Trashy V8's

B

Bwana

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Has anybody heard that the new series of BMW V8's are junk? I didn't catch the model or engine numbers but two to the indy shops I visit mentioned the same thing. I think it was from an X6, the original engine had packed up around 60,000 miles. The replacement engine from the internet (not a factory $14,000 new one) had even less than that but had a violent rod knock on startup. The other shop said the new engines were designed to use up and throw away, lots of plastic and questionable metals in them.

The M62 in my 2000 e39 (get out your decoder rings, BMW geeks!) has 215,000 on it with just the chain guides replaced and it doesn't use a thimble of oil between 10,000 oil changes. And still pulls like it's new.

Also, I've seen a number of posts elsewhere where a guy will find an S62 M5 engine on flea bay with 145,000 on it and put it into his car without rebuilding it! Talk about a crap shoot! If I were to put one in my e39, seems like the smart thing to do is to rebuild it first.

Are we into the era where the components are now designed to be used up and thrown away? Doesn't anybody rebuild anything anymore (not counting that S38 listed elsewhere and on mye28). Has there also been a major shift in BMW factory QA/QC? Glad I've been accumulating old stuff
 
Interesting...
If it was an F16 generation X6, then it is a 2014 design and deserves the visceral reaction: "Thanks Obama".

My E39 M5 has more oil after 10k miles than at the oil change. That is an engine. Renewable oil!

Rebuild engines? Still done, mostly in two places: Habana, Cuba and Alameda, CA.
 
Arde said:
"Thanks Obama".
Click to expand...
Wow. First, I thought there was a rule about keeping political talk elsewhere. Second, the fact that a German car company now makes low quality parts (along with pretty much every other car company as well as every other manufacturer these days) to make a higher profit margin has nothing to do with politics, either. Consumer accepted = consumer driven.
 
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My son works for local BMW dealership in Dallas and he suggested I should stay away from V8s and get a 740 instead of 750!
 
Driving BMW's now for over 25 years, never V8's though.

But in general my feeling is that each generation gets father away but from what made BMW a special brand. More technology that nobody needs, lesser quality, an for sure lesser exclusivity. For years now BMW is in the top 3 of the best selling brands in Belgium. One minute on the road and you at least will have counted 10 of them. Most with engines that couldn't be further away from what ones made BMW special. Oh well maybe I'm getting old and I will always have My E9 as a reminder of what a real BMW was all about.
 
autokunst said:
Wow. First, I thought there was a rule about keeping political talk elsewhere. Second, the fact that a German car company now makes low quality parts (along with pretty much every other car company as well as every other manufacturer these days) to make a higher profit margin has nothing to do with politics, either. Consumer accepted = consumer driven.
Click to expand...

 
Apologies if my humor was misunderstood... In the US "Thanks Obama" is a popular meme that intends to poke fun at the tendency of his opponents to assign blame for things that are not related at all.

I thought it was clear from the context that the US president and the use of plastics in BMW engines a continent away are not related...

autokunst said:
Wow. First, I thought there was a rule about keeping political talk elsewhere. Second, the fact that a German car company now makes low quality parts (along with pretty much every other car company as well as every other manufacturer these days) to make a higher profit margin has nothing to do with politics, either. Consumer accepted = consumer driven.
Click to expand...
 
Arde said:
This is the first time I have been called a troll.
Precisely a perfect scenario for applying the meme: "Thanks Obama" :).
Click to expand...
Arde, always enjoy your subtle humor. Subtle being the operative word here. How about something unsubtle as regards the V8s. You can't polish a turd.

As for modern BMWs, anything after 2000 in my mind(Although I would not own anything post 1975): I follow the advice, twice, of the Roundel.

Do Not Own a BMW Out of Warranty. Let me repeat if you missed it the first time. Oh, never mind.

Steve
 
oneills said:
Arde, always enjoy your subtle humor. Subtle being the operative word here. How about something unsubtle as regards the V8s. You can't polish a turd.

As for modern BMWs, anything after 2000 in my mind(Although I would not own anything post 1975): I follow the advice, twice, of the Roundel.

Do Not Own a BMW Out of Warranty. Let me repeat if you missed it the first time. Oh, never mind.

Steve
Click to expand...
Will I be scolded for using the word t...?
 
autokunst said:
Wow. First, I thought there was a rule about keeping political talk elsewhere. Second, the fact that a German car company now makes low quality parts (along with pretty much every other car company as well as every other manufacturer these days) to make a higher profit margin has nothing to do with politics, either. Consumer accepted = consumer driven.
Click to expand...

I took the "Thanks Obama" comment as related to EPA mileage requirements and all of the manufacturers going to smaller displacement engines, most with 2.0L turbos for the mid-sized vehicles. I can tell you that we sell a lot more newer engines than we ever did before and they're all the smaller engines with turbos. BMW 2.0L engines from 2012 up and Mercedes 2.0L engines from 2014 up. We've sold every Mercedes CLA 250 engine we've had and about half of the transmissions. Front wheel drive garbage.
 
That's the reason why there's so much depreciation on used cars.

A new, $100k E63, five years later is probably worth $30k. Why? $20k for new engine, $10k for trans, etc., etc.

If you want a luxury car for the long haul, you have no choice and go w/Japanese. Maybe American if you must as engines/trans replacement is no where near as expensive as the German stuff.

Audi/Merc/BMW...anything new, you gotta dump after the warranty expires. Just my $0.02.
 
...or drive drive old cars like I do. No replacement for the "vintage" quality I can enjoy at a fraction of the cost of a new(er) car. The old adage "they don't make things like they used to" goes a long way in my philosophy. I personally don't have concerns of reliability of the older cars. In fact, I am more concerned about the reliability of newer cars for the aforementioned reasons.
 
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