Gentlemen..let me begin by saying this is NOT an M4 bash...it is really a commentary. I have owned all Japanese cars all of my life...but quite simply..I wanted an M4. I joined this Lexus forum and the most popular M4 forum out there at the same time..comparing the RC F and M4. I have lurked..for 10 months on both Forums. I bookmarked aftermarket accessory websites for the M4 and talked to to co-workers that own them.
I learned through my daily reading of the M4 forum...there were three M4 's with under 5,000 miles that needed either a new transmission or had a motor replaced. I read of four 'limp mode" events with 2015 M4's with under 7,000 miles. I learned that a new lithium Battery cost $1200.00.
I read about numerous M4 members admitting the german cars are in fact not as reliable as japanese cars...and "will never own one out of warranty". I learned about the high costs of replacement rotors when out of warranty STILL, I stayed to learn about them.

Let me say this...I am disappointed with all the reviews of the RC F and the performance I expected when it was introduced due to weight as we all know, the RC F has lost every matchup with the M4....that said, the RC F is NO SLOUCH...and has beautiful lines.

I spoke to two co-workers who love their M3's and said..they are the finest sport car out there..performance wise. I will agree. I was about to offer to buy his 2010 model until he said, it needed it's 90,000 mile service. He said it will run about $2,000.00. (Good God)... My other coworker further mentioned he needs a battery tender as the BMW's tend to drain the battery if it is not driven several weeks and therefore needs a battery tender....
My point? I can't live that way ;-) I can't go on a long trip not knowing if my M4 will go into "limp mode" in the middle of nowhere. I will stick with my gut and stay Japanese. I admit I am bummed about my discoveries and my hats off to the M4 owners...I guess I don't have the patience and perhaps the money to own one.

I am glad to see the only issues I have noticed on the RC F are a few stuck rear wings and water pumps...Those issues...I can deal with ;-) I have found a home....
airlaird

 

I echo your sentiments in that I'm also leaning towards an RC F over anything else.

 

Please do your due diligence and jump on a Forum. Research the car well... Perhaps you can "live" with those issues. I think the BMW community accepts these things. I can not. Understand..the majority of these M4's are LEASED not bought. I understand why now. I certainly cannot imagine telling my wife the battery is dead and a new one is $1200.00 because it has to be a Lithium ion battery. ;-)
airlaird

 

M5 for 7 months, in the shop 3 times, after seeing my brother on vacation and my car would not shift he says "Nice car you got" then I had to drive 70 miles each way and the dealer could find no issue it had to go.

I don't care how fast a car is, if it's going to be a pain in my *** and a problem it's gone. All the BMW friends said oh ya that was just a bad year, okay I guess Toyota does not have bad years like BMW.

 

Yes.....absolutely no surprise to hear that...I would read threads about this type of thing weekly on the M4 Forum. BMW engineering is great.........reliability......not so much...
airlaird

 

Hey, different strokes for different folks. As for myself (and most of you already know this), I am a past BMW owner, and I will tell you the car was the mistake of my lifetime.

When it ran, I loved it...when it ran. It spent so much of its life in BMW's service bay with major repairs, I simply vowed never again.

Friends of mine drive them all...different strokes. (I will say that I drive my cars hard.)

 

I am not going to add a lot here on reviews. There are plenty of outstanding reviews from non-German car fixated editors.

These are two of the best reviews of the RC F because the editors understand the car and CAN DRIVE the F.

 

having owned an m4 my prior vehicle before my RCF i can tell you the m4 is a hell of a sports car (when its not in the shop) i had mine for 9 months was in the shop probably 4 of those months bmw finally bought it back as a lemon. I work for Toyota and this is my 4th Lexus for the dependability i can give up the .3 sec faster 0-60 and the few extra pounds the RCF weighs. Dependability goes a long way with me

 

Interesting thread.

I have numerous co-workers who have owned and still own different M's (M3, M4, M5). Can't say too many of them have had a lot of problems despite what some of you have read on other forums. I simply decided BMW wasn't for me and went with the RCF.

I came from Audi after having 8 absolutely miserable months with my S5. I wanted the Lexus reliability. I love that the RCF is a car that says luxury but is also able to put its hair down and get wild when you want it to. Perfect combination IMO.

 

Clearly, if any "high performance" car is being purchased more for its looks than the actual driver experience, there will be a lower incidence of failure.

Problems will surface with certain brands when they are pushed towards the limit, and you will then be told it's "normal maintenance" as they rip apart your engine.

Beat the living daylights out of my ISF--zero problems--nothing. Expect the same from the RCF with its masterpiece of an engine.

 

You also have to keep in mind ANY turbo engine will be prone to more problems if driven hard, especially in hot climates, due to a much higher state of tune. That's why I much prefer a NA engine, even when I give up performance. The RC-F could be definitely MUCH better, but I'm still happier with it than my ex-GTR, which was much quicker/faster than this car. My realistic performance wishlist is not in the engine department (a few more ponies wouldn't hurt), but a DCT and better suspension geometry (more front camber, mainly). Lexus could have done that, and the car would have been accepted much better IMO. The other reality is a DCT tranny is immensely more complex than a tried-and-true planetary gearbox with a TC (MB uses a wet clutch instead in most of its cars -GTS is DCT-, but planetary gears as well). It's a 'choose your poison' proposition.

I want something nicer than this car, but everything is freaking turbo now, so not really inclined to jump ship yet. My wife reluctantly accepted to give it a try on a not-so-long trip, so will take it to Big Bend, and see how it fares. About 6.5 hrs in the saddle each way. Was also thinking about a SUV like the X6M, which beats this car in every performance category on paper (including cornering), due to much wider performance tires. Plus would be able to haul my bike to the mountains, instead of riding it on the slab in 100º+ weather for hundreds of miles. Anyway, in my personal situation, I don't put many miles on my toy cars, so reliability issues on both DCTs and turbo engines are much improved, so doesn't weigh as heavily as for some of you. By the way, I know lots of owners of BMWs and other cars that have had zero issues... but with my luck, I'd be one of the unlucky ones. Ha ha. Decisions, decisions.

 

It's not an either/or proposition, you v. me. They're both fantastic vehicles that have more things in common than not.

Like... both feature lucky people called owners.

 

like you...i did a lot of research on the M4 as my wife was deadset on having one. i def wanted to make sure that i didnt put her into something that was going to leave her stranded. like you...i read about transmission/engine failures that a couple of members had. i read about the creaks in the interior. the pebbles that get caught in the brake shield and the ungodly noise that they make. i read about the unseemly exhaust note. i read the iffy launch control.

in the end...we decided to get one because, other than the brake shield, there was not one 'problem' that could be termed endemic of the model. of course, the 2nd day we have the car, my father hits the biggest pothole known to man and the car goes into 'limp mode' because the hit was violent enough to dislodge a fuel injector sensor. wanna talk about someone...who is a lifelong lexus fan...having a huge case of buyer's remorse. hahahaha. but we took it to the dealer and it was fixed by that afternoon.

since then, we've had 6 months of drama-free ownership. we dont even have the creaks and rattles in the interior because we opted for the sunroof instead of the carbon fiber roof. is it perfect? hell no!!!! its aggravating to have to push the start/stop button twice to turn the car off. it sucks that you have to pull the door handle twice because the first pull unlocks the door. it sounds terrible at start up. the lack of electric tilt/telescoping steering wheel in a $75K car is mind-boggling. and a few other things.

BUT...its still a great car. its fun, fast, always elicits stares/thumbs up and...most importantly...she's happy with it. now...having said that...its outta here after warranty. without question....

 

there are so many great deals on 2013 M5's...im so tempted. but the thought of having one without a warranty makes me wanna binge drink. interestingly enough....Porsche doesnt suffer from the poor reliability of its German counterparts.

 

Ya and BMW wanted 7k for the extended warranty, there is a reason When it ran it was fun but if I wanted to own something with problems I would get a boat lol