Looking for a little feedback
 

I work in VW dealership, and most of the techs and parts guys aren't real keen on the VW/Audi lineup, for general reliability reasons. I've heard stories both ways, and seen both ends of the spectrum. Here's what sparked my thinking. One of the techs has, over his toolbox, a clip from a car mag that says...not an exact quote, but it's close...you'll get the idea..."it used to be that nobody questioned German automotive reliability. But, lately, a Korean built car is a better bet than a Volkswagen." I know that shouldn't be in quotes...so shoot me.

Anyways, the question is this, along with a poll. What do you drive, and what kinds of problems, if any, have you had with the car. I'll put my stuff up here in a little bit...don't worry. The poll is geared towards the Korean built/German built autos, but options will exist for others.

You are also allowed to do multiple choice, in case you own multiple vehicles.

I drive mostly GM. Got my first Ford a little while back, but right now, my stable is one Oldsmobile, and one Ford.

My Oldsmobile, a 1997 Cutlass Supreme, I've had for 107,000 miles, and not really had any trouble with it, save for the lower intake manifold gasket leak that these engines are known for. We caught it quick, but not quick enough, and it destroyed the engine. This is also the car that I modified, so now, I don't know what to really expect, except that this engine and trans ARE stronger than what was in it from the factory. I only have one other problem with the car, and that is that the right front door lock intermittently won't totally unlock the door, or won't tell the body control module that the door is indeed closed, thereby leaving the interior lights on, and not allowing the door locks to autolock when speed passes 10mph.

I've only had my Ford for about 7500 miles, and it's at 131,000 now. It's a 1995 Escort LX 2-door hatch, with the 1.9 SEFI 4-cylinder and a 4-speed automatic. This car had a bad tie rod end when I got it, and these cars are known for that. The interior lights don't function when you open the doors, and a speaker is blown. These are the problems with the car, really, besides maintenance stuff. Needs all four struts, but at 131,000 miles, being original...that's not the car's problem. I have had good reliability from my American makes.

I did own one Mazda, and had no problem with that car either, except for a failed axle. It burned a little oil, too.

The car I had the most trouble with was actually another Oldsmobile, though. I still have a 1987 Delta 88 in the back yard that doesn't run. It needs a lot of work, such as transmission, steering, fuel system, and ignition work. It's not worth the time to fix...the car has 190,000 miles on it. If I ever did get it going, the body is decent, and the shocks & struts are new, but it needs brakes, and all the other above mentioned stuff. I have two reliable cars now, and this Delta88 will go away soon.

Those are my stories...let's hear yours.

I have a Ford Expedition and Chevrolet Corvette (both American) and my wife has a BMW (German). No problems at all with any of them. My wife had a Mazda MPV minivan for a while and the only problem was with an Oxygen sensor. I have heard of nothing but trouble from Volkswagon, but BMW troubles are rare. Which is why they can offer such a great warranty. 4 yr-50k miles, they pay for all scheduled maintainence for the entire warranty period, everything is covered except tires. Thats one reason we bought it.

VW/Audi have that same warranty time frame, and it's a good thing, for the consumer, really. They need it!

I have a VW and it has all sorts of quality issues, but nothing big...yet.
There's a loose wire in the passanger door that buzzes around 2K RPMs, very irritating.
The front emblem is coming appart, luckily the warrentee covers that...but probably not the buzzing wire! Uhg...
Many people have told me that VWs suck.

The thing is, some cars turn out great and others are lemons. My parents have a Ford Aerostar with 255,000 miles, it's still running relatively well and it's only suffered fairly minor problems (torque converter clutch solinoid went bad recently. Even that's not too serious.) A friend of mine also had an Aerostar that went through 3 transmissions, at least two water pumps, and a number of other issues by 200,000 miles...so, sometimes, you just get lucky.

Currently drive a '99 F150, it's almost 7 years old, no real complaints, i follow the maintenance guide, and she treats me well.

The VW unreliability is true, but not in all cases. Most of the VW cars are assembled in the US and it is those cars that have nightmarish electric problems you've all heard so much about. VWs that are assembled in Germany and brought over here are pretty reliable with little issues.

Working at an extended warranty company I do seem to see the same things over and over again. GM intake gaskets, Ford transmissions, especially on Windstars, Audi and Volkswagen control arms, Toyota water pumps, Honda's CVT transmissions. Everybody has problems with front wheel bearings and oxygen sensors, the Big 3 trucks all have problems with ball joints. Every manufacturer has some problems. Admittedly we do more claims on the Big 3 brands, but some of that has to do with the simpla fact that we sell way more warranties on those vehicles than on the import brands.

I drive a '91 Chevy Corsica, have had it for 9 years now. When I got it it had 134,000 miles on it, it now has 215,000 miles. In that time the transmission has had to be rebuilt, the alternator replaced twice, front struts replaced, about 4 brake jobs, a power steering hose, an a/c compressor, one front hub had to be replaced, a starter, an ignition module, one ignition coil, and the blower motor. Everything else that has had to be replaced was directly related to my aggresive driving. Thats not too many problems for such a high mileage car over such a long time.

I don't think there are anymore VW's built in the States. Most are in Mexico, or Germany. Either way...they've got problems.

I just bought a new 2005 545i BMW and haven't had it long enough to have any issues. The car it replaced was a 2002 525i BMW and I had no issues with it at all. They both drive like a dream and have been maintenance free. In all fairness, they are both "new" cars and really shouldn't be having problems anyway.

I also have a 1999 Ford Explorer Sport which has had all 4 brakes and rotors replaced, the transmission worked on because of a gear slipping, washer fluid pump replaced, etc. I use this car as more of a toy to take on the road and what not, as it only has 72,000 miles. I like the Explorer though despite issues I've had with it.

I know this is not typical of all cars, American or otherwise, but for me, I will never buy an American car again, unless it's some sort of high-end sports car.

DEI37: What kind of issues are the techs having with the Audis? I was really looking into an A6/A8 instead of the 545i that I bought. I also decided that the A8 was quite a bit larger than what I wanted, as well as a 7-series, which is why I settled on the 5-series.

I have a Mercedes that just started stalling for no apparent reason, but then it is 19 years old.

I also have a 31 year old Corvette. It's never had a major problem since I've owned it, but random screws seem to work their way loose every once in a while :crazy:.

While I haven't seen any conclusive evidence, I have heard and read rumblings about reliability/quality issues with some VW cars. And the public volume seems to be growing quite loud about quality issues at Mercedes. Our trustworthy and long-time mechanic who does many cars in our extended family and in our neighborhood typically says it costs signficantly more to service German cars than Asian, especially Japanese.

I daily drive an '89 Acura Legend sedan with over 120k miles, it's been in our family since new, and it still runs great. Last summer we got a new '04 Acura TSX for my wife and we both really like it a lot, no problems at all but only 10k miles so far. My other car is a '95 Toyota Supra twin turbo which I've owned for about 6yrs, I massaged it to well over 500hp (crank up the boost), I drive this car as often as possible and very hard, track it (road courses) a few times a year where I beat the crap out of it, and it seems to only need oil changes and more gas other than routine maintenance ...and many big fat tires.

I've got ~45,000 miles on my 2003 hyundai elantra. so far I have had no serious issues with it, HOWEVER, the tranny absolutely does not like the 1-2 shift. it'll grind a bit if I try to do it quickly.

and I dont drive it hard that often.

and almost every other 2001-2003 elanntra owner I know has the same problem.

It's a lot of electrical stuff. Instrument clusters, axle seals, pinion seals, radio's, control arms, and the general overcomplicatedness that is German engineering. We had been replacing A LOT of catalytic convertors until they released a tech bulletin that has them reflash the PCM to expand the parameters that would set the MIL for a failed cat. There's other stuff...a lot of electrical, though.

I have had numerous cars, but the two that gave me the most problems were the 2001 Volks Passat, and 1996 Ford Explorer. Now I have an Isuzu Rodeo that has been a great car so far. The Passats engine would die, headlight would go out once a week, and was basically a lemon. The Explorer's transmission went out numerous times, suspension, and many other things. Japanese cars have treated me the best.