BMW Reliability?

[BobA]

So I had an interesting chat with a traffic policeman this morning (no, not that - I met him at a council event). It seems that Fife police have changed from BMW patrol cars to Volvo due to reliability and safety issues. According to the officer they have been having to change the oil on their 6-cylinder cars every 3000 miles on BMW’s recommendation to maintain the warranty under their ‘extreme’ use and prior to this there have been big end engine failures on the F and G series which BMW had to investigate. So the cars have been spending too much time in the garage. Gives you a nice warm feeling about the recommended 20,000-mile or 2 year oil service routine doesn’t it? Just the latest after the EGR fire issues. I’m a low mileage driver so I’m not anticipating problems but why do I think this might be my last BMW?

[dj123]

Their extreme use is exactly that. The car could be sat at the side of the road with a cold engine, to full throttle high revs & high speed pursuit in minutes. Multiple times a day. It'll kill any engine over time. They're not driven with any mechanical sympathy - they're used /abused for the tool they are. 

Normal road use of these will be fine with sensible service intervals. The OBC adapts when it thinks the oil should be changed, so long motorway drives will extend it to 20k. Doing short round town driving it brings it down. My driving varies between to these instances and i see the service interval continually fluctuating. But i still service it every 10-12k miles, which i cover in less than 12 months. 

[Malky]

Might be something to do with a police officer being killed in Cumbria when the BMW police vehicle had a major engine failure, caught fire and overturned on a motorway. I recall somewhere that BMW have stopped supplying police forces.

 

[dj123]

29 minutes ago, Malky said:

Might be something to do with a police officer being killed in Cumbria when the BMW police vehicle had a major engine failure, caught fire and overturned on a motorway. I recall somewhere that BMW have stopped supplying police forces.

 

That was the most recent incident. Article below;

https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-news/industry-news/bmw-police-car/

[BobA]

Apparently the remaining Fife police 6-cylinders have been restricted to low-speed use only (non pursuit) while they’re being phased out.

(something to remember maybe should you see one following you 😉 )

Edited March 23, 2023 by BobA

[Procion]

As Dj123 says, used and abused daily, 24/7. Invariably diesel, left ticking over for hours on end, thrashed to the red line in every gear when "responding" summer/winter regardless of the weather. Up sized or extra alternator for the additional electrical requirements, boot stuffed full of heavy gear, supermarket fuel, the list goes on. A mate of mine is on traffic, he's broken several 530d's and is not a fan generally, pretty scathing in fact. That said, he does like the big petrol X5 ARVs our local force use.

I do wonder what oil they put in them, is it the std BMW fare 0w-30 LL04 or something else? Mine (petrol) is capable of getting very, hot, very quickly, therefore I now use Mobil 1 ESP 0w-40 and have it changed every 8K/10K regardless. Having had an unfortunate "happening" at 30K miles I figure at £25K an engine, changing the oil frequently is £150 well spent.

[bennygsr]

The reliability is something that concerns me too.  I've  already had a coolant pump replaced, a $500 switch replaced because the auto lights kept flicking on and off which can of course happen to any car.  However now that the warranty is over, the concern is the significant increase in cost of repair and replacement when compared to Japanese manufacturers

[Matthew]

The withdrawing from sale of police special vehicles by BMW  doesn’t even enter my mind as to whether I’m still happy to drive BMWs nor whether I’d buy another in the future. This was reported across the press in Mid-January. There is the sensational press and then the “reliability” issues of the cars makes sales of the press' outlets I assume. I have sympathy for the family of the police officer who lost their life at the wheel of his police car.  Is BMW any different from other cars in the road reliability wise (Lexus excepted maybe)? I don’t know and don’t particularly care. Are the parts more expensive than other or Japanese cars? Maybe, but again, I have no evidence of this and I don’t care. I bought my 6GT because I love it, it has all the features I need, the size I need for taking my family on long intercontinental cruises in serious comfort, plus I only do 6000miles a year. If it goes wrong, I’ll fix it.  

Will I buy another? If there’s one that ticks all my requirements, and I can afford it, most definitely. 

Edited March 26, 2023 by Matthew

[Sir Anthony Regents Park]

22 hours ago, dj123 said:

Their extreme use is exactly that. The car could be sat at the side of the road with a cold engine, to full throttle high revs & high speed pursuit in minutes. Multiple times a day. It'll kill any engine over time. They're not driven with any mechanical sympathy - they're used /abused for the tool they are. 

 

Rarely a problem on Volvos, SD1's, Senators, E28's and the old M57.

 

The N57 is not a strong engine - it's marginal at best. I've seen plenty of broken ones.

[Liam2594]

BMW have shut down the centre that supplied all the authorities vehicles. Speaking a little while ago to a Kent officer they loved the BMW's but admitted they certainly weren't fault free. To be honest Ive had many over the years, timing chains on N47's aside I've never really had anything major cause me any grief one I've owned. Also speaking to a BMW tech recently who said all the emissions related items on the cars cause a large amount of the issues. They've culled a lot of diesels from the UK due to lack of demand. I imagine it's actually due to a 530d for example with a couple of option packs costing nearly £70k which I can imagine does reduce demand.