nickolas_g

All,

I just attached the latest JD Power ratings. I know that it may not mean a whole lot since these are new cars. But interesting.

Note that Dingolfing plant was ranked pretty high!

Cheers,

tachyon

This is way bad news for BMW. Last year BMW ranked 3rd overall with 95 problems per 100 cars, and this year - with an expanded survey - BMW owners report 142 problems per 100 cars (27th). Yikes.

Overall, the U.S. industry saw an increase from 118 to 124 pp100.

The E60 was in the top 3 for Midsize Premium segment last year but is out of the money this year, while the E65 makes the top 3 this year in the Large Premium segment.

This comment in the press release explains a lot: "BMW vehicles have among the fewest defects and malfunctions ... but BMW approaches controls and displays in a way that creates problems for customers." So, it's still all about I-Drive?

I suspect there are some very tight sphincters at BMWNA today.

Then there is this gem of a quote from the July issue of Car & Driver: "We should not try to educate or teach the customer about what he or she wants". Helmut Panke, CEO of BMW, in reaction to the debut of the hybrid Lexus LS600hL, which he suggests is forcing complicated technology on buyers. To which C&D asks: "Has he been in any BMW lately."

It will be interesting - and telling - to see how the boys from Munich react to this.

nickolas_g

Personally I only put a little stock into this report. I bought a 2006 Porsche Boxster last year which ranked number one on the list. I am not jumping for joy over that fact nor worried that BMW ranks lower on the list.

I guess it is personal experience. I owned a 1998 VW Passat that was "Ranked #1" by JD Power and every other ranking company out there. It was by far the worst car ever in the world. It now resides on Consumer Reports "Used Cars To Avoid" list.

After buying my Boxster I was bombarded by JD Power, Maritz and every other ranking company out there. This was less than a few weeks after picking up my car.

I would rather put more stock into the long haul reports. That is more my concern. The only real company that has done that well and put much attention on is Consumer Reports. Even they are not perfect.

amigo525

My 2000 BMW 3 series. Only went to the dealer for oil change.
My 525 E39 only went once to the dealer for a radio recall besides the oil change visits.
e60 2004 - only went twice for minor work (the fault belt seat bug)
e60 2006 non so far.

UUronL

I haven't looked at the report, but I'd be willing to bet that the new 3 series has a lot to do with the sharp increase in reported problems for the BMW marque. Figure, the bread and butter / high volume car just got refreshed. As we all know, the first couple of years can experience high numbers of small issues that need to be corrected. That is going to wildly skew the numbers.

znod

I think that forcing technology is an issue. I don't see the iDrive as being the problem. The biggie to me is software. Who hasn't had a software problem? That's pretty much 100 problems per 100 cars right there. And, I am only partially joking. BMW software sucks. BMW now is benind Merc and most, if not all, US cars.

Uk525i

My early 2004 E60 seems to be plagued by quite minor problems. Usual rattles etc which have resulted in visits to the dealer. No breakdowns or engine issues. I would suspect that early E60's have contributed more than their fair share of faults per 100 cars. My 1 car has had 7 visits to dealers!!. I hope a survey ask me what I think!. It would be interesting to see a breakdown of the worst performing model/year. 1 thing I have learned, never buy a car made during first year of manufacture, either the engineers are not too slick at bolting it together properly, or design mistakes are still being ironed out. I bet recent E60's are a different car to mine..
Just one other point, I think I have high expectations of E60 as expensive car, so I complain whan i'm not happy with it. Our 2nd car on the other hand is a cheap runaround & I accept its faults & rattles. So the Survey suggests it is better, but expectations are lower so I dont take it back to dealer to complain..

BetterMakeWay

Apart from the windows anti-trap glitch, that was fixed on the spot...the car is absolutley flawless. I dunno from where all those problems...but anyway. We should see other consumer reports to see if they show a similar descent.

AC_S5

I haven't have much problems with my car that I need to get rid of it, I still love it and the best buy for my money IMO. I wouldn't get a Jap car just because they have less technical issues.

I think those complaints are just from some very unsatisfying customers who happens to be picky. Every car has its own problem, it all goes down to how much you like it.

BetterMakeWay

...or how mental are you when the car has a tiny problem. I've lliterally seen on the forum members that really didn't have anything better to do than just complain or search for problems if there are no serious ones.
Oh my God the automatic function for the headlights acts crazy sometimes, being a little undecided when passing shadow/sun sections.....What should i do? What should i do? Ohhhhh the horror.....oh the humanity.