Henry's post about BMW problems...

["Rod Birch" <HOTROD930@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I love BMW's, the way they drive, handle, many things.  I'll own several
more before I die I'm certain.

I also acknowledge that they're less than perfect, and BMW seems to be very
bad at acknowledging problems, which makes forums like this very handy for
owners and enthusiasts.  I can't blame Henry for being disappointed with a
fairly new car that's had many problems.  Ignoring the fact that his car has
had problems, manufacturer defects as it were, is silly IMHO.  Some of the
BMW models have chronic problems, and BMW doesn't seem to acknowledge them.
I think that the reason BMW is still growing and gaining market share is
because they still build a fine product overall, with many innovations and
qualities specific to the BMW brand.

When you're an enthusiast, and you decide to accept the flaws, you call them
"quirks".  I think that Henry is correct with regards to Honda building a
fine product.  I don't get excited about driving my wife's Accord, but it's
never had a single problem.  There was a recall on the distributor and the
seatbelt buckles, which Honda acknowledged and rectified after notifying
owners by mail.  Long term, this will ultimately serve Honda in terms of
goodwill.  I think the mentality of some manufacturers is to ignore problems
and hope that less people notice them.  Publicly acknowledging problems may
be a risky move in their mind as it could affect future sales.  I'm not
claiming that this is BMW's approach, but their approach does appear to
differ from Honda's.  My wife's Honda experience is typical, and that's why
her previous car was a Honda and her next car will be a Honda.

I, on the other hand, will own another BMW, along with other vehicles, and
I'll just have to educate myself about all the "problem years/models" so
that I can avoid the things that have caused much heartache and
inconvenience for other BMW owners.  I can't blame anyone for defending
BMW's, I'm very fond of them myself.  If you want to pretend they don't have
any reliability issues, that's fine too.  I don't know if you can literally
change someone's experience though, or tell them they have no right to be
very disappointed in a product that they no doubt paid good money for that
has failed to perform reliably and has perhaps caused great inconvenience,
hassles, and perhaps much additional cost.

My $.02  I'm happy to address questions directly or on list, but I'll be in
Vegas for CES for the next couple of days and away from email until late
Sunday.

- -Rod Birch

1986 325

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