandmoss.com/

and they sorted it out. But it took 2 years. I had expected a "new car experience" and not gotten it. In fact, I'd gotten something far worse than the old used truck I had. I did not have the same thing fail 4 times in a row, as most laws demand. I had a plethora of little issues. 68 trips to the shop in 2 years or so.

You can consult with them for free, give them all the data, and they will go over it and get back to you at no cost. If they do sue, they charge their fees separately in the suit and you never even know about them. Your other recourse is to fix up the car and dump it on someone else.

Sometimes, yes, you do get a lemon - and that's probably why the owner got rid of it. There's a bad one in every bunch, and sadly, I'm usually the one who finds it. I have never had any luck with vehicles.

The first car I bought was a rotary engine Mazda RX2. I liked it. About the third summer, it went badly out of tune so I took it to the dealer and they tuned it and less than a week later it was out of tune again. Now Mazda rotaries burnt oil as part of the combustion process and one thing that I didn't like was the constant need to check the oil level so it wouldn't run low. I go back to the dealer, they pour water into the radiator and out flows water and oil. Now that is a combination you should never see.

Turns out that rotor gaskets in the original rotary engines was made for cold temperatures and less driving than American drivers put on their cars.

Mazda gave me a new engine block (nearly $1500) and only asked that I pay $110 which was the mechanic to install it. Which, all things considered, was a good deal. That car was still running in 1981 and I bought it in 1973.

More interesting was that I only got the deal because I took care of the car. You can tell when someone neglects a car and dealership and its mechanics went to bat for me. (The mechanics just loved to drive my car because I had a ball mounted on the steering wheel and it was a fun drive)

I always take care of my cars and talk to the mechanics because it is so embarrassing to have your wheels die and have to be towed when you are in wheels yourself.

I've never driven a BMW

My favorite mechanic says that some models of BMW have chronic problems and the cost of parts is sheer piracy, he won't do anything other than very minor work on them or on Mercedes-Benz for the same reasons (all this from someone who enjoys working on imported cars). --FLO--

Most of my life I drove vintage two seat sports cars, mostly Alfas and FIATs (Fix It Again Tony) Once I bought a used BMW 2002. The BMW was far less reliable than any of the Italian cars, and repairs and particularly parts cost on the average about twice the equivalent Italian ones. The German engineers seemed to be of the idea that "never use one part if you can use an assembly of twelve parts."

A similar situation occurred in World War Two when the crude, but very fast and reliable Soviet T-34 tank, with a suspension invented by an American who couldn't sell it to the US Army, (see below) totally dominated the finely engineered and finished German Panzer and Panther tanks made by the wartime factories of BMW, Mercedes and Auto Union (now Audi) which had a nasty habit of breaking down in the snow at the most inopportune times.

http://www.powmadeak47.com/tanky/christie.html

During the early 1930s the U.S. Army had a chance to acquire the revolutionary Christie tank suspension. In tests, it easily out performed all other suspensions.

With the track removed, rubber tire could be placed on the tank's wheels allowing it to travel at over 40 mph. on roads.

The Army didn't buy it because it didn't want something that wasn't designed by the army.

After Franklin Roosevelt was elected president in 1932, FDR agreed to trade w/ the U.S.S.R. in 1934. One of the first products they bought from America was the Christie suspension. They quickly scrapped all their obsolete designs and built what became known as the T-34. This tank saved Moscow from the Nazis in 1941.

All through W.W. II it proved to be the best tank in the world.

America was stuck w/ an obsolete suspension that was used on the inferior M-4 Sherman, and other tanks that were known as death traps.

Transward

Maybe one of these Russian tanks is what I need?!

I remember back in the 70's this guy in LA had a half-track for a car, he said he was tired of people putting big dents in his door, now he never has anybody parking next to him. Although I think the gas prices today might make it impracticable.

River

BMW's have for years been known as the standard of sporting cars...But..NEVER as the standard of reliability...The two don't necessarily go hand in hand..AS BMW as proven..

They are engineered to drive in a very sporting manner (smooth power, good handling)..but not to last...You may have stumbled onto the worst of all: a poorly engineered car poorly maintained by some ham fisted slob..We live and learn....Best of luck Jackie

I had a 1985 BMW 733i about 10 years ago, it was a very good car for me. never gave me much trouble at all. Now I drive a 2005 Mercedes Benz C230 with the Kompressor, its been a very good car, the Maintenance on it is very reasonable; it costs me about $100 for the oil change, but the car uses 6 quarts of Mobile 1 synthetic oil, and goes 13,000 miles between changes, this is factory schedule. I also get 32 mpg highway, on one trip I got 42.1 over 192 miles.

the joke years back was BMW= "Big Maintenance Worries" or "Bring My Wallet"

transward (imported) wrote: Tue Aug 14, 2012 12:22 am A similar situation occurred in World War Two when the crude, but very fast and reliable Soviet T-34 tank, with a suspension invented by an American who couldn't sell it to the US Army, (see below) totally dominated the finely engineered and finished German Panzer and Panther tanks made by the wartime factories of BMW, Mercedes and Auto Union (now Audi) which had a nasty habit of breaking down in the snow at the most inopportune times.

Transward

Thanks for bringing back the memory of reading about some battle somewhere. Somehow the Russians used their T-34s like it was a demolition derby. Poor Germans.

The pictures that ran thru my mind cracked me up.