Reliability and hesitation in Pulling The Trigger

[Cajun1]

The time has come to "put up or shut up" but I'm struggling with perceived reliability issues on the M4. Maybe it's the pic of F80silverstone's 2 day old car on the flat bed that shook my confidence...his build was just what I was going to order. What do you think, has the driving experience been worth whatever issues you've had?

[jqmunro]

If a one off issue has you concerned then get a toyota or honda.

[bensaawn]

I agree. If the purchase is something you need reassurances about, then i'd say you'll spend more time worrying about whether the car will break down rather than enjoying it.

Originally Posted by jqmunro

If a one off issue has you concerned then get a toyota or honda.

[seis-speed]

I have owned many cars. There is always an outlier, or reason not to buy. You can go to any message board and hear about a "fatal flaw" of just about every vehicle.

I have no real sound reason to buy an M3, other than the fact, that I really want it.

If you are really concerned just lease and it is all covered then buyout the lease if you feel the car is a longterm keeper.

I wonder about colors and options like passive vs adoaptive, but I have zero concers on reliability, there is a reason that you have a warranty.

[JeffM-Houston]

If a one off issue has you concerned then get a toyota or honda.

Actually I passed a brand new Honda Accord still with temp tags getting loaded on a tow truck yesterday, so even they are out.

There is no car you can find that has never had one with an issue when new, it happens to them all. And keep in mind that what you read here is usually just the worst case, people with thousands of miles and no problems at all don't post much. My M3 has just over 3500 miles, 2 autocrosses, and there is nothing at all that needs attention.

[ES_TRADER]

thats what warranties are for, my friend...

doesnt matter first year or not, my 2011.5 e92 ZCP was flatbedded in on day 2 of ownership too..200 miles, dct transmission failure (not the lag issue), then again at 700 miles, then never again...warranty took care of it

for me, if i find the car to be reliable and trouble free throughout the first 4 years ill keep it, if i see myself going in for several issues, ill dump the car before warranty expires so the next guy can deal with the issues

[F80silverstone]

Cajun1 if it makes you fell any better it broke after 9 days of ownership, not 2.

I really hope it just a simple software issue. Once I get the diagnosis from dealer I will update. It is important we all share our experiences whether they are positive of not.

[huatian]

Why not just lease it a basic M3/4. If it gives you trouble during ownership, just give it back and be done with it. By the time the lease is up, the kinks would be worked out just just in time to order a new car the way you want without worry.

[dmk08]

Originally Posted by Cajun1

The time has come to "put up or shut up" but I'm struggling with perceived reliability issues on the M4. Maybe it's the pic of F80silverstone's 2 day old car on the flat bed that shook my confidence...his build was just what I was going to order. What do you think, has the driving experience been worth whatever issues you've had?

Just buy a 6MT if youre worried about reliability.

[nujabes24]

Originally Posted by seis-speed

I have no real sound reason to buy an M3, other than the fact, that I really want it.

Exactly why i bought mine.

[dmk08]

Originally Posted by nujabes24

Exactly why i bought mine.

Yeah no other reason to justify this car lol.

[Damasconian]

I have a 1.5 year old Infiniti SUV that was assembled in Japan and has been driven very softly on highway roads. Its has less than 18K miles on it.

Its currently at the shop, the rear A/C blew out last week. You just never know.

The top three most reliable cars in America:

-Scion Xb
-Kia Soul
-Lexus IS

[Damasconian]

Originally Posted by seis-speed

I have no real sound reason to buy an M3, other than the fact, that I really want it.

I would add to your sentence..."and have since I was in the 8th grade."

[major one]

cajun1 - ive had my m4 for 3,000m now and it is flawless. not one problem that others have described on this forum whether it be blown this or that or squeaks or whatevs. flawless. and i bought the dealership's general manager's demo with 600m on the odo. i couldn't be happier with this machine; it is everything i wanted and more. it is easy to drive when you want to just get somewhere and it is a beast when you load up the sport modes and want to drift or lay down the rubber. so. much. fun. and not to preach - but as others have said, warranties exist for 4yrs. go buy it. life is too short to wring your hands about buying this thing or not. just go for it. and dont look back. unless the are police lights in the mirror. and there will be.

[Carl L]

Originally Posted by ES_TRADER

thats what warranties are for, my friend...

doesnt matter first year or not, my 2011.5 e92 ZCP was flatbedded in on day 2 of ownership too..200 miles, dct transmission failure (not the lag issue), then again at 700 miles, then never again...warranty took care of it

for me, if i find the car to be reliable and trouble free throughout the first 4 years ill keep it, if i see myself going in for several issues, ill dump the car before warranty expires so the next guy can deal with the issues

This is the best post on the subject.

[solstice]

The F80 is my 9th BMW. None of them has been a money pit with expensive out of pocket repairs or excessive depreciation.

Two has had excessive issues. My N54 equipped 2008 E60 had 2 HPFPs and 2 injectors go bad within the first 2 years. My F10 was a lemon. ( Well now my F80 has intermittent engine light but I'm not ready to call it a real issue yet ).

BMW stand behind their cars wether it comes to that you need warranty claims or buybacks or providing free extended warranty of systematic issues.

What it really comes down to with a problematic BMW is inconvinience and annoyance. If I was less busy, no kids, 9-5 job etc it would not bother me much but I'm busy and going to the dealer frequently is an inconvinience and a pita. And it's annoying when a brand new car have issues. Quality and reasonable reliability one of the reason to buy a quality brand like BMW or Porsche over for example Maserati or Jaguar. Deterioration is of course also a huge problem with those brands.

Is it worth the risk with a BMW? Absolutely, still highly annoying with these issues though.

[dkhm3]

Here are my suggestions-

option 1: have a dd besides your M3/M4, in case of issues drive the other car.

option 2: get to know your SA very well. I sometimes bring some goodies for them- when I am driving by the dealer, etc. It goes a long long way to getting things warrantied, getting loaner cars, etc.

that being said, never had any issues with previous m3's. Definitely had some issues with the 335i N54. and had some issues with the '08 x5.

last thought- had an MDX and some Mercs and they were solidly reliable, but I don't miss them one bit. I miss my bmw's and keep coming back for more punishment. They put some magic dust in their cars- it is damn addicting.

[rz3]

I've had 8 BMW's since 2004. My 335 had two HPFP's go out, but other than the annoying reduction in engine power caused by the HPFP failures, I've had no persistent issues with any of them. HPFP was fixed within a day both times.

As others have said, if you're worried, lease the car and rely on the warranty to fix it if there's an issue. Buy it, have fun in it, and get a new one or keep it down the road.

[Powaup]

I'm at 4600 miles only problem was ios 8 was messing with my music, as others have said, as long as you have warranty you'll be good

[Doctor///M]

unreliable cars are just so much more fun to drive though

[ES_TRADER]

somehow, when buying a bmw, reliability isnt the first word that comes to mind. i think you are buying a bmw for performance and specifically for great performance because you're getting the M car. everything else should come second

if i woke up today and decided i needed a car for reliability, i sure as heck wouldnt be shopping at bmw.

[major one]

im getting the impression from you guys and gals that it is only a matterof time before this thing starts to be problematic. having never owned an ///m before (lots of amgs and p-cars and other non-///m bmws but never a true ///m), i am a virgin ///m guy and dont know what to expect reliability-wise. and having knowingly bought a 600m demo car where im sure it got the snot beat out of it during those few months before title passed to me coupled with the fact that i continue to beat the snot out of it too (lots of sliding out and a number of burnouts and launch control sessions), i would have assumed some problems would have cropped up by now at 3000m. but as i say above, nada. so do i have a death wish, am just lucky or will problems soon appear? i am serious about my question here given this thing is my first expeeince with an ///m as i say above. what say you?