Repair Costs for BMW, Lexus, and Audi

[Ranger X]

Within the next a year or two, I'm planning on getting a new car. I drive an old BMW and frankly, the cost of maintenance/repair jobs are a bit out of my price range at the moment. Does anyone know if Audis or Lexuses are any cheaper?

I know they differ my model so let's say between a BMW 328i, an Audi A4, and a Lexus IS300.

 

[warcleric]

If you can barely afford a European car, then you cannot afford a European car. Except maybe a VW.

 

[Ranger X]

I can barely afford one NOW because I'm a college student.

I will be able to once I graduate.

 

[Soybomb]

*gasp* Imports break down? You've shattered the hearts of some people on this board you know

 

[Modeps]

check this, a co-worker of mine has a 2000 BMW (forget the model). A few months ago (november) he got into an accident, rearended by a guy who fell asleep at the wheel. luckily my co-worker is fine, however the rear of his car was mangled... the bank wouldnt total it, it was too expensive to total, it was cheaper to get it fixed... to this day, his car is still being fixed by a BMW dealer. Its march now, that is over 3 months.

 

[The Stigenator]

i hope he is driving up the rental car costs.

 

[Ranger X]

I read the article on the BMW 328i that ran up a bill of 28k and the insurance company wouldn't call it a loss because the car was worth more than the repair cost. I just hear that the repair jobs are expensive on the BMWs because of the repair parts. My guess is that Lexus is a bit cheaper but I am unsure about the Audis.

 

[Emulex]

if you can afford the car, most certainly you can afford the 10/100 bumper to bumper warranty...

Service is very light for new cars, most german cars now have like oil change every 10K miles, no tune-ups or maintenance for 60-100K miles.

Almost all luxury mobiles come with free maintenance for 2-3 years..

just get rid of the car before your extended warranty is done..

 

[monckywrench]

What warcleric said. Status symbols are expensive, and expensive to fix. VWs are less expensive, and the drivetrains are tough.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Ranger X, you forget to mention that the February article of Car & Driver you are referring to says that the BMW 328i came out good as new and continued to receive high praises from the C&D editors: In the end, we emerged with an even higher respect for the unique blend of athleticism, comfort, and quality that distinguishes these cars. Not to mention its Teutonic toughness and crash performance.

Entire Article

I know Consumer Reports looks very closely at repair costs, so I would look to them for answers. If I had to rate the repair costs of the three companies from lowest to highest, this is how I would rate them: 1) Lexus 2)BMW 3)Audi. You also have to look at resale value, though. I would rate resale value from best to worst: 1)BMW 2)Lexus 3)Audi.

 

[ultravox]

I remember reading an article a while back in C+D or Road& Track that the Lexus was the most expensive car to repair ....moe than a Mercedes even. If the car is off the warranty, I suggestr finding a small garage that specializes in BMW's but is not a dealer. Most of the time, they have the experience and also can get Jobber parts that are less expensive than OEM and sometimes, just as good.. That's what I do for my Audi which btw in some instances is cheaper to repair than my Dodge Grand Caravan.

 

[Sluggo]

The real shafting you get is not the repairs, its the " recommended scheduled maintenance" where the dealership just literally bends you over and breaks it off in you, so you cant get rid of the pain.

Remember the scene in American History X where the guy is laying face down in a hospital bed, and they are discussing the number of stitches he hes......This is how you will feel.

 

[Doggiedog]

I don't know about repair costs but routine maintainence costs at the dealer are expensive for Lexi(us). I went through my 15K maintenance and it cost me $400! Plus those bastards never did anything more than the minimum. I told them to check out a blown LCD on my dash and they said everything was ok. Told them about a squeeking sound which they said they couldn't detect (total BS cause you can definitely hear it). And they didn't adjust my idle which is now hovering around 500 rpm. I've been to 3 different Lexus dealers because each one has been disappointing. Their reportedly good service department is seriously overrated IMO.

 

[Wah]

damn $400? I'm half way through my lexus lease right now... I have it for 2 more years. I think I just won't bring it in to them anymore. Hopefully, my car doesn't fall apart within 2 years. Oil changes and inspection will be done at a gas station.

I'm not required to bring it in for service, am I?

 

[StageLeft]

Check your lease wah but I'm willing to bet its in the contract that you have to bring it to them at regular intervals.

 

[iamwiz82]

that is a good thing about imports. My dad had leased a 1998 Dodge Ram quad cab in 1997. He turned it in this january, with an amazing 1 oil change to his credit. He change the damned oil ONCE in 4 years!!! Guess when he changed it?




The day before he took it back... On a plus side, the thing was down only a third of a quart with nearly 50k miles on it.

 

[gunf1ghter]

Most cars start to get expensive when they hit the 60K mile mark (higher for some cars). This is around the time that you will definitely need to do things like change timing belts (BMW is chain driven though) water pumps, brakepads, expensive pollen filters, etc.

The domestics definitely have been trying to corner the "inexpensive to own" market, but I saw something a few years ago and the cost of ownership over 5 years wasn't really higher for most of the imports. Part of this as someone mentioned is that Audi/Mercedes/BMW cover all of your routine maintenance for 3-4 years.... This is worth probably $400-$500 at least just for the oil changes (although of course it's built into the price of the car, so your still paying for it).

I guess, if repair costs are a major concern for you, consider leasing the car and getting rid of it before the warranty and free service are up or consider a cheaper car.

 

[Doggiedog]

I don't know if I'm required to take my Lexus to a Lexus dealer but I needed to in order to get a bunch of things done to it. First of all, the air filter (for the AC) was bad and my car smelled like armpit odor everytime I used the AC or heat. Then a bunch of bolts fell off from the wheel well which needed to be replaced. Then I had this clicking sound coming out of my front wheel at low speeds which they said they couldn't detect (they would have if they had actually driven the car and not just let it sit there).

I guess it was $400 because it was the 15K service that needed to be done. I have no idea what they really did with my car. For all I know, they could have just changed washed it and done nothing to it. Unfortunately, this is the third poor service job I've had done on my car from Lexus. And I went to 3 different dealers because I was dissatisfied with each one.

Wah: You live near me. The places I went to were Bob Ciasulli Lexus (so-so, not great) Lexus of Englewood (not very good) and Lexus of Manhattan (Absolutely SUCKS).

 

[Ornery]

Replacement parts is the number three reason I won't buy an import. Number two is the initial cost and number one is, THEY'RE TOO TINY! The ones that aren't too tiny fall in the number two category twice over! :|

 

[Wah]

Doggie,
I got my car at the Englewood dealer. During the two times I brought it in for service, I didn't experience any problems. Then again, I didn't have any problems with my car... I just dropped it off and picked it up, so not much room for bad service.

 

[Doggiedog]

The one time I brought my car to the Englewood Lexus they didn't wash it.

 

[Wah]

lol! bastards!