Re: BMW Only good for 5 Years?

In article <5064a7ae79dave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Dave Plowman (News) <dave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
In article <h00riq$evm$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Scott Dorsey <kludge@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Most of the 'electronic crap' that gives problems tend to be things like
engine sensors and ABS sensors, etc. You might have fun if you discarded
those. The 'toys' tend to be quite reliable. And many are worth having
anyway. Apart from the auto windscreen wipers, obviously. ;-)

The engine sensors aren't in the 'crap' category... the BMW engine
control systems are pretty impressively engineered and surprisingly
reliable for all their complexity. They also are designed to be
repaired, with diagnostics built into the system.

Cam and crank position sensor failure is pretty common. Nor are there
really diagnostics built in - you need an external system to read a stored
fault.

That's true, and O2 sensors fail too. But that's not too bad, and to be
honest it's more reliable than a a carb and Kettering ignition.

And you DO need a scanner to read the stored fault, which I agree is a
big downside... it would be nice to have a little LCD screen and keyboard
that pulls out under the hood like airplane engine systems often do. But
I understand the need to build to a price point.

The crap are the things like the auto windscreen wipers, the heated
seats, the ABS, and the iDrive. It costs a fortune to repair, but you
can just disable it and not worry so much.

If you disable ABS in the UK it is an MOT (annual test for older cars)
failure. And doesn't the iDrive control other more 'normal' functions too?

Yes, the iDrive integration is a pain.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
.

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