Uh Oh: Study Finds German Cars 'Among Worst For Engine Failures'

Now even though I am a staunch German car fan, I have to agree with this study, with one caveat.

German engines in general tend to be very complex and dependent on usage within the design criteria and maintenance being exactly adhered to at all times. Part of the German mentality is attention to for details and exact adherence to the rules. (They are wired that way) Everything has it place and and must be done at the right time in their mind.

Their engines are not tolerant to abuse or owner decisions outside of the design specification. It is not considered.

For example: One of the quickest ways to compromise a VW/Audi motor is to substitute a high grade natural oil rather than the specified synthetic oil. This eventually leads to varnish and sludge accumulation which will destroy the motor. The motor has a specific dependency on the synthetic blend that is not present in regular oil. Also, substituting regular antifreeze for G12 coolant can breakdown engine gaskets causing overheating issues. There is a reason these cars can’t be serviced at Walmart. Walmart does not have the proper fluids to support the vehicle in accordance to the manufacturer recommendations.

All of this is covered in the owner’s manual of the vehicle but it is rarely read by the owner.

My rule is if you are buying a German car or any car you need to understand what it takes to make it run right. Pretty basic, but often ignored by the buyer.

The brands that scored highly in this study are typically less demanding specification wise. Probably a good reason the brands are very successful in third world countries where maintenance is minimal at best.

— Agent009 (View Profile)

Posted on 1/21/2013 11:10:02 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: -2   

Yeah right , anyway everybody in my house drive a Germany car , we never have an engine issue , just schedule services and that's all , so we are very happy with that.

— pepito66 (View Profile)

Posted on 1/21/2013 11:32:01 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: -1   

Sounds about right. If anybody other than Honda was on top, I would be surprised.

— PLAY (View Profile)

Posted on 1/21/2013 11:46:57 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 7   

Not sure how accurate or biased this study might be, but I am impressed with Mercedes trailing only TM and HMC.

— USNA1999 (View Profile)

Posted on 1/21/2013 12:10:12 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3   

People who aspire to own luxury and premium vehicles often mistakenly believe that the higher price tag is because of the higher "quality," and they often interpret "quality" to mean few defects or repairs. Not so. For example, BMW has never been known for their lack of defects (although they got "pretty good" in the late 1990s). BMW has been known for their legendary handling. BTW, I own a couple of BMWs.

Perception is often different from reality.

— Steve (View Profile)

Posted on 1/21/2013 1:48:32 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 6   

What does the article mean by an engine failure? Is that a catastrophic failure like a thrown rod or cam shaft chain failing causing valves to contact pistons? Or does failure mean a spark plug or coil pack failed?

This article is designed to be sensationalistic at the expense of the German auto industry. This is clear dirty pool. This is a VERY poorly written article that misdirects, uses misinformation and maniulates words to confuse the reader.

— skytop (View Profile)

Posted on 1/21/2013 2:04:11 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -4   

One thing they have left out is the simple fact of who is buying their policies.

A 8 year old Audi will be worth more than a Honda of the same age. The buyer of the Audi buys the warranty to protect his investment. The Honda buyers either aren't worried about it (taking unlikely major losses in stride) or can't afford the insurance.

In either case more Audi buyers may elect to purchase the policies than Honda buyers. If everything was equal you would have a better metric.

However the Honda buyer can look at this and realize they probably don't need to waste their money on the warranty, where as Audi buyers might find it in their best interest.

— Agent009 (View Profile)

Posted on 1/21/2013 7:33:04 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -2   

in other words, cost of ownership (regardless of new or used) for German brands always more than cost of ownership for Japanese brands. Unless you're willing to pay more for manufacturer service, parts, etc., avoid German marques. If you rather change the oil yourself or go to Jiffy Lube for a quickie, then buy a Japanese car.

But this isn't news, is it?

— quizz (View Profile)

Posted on 1/21/2013 10:51:33 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

I have a 2.7 liter Toyota that produces 150HP and a 2 liter VW that produces over 200HP. The VW is way more spirited, handling is much improved as is the fuel economy, and the overall driving experience brings a grin factor that the Toy does not. The higher performance VW engine would be more likely to fail comparative to the detuned Toyota particularly so if I were to not adhere to recommended lubricants; we end up with an apples and oranges comparison. I suppose it becomes a matter of whether one wants to pay for the performance or is willing to live with the alternatives. Regardless, owning any vehicle, other than perhaps a bicycle, is a losing proposition.

— HighDesert (View Profile)

Posted on 1/22/2013 12:30:28 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

I am an MB owner and sadly my family use it very often so I am not able to track the service as I wish. However the failure rate is so low that I consider it THE MOST RELIABLE. I also have a an Accord ....outstanding..and an STS, honestly good,,,,I have very bad luck with BWM and I agree with the study that place those engines in the worst 10. BMW demand a lot of attention...If you fail to take care of it, it will make you pay for that mistake so hard that you wont forget that.

— Yonder7 (View Profile)

Posted on 1/23/2013 9:41:52 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0   

I'm not surprised that BMW, Audi and VW have the worst engine reliability of all vehicles. They all offer free maintenance for the first 3-4 years. So you end up with cars having oil change intervals of between 15000-300000 miles, manufacturers do this to cut down on costs. Pity the poor fool buying these cars in the used car market.

Just last week I drove by a brand new BMW 7 series, just purchased at the BMW stealership, that was stranded by the side of the road with it's blinkers flashing.

— richard112360 (View Profile)

Posted on 1/23/2013 2:12:49 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

Definitely not surprised to see Audi at the very bottom. I had 2010 A4, and the number of electrical/mechanical issues I had with the engine, and transmission were unbelievable.

— SoMuchChedda (View Profile)

Posted on 1/23/2013 6:34:20 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

The above comment by HighDesert, about detuned engines vs higher specific output engines -assuming equal design stresses-, could have some merit. Older VW designs WERE reliable. Recently my wife wanted to purchase a new compact car, she asked me which could be the best "value" purchase. I found only two truly reliable-affordable designs on the local market (Mexico): the Nissan Tsuru and the re-issue of the old Jetta Gen 4 called "Clasico". Both are very reliable AND affordable. But it is because BOTH are older, much more conservatively designed, detuned, tried and true engines. The Jetta has the 2.0L 8-Valve that only puts out 115 HP... but it has demostrated excellent reliability. On the other side, I've seen a lot of Passat's, Gti's and other higher performance engines broken. One thing is clear: Both are older designs that have planty of space to access the engine and esasily perform almost all repairs and maintenance, which contrasts with the absolutely stupid engine bay arrangement of recent designs made to be quickly assembled by robots in the factory, without any respect for mechanics or owners desiring to do those tasks without having to drop the entire engine-transmission assembly from the car. We didn´t buy the Tsuru only because the factory decided to remove the air conditioner option altogether (an employee told us that the old, reliable and inexpensive Tsuru was hurting the sales of the other Nissan models (that are too influenced by Renault) because those are more expensive and MUCH LESS reliable!). We ended buying the old-design Jetta Gen 4. and it is a pleasure to maintain as there is a lot of space underhood, parts are reasonably priced and design is simple and straightdorward. The 2.0 L engine is sufficiently powerful -barely- to take the road. It is called the 2-Slow for its 115 HP.

— Amclaussen (View Profile)

Posted on 1/24/2013 10:50:21 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1