Image of German cars takes a dent

The Daily Telegraph ^ | 07/08/2003 | David Millward

[ijcr]

Once renowned for never going wrong, German cars have fared badly in the latest survey of reliability by the Consumers' Association, published yesterday.

Volkswagen, for decades the solid workhorse of the motorways across Europe, was classed as "poor" by Which? magazine after a study of breakdown rates of cars under two years old.

Two of its subsidiaries - Seat and Audi - dropped from good to average in the reliability tables as the Teutonic reputation for solid performance took a battering.

The Audi TT, described as "exuberant, passionate and classic" by its manufacturers, fared less well when scrutinised by Which?, receiving one of the magazine's poorest scores for years.

Mercedes Benz dropped two categories from best to average, ensuring that no German manufacturer was included in the top two categories. Which? said: "German cars were once known for their solid-build quality and dependability but it seems that no major German marque has escaped the steady decline we've noticed in recent years."

Japanese manufacturers cemented their position as producers of the most reliable cars with the older design of the Honda Accord joining, among others, the Honda Jazz and Mazda 323 in earning a 100 per cent reliability rating.

Audi said it had been expecting a fall in reliability of its cars because of a problem with its ignition system.

A spokesman said: "We accept the results in the survey. We identified the problem and it has taken five to six months to resolve it."

Volkswagen, which said it was "disappointed" by the survey, also blamed problems with its ignition system.

[ijcr]

Wait until they discover they fitted the same ignition system to the Eurofighter.... go Lucas.

[sc2_ct]

Don't you mean Mexican-manufactured German cars? :)

[sushiman]

I don't know diddly squat about cars , but I do know about drums , and I can tell you that up until the early 90's the drum company SONOR was numero uno in quality and workmanship . Alas , they have gone the way of Audi , VW , etc ... The country seems to be teetering on the brink of economic disaster if this trend continues ...and it will .

[ikka]

There is a well-known problem with the VW Jetta power window system; it is a design flaw and not fixable by simply replacing the parts. Also some of the Jetta's made in Mexico have many more flaws than the ones made in Germany.

By the way I have an ancient 1988 Jetta made in W. Germany and I am amazed at its solidity.

[lizma]

"German cars were once known for their solid-build quality and dependability but it seems that no major German marque has escaped the steady decline we've noticed in recent years."

AHHH! The price you pay for socialism.

The best car I ever had was my '83 Toyota Corrola. I donated it to charity after 100,000+ miles, 6 oil changes (hey I'm a girl!) when it was still going strong.

No maintenance + no problems = perfect car.

[oceanview]

german cars were never reliable, dependable yes, but never reliable. and parts for them will never be cheap. a set of wipers on a new Benz goes for $120+.

[giznort]

I love my 1998 VW Jetta TDI, (bought new and received Thanksgiving '97) have had a few problems (loose vacuum lines courtesy of the Mexican factory), but all in all, it's been very good to me. I didn't want a Mexican made car and told the damn salesman I wanted a German made car, but he pooh-poohed me (idot dumbass who I hate and will never deal with again at Motorville, Sheboygan, WI). Car was shipped via rail and have little sprinklings of rust from rail travel embedded in white paint. If anything, I learned that I WILL IMPART MY WILL ON THE NEXT DEAL.

The only way you will put me in a Jap car is if I'm dead.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Socialism and trade unions have a direct influence on quality. When England went socialist and heavy unionization the Jaguar and Rolls Royce went from top of the line to "don't buy". They are better now even though England is still socialist. Germany is just beginning to bear the fruit of their transformation. France? Forget it.

[Flavius]

Thought Mercedes is owned by Dodge so what are they saying ...

[Constitution Day]

Thought Mercedes is owned by Dodge so what are they saying ...

You've got that backward... Daimler-Benz [parent company of Mercedes] bought the Chrysler Corporation [parent company of Dodge].
The company is now called DaimlerChrysler.

[July 4th]

If you really want to make sure you're getting a German car, you could get a BMW or Merc on European delivery. It's a really cool program if you have a month to spend in Europe, plus the car ends up being cheaper. They just ship it to you when you're done using it.

[dvan]

Well! What can you expect when all of their factory workers are there on Visas from Turkey and other areas of the Middle East!

[Buckwheats]

Memo to self: do not buy used car from lizma no matter how good it looks (15K+ oil changes...lol). My Toyota (made in Japan) has been extremely reliable...knock on wood.

[lizma]

LOL!

I donated it for parts. Only cost the guberment.

Actually the car I have now I take great care of.
After all, my babies ride in this one and the "live forever no matter what I do" feeling has been replaced by common sense.

[Peace will be here soon]

I prefer Volvo`s myself. I spent 17 years in the auto repair business and found the Volvo`s to be a very reliable car, and very easy to service ( not cheap though ). BMW`s , Mercedes , Audi`s etc.. I absolutely hated. Always a pain to service. Don`t even get me started on Peugots ! ( French built piece of #@&^ !! ). The SAAB is not far behind, another gem of awful engineering.

[John O]

UnPerson
Since Aug 7, 2003

Welcome to FreeRepublic!

[oceanview]

The X5 is a good safe vehicle, but I think the Volvo XC90 with the head curtain and anti rollover protection has it beat on the safety issue by a little bit. That vehicle is made in Sweden however.

[mpreston]

I suspect the sharing of technology is having a negative effect on Mercedes quality but a positive effect on Chrysler. Long term I have never been impressed with Chrysler products. A brother-in-law has worked at Chrysler for 20+ years and buys GM.

As for British cars, wish they would bring them back. They are trickling in. Jaguar is much better. Started in the late 70's when they got out from under the British Leyland disaster. Ford has helped quality. Mini is back under BMW. There have been rumors of Austin-Healey. MG is doing well in Europe and the new cars look good.