Has anyone trader their BMW for an Acura? If so what your thoughts about BMW reliability. I have been getting mixed response about this question. We need another AWD sedan in our household and a used 06 530xi(auto) or 330xi(manual tranny) is our choice.

 

Good luck with that.

 

lol i just wanna know how bad will it be

 

Get rid of my 06' 330xi and replace with an 09' TL SH-AWD . . . for handling, fun, speed, torque still prefered the Bimmer, but for every day drive, praticality, comfort, space, and less fixing, go with the Acura.

 

I assume you have asked the same question on the Bimmerfest forum. I'm guessing your answers will be different on the two forums.

The BMWs have had some common problems - I think the high pressure fuel pump being the most notorious. But I'm guessing Acuras are not without issues either. I've had three Acuras and all have been great. But I also remember transmission issues when the five speed auto first came out.

Honestly, I'm guessing the Acura might be a tad more reliable, but I have several friends with BMW's who have not had any problems, and I would not let reliability be the decision maker on either car.

 

I had an '05 545i which was leased prior to getting my TL. As far as performance, there's no contest....the BMW is faster, handled better, had better steering, brakes, and ride quality. The quality of the leather seats was also better in the BMW. The big downside was the reliability. It was in the shop a total of 8 times due to mechanical and electrical problems. All was covered under warranty but it was very inconvenient and wasted a lot of time. I recommend leasing German cars and buying Jap cars.

 

The family has 3 BMW's.

The 04 330 has the most millage @ near 70,000 & the other two are pretty new 2008/09. The 06 TL with 35,000+ miles has been in the shop for unscheduled maintenance more then all of them combined,including two recalls & one TSB for the 6MT.

I really believe now a days its the luck of the draw & did you get a Monday/Friday car. Finally ,on a new BMW you don't pay for anything not even wiper blades till 50,000 miles.

 

For what it's worth, both JD Power and Consumer Reports rate Acura as having significantly better reliability than BMW. However, I think the 3 series is considered BMW's most reliable model (excluding the 335).

 

I agree with Bear. From my experience (and statistical averages reported) the reliability issue probably should not be a factor in your decision. My personal experience has been good with BMW and they are probably the most reliable right now compared to the other German nameplates.

In terms of performance the BMW's can't be touched. In terms of value the Acura's can't be touched. Depends on your priorities which would be better

 

One of my wife's co-worker's husband is a BMW certified tech. He's been working on BMW's almost three decades, and also drives a 2G 735 with a 5MT with almost 270K miles.

He swears by the latest offerings from BMW, there are some problems he admits with the HPFP and oil coolers on some models but overall as a whole they have been fairly trouble-free compared to the 70's/80's/90's. As he says each decade the models just kept getting better in terms of problems. The only recent model(s) he's says to avoid are early 4G 7-series, ALOT of electric and electronic problems.

 

just read threads like this:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=238271

I almost bought a 335i - great car to drive, but reliability threads scared me off.
I mean how many threads have we seen here where acura bought your lemon back? I have seen several at e90post.com
I realize few happy owners post compared to upset ones - but still.

yes free service - but s - I don't want to be a cross country vacation wondering if my fuel pump is going to fail for the 3rd time on a car w/ less than 50k miles.

they may be better driver's cars and have the most advanced drivetrain tech - but often times I think they are at the bleeding edge of tech - so much that it hurts reliability.


335i Coupe that will go in for a 3rd fuel pump related issue:
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=286434

 

Used BMWs are hit and miss. My brother bought a used 530i and two weeks after buying the bimmer, it developed some kind of electrical failure. Nobody was able to fix it and the dealer was gonna charge more than the price of the car. He ended up selling the car for less than half the price he got it for.

 

I had numerous BMW and honda in the past.

I actually would take BMW quality over Acura/Honda.

Honda/Acura- 92 accord, 94 accord, 98 accord, 00 TL, 07 odyssey

None of them are trouble free. 92 accord- SRS did not deploy during accident.
All had warped brakes. Rattles are common to all 5. The 00 TL had transmission issue. The 07 oddity had problem with deformed trims, power sliding door went out.

The BMW on the other hand - 01 530i, 03 M3, 03 M5, 06 M5, 08 335i, 08 M3, 09 135i.

I had no major mechanical issue on all 7. The 03 M5 had o-ring problem but was fixed in warranty.

But all of them drove beautifully and no rattles (which is a pet peeve of my). The 01 530i had a CD rom based navi, which is beyond bad. The 06 M5 had steering angle sensor failed. But that's all.

I had more expense and unscheduled stop with the Honda then BMW. Given that i have 12 data points between two brand, i hardly consider my case a typical.

Honda/Acura reliability is overrated.

 

just compare the problem posts on this forum to something like e90post.com and see what you think

 

Well, I don't mean to disagree but if you compare BMW to Honda...it just don't seem fair except for the 00 TL. VW against Honda and BMW against Acura perhaps?
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The whole reliability for me boils down to 2 things: the frequency of the problems and the gravity. For me a fuel pump falling flat on my driveway is much more of a problem than a foggy headlight.

Acura isn't without its problem areas either...

 

Most of the Bimmer owners are biased when it comes to comparing their vehicles to a japanese brand. Technologically, a Bmw can't even be compared to an Acura unless you add about 15k worth of packages. But I'm gonna have to agree with Pete about leasing German cars versus buying a Japanese.

Not sure if this is a repost, but it compares a 5 series to an 09 TL on terms of Value.

http://www.truedelta.com/comparisons...ion_code=&aff=

 

We are not talking about quality of product, fit and finish or comparing unrelated nuisances, the thread is about driving and mechanical reliability and it's Honda over BMW all day when it comes to that. The Honda product will have a few rattles and some quality issues with budget parts and materials, as does BMW, but when it comes down to if the car will leave you stranded or put you in bad situations, the odds are not in your favor in a BMW, unlike a Honda.

 

I had to laugh when I read this one. I had a great friend who sold Bimmers during the 70s/80s and always had a sweet dealer ride. The one thing that drove him crazy was the periodic problem he had with a number of different cars he drove home at night - they would completely die on him about a mile from home. Everything checked out fine when they were towed back to the dealer.

Turns out the route home was alongside an airbase with a rotating radar array - when he was unlucky enough to stay inside the sweep zone the radar was making as he passed by, it killed his electronics every time. He ended up timing his drive-by so the radar wouldn't track along as he drove past - hilarious.

 

I was in this exact boat just last month while out (used) car shopping. I really wanted a 335, badly. I still admire them when I see them on the road. It's just, every single forum I would go to seemed to warn of many problems. Stories from people in person backed up what I read on-line. They weren't negative about it really, they said they were awesome machines and drove like a dream...just be prepared to repair them. They were right, each one I test drove felt like it was on rails, but I'd say at least half of them had some type of warning light on the dash. Right off the lot. (some of them even BMW lots)

So, still wanting something a bit fancy I turned to the other big 3. (Lexus/Infiniti/Acura) It was almost the opposite, there were very few complaints and limited repairs. Plus, the repairs that were needed were significantly cheaper than the BMW or Merecdes cars that I had been looking into. Guess I don't need to say where I ended up.

I still think about getting something German every once in awhile, but maybe later when (if) I am older and richer and can afford the time/money to have the repairs they need. For now though, going with something a little less responsive to gain reliability was the right move for me. Hope this helps a little, I know it was starting to make me a bit crazy trying to make the best choice.

 

You could endlessly debate the merits of these vehicles, but if I had to place a wager in Vegas, I'm betting on BMW's performance and Acura's reliability. Between these two, take your pick.

Another alternative is the 2008+ Cadillac CTS DI AWD...not quite BMW's performance or Acura's reliability, but perhaps a decent balance between the two...food for thought (plus it just looks so damn good)...

 

so we went to look at some certified 530xi and 330xi's, like expected BMW dealer raved how reliable their cars are compared to Japanese Brands, but the story was very different at Acura, Infiniti, and Lexus dealers. Although BMW's are far superior in driving dynamics compared to any of these brands, the reliability and maintenance are on the opp end of the stick. So after much consideration we decided to look for M35X and gs350. I am leaning more towards M35X due to its handling, tech features and a lower price tag. If any one can shed the light on how much should I pay for these vehicles (under 35k miles) it'll be much appreciated. Here's the summary of the prices we saw today.

06 Lexus GS300 awd (no tech) w/ 30k miles - $35000
06 Infiniti M35x (tech) w/ 40k miles - $28000
07 Infiniti M35x (tech) w/34k miles - $30000
07 Bmw 530xi (nav + comfort package) - $33000

 

sorry i disagree.

1. When is failed SRS deployment a none issue?
2. When is warped brake pads and glazed rotor a none issue?
3. When is transmission that would self destruct and slam into 2nd gear at high speed a none issue?

I really would like you to answer these questions.

Mechanically, BMW is far superior than honda based on my experience thus far. If you are talking about electrical issues, i tend to agree with BMW being worse.

 

Here's a pretty funny true BMW breakdown story on a current model. On the way home from Ocean City, MD a mid 2000's 7-series starts to have electric problems while in route. First alternator light comes on, then other messages on the displays, and so forth. The owner intent on just getting the 750iL home stays in the right lane, and avoids using any un-necessary electrics to avoid draining the battery. The car just makes it to his driveway (in a very rich neighborhood and the battery is so drained that the engine stops.

OK, dealership comes out and tows the car back. My wife's co-worker's husband starts working on it. Right away he figures out the alternator is not charging but not sure why. After analyzing alot of things he determines the CAN bus termination is bad.

Yes boys and girls the alternator in a 7-series BMW talks to the ECU over a CAN bus. Difficult to believe but true. There are two termination resistors on the 7-series ECU CAN data bus, one in the left front fender, and the other under the rear seat. He checks the front one since occasionally they go bad to that location and checks it out. Everything OK, then he goes to the rear under the seat. He removes the seat, there is several inches of water under the rear seat. This water caused the resistor to fail but what caused the water.

He called the owner, who told him he had a very large cooler in the back seat but accidently left the drain plug open which caused all the ice in the cooler to melt and flooding under the seat causing the resistor to fail, causing the CAN bus to fail not send/receive messages to the alternator, and if the alternator does not receive signals it shuts down. Pretty amazing how some water can cause a $100K car to shut down.

Remember the simple days of alternators have a +Battery, +Ignition, and a ground wire. And BTW, I'd bet there are similar ways to disable a Acura or Lexus as well. Gotta love modern car computers and electronics.

 

I remember when you could do a tune up in your driveway with a timing gun and a new set of points and plugs. If you had time, you took off the carb and rebuilt it on the picnic table. Good for another 20k!

 

As you all can see, some off topic posts have been deleted.

Please remember folks, this is the internet and although we don't have hard and fast rules about language, people perceive things differently.

As moderators, we cannot be everywhere all the time. As a result, the easiest way to get a hold of one of us it to hit the report post button or send us a PM.

 

I used to have a BMW 535i a long time ago. It was a beautiful car (white with red leather interior, front and rear spoilers), but it literally nickeled and dimed me to death! Something was always going wrong with it-it drove me crazy.

I've had 2 Honda 4 door Accords and now own a TL. Honda is known for reliability. I'll own my TL for many years-no doubt.

 

bye

 

SRS non deployment could be something as simple of not having the seat belt buckled. Similar thing happened to me when I had an Acura RSX, but I made contact in a circular motion, not head on. Several people I know have had reasonable impacts on all different typs of cars as well, maybe not life threatening but good hits with plenty of damage and no deploy, reason being not a hard enough impact or location of impact not relating to SRS sensor.

Used to get warped rotors until I got a torque wrench and air compressor. It is a cheaper rotor, cheaper car. Keep the air pressure right and lugs properly torqued there is no issue.

The tranny is one isolated incident in Honda's history, which they did right by, vs the many of BMW related reliability issues.

With exception to the tranny are other issues really one of reliability or quality or fluke incident. I am not suggesting these things never happened to you but when looking at it from a pure sake of reliability with proven track record and statistics you have a better chance with Honda. Not saying you can't have better experiences with BMW it's just not the usual and goes against those odds, so in one way consider yourself lucky and on the other hand unlucky.

Personally I feel they are equal in terms of short term reliability but after the BMW lease is up or after a few short years you are taking chances. Again there are no guarantees in life but based on a larger scale and not on a few individual cirumstances, this is fairly well known and recognized but I agree with the fact that it does not mean it will always be the case.

 

I'm not a G4 fan (because of the front nose basically), but I would take it over a BMW any day of the week after driving the BMW 335.

 

I've still got my dwell meter and timing light. One day I'll take them outside the door of the Mecum Auction and make a fortune on them

 

Yep, bye bye.

Just read that guys last posting dumped in my inbox. Wow! Glad it was purged by the time I got here.

 

No problems here with a 335i, probably using a little more gas than I should be though This engine is beautiful.

 

We just ventured further into the Dark Side.

My youngest daughter traded her 328 4 door for a new X-3 AWD on Saturday. Needed more room for her dogs.

 

I had a friend that leased a 328 and had no problems his whole 4 year lease and 50K miles NOT ONE problem.. Next he got a 330 and had Best Buy install a remote starter and Forget about it all the electonics went bad, you had to open and slam the door for the window to roll up and u had to do this 5-6 time to completly close the window cuz each time u did it the window would roll up 3-6 inches... EVERY used BMW we got on our used car lot had pixels missing in the milage screen and most had a check something or oil light.
I on the other hand in my 9 years of owning a 2001 CL-s went through 3 transes 2 coil pack (engine misfire codes) 2-3 pairs of warped rotors and my SRS light was fixed by the DLR like 4 or 5 times and is STILL on so If u asked me about ACURA reliability from MY expirence I would tell you IT SUX!!
But my girl has a 05 TL that never maintains it and has not had a single problem in 5 years 100K miles .. ANd I maintained it above and beyond and she never maintained it. My sister is turning in her 05 TSX lease next month and all she replaced the whole 38 months is Rear brakes and 1 tire so it is the luck of the draw.. I think honda/Acura lost a lot of there relibility points with the 5 speed trans , it turned alot of people away from honda/aCURA ME prob being one of them, and I think thats why they are so hesitant to put out a 6 speed auto trans when every other company has a 6 speed auto if not 7 or even 8 now. If honda puts out a 6 speed and have the problem that they did when putting out the 5 speed they will be in some hot water and thats why it is prob taking sooo long for them to put a 6 speed auto in a car/truck.
So u can have a guy that buys a 330 and has 0 issues in 6 years 100K and a guy buys a tl and has to put 3 trannies in 100K miles but it works out the other way around also..Bmw has always been known to have electrical problems and its alot harder to diagnose a electrical prob if you like to fix cars yourself then any other problem!!!