Not a surprise have had at various times from new, Audi A4, Golf Mk3, Mk4, Touran and first generation new Beetle which all suffered with a myriad of faults. These included bits of trim dropping off, indicator stalks snapping, to the engines failing or turbos blowing. This combined with what can only be called legendary useless aftersales has led me finally come to my senses and not even consider anything from the Audi VW group when looking at a new car.

Could not agree more. Vw and audi are rubbish had my fair share!! Its a shame magazines and tv hype them up so much.

We need to know what constitutes an engine failure. IS it just the EML coming on, or is it a snapped alternator belt, or is it a piston into the valve train etc?

This article means next to nothing without this information.

Could not have said it better.

Buy Japanese.

Yes, and you'll be recalled several times a month!

I'd rather they recall and sort the issue than pretend there isn't one....

that means aknowledging a problem. not something our european constructors know anything about. I have a friend with a 2.0D Bmw X3... 1000 euro's/year into drivetrain and 4x4 system problems... no recall tough....

Somehow Toyota and Honda have less safety complaints per car sold (per the US safety agency NHTSA and its database) than others. So what are the others hiding?

or do as Mercedes did with the A-class steering rack and pretend there's no problem.

And drive a piece of automotive history. A brand new oldtimer...

Just saying its inferior to European rivals. But then, reliability means a lot when you're in ITU coz your car is less stable than one developed for more demanding European routes, than grid iron Japanese ones....

Preiviously had a BMW e46 320d, total ehgine failure, inlet manifold flaps dropped into the engine, a problem BMW have been aware of on 2 litre diesels engines built between 2001-2006. I am aware it is common for nearly new BMWs needing costly engine repairs, luckily for most it will be in warranty period. Currently have a Mercedes C Class, no issues after 3 years of driving.

Had the same with a 330d and BMW left me out in the cold when it happened. Even the main dealer didn't warn me about preventative maintenance (so why bother with a high priced main dealer when they don't seem to be very useful in actually maintaining a fairly new BMW????).

What BMW seem not to understand is that when people wont buy the cars out of warranty that the second hand market falls away, thus driving the cost of ownership for the new car buyer far higher. This of course results in lower new car sales. BMW has a very short sighted approach and their service is far beneath the brand proposition they present.

I drive a W204 C Class CDI, nice car, but the engine not close to the 2.0DCI Laguna in terms of refinement i had previously. Renault/Nissan alliance are the best current diesel manufacturers with the M9R and R9M engines - they are amazing and way better that BMW, Audi, GM

They are even getting nice dashboards now!

My current e92 320d (09 plate) has 45k on the clock and just had to have turbo replaced (within warranty, though). I love the car but dread the cam chain, swirl flap and turbo issues (well, not the turbo issue anymore) - all related to the engine!.

Just a confirmation on what everybody has known for a long time now. One wonders what has prompted Auto Express to publish this only now - payments from VAG & BMW stopped? ;}

This article is not exactly a surprise.

I just read the AE long term review for the 208.

Being French, they criticised it's reliability:

- A hose came loose

- Preventative service item check

- The sat nav once lost satellites

I wondered if it was an A1/Polo/MINI review, would they focus on the negatives, or write about the handling and the plastic on the dashboard?

What upsets me about all these surveys is that cars with the same engines get such different results, depending on the perceived cachet of the badge. (Sometimes that's inverted - Skoda getting far better reliability results than Seat, although virtually the same cars). Personally I've found that genuine home grown Japanese is the way to go, but why should this opinion (which is also the opinion of all mechanics I've ever known) influence these surveys?

Couldn't agree more!!!

We all know Polo/A1 and MINI's are rubbish

Clio/Fiesta are way better but dont have the nonsense of perceived quality

Rings fairly true for us. Seen engine issues on VW group cars, and also my Peugeot THP, which is a BMW-related engine. But I've also seen several major engine failures on Nissans. Honda, on the other hand, really is bulletproof. Three generations of Honda Civic (petrols), covering well over 100,000 miles in total, and so far we have had to fix one lambda sensor. That's it!

I had a 2011 skoda fabia (built using the same... everything of the polo!) and it was awful.. so many engine faults, rattles etc. Worst car ever.

Yet in 23 years of driving, I've owned more than 15 Skodas and never ever had a problem.

try one with a DSG and you will never drive another Skoda again. or VW...

Hahaha! Funniest comment yet! 15 Skodas in 23 years!

Ha-ha-ha-ha. Nice one Cyclops, like it!
He even had Skoda's when they weren't owned by VW and were the most unreliable cars on the road - and never had a problem! I believe him :-)

Two or three cars in that time would back him up. 15 clearly means it's a brand to avoid. He doesn't get it, does he?

They're churning them out now though to try overtake Toyota as the biggest manufacturer.. Quality is slipping my friend

Some people have mentioned that they see older German cars on the road still, but not older Japanese cars - here is the answer. Because people believe the 'premium' hype, they buy old, cheap German cars (because they cannot afford recent models, and should be buying newer 'mainstream' cars instead within their budget). Once purchased, they keep spending money on the old moneypits to keep them on the road, and as a result, most of the old German cars you see have had almost every part replaced - does anyone remember 'Trigger's broom' from Only Fools & Horses? Same thing...

Yes, my German pipe has lasted 30 years. 105 stems and 200 bowls. (Joke for older people only)

The good reputation of German cars like Audi and VW is due to the fact that the fit and finish of interior and exterior is excellent with nice materials, but the technical relaibilty is far less impressive. Secondly the 'objective' autopress always (only) look at the cars fit and finish and the long term quality is not of any importance, sadly enough. The marketing power of VAG is impressive, and advertising income for AutoExpress and its siblings Autobild and Autoweek are to important for the publisher. So they 'plu'every new VAG product in a shamefull way. VAG 'controls' all the motoringpress in Europe, quite impressive how they have established this, to be honest.
Yes, Toyota, Mazda and Honda are the best choice when you want a reliable car, by far the best choice.

I've been saying this for years.

Kudos to you too for realising this is the case!

So how do you suggest testing "long term reliability" within two days to a week of testing time ?

I am interested. People always mope around but offer no solutions.

German cars now are ridiculous. The difference between a Toyota and VW is VW use a lot of their budgets on "soft touch materials" while Toyota spend more of it on the drivetrain and engine, stuff that matters! And its not as if you can call a Toyota interior tacky or flimsy. All their interiors are built to last and hardwearing. The quality their is Lexus which have both durability and finish. No surprise Honda is the top for reliability however, their quality, as in interior build has been declining some say, but they are still great cars, I jut prefer Toyotas. And its funny there are no French cars in the bottom 5, which supposedly has a bad reputation for reliability. German cars are a never ending list of problems. Want a proper luxury car? Get a Lexus.

In some markets Toyotas highest end D segment car has 2 or 4 airbags, no stability control, and a 4 (high spec 6) speed gearbox. Yes, obviously it is going to be reliable. This tech has been around for the past 20-30 years! Might as well drive a Dacia. Old, proven tech.

Where can we find the full list?

Pardon me, I have an overwhelming sense of "schadenfreude".

Unless they provide the year the car was made, the miliage and how many of each they cover then these figures are baseless rubbish. They may cover 10 MG's and 2000 BMWs, you do the math!

German cars now are ridiculous. The difference between a Toyota and VW is VW use a lot of their budgets on "soft touch materials" while Toyota spend more of it on the drivetrain and engine, stuff that matters! And its not as if you can call a Toyota interior tacky or flimsy. All their interiors are built to last and hardwearing. The quality their is Lexus which have both durability and finish. No surprise Honda is the top for reliability however, their quality, as in interior build has been declining some say, but they are still great cars, I jut prefer Toyotas. And its funny there are no French cars in the bottom 5, which supposedly has a bad reputation for reliability. German cars are a never ending list of problems. Want a proper luxury car? Get a Lexus.

Not strange at all about there being no French cars in the bottom 5. Someone has done a highly effective "black propaganda" job on them.

Couldn't agree more Paul.
It's no secret that Jaguar, Land Rover and Ford use [mainly] Peugeot/Citroen diesels and that Nissan use Renault diesels.
Question: Just HOW corrupt are journalists I wonder?

Completely agree with your remarks.
You obviously have taste.

Reliability is all about how you drive, maintain and look after your car. A bad owner can spoil a Honda within months, a good owner can have 500,000 in a Fiat. Have seen both. Also you cant compare brands thats wrong, you have to compare models and reliability will differ from country to country as driving conditions are different. So I only believe in statistics made worldwide over a million users. Small statistics are waste of time, no point arguing guys. Also you have to compare models spec for spec, no point comparing a 7 series with millions of gadgets to a Hilux in that doesnot have even electric windows. Take an S-class and a Lexus LS to moldova, and i guarantee you thats S class will beat the lexus everyday in those road and wheather conditions. The fact that lexus has fantastic dealerships does not make the more reliable, but improves customer satisfaction and that is reflected on the surveys they fill. So statistics are waste of time unless they are on a massive scale collected in 200 countries (full stop)

Your comments are fair enough. Two questions though:

1. Where can I get such a report?
2. Why are German brands revered so much when evidence suggests otherwise.

Mercedes have had many historically unreliable periods in the past (remember the E-class issues of circa 2000?) yet you firmly 'believe' that the Merc would beat a Lexus in Moldova. I'm not saying that it would or wouldn't, just asking where you've obtained your belief?

I fear that you, my friend like so many others, have been 'Marketed'.

In the words of Lt. Caffey, "I WANT THE TRUTH". Problem is, there are too many owners who 'can't handle the truth'.
Nothing else matters. Is there someone out there with the balls to compile such a report?

I am sick of saying this but here goes again: the owner has very little influence in whether or not a car is going to be reliable, window regulators failing, bits falling off, writing wearing off switches within a few years, constant electrical glitches, constant design flaws and "common faults" are NOTHING to do with how an owner maintains his/ her car. By saying that it is you have proven yourself to be a moron...well done