UH OH! This Doesn't Sound Like Good News For A Long-Term BMW M3...

LIKE I ALWAYS SAID...BMW/AUDI ARE POS! ONLY GERMAN BRAND I WOULD BUY IS THE BENZ/PORSCHE!

BMW/AUDI DRIVERS HAVE NO CLUE AND ARE FOR STUPID MIDDLE MANAGERS OR WANNABE TRAILER TRASH DREAMING OF BECOMING A MIDDLE MANAGER! BENZ/LEXUS OWNS THE COMPANY!

BTW...

i would buy a Subaru WRX STI if I really wanted a true car that handles very well...
not a lux pos!

MB is the best for me, but I can not believe how bad long term review they did...so may be they got a Lemon.

My understanding is that BMW "quality" has moved in waves. The model 2002 had such "character" as side windows popping out of the rails when making aggressive turns. During the 1980s, BMW went on a "quality improvement" journey, and my understanding is that the defect numbers got to respectable levels, culminating at their best in the late 1990s. That's when the Deutsche Mark's strength motivated BMW to reduce manufacturing costs in order to keep the retail price competitive, and in doing so, more defects crept in.

I had a late 1990s BMW 3 series, and for the most part, it was very reliable. Few things broke over 18 years and 200,000 miles. Meanwhile, friends who had various new 2000+ MY BMWs complained of the time they spent in the shop. Same brand, same series, totally different experience.

All the Germans are hit and miss.

One thing forgotten is that ALL premium cars push the limits of technology insome ways - whether that be tires - brakes - electronic do dahs - on lots of other parts. As a result - luxury car buyers were always accustomed to the cars requiring more service to a point. And then after three years - their resale value dropped off a cliff - buyers who could not really afford them bought them - and unless they could do their own repairs (At least some of them) - the cost of service at a Dealership forced them to sell the cars.

Now - you have to factor in the way these "reviewers" actually drive the cars. These cars are subjected to constant limit driving - and naturally will fail more - worse - and quicker than when a real "owner" has the car. The "flaps" in the exhaust are an example of something that only the high end performance car has - so this does not happen in the mainline one. Constant Velocity Joint clicking or Wheel Bearing noise is normally due to the seals being compromised - allowing dirt into the joint - rendering them worthless. This is normally caused by over-spirited driving in bad conditions.

As far as the low speed sound - BMW m-series vehicles in the past had such problems that were solved by changing the Differential Fluid, I believe there is a BMW service Bulletin available for that. At least it would be the first thing I would check.

@TomM you're an apologist. Paying big money for a car should not buy you a lemon.

Yes @MDarringer, tell that to my buddy sitting next to me who last year purchased a brand new F250 Platinum for close to $70 and has been the biggest lemon ever.

@USNA1999 so your logic is that if your friend got a lemon that expensive cars being lemons is OK? Also, your friend should have seen the most obvious red flag: an F250 Platinum for close to $70. :)

I agree with MDarringer on this one, TomM's comment seemed quite apologetic. "Premium" cars do include the company's top technology, but it should not be a test bed for such features. Nor do I agree with the notion that "...luxury car buyers were always accustomed to the cars requiring more service to a point...". If that's the case, then why did Lexus and its quality/dependability-related cars gain so much market share it its first decade? BMW should know this better than most companies given its primary competitor.

As for the statement about how test drivers really push the car driving limits, well, they test other cars too and those don't seem to have as much problem as the ones described in the article.

It would have been a much more "acceptable" excuse if you were to say C&D got a bad one out of the bunch and leave it at that.

Anybody who knows anything about BMW's products these days knows their engines are HUGE liabilities. Between the I6 turbo and v8 turbo there are more problems reported than should exist. The unfortunate thing is that these two engines are in a lot of their cars with some models only having one or the other; you're options are basically bad and really bad.

I would love to own an X6, but I know that thing would be sitting in the shop most of the time.

I was getting my (non-turbo) 328i cab serviced a year ago and while paying the bill at the service desk, I saw two beautiful engines on pallets in the "parts" area. I started to geek out of course and asked about them and the service rep told me that they were twin turbo v8's that were going into two one year old BMW's with blown engines.

Really? Twenty-five year old trust fund kids with a 550i M-sport or X6 M-sport? Nope, the engines were going into two 750iL's owned by senior citizens who ignored the "add-oil" light for a day too long.

Apparently all the BMW twin turbo engines just guzzle oil - a quart every 1,000 miles is quite normal apparently and most owners have to return to the dealer to get it added.

He said it was warranty however, because it happens so much.

I've had two BMWs recently, and in fact, one is still in the garage. Neither was an M but one had the TT N54 engine. (Ref to W208's comment)

Both cars were very reliable, racking-up 112k and 30k miles respectively with nothing but one issue each. (Wife's drop top doesn't see much action but it had a seal issue early on.)

However, I decided never to own another BMW again after a turbo failed - known issue on the N54 - under warranty. Unfortunately, I reported it two weeks post warranty and BMW refused to cover the repair even if the computer showed the symptoms were 6 months old... (I know, I should have reported it sooner but work gets in the way of this stuff)

So quality-wise, I'm generally ok with BMW but owner satisfaction is a big donut.

ATrain.....I spoke with a rep from one of those companies that basically covers the major repair expenses, it's like insurance for car repairs. Of course the rep. wasn't familiar with the X6, but he said he had seen where they literally spent upwards of $20k on a single car just to keep it on the road. I think the owner's deductible was $500 and the company covered the rest. The plan was like $5k for 4 years and you pay monthly.

I went through a 2 hour Q&A with this guy because I still want an X6. They'll cover it despite the major faults. But, from the reviews I've read where the X6 has literally coded at high speed, I'm really scared what would happen with my family in the car. I had complete engine failure in a 2007 Toyota Camry V6(one of the first 3.5 v6's off the line) at 70mph on an interstate highway. Talk about sh*tting yourself....

W208,wow, I'm surprised you still want the car. For me, the service issue was enough to call it quits, permanently, with the brand.

With the headaches you mention, I'd feel just the same...

Good luck. I hope they reward your persistence with more than a X-Mas card! :)

This is why so many will lease BMW and not buy. Pay now or pay latter.

We've had a BMW 5 series and it was an utter piece of crap. The entire shift knob pulled out! Never bought a BMW again, I had a ton of issues with W124 but it was built like a tank. We have the current gen S550 and A8L and both have been worry free. Like Matt said, it's a hit or miss with Germans. But I would never buy a BMW again.

Over the past 13 years have had a Z4, 1-series, X1 and now a M235i.
Not one problem with any and all rock solid and bullet-proof.