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BMW PHEV: Safety fuse replacement is extremely expensive

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Re: BMW PHEV: Safety fuse replacement is extremely expensive

#351

Post by [deleted] »

eptcyka wrote: post #348
prepend wrote: post #336

It’s funny how I extrapolate car design sessions in my head based on software design sessions. I sold my bmw after 15 years of multiple bmws because their design is so poor for maintenance. I had cooling system problems that required hours of labor to get to just to replace a plastic part that cost $5 where an aluminum one would cost $7. It seems to me that bmw was designing for best case scenarios where everything g…

> 9 things have to happen in sequence This is literally how all software works. Except it is thousands of instructions. Further, it is very often that programs don’t handle anything besides the happy path.

[deleted]

Re: BMW PHEV: Safety fuse replacement is extremely expensive

#352

Post by outside1234 »

Workaccount2 wrote: post #349

I don't know how "German engineering" became a badge of honor. Probably from the people who continually roll new leases every 2 years. Even 25 years ago working on German vehicles compared to the Japanese counter-parts was a harrowing endeavor. Germans are excellent at making cool flashy features...that rely on 16 moving parts that cost $700 each, and need to remove the engine exhaust manifold to access one screw to…

Everything is branded for what it is not. Quality Inns, etc...

Re: BMW PHEV: Safety fuse replacement is extremely expensive

#353

Post by beAbU »

eep_social wrote: post #286
rjsw wrote: post #255

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I didn't even know that was an option, never seen one that had it fitted.

My understanding is that the hardware is always installed but the dealer will not fill the liquid reservoirs unless the customer specifically requests (and pays) for it.

These days it's a software unlock.

Re: BMW PHEV: Safety fuse replacement is extremely expensive

#354

Post by gambiting »

Workaccount2 wrote: post #349

I don't know how "German engineering" became a badge of honor. Probably from the people who continually roll new leases every 2 years. Even 25 years ago working on German vehicles compared to the Japanese counter-parts was a harrowing endeavor. Germans are excellent at making cool flashy features...that rely on 16 moving parts that cost $700 each, and need to remove the engine exhaust manifold to access one screw to…

>>Probably from the people who continually roll new leases every 2 years.

100% this. BMW's own stats say that something like 90% of buyers of new BMWs keep them for 3 years or less. The fact that parts like oil pans are made out of plastic or that lately all their gearboxes have the oil drain port completely removed is just irrelevant to the buyers because none of them care about keeping the car for a decade like people used to. And the collapse of second hand prices due to these catastrophic repair costs is not really a problem for them either.

>>Germans are excellent at making cool flashy features...that rely on 16 moving parts that cost $700 each

To be completely fair - Mercedes used to do this in their S Class and also it would work for decades despite the complexity. That's German Engineering. But that quality has been missing across all German brands for a good while, it pops up every and now then in specific components that are still extremely well designed and reliable, but it's not standard across the entire vehicle.

Re: BMW PHEV: Safety fuse replacement is extremely expensive

#355

Post by jlarocco »

prepend wrote: post #336

It’s funny how I extrapolate car design sessions in my head based on software design sessions. I sold my bmw after 15 years of multiple bmws because their design is so poor for maintenance. I had cooling system problems that required hours of labor to get to just to replace a plastic part that cost $5 where an aluminum one would cost $7. It seems to me that bmw was designing for best case scenarios where everything g…

It's not just BMW, it's basically all car manufacturers. There are several car maintenance YouTubers who complain about it for many brands. For example "The Car Care Nut" complains about Toyotas being badly designed for maintenance, questionable material choices, etc..

The problem is that $2 here and there adds up, and at the level of the whole car it can add hundreds, or thousands of dollars of extra cost for reliability that the user can't experience directly. For some percentage of owners the plastic part works fine for the whole time they have the car. On the other hand sturdier parts add expense in the case of an accident or replacing parts during routine maintenance.

Re: BMW PHEV: Safety fuse replacement is extremely expensive

#356

Post by dotancohen »

semi-extrinsic wrote: post #200
close04 wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most people need a recommendation for something more current, from people who work on these modern cars daily. The reputation of 25+ year old models can be misleading. Another source of good recommendations could be insurance companies. Cars with low reliability or very expensive fixes probably need more expensive insurance. But I don't know if this data is public or if you can tell apart the reliability from the rep…

If you're in Europe, you can consider Dacia. A lot of their stuff is old Renault parts that they've bought a license to use/manufacture. Get a pre-2023 model with the 1.6 non-turbo non-hybrid petrol engine - it's actually a Nissan HR16DE, which has been in use since 2004. Very reliable and low complexity.

Is it using that Nissan/Renault CVT? That transmission is notorious junk.

I must say that I've been impressed with Dacia. Even the build quality is excellent - on par or beating VW. I've driven on Romanian roads so I can see why they would prioritize such high build quality.

Re: BMW PHEV: Safety fuse replacement is extremely expensive

#357

Post by janc_ »

gambiting wrote: post #354
Workaccount2 wrote: post #349

I don't know how "German engineering" became a badge of honor. Probably from the people who continually roll new leases every 2 years. Even 25 years ago working on German vehicles compared to the Japanese counter-parts was a harrowing endeavor. Germans are excellent at making cool flashy features...that rely on 16 moving parts that cost $700 each, and need to remove the engine exhaust manifold to access one screw to…

>>Probably from the people who continually roll new leases every 2 years. 100% this. BMW's own stats say that something like 90% of buyers of new BMWs keep them for 3 years or less. The fact that parts like oil pans are made out of plastic or that lately all their gearboxes have the oil drain port completely removed is just irrelevant to the buyers because none of them care about keeping the car for a decade like peo…

BMW always had a reputation for frequent & expensive repairs, even as far back as the 1970s (although I guess "typical" BMW drivers aren't the most careful either, so maybe that's also relevant...).

Re: BMW PHEV: Safety fuse replacement is extremely expensive

#358

Post by dotancohen »

potato3732842 wrote: post #310
VBprogrammer wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I occasionally like to see what the highest mileage Toyota Prius I can find for sale is. They are obviously used as taxis and it's common to find one for sale with half a million miles. Usually at that point someone puts in a new hybrid battery and sells it to someone else starting out driving Ubers.

They reach a million miles because they're taxis, not in spite of it. What kills the hybrids is that the kind of people who buy these sorts of "peak appliance" cars tend to be the same kind of people who'll obliviously let some critical fluid run too low. You get orders of magnitude less of that sort of behavior in taxi fleets.

I don't know if this is applicable to hybrids, but taxis attain high mileage with relatively few engine cold starts. Engine cold starts are what kills main and conrod bearings and piston walls. Taxis' bodies may be beat to garbage, the interior might be trash, but the engine and likely the transmission too will be representative of a vehicle with an order of magnitude less kilometers driven. Because they go an order of magnitude further between cold engine starts.

All this assumes proper maintenance, especially oil changes.

Re: BMW PHEV: Safety fuse replacement is extremely expensive

#359

Post by torginus »

Workaccount2 wrote: post #349

I don't know how "German engineering" became a badge of honor. Probably from the people who continually roll new leases every 2 years. Even 25 years ago working on German vehicles compared to the Japanese counter-parts was a harrowing endeavor. Germans are excellent at making cool flashy features...that rely on 16 moving parts that cost $700 each, and need to remove the engine exhaust manifold to access one screw to…

Germans are also famous for how hard they work, working a grueling 1350 hours per year, compared to freeloading lazy Greeks, who merely work 2000.

Re: BMW PHEV: Safety fuse replacement is extremely expensive

#360

Post by IshKebab »

jinzo wrote: post #275
sgt wrote: post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tesla is the DIY's EV enthusiast car for a reason.

Yes mostly propaganda and being first/having a big driving base. They are notoriously closed/locked down from the diagnostic/reprogramming perspective.

What car isn't these days?
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