What do you guys think of this article? http://autos.msn.com/advice/CRArt.aspx?con...023544&src=News

It looks like the BMW V8 has some real issues accorting to MSN. Any idea if the V8 is really less reliable than the I6?

 

Probably why the 545i was nixed and out came the 550. Arrgh!.... I still can't believe that the car was only made for two production years. Really hurt resale value. :thumbsdown:

 

These discussons don't appear to bear out V8 excess unreliability.

 

Probably why the 545i was nixed and out came the 550. Arrgh!.... I still can't believe that the car was only made for two production years. Really hurt resale value. :thumbsdown:
[/quote]


ARGH is right! two years and they tossed the engine.

They say the 7 series were un-reliable also... and guess what the engine the 7 series has?? Oh Oh yup same as the V8 in the 5... :thumbsdown:

 

Owners of 6 cylinder cars - of all brands - report fewer problems than do owners of 8 cylinder cars. I think this speaks to the expectations of owners (buyers of powerful engines have much higher expectations of performance) more so than the physical reliability of these engines. 8 cylinder owners report more problems in every category - not just engines.

E60 six cylinder models rate much more reliable than the luxury car segment average (trailing only Lexus), while E60 eight cylinder owners rate their cars as exactly average in reliability in the luxury segment.

So, no, the 545s and 550s are NOT problem vehicles.

 

The 550 V8 is exactly the same as the 545 engine N62 except with a higher displacement. V8's have always been less reliable in the longer term although its all relative. We'll probably have more electronic problems later on than engine problems

 

I think we are reading too much into "V8 Engine" here. They are using the term as a category/class, not as a comment on the powerplant per se. If I read this synopsis correctly, they are discussing model overall reliability, and, instead of trying to group divergent models by MSRPs, they have lumped them by engine size. And we all know that the bigger engine encompasses dozens of gegaws and gadgets on the higher-priced V8 models.

As for overall reliability, I think we have to look no further than our own board to confirm what these surveys told them. I know that after 30+ years of BMW ownership, I have never been plagued by electronic crap as I am with this latest car.

And finally, I'm not sure what some of you mean by "ditching" the 545 engine. I am not up on the latest 550 version, but I'll bet that it's standard BMW fare of boring out the same old unit and layering another load of black box technology, and then calling it a "new" powerplant. They've been doing it for decades. I could be wrong, but it would take a new corporate philosophy from them to dissuade me.

Cheers,
Ray Hull

 

Guys.... let's be honest and take this on face value.

We are talking about reliability... not performance.... not style.

How can anyone here argue that Lexus does not make a reliable car? If a Lexus is anything, it is reliable.

I have had 2 Hondas, 1 Acura, and 1 Lexus.... and now a BMW. I had more problems with my BMW in the first 6 months of ownership, than with all my previous cars combined.

But that is to be expected. BMWs are not built like Lexus or Honda... they are high-performance. Go figure if something designed to perform required more maintenance than other cars.

I still think my 545 is the best car I ever owned... but it is the least reliable. I am fine with that, however.
Certainly I wish BMW would score higher on reliability... but I'm not going to hold my breath.

 

The L6 is much less stressed like a v8 and it is way better balanced. It is in fact the best balanced engine (internally balanced) in the world along with the v12 wich consists of 2 L6s joined together at a certain angle.

Regarding the bmw experience with the L6 i would agree that the L6 engine are more reliable but that doesn't mean that the v8s are not. Those engines are simply more reliable. Look at the engine in the m3 or toyota supra....those engines are made to last despite the level of tune and performance.

 

The V6 would be more stressed, not less, than the V8 under the majority of real-world driving conditions. I fail to see why the V6 would be 'better balanced' either. How are 3 cylinders in each bank any more balanced than 4?