J. D Power, the world leader and trusted advisor in consumer insights and brand performance has released their 2018 UK Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) and there have been big changes since last year.
The study uncovered many more reports of problems from premium brand car owners than from those who drive volume brand vehicles and the problem is in-vehicle technology.
A clear winner
The J. D Power Vehicle Dependability Study — now in its fourth year — examines issues by the original owners of vehicles after one to three years of ownership and looks at those problems experienced within the past 12 months.
This UK VDS, conducted between February and April of this year, used the responses of 13,536 owners of new vehicles registered between February 2015-February 2017.
The top 13 best-performing cars in the UK are volume brands, with Hyundai ranking the highest—an improvement on an already superb fifth place, in 2017, and it doesn’t stop there for the Korean car manufacturer, who ranked well in the segment categories, too.
Hyundai i10 came top in the rankings for Best City Car, with the Hyundai i20 placing second in the Best Small Car category, and the brand ranked third highest for the Best Compact Car, with their Hyundai i30.
2018 Nameplate VDS Ranking
Problems per 100 vehicles (PP100)
Hyundai 78
Suzuki 87
Kia 94
Skoda 97
Nissan 100
SEAT 102
Dacia 105
Peugeot 107
Toyota 109
Vauxhall 113
Honda 115
Ford 116
Volkswagen 119
Mercedes-Benz 124
Mazda 127
Industry Average – 128
Jaguar 137
Volvo 138
Renault 139
Mini 153
Citroen 164
Land Rover 169
Audi 175
Fiat 177
BMW 192
What is the study measuring?
The principal measure of vehicle reliability involves the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles (PP100). The lower the score, the greater the quality of the vehicle and Hyundai ranked highest here, too, with a score of 78 PP100. Mercedes-Benz (124 PP100), ranked 14th overall on the 2018 VDS and were the highest-ranking premium brand of vehicle.
J. D Power examined 177 problems from eight categories, including features, controls, displays, engine, and transmission.
The Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Index measures satisfaction of car owners on a 1000 point scale. The industry average is 767, yet when any of the 10 most severe problems with in-vehicle technology occur, the APEAL index drops by 5-13%.
Fifty-four per cent of drivers of cars where none of the top 10 problems occurred said they ‘definitely will’ buy or lease the same brand of car again compared to only 37% of drivers who encountered one of the top 10 highest-severity problems.
Technology malfunctions
New and emerging in-vehicle technologies are wonderful when they work, but owners of premium cars report in-vehicle technology malfunctions, which continue for 12-36 months of vehicle ownership or lease.
Among the six most common owner-reported problems in the UK VDS included pairing and connectivity issues with Bluetooth devices, commands not being recognised with voice recognition technology, and—although not a commonplace problem—issues with engine and transmission continue to be of concern for motorists, due to their costly and sometimes dangerous consequences when they fail.
Despite the technological advancements made within the automotive industry, the biggest problem drivers face is of engines not starting.
Part of the reason premium brand vehicle owners are reporting more car problems is that the premium brand manufacturers are incorporating ever more complex features into their models, and, as we know, the more features something has, the greater the opportunity for things to go wrong.
Josh Halliburton, Head of European Operations at J.D. Power said, “Automotive systems are more complex than they’ve ever been and premium brands especially are incorporating autonomous driving building blocks—adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, automatic braking—into their models.
“It’s imperative for manufacturers to address this issue in order to improve the level of consumer trust in the technology.”
It’s worth noting, that as the 2018 models aren’t in the study, we don’t have a complete take on the current vehicle reliability situation and of improvements that manufacturers may have since made.
Will you switch brands?
Overall, the study gives motorists a good idea of the car brands that are most reliable and those who aren’t doing so well. Comparing results from the 2017 VDS also highlights which car manufacturers are improving and who hasn’t had a good year for complaints.
Take Romanian manufacturer, Dacia, for example. In 2017, they ranked 21st overall, with 151 (PP100). In the 2018 VDS, they’re in sixth place, scoring an impressive 105 (PP100). On the other end of the scale, the Swedish manufacturer, Volvo has fallen from an amazing joint first place, in 2017, with a score of 83 (PP100) to now having a score of 138 in 2018 and placing 17th, overall.
BMW, despite seeing a slight improvement in the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles in the past 12 months, have remained at an unimpressive last place for vehicle reliability.
The results of the study are, perhaps, most useful to those motorists who buy cars less than three years old, but whether we buy new or older cars, many drivers will have both their favourite brands and those they avoid.
Car brands develop stereotyped identities and we don’t always choose a certain brand after examining accurate and current information, but get swayed by a mixture of experience with a model of car and information—correct or not—we pick up along the way.
Do the results of the study match up to how you feel about certain brands of cars? What information do you use when deciding which vehicle to buy or lease? Are you an owner of a premium car with in-vehicle technology problems? Tell us in the comments.
I just bought a hyundai so I hope is true. Although, not being told how many vehicles were in the group to produce the score.
I currently own a 15 plate Santa Fe and previoisly had an 56 plate version. Never again – warranty looks impressive, just don’t try and make a claim. Nearly £800 to replace a failed led running light is not funny
I have a 5 year old Kia. A front led was flickering. Both headlamp assemblies replaced under warranty. I think you may have a dealer problem more than a warranty one.
Why would anyone consider blue-tooth connectivity a fault. A cars purpose is to get you from A to B without a mechanical/electrical fault. Saying they need their device as a route planner is not a ‘fault’ it’s an inconvenience at best if you cannot connect, but plan your journey and you won’t need your brain aid
Plan a journey? I think that there is a whole generation of drivers growing up with no real idea of where places or regions are with relation to each other.
How many people buy road atlases any more? I’ve often had to find a new address and I get offered the post code “to put into my sat nav”. When I say I don’t use one they are shocked.
I would love to see the day of chaos if all of the satellites were to go off line.
I agree with Lawrence – I pride myself on having a good sense of direction and even though I use a Sat Nav to support me on journeys to unfamiliar areas or for long journeys, I always take road map/atlas as well. Its so much easier to plan a route using a printed map or collection of maps, especially where I stay overnight on driving holidays.
As an older person I find the Sat Nav on my iPhone invaluable though every now and then it tells me to turn where it is prohibited. I am OK getting to a City or Town but individual street addresses can often be a nightmare with streets that start and and stop and then continue some miles later.
I find the whole car selling routine useless for me these days. In earlier times you could see how many miles per hour it did what the 0-60 time was, what the Front and Rear Seat Legroom and Headroom were and whether it would fit in the garage. Now we have connectivity, Euro Colors, Dressing up kits, LED lights that Jeremy Clarkson described as looking like a Council House at Christmas but try to find driver leg room to see if as a tall person you can drive it, good luck. Not to mention emissions test, safety tests and fuel consumption tests which are virtually written but the EU or US Motor Industries and good luck working out Liters per 100 Kilometers. Plus with the desperate push to dump Diesel engines before they stat being banned in many cities, you find a great car and then find for the UK it is only available with the tractor engine… Still cars are much safer than they used to be so somethings are miles better.
I agree. As cars are now fashion accessories, they are marketed as such.
I think there are only a few dinosaurs left who are interested in practical things such as size, running costs, performance and what the thing is like to live with.
I use both. Sat navs do not show road details like maps.
Careful what you wish for. The day the satellites come down is the day civilisation ends. No phones, no banks, no cash points, no tills, no food deliveries, no pumps…….they all use gps time signals
If you’re so anti technology why don’t you stop using the car and walk? As if using a sat nav is some major crime.
I’d be happy to sell you a nice, expensive brand new tv with a duff remote if you want… just promise not to complain about the inconvenience 🙂
Wouldn’t buy that sort of TV anyway!! If you want to buy expensive, untested, cutting edge technology then you expect glitches.
Where is Lexus?
Why would anyone buy a BMW? Clearly they have problems that need sorting
I bought a 318i as a treat when I retired and it has been the only vehicle I have ever owned that has had me abandon a journey because it failed, and not once but twice, and one of those journeys was to the airport to go on holiday. The service centre diagnosed and charged me for £750 of unrelated faults but failed to fix the one that stopped the car on the motorway until I took it back when it re-occurred, for that one they wanted another £925. Definitely the last BMW I will own
I know… they are not “beamers”… “bummers” fits them much better
They should drop 3/4 of their 20 different (but indistinguishable) models and instead concentrate on making a few good ones, as they used to.
Owning two new Suzuki’s it’s hard not to pass BMW’s and Audis without feeling a bit smug these days. Then I remember they chose to be Sheeple.
What is it with people like you that feel they need to just have a dig?
Russian dolls for the masses !! And BMWs have the most ridiculous shaped rear lights that look like they are an afterthought or somebody has shut the boot lid on them !!
Audi A4 Avant Quattro out of guarantee but only 29000 miles power steering failure and a very large bill
Worse still, Audi drivers are the worst in the UK (recent survey).
Time to change cars, my friend!
Is it true Audi now fit indicators and a speedo to their cars ??
Owners don’t need such aids… aim foot-down… devil take the hindmost
A tad arrogant… sadly, the better part of humanity are the worst
I drive…..no let me correct that …..up to a couple of months ago, I was driving a VW Sharan (2012). It broke down on May 14th and now more than 2 months later it has still not been repaired by the VW retailer.
It’s been a complete nightmare – the quality of customer service from both the retailer and VW has been atrocious. I’ll spare the details but the gist is that the fuel control unit and pump failed, I spotted this unit was subject of a US recall of 300,000 vehicles and so enquired if the problem was related. If it was then I felt VW had an obligation to assist.
Despite a promise that they would come to a conclusion in 3-5 days (and them telling me not to start any repairs until they come back)….it took 3 weeks for them to respond negatively (totally ignoring the precise situation I had raised at the start).
I give up and instruct the retailer to start work. Then the nightmare gets worse. It takes 2-3 more weeks for the parts to arrive. (side note – could it be that there are far more such instances of this failure than they are letting on and that is the reason for delays in parts?). Then 2-3 weeks more to repair and for the retailer to discover another fault (now with the oil separator).
The saga continues still. Because of the delays I start raising questions again with VW customer services. Getting straight-forward answers from them has been squeezing blood out of a stone. Their agents have been trained in the art of evading questions. It also seems that the system is rigged with lots of small obstacles and inefficiencies designed to wear down complaints.
After doggedly chasing the questions down, this week they escalated this issue to the head office…..with promises that things would improve (and that they would cover costs of the oil separator fault) but 3 days later I am still to receive the formal email stating this position.
In the meantime, it now transpires that the retailer may have told VW customer services that the car was a non-runner to explain that the oil separator may have failed before arrival at the retailer. But this is clearly incorrect because the recovery vehicle driver drove the car off the truck and to the car parking bay. So now it feels to me as if they are covering the costs of a fault that may have developed whilst the car was in their care and perhaps may even have been due to faulty repair work.
Whatever happened to straight-talking customer services. The impression I have right now is unprofessional, sloppy workers covering their tracks with spin-talking. Well as you can tell I am not going to give in so easy.
Wow! I had the EXACT same problem with my latest generation Ibiza (vw platform)
It was fixed under warranty unlike your unfortunate experience, but I was shocked that the fuel pump had gone after only 9000 miles! Now, due to a change of circumstances I drive an older Chevy (daewoo factory) and to be honest I have (so far) been surprised with the quality when compared to that of VW products – it is right up there honestly.
I think that you may have a dealer problem, I am a VW owner and the dealership that I use always fixes any problem, usually within a day.
You’ve clearly got a very significant problem here and dealing with the service desk and customer care on the phone just isn’t doing the business. Have you considered trying to interest one of the BBC radio programmes in your problem? You and Yours, for instance. They sometimes get results – and if you can use the “recall in the States but not here” angle that might help.
Also, is the dealership close to you? Even if they aren’t, a few visits might be in order. Be rather forgetful of the location of the service reception and ask the sales team politely about progress. Don’t rush. Sit down at their desk. Don’t move. Don’t shout; don’t swear; don’t worry about potential buyers who might be waiting. Leave after 10-15 minutes on the first day telling them you’ll return tomorrow. Twenty minutes the following day. Still no shouting, but at the same time, certainly don’t whisper either. Once you’ve identified the sales manager, mention that the car is totally unfit for purpose and that you would accept a full cash refund. Say that you can drop by for his response tomorrow – and that you’ll be able to bring a packed lunch. Work out what you would actually accept for the car ahead of time so that you can do some kind of deal.
Rehearse some handy responses too. For instance, if they say: “Could you wait over here in this office and the Service Manager will be right with you.”… You might respond: “As I’ve said, the Service Department seems to be unable to resolve the problem which is why I feel we should be looking at a refund and that wouldn’t be a servicing issue any more would it? But if the Service Manager would like to talk things through with us here… “
Reading your story again, I see you maybe didn’t buy your Sharan from them. You could still use a pretty similar approach as in my first response saying that they’ve had the car so long they should be compensating you to the book value of an equivalent age car to the one you entrusted to their care.
I’m now on my 4th Land Rover (Series 3, Discovery 3, Discovery 4, Discovery Sport) despite LR coming near the bottom of the rankings in most reliability surveys. Have I had problems? Yes, most (though not all) of the problems have been minor and not resulted in the vehicle being unusable but they have been a nuisance and in some cases costly. (All on the Disco 3.) So why do I keep buying Land Rovers? First, practicality, they are roomy, seat seven, carry all my grandchildren’s bikes, garden rubbish, building materials, furniture. Second, comfort – brilliant cruisers, smooth and quiet. Third, go anywhere in almost any weather or road conditions – we live in the country where roads are not gritted in winter. Fourth, great for towing – we have a caravan and often tow heavy trailers for big DIY projects. Fifth, and perhaps most important, they hold their value despite the reliability surveys. When I come to sell or exchange I more than make up the cost of any repairs. There’s also a great community spirit among LR owners and many clubs with sources of advice, inexpensive spares and maintenance costs.
Bet you don’t go off road in it, do you? That is what it was built for.
2 tons of vehicle crushing the life out of our roads.
Wouldn’t a MPV be more environmentally suitable or is it that you get a sense of smugness on the road in your van with windows?
Probably best you re-read Stuarts comment. The things he does with his Discovery would be a struggle in an ordinary car. You do not have to go ‘off road’ to appreciate the versatility of a Landrover.
I to own a Range Rover Sport HSE Black and wouldn’t change it for the world. Now 5 years old and just one minor fault which was quickly resolved under LR 2 year warranty, even though I purchased second hand.
Great for long journeys and tows my large twin axel caravan as though it is not there.
Love the car and would buy a later model replacement in a flash
Next time try a Land Cruiser. Totally reliable, very economic to service and repair if you have an accident and actually appreciate. very understated and under rated
The i10 hardly has the multitude of electronics that a Mercedes Benz has, has it? I’ve always thought German brands were overpriced anyway and have never bought one due to their unreliability. The survey confirms this.
I do worry though as I used to have a reliable 1.6 petrol Astra and only sold it as it was getting old in the tooth (90,000 miles and only tyres + 2 x ignition blocks replaced). Bought a second hand ‘K’ 1.4 petrol turbo Astra and very pleased so far but the electronics is double that of my previous car and I suspect it will not be as reliable.
Subaru ? Have lived/breathed Scoobies most of my driving-life (Impreza / Forester / SVX / Legacy / Outback) and can honestly say they’re tough as old boots. Super-stylish fashion-statement – no. Ultra-techy – no. 24 cupholders – no. Cheap on fuel – no. Carry/tow anything you;d need (eg. Outback) – yes. Start first-time every time, be it blazing summer or ‘Beast from the East’, get you through anything from a muddy-field to 2ft snow-drifts, confidently and in comfort – yes. Sample size will be too small to count. Long live Subaru 🙂
Agreed in part, total quality. however a great deal of them have been thrashed in some way or another. Be that on road off road or just general abuse of the supreme capability. This all Makes an ‘affordable’ Subaru look like the same gamble we all take when buying used cars older than 4 years. Sorry
No mention of Lexus which has the best reliability and the best dealers according to JD Power. Would have thought they would have been mentioned???
My wife is driving her third Hyundai. Not only have they proven utterly reliable, but the interior quality has improved with each change. They are also much more stylish these days. I still prefer my Seat though. No problems so far, after twenty two months.
Only 2 mentions re Lexus, and both positive. I agree, i have had 2 !S models, a saloon and an estate, one did 185,000 miles and the other has done 158,000 and still used as a second vehicle, as we live in an area prone to flooding and I tow, so now have a Toyota Rav 4. I had no significant problems with either Lexus, except a clutch after 150,000 so pretty good in my book. The Rav has only done 30,000 so too early to judge, but so far so good.
Ken
I drive a BMW and fear it is a ticking time bomb. BMW fail to accept known faults merely calling them ‘characteristics’ – gear boxes that sound like sirens, exhaust that rattle like a box of nails and cooling systems so prone to damage they have now had to fit stone guards on newly built cars. Owners of existing vehicles are left facing £1000+ bills if a single stone goes through the grill – no wonder they are bottom and likely to remain there with this falling level of non existent customer service.
I had a Hyundai i40 Tourer for three years and did 58,000 miles. It was a good car really and I could only fault it on one thing………..clutch/gearbox!!! 50% of my mileage was in traffic and the other 50% was motorway work. I would have expected far more mileage from a gearbox/clutch than 58k. Otherwise I couldnt fault the car. Seven or eight years ago if you had offered me a Hyundai I would have told you where to stick it, but they have improved massively over the years and can now quite confidently be recomended as a good reliable value for money car. I have now had my Lexus is300h for 10 months and cannot fault it in any way. The MPG is nowhere near what Lexus say (I dont have a heavy right foot!) despite me trying my hardest to drive it as economically as possible. But then again, no car I have owned (and I have had many of all different marques) gives anywhere near the manufactuer’s claimed MPG !However, I consider an average MPG of 49.5 to be excellent for a 2.5l petrol so the hybrid system realy does its job well. I would definitely buy another Lexus
I own a Hyundai i30 and have driven 50000 miles with in from 1 year old it is now 6 years old. Apart from replacement of consumables and services it has not required any attention. It is an auto petrol and I still get 43 mpg overall.
Great piece of engineering, you can keep all your fancy ‘tanks’
Alan
I have a car that’s so basic that the only thing to go wrong was the electric window loom, in the last 10 years. Other than that it runs like clockwork. it’s a Fiat LOL
I drive a Volvo S60 which is 14 years old and I can honestly say it is the best car I have owned.So far it has only had 3 light bulbs,cambelt and new pads and disks .Beat that.
I have had my BMW 620 touring for 4 + yrs now, it has 107k miles on clock & is as reliable as I have come to expect from BMW cars. This is not my 1st either & I have never had an serious reliability issues ever, only general maintainence, like new brakes, light bulbs. These I would not put down to reliability any rate! I find if, you follow the servicing guidelines at all times then reliability is assured !
I have a 66 reg Citroen C4 that has done about 8000 miles now. My only complaint is the slight niggles with the display, a slight annoyance at times that’s all. The car has had no mechanical or electronic problems, a couple of small recalls, that’s all. The dealership where I purchased the car have been very good and helpful at all times and their servicing has been thorough. The car is a delight to drive, the clean diesel engine excellent and because of the system my road tax is nil. This and it’s superb economy makes me wish to keep the car for many years. (I previously owned two earlier Picassos and kept each of them for eight years). Those others who have driven it or have been passengers have praised the car for its comfort and handling, I cannot think of any feature that has not been used, In the present hot weather I don’t know how we would have managed without the climate control. Adjusting this, like other features is so simple and straight forward, significantly improved on the previous model. I would recommend this car to anyone who is looking for a quiet, economical car that is a pleasure to drive consider this car.
I sincerely think it is good you have thus far had good service for the car and dealer. Long may that continue.
However, be aware of shortcomings.
The large glass area needs A/C to keep cool on sunny days.
Driveshaft oil seals in the gearbox are prone to leaking.
Springs break but that is par for the course these days.
Glow plugs fail and normally break in the cylinder head which means 14 hours of labour.
At least that guards against premature timing belt failure as many are not making first scheduled belt change.
My point is it may seem good but 80-100k will reveal it has largely reached the end of its economic life.
That will render it a bad buy down the line for someone and it will become incredibly expensive to run as an older car.
Because of things like that, (complexity and cost of repair) more people are buying newer cars and older ones will disappear from our roads. Lack of transport for people with lower incomes will filter upwards. Economic ramifications are massive as people become reliant on shorter lived newer cars.
It will take time but eventually, the likes of your C4 will be seen as a central part of the problem.
Newer cars use more resources in manufacture and this environmental damage will eventually be seen as far greater than that of a well maintained older car.
Finally, there is a lack of well maintained older cars as manufacturers try so hard to cut extended operations from service schedules to make the cost of ownership look very good on paper.
Consumerism is killing the motor industry.
You have an early heads up.
Good luck.
I bought a Hyundai i10 to replace my 17 year old Suzuki Ignis, the best car I’ve ever owned. It sold very quickly on Gumtree.
My i10 is the top model with all the bells and whistles and torque converter auto. All it lacks is cruise control.
As far as being only a city car, that is nonsense. I drove from Ayr to Newtonmore without a break in warm weather with climate control keeping me comfortable. I don’t carry passengers so performance is fine and on that long journey got 52 mpg.
If people are stupid enough to continue buying BMW and VW in the mistaken belief they are reliable then both companies will continue to give the poor product and service…….stop buying and tell companies why!
My 2010 SKODA Yeti with VW 1.2 petrol engine suffered the known timing chain design/fault wrecking the engine……”oh no sir this is not a common fault” was the reply. Documentary evidence produced that it was known since late 2011 as a design fault when new designed chains/sprockets/tensioners were fitted (can be fitted to original faulty engines) + persistence resulted in replacement engine free of charge (around 20,000 miles on defective engine). Joining the 2 Skoda clubs showed many others had the problem and some were actually still paying up for replacement engines, after 2 -3 years of the known design fault, being charged for repairs or even being told they would get good will part payment discount!!!!!!! To this day this is going on. Skoda UK were not much better till documents produced.
Advice …..join the online car club relating to your car – a very quick way to reveal the known faults and often they can produce the evidence of manufacturing faults so not fit for purpose. “Honest John” does much good work revealing a lot of the scandals.
Skoda Yeti owners club and Briskoda club…….both Free to join and provide much good advice and help on their FORUMS.
Too many people still buy by name That is why manufacturers never change the name even though the new model is completely different to the old one How long has there been a car called Fiesta is it now in any way like the original one ? Is a Mini still a Mini ? the list goes on and on
Well all I can say is my 12 year old Lexus IS250 drives as well now as it did 10 years ago. Nothing goes wrong or has gone wrong. Just routine service items replaced… Think I know what brand my next car will be…
Exactly why my last car was a £50,000 all singin’ an’ dancin’ audi and my new one a £17,000 basic spec. oriental one – less tech to go wrong. The audi timing chain, TPMS, TMC, adaptive lights, headlights, ignition, electric window, exhaust valves, clever suspension, oil cooler all failed resulting in a £50,000 car costing over £100,000(plus regular service costs) over 10 years and 100,000 miles. Three or four cars before that a £6000 subaru cost 89p over and above the regular service items in 112,000 miles! Auf wiedersehen (not if I see you coming) my german friends…
I think the moral of this story is that we all should ignore the “prestige value” of “premium” marques AND the Government’s condemnation of diesel engines. Both are self-serving for different reasons. Obviously, car manufacturers intend to sell their products at (massive) profits. Many stories confirm that their dealers are reluctant to take hits in their pockets when the under-designed features fail. Equally, the Government wants increased tax revenues and a good source of that income is from vehicle fuels – so it demonises economical diesels in favour of thirsty petrol-powered cars. An example from our two Vauxhalls that were both refuelled this week: 2014 Meriva B 1.4 Turbo petrol – 48.56 litres @ £1.207/litre = £58.61 after 338.3 miles’ use (17.3p/mile); 2007 Astra 1.7CDTI estate – 51.74 litres @ £1.209/litre = £62.55 after 511.8 miles (12.2p/mile). Follow fleet managers’ practices: they buy diesel cars for economy with lower specifications for fewer faults and cheaper repairs. I buy three-year-old ex-repmobiles that have been dealer-serviced (full history) and have clocked up about 50,000miles – nicely run in – then use them until they break irreparably. Oh, and they have already depreciated by two-thirds of their original list prices. Win-win in my book.
May-be the warranty companies should differentiate between ‘faults’. It seems crazy that a fail to connect Bluetooth can be lumped in with a mechanical or major electrical failure !
The issue of problems with installed technonlgy is nothing new (I bought a new car 10 years ago and purposely chose to avoid going for top-specification in order to reduce the likelihood of gizmo failures) – it’s merely even worse nowadays. Having worked in the automotive industry, it’s all the more worrying that cars are packed with complex electronics, all sourced at the lowest possible cost. I’d prefer to be assured that things will work when they need to work.
I have a 3 year old Audi Q5 with the 3.0l engine, 23,500 miles on clock which has towed a 1900kg caravan a fair distance. Apart from servicing it has not seen the inside of my local Audi garage since new.
Where did I go wrong?
I fix these damn things. Yes so called premium cars are more expensive. The only thing premium about them is the garage bills they reliably generate.
Also, given manufacturers are increasingly only providing parts support for 5 years, an expensive, electronic laden car is really looking like a dumb move these days. An electronic diagnostic expert recently revealed to me he has turned his back on new premium cars (which he can afford) and runs about in a 12 year old Skoda instead.
That won’t deter those who need to display their wealth though.
Audi A4 avant Quattro power steering failure 29000 mls