comotiger

You seem to be greatly affected by the actuator noise, I feel for you!! However, it looks like you won't have to deal with it much longer...

So, has this actuator issue been resolved for newer cars? I don't hear anything (yet) in my 2014, and I hope it stays that way.

williakz

You hit 22k miles, yet?

comotiger

49073 miles. I will get the Platinum VSA next month before I cross 50K, so I should be covered. But I would prefer not to go nuts listening to a clicking actuator

I had a "chirping" noise in a Subaru Legacy many years ago, and it drove me nuts. But then it went away on its own after countless trips to the dealer, and torturing me for 5 years. I still have that beauty BTW

williakz

My second actuator on the 2013 has hung right in there. Perhaps they finally fixed this aggravation for good! One can only hope...

Don't forget and cross the 50k Rubicon by accident. The guy in LA (state, not city) does a good job.

comotiger

Yes, I am getting the VSA from Toby. His quotes are unbeatable. He asked me to wait until September when he said he may have longer warranties (years/mileage I don't know). Sure, it will cost more, but anything for extended peace of mind.

SW17LS

Individual experiences may vary, but statistically there is no question that BMWs are not as reliable as Lexus vehicles. All you have to do is look at any source that tracks reliability data to know that.

Some brake rotor issues that can be solved by using aftermarket rotors pale in comparison to what I have personally watched my friends with BMWs go through. The difference is quite clear.

For instance my old 03 ES is still in the family with 185,000 miles on it, and just had a big $3,000 Overhaul, but that included normal wear issues, timing belt, water pump, it needed a valve cover gasket, needed new front brakes and rotors. AC needed charged, oil change and transmission fluid change, needed a thermostat to clear a CEL. Find me a relatively neglected 14 year old BMW with 185,000 miles that would go into the shop and those would be the only issues. No electrical problems, nav works great, drove it tonight and it rides and drives phenomenally well for being as old as it is. It feels like it has maybe 60,000 miles on it. Not a creak or rattle.

You will never sell me on the idea that over the long haul a BMW is a more reliable car than a Lexus, no way.

R Z

Of all the friends and neighbors I know with BMW's, there is not one of them that hasn't had lots of issues. But more than anything, the high cost of repairs is what steered them away, never to return. Two now drive a Lexus. One drives a Cadillac STS. One drives a Platinum Murano. The other drives an A8.

SW17LS

I have a good friend who loves BMWs, she's had some huge bills on BMWs under 50k miles. She has a leased 2014 X5 right now she's thinking about keeping, and her service advisors are begging her not to because they're so unreliable.

williakz

I don't care about vehicle reliability at over 100k or 150k miles as higher end BMWs, Audis, VWs, and Porsches are all 36k mile cars AFAIK. Get 'em fresh, and keep 'em while they're under factory bumper-to-bumper warranty. Dump 'em when you get anywhere close to the "red zone." Puts any (future) reliability issues into the cost rather than the quality of ownership. And what a QUALITY that can be!

SW17LS

Absolutely, if you're not keeping it over 36k miles it'll be fine.

That future reliability is priced into their resale though, making them considerably more expensive to own for 36k miles than a Lexus. More expensive at the onset, and greater depreciation.

williakz

Yup, cost of ownership, like I said.

seanl

This is the winning (albeit not cheap) strategy IMO. Lease German, buy Japanese.

Of course I have a 15 year old Porsche that's a very reliable garage queen. 49K miles though and lovingly maintained...and fairly basic compared to newer cars (no NAV, no bells/whistles, etc)

There simply isn't a Japanese car that can do what the 911 can do. The Nissan GT-R does a great job but it's its full of electronics and is heavy.

First world problems indeed.

williakz

My son is really making me a believer in leasing (I've almost always purchased except for a few years back in the early 90s). He points to independence from all resale value factors as the main advantage. You don't care about long-term reliability, getting "stuck" with the last model before a redesign (a 2017 LS460?), or a stale feature set due to tech development (radar cruise, LKA, emerg. braking, blind spot, phone integration, etc.). If you miss on any of these, you're still covered under factory warranty and the car's gone in 3 years max anyway, never to darken your garage again. The trick is to pare the sales price to the bone going in. He recently got a 2016 Hyundai Genesis 3.8 Signature wth Tech which stickered at just under $50k for $325/month (3 year, 36k miles). Meanwhile, I've got another year or so paying that PLUS a grand every month on my 4-year old LS. Finally, I figure I've only got another 7 or 8 cars to go at 3 years a crack, so I'd better get going on making them ones I like rather than ones that pay. All that spells leasing of fun (and temperamental) German models. The wife can always pick me up and ferry me around when I get stranded in her (leased) Japanese or Korean unit.

seanl

Williakz, that's a very nice perspective!

williakz

One of the (few) advantages of having kids smarter than you are...