Member Since: 10 Jul 2013
Location: Neath
Posts: 181
Nice to hear!
“If only everything in life was as reliable as Volkswagen” posited the famous 1987 advert for the Volkswagen Golf.
Similarly, Audi declares: “Vorsprung durch Technik.” Loosely translated, this means “advancement through technology” and both of these slogans are designed to instil a feeling of confidence in each company’s engineering prowess.
Unfortunately, however, the truth can be very different. Figures recently released by consumer warranty company Warranty Direct show that Volkswagen, Audi and BMW make some of the least reliable engines on the market.
Audi came second-from-bottom in the engine reliability charts with one failure in every 27, beaten only by the now-defunct MG Rover.
It’s a poor showing for BMW’s Mini brand, too, coming in at third-from-bottom with one failure in every 40, while BMW themselves take up the seventh slot in between Peugeot and Renault with 1 in 45.
Volkswagen makes its appearance in the ninth-from-bottom position, with one in every 52 owners suffering an engine fault of some kind.
Audi R8 engine fire
An Audi R8 with a minor overheating issue.
So who makes the most reliable engines?
Perhaps not surprisingly, it’s the Japanese, with the top spot taken by Honda. Only one in every 344 Honda owners have had engine trouble, with second-placed rival Toyota notching up just 1 in 171.
It’s not all doom and gloom for the European marques, though, with Mercedes-Benz taking third, followed closely by Volvo.
The Brits have something to be cheerful about, with Jaguar placed fifth and Land Rover in tenth – although in the interests of yin and yang we should note that JLR’s repair costs were considered very high, with one Range Rover Sport owner quoted nearly £15,000 to repair an engine failure.
The biggest surprise, however, comes in the form of seventh-placed Fiat who recorded a creditable one failure in 85, beating both Ford and Nissan.
Remember that next time an Audi salesman tries to convince you to sign on the dotted line!
Top 10 manufacturers – most reliable engines
Manufacturer Failure Rate
1 Honda 1 in 344
2 Toyota 1 in 171
3 Mercedes-Benz 1 in 119
4 Volvo 1 in 111
5 Jaguar 1 in 103
6 Lexus 1 in 101
7 Fiat 1 in 85
8 Ford 1 in 80
9 Nissan 1 in 76
10 Land Rover 1 in 72
Bottom 10 manufacturers – least reliable engines
Manufacturer Failure Rate
1 MG Rover 1 in 13
2 Audi 1 in 27
3 MINI 1 in 40
4 Saab 1 in 40
5 Vauxhall 1 in 41
6 Peugeot 1 in 44
7 BMW 1 in 45
8 Renault 1 in 46
9 Volkswagen 1 in 52
10 Mitsubishi 1 in 59
19th Jul 2020 3:24 pm
adam
Member Since: 20 Sep 2005
Location: Home and Happy
Posts: 6917
Not 100% sure about the data sampling process - from the WD Website:
The integrity of the Reliability Index is based on the data available to Warranty Direct. That is why some makes and models have been purposely omitted. If we don't carry enough policies and claims to provide a fair reflection of that models place in the UK car market today, it will only act to skew the overall picture if included in the Index.Now Golf GTI PP, 7 speed DSG.
Ex D3 and D4
19th Jul 2020 4:37 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73079
It could be argued that peeps with the more reliable cars don’t bother with warranties.
I remember the heady days when we collectively celebrated LR being 3rd, 3rd from the bottom. A move upwards of 2 places.
19th Jul 2020 4:42 pm
adam
Member Since: 20 Sep 2005
Location: Home and Happy
Posts: 6917
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