turboawd

it seems the majority of failures and problems on bmws are related to deteriorating rubber or plastic. stuff like engine or valve seals, plastic radiators or expansion tanks, vacuum pumps, trans seals, control arms, etc.
if bmw just used a better grade of rubber, we wouldnt have the majority of theses issues.

so does bmw do it to save a dollar? or is it planned obsolescence?

abe76247

I'd love to know that answer. Hyundai knows rubber. Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Subaru, Ford, GM, etc. all have cars that go a long time with little care and don't leak.
I will admit that VW, Audi, Mercedes all are closer to BMW.
Late model Volvos don't leak except for the vacuum pump that they use that is the same as the One BMW, Audi and a lot others use. By the way, Ford trucks with the 6.7 diesel use that vac pump and they are now leaking with miles and 3-4 years age.
I'm curious to see if the newer V8's leak when they reach higher miles.

KyleB

They're making a lot of stuff out of soy. Because, you know, a plastic wiring harness is more damaging to the environment than a 4000lb rotting carcass of a car that won't drive anymore....

Boland01

In addition to rubber seals and gaskets water pumps are another area BMW has always had issues. Even the old E36's eat them up. Sad our E60's are not immune either.

KyleB

EMP-Stewart water pump. $199 and it'll be the last water pump you ever buy.

turboawd

the water pumps fail due to coolant getting by the rubber seals on the bearings.

dingolfing

The fact that both front and rear rubber windshield gaskets, including both upper headlight gaskets start falling to pieces in about 5-6 years, tells you something... Heck, if our rubber tires dry-rotted that quickly, we'd be in serious trouble.

I read somewhere that German legislation requires being green and environment-friendly, and after talking with a mechanic, he assumed that BMW (along with all other German brands) are probably using natural rubber (vs. synthetic like the rest of the world) for non-critical applications (basically all the failed components on our cars that we eventually have to replace).

The reason I think these gaskets are natural rubber is what I saw when I was replacing my windshield gaskets. Upon removing the old rubber, it "naturally" started breaking up into little pieces and fell onto the very hot concrete driveway. Later on that sunny day, I noticed many melted black spots, which were the broken pieces that couldn't withstand the hot surface.

I'm in the process of fixing lotsa oil leaks. Just finished replacing the drivers side upper timing cover seal, and let me tell you, it is alot harder with those oil cooler lines attached to the damn cover. But of course, that was only part of the leak, because now after examining the belly of the beast, the alternator bracket is next up to fix.

turboawd

i hope that isnt the real reasoning. because oil leaking onto the ground cant be better to the environment than making a less natural rubber.

cakes

so true - My boss has an A7 and he joked the other day that his car leaks so much oil we can put a pan on it and use that oil for our own oil changes.

The other day my dad pointed out the drying trim on my front windshield and then went to show me the rubber on his lexus GS which is 10 years older and it's in much better shape.

dingolfing

That would be obvious, wouldn't it?

However, it would also seem synthetic oil (at least the Mobil-One I'm using) doesn't remain on the ground for long vs. conventional oil. Another observation I made is that my oil leaks make a dark, wet stain on the concrete that lasts for about a week. After that, it starts drying up like it's water and almost disappears to the point that it's not noticeable anymore. And it isn't because of the heat (only 70-80 degrees here right now) or that the rain washes it away, which it does, but even under a covered parking space, the stain "evaporates" as well.

Volatility of the oil and being in the air instead of a stain on the ground still doesn't make it better for the environment, unless it's a biodegradable oil (like G-Oil). But it was something interesting I noticed, and plus I didn't have to clean it up myself, something that I anticipated I had to do.