Comments on: 2002-08 BMW 7 Series: Repair bills will leave you breathless

By: joe

joe — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 18:57:51 +0000

My mechanic & neighbour says stay away from all German cars & anything from Detroit! He has repaired all makes. The 3 most reliable on the planet are; Toyota, Subaru, Honda. My Wife has a Honda. My Son has a Toyota. I drive a Hyundai. It’s good so far. In 3.5 years/54,000 km all I replaced was a light bulb! but the depreciation is about the same as the Detroit 3? A co-worker of mine junked her Toyota Camry after 19.5 years! Good Luck picking a winner…

By: alanauer

alanauer — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 13:51:14 +0000

As for buying a BMW that’s brand new, be aware that your most practical protection against it being a lemon, the free national arbitration system CAMVAP, is not participated in by only two makers. One is an Italian supercar whose name I can’t spell. The other is — you guess it — BMW.

By: Kate

Kate — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 13:34:48 +0000

I bought a 2002 second hand Mini from a BMW dealership in Unionville in 2003 and almost the minute it was out of warranty things began to go rapidly downhill – despite low mileage and regular service, the transmission and the clutch mechanism both had to be replaced at vast expense and the dealership’s customer service went from stellar to non-existent. There’s a reason that customers have claimed that BMW stands for Barely Moving Wreck.

By: Bumnsun

Bumnsun — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 13:28:04 +0000

If you want a trouble free car buy japanese.

Owner of a 2003 G35. 0-100km/hr in 6sec. Zero problems in 9 yrs.

By: Paul Bowler

Paul Bowler — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 11:06:43 +0000

If you have to ask how much it costa to service and maintain it, you can’t afford it!
Stick to a used Lincoln Town Car!!

By: Pete

Pete — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 04:15:51 +0000

It was 1977 and my mom’s mechanic, a German nonetheless, stated very dryly: “What’s not there can’t break”. More toys, bells and whistles means more repairs. I bought a 2007 Audi A3 with 43,000km, after 2 days the rear differential exploded on the highway, spilling the oil on the roadway and seizing up. Thank goodness for used car warranty. $200.00 of deductible and 2 days of repairwork later I was back on the road. The part itself: $5,000.00 plus labour, yikes.

By: Torontoworker

Torontoworker — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 23:27:22 +0000

Own a Porsche 996 (911 to non owners) and get back to me. Spend $2000 on a bearing replacement (called the Intermediate Gear-shaft Bearing) or risk losing the whole engine when the poorly designed bearing seizes, pulls the crank chain off which then snaps cam timing chains and expensive values hit expensive pistons. Pay me a lot now or just walk away from an engine-less car (now worth $4K) – that is your choice as a replacement engine installed is $18K on a vehicle in good condition (say a 2000 model) worth $26K. How about the AOS issues (Air Oil Separator) which is a fancy German PCV valve made of plastic that dies after 50000kms – it’s located where it takes about $1000 in labour to get to it. The part also costs $200 for what on American cars would cost $20 to replace – part included! Does Porsche admit to these issues which affect ALL 996 and ALL gen one 997 models? Heck no – we’re German and our cars are ‘perfect’. Same with Audi. Nine on board computers to operate a car?! At any one time one of these things is broken. Do not ask how much the ABS module costs for an Audi next time your in for minor service, (if your curious) – you’ll sell your car – seriously. There is a reason why you see so many A4′s in Auto Traders after four years… You only buy an Audi ONCE – from there on in you lease! Thankfully I work on my 996 and save a lot of money such as the $300 dealer oil changes I do for the cost of the Mobil 1 oil and a filter – but buyer beware on used German cars – get a pre-inspection done at a good independent shop or get an extended warranty from the dealer and start saving for the maintenance as soon as you buy it. Great driving machines that they are, but the purchase price of these cars is just the beginning – you must be able to maintain them properly or else buy a KIA with a ten year warranty and be happy if your on a tight budget.

By: Adam

Adam — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 21:36:02 +0000

Hmm it’s 2013 and you write an article about a 2002 car? Technologically advance cars, particularly first year of a new generation are typically problematic. If this article had compared its cost of maint. in some sort of statistical way (not a bunch of dudes on the internet) vs its Merc counterpart, it would be a decent article. Seems like the author just surfed some forms from 5-10 years ago and slapped this article together.

People driving 80k cars from in 2002-2005 aren’t likely “internet folks”, the people who were reasonably satisfied and dumped these cars after their lease was over would likely not bother joining an online discussion.

By: Peter Storms

Peter Storms — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 16:34:54 +0000

2006 750i, gorgeous car, drives like a dream!
Get ready for this common, and I mean common, problem.
it’s called the ‘Coolant Transfer Pipe’. You can Google it to read of the problem. BMW dealers will quote you, are you ready, $8,000 to $12,000 to replace it when it leaks, most commonly at the “O” rings. For. $3 “O” ring, they pull the engine and everything with it.
I refused, went on-line and found All German Auto in San Diego, Calif. a thousand bucks for the workaround parts, including shipping and duty and $800 for my local mechanic to do it. someone I know spoke with a BMW Canada exec and they know about the problem. They were told it should be covered because it is a common flaw. All German Auto shows numerous workarounds for BMW and Benz. Hope this helps

By: rudy

rudy — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 16:30:01 +0000

If it wasn’t for flagship sedans produced by automotive manufacturers who raise the “benchmarque” of the industry, the limits of engineering and technology would never be explored and pushed while developing cars a la ‘Hyundai Accent’. The benefits of advanced automotive research and technology DO trickle down to mainstream production vehicles years later. Development of cars like the 7 series are the catalyst for automotive R&D investment.

You shouldnt buy a 7 series if you are going to be worried about repair bills or are evalating the economics of it. You drive one because you simply can.