Internet sensationalism for car faults

[WojaWabbit]

I was reading the E46 M3 buying guide earlier and up cropped the issue of rear beams cracking. I'd heard of this before when I looked at the potential running costs of the M3. There are a few other things that came up on most car/m power forums, including the crap yet expensive brakes, rear springs breaking, electrical gremlins etc.

Then I thought about the E39 M5 and the forums' tales of Vanos troubles. There's the common perception that any M engine with Nikasil liners will indefinitely result in bankruptcy.

Then there's the Boxsters I looked into, which come with death warnings of IMS and RMS failures.

Moving on to Jag XJRs I discovered that weak timing chain tensioners on early models are a sure fire way of removing more than the purchase price of the car again from your wallet. And they WILL break. Allegedly.

Even my current car has the owner's clubs and forums proclaiming the only three certainties in life are death, taxes and pre-cat failure causing spontaneous engine hell.

So, my questions are:

1. Is there any £10k sports car out there that doesn't have 'known' issues?
2. Are the issues like those above really genuine issues that affect huge numbers of specific models or are they actually, as a percentage of total numbers sold, small failure rates?
3. Has the rise of the motoring forum created a new wave of myth surrounding cars and both their good and bad points? I seem to remember even before the web, K-series engines were known for chocolate head gaskets,or Alfa rusting away in light showers, but I don't recall so many stories about each model of car having crippling failures.

Any answers to these, or opinions of others? I'd like to think it is actually possible to buy a sub-£10k performance car that isn't going to turn to dust at any given moment!

[paulshears]

WojaWabbit said:

K-series engines were known for chocolate head gaskets

We had 4 1.4 K-Series powered Rovers at work

3 of the 4 had the engine let go ... 18k, 55k & 58k

2 of the 3 were more than "HGF"

The "head gasket failure" problems are not Internet sensationalism ... they stem from varying piston liner heights in the block due to Rover cutting down on quality assurance staff

[djdestiny]

A car that never goes wrong has'nt been invented yet

[anonymous-user]

350Z.

[Fireblade69]

My Audi suffered a very rare and unheard of, (Audi), common and well know, (Internet), fault which cost me £2,600 to fix on a 5 year old car so it does happen. However, if you let little things like that get in your way then you'd be taking the bus everywhere. I've now got a Porsche 996 which will definitely maybe never probably might have possibly an RMS or IMS or bore scoring issue.

[BeirutTaxi]

djdestiny said:

A car that never goes wrong has'nt been invented yet

Yes 100% reliability is nearly impossible, however I am aware of a 530d that has nearly 700,000 miles on it and the only known fault has been a turbocharger that had to be replaced.

[NadiR]

S2000, or any performance Honda.

[BeirutTaxi]

paulshears said:

We had 4 1.4 K-Series powered Rovers at work

3 of the 4 had the engine let go ... 18k, 55k & 58k

2 of the 3 were more than "HGF"

The "head gasket failure" problems are not Internet sensationalism ... they stem from varying piston liner heights in the block due to Rover cutting down on quality assurance staff

MGJohn! (Soon to be in another K Series HG failure-denial shocker! )

[Fireblade69]

NadiR said:

S2000, or any performance Honda.

Except for my '04 Fireblade that destroyed several big end bearings and crank at 12,000 miles! Still got it though, rebuilt it and added another 20K

[PoleDriver]

BeirutTaxi said:

MGJohn! (Soon to be in another K Series HG failure-denial shocker! )

Here we go again!

[WojaWabbit]

PoleDriver said:

Here we go again!

I know some issues (hgf on the k-series being one... I was a but provocative with that one!) have been argued to death on here, but have the reasons behind the incessant scaremongering been discussed before?

Just thought of another one... RS Audis and DRC suspension problems. Every one advertised has either had its suspension overhauled, or is running Bilstein coilovers! They can't all have broken, surely?

[s m]

WojaWabbit said:

I was reading the E46 M3 buying guide earlier .........There's the common perception that any M engine with Nikasil liners will indefinitely result in bankruptcy.

Which ones?

[Alucidnation]

WojaWabbit said:

Just thought of another one... RS Audis and DRC suspension problems. Every one advertised has either had its suspension overhauled, or is running Bilstein coilovers! They can't all have broken, surely?

It was the same for the RS6 and was odd that they used a similar system in the RS4.

I expect some werent a problem, and many owners got them replaced.....but having said that, Audi did extend the warranty to 5 years for DRC.

[m8rky]

I think the main thing is bad news travels fast,my car has nothing wrong with it,is a bit boring.On the C2 club forum their are various tales of premature clutch and gearbox failure (I think the lowest was 17k miles).My personal feeling is most of these were caused by abuse or poor driving.My C2 VTS has done 123k and I have just changed the original clutch at 118k due to release bearing failure.

[Ikemi]

WojaWabbit said:

Has the rise of the motoring forum created a new wave of myth surrounding cars and both their good and bad points? I seem to remember even before the web, K-series engines were known for chocolate head gaskets

I have owned K-Series powered Elises for just over 5 years with a combined total of 82,000 miles and I've never experienced HGF yet ... I suppose it's the luck of the draw!

[S3_Graham]

Fireblade69 said:

NadiR said:

S2000, or any performance Honda.

Except for my '04 Fireblade that destroyed several big end bearings and crank at 12,000 miles! Still got it though, rebuilt it and added another 20K

Or the integras which rust like buggery, eat clutches and destroy syncho's. Oh and water pumps need to be changed with the timing belt.

[y2blade]

S3_Graham said:

Fireblade69 said:

NadiR said:

S2000, or any performance Honda.

Except for my '04 Fireblade that destroyed several big end bearings and crank at 12,000 miles! Still got it though, rebuilt it and added another 20K

Or the integras which rust like buggery, eat clutches and destroy syncho's. Oh and water pumps need to be changed with the timing belt.

No wonder you fked it off!!!!!

[S3_Graham]

y2blade said:

S3_Graham said:

Fireblade69 said:

NadiR said:

S2000, or any performance Honda.

Except for my '04 Fireblade that destroyed several big end bearings and crank at 12,000 miles! Still got it though, rebuilt it and added another 20K

Or the integras which rust like buggery, eat clutches and destroy syncho's. Oh and water pumps need to be changed with the timing belt.

No wonder you fked it off!!!!!

No no,


No wonder I've spent a fortune on so it decided i'm keeping it!!

[y2blade]

S3_Graham said:

y2blade said:

S3_Graham said:

Fireblade69 said:

NadiR said:

S2000, or any performance Honda.

Except for my '04 Fireblade that destroyed several big end bearings and crank at 12,000 miles! Still got it though, rebuilt it and added another 20K

Or the integras which rust like buggery, eat clutches and destroy syncho's. Oh and water pumps need to be changed with the timing belt.

No wonder you fked it off!!!!!

No no,


No wonder I've spent a fortune on so decided m keeping it!!

Ah sorry, I thought you told all the kids on Forza you were selling it or was that just to stop them harping on about the "VTEC YO" !

[morgrp]

I liked the rumour that Volvo t5 engines have a tendency to bend conrods - symptoms are knocking when cold but clears once warmed up - yeah because a bent conrod goes away once the engines warms up - utter mugs...