Let’s talk reliability of new cars
Discussion
Anyone after a low mileage Land Rover? Still under warranty As I've been working from home for the last 14 months I've no current, reliable data on this but my son is a long distance lorry driver. He has commented many times that the vast majority of cars he sees on the hard shoulder are indeed German and a high proportion BMW'S. Now before the "fan boys" round on me like a pack of wolves defending their idolatrous god let me say that I think the reason for this is because a high proportion of cars trundling up and down the motorway day in day out are BMW'S and German so it stands to reason that these are the cars you are more likely to see stuck on the hard shoulder.
German metal is the most common sight on our roads today, they are in no way exclusive as they once were, desirable to some maybe but common as muck. They are also needlessly complex and needy. Add to the mix that they are only engineered to last the warranty period a bit like an argos lawnmower and hey presto there you have it. High volume, mass produced mainstream goods break down, it happens.
German metal is the most common sight on our roads today, they are in no way exclusive as they once were, desirable to some maybe but common as muck. They are also needlessly complex and needy. Add to the mix that they are only engineered to last the warranty period a bit like an argos lawnmower and hey presto there you have it. High volume, mass produced mainstream goods break down, it happens.
Lord Cunnington Smythe said:
German metal is the most common sight on our roads today, they are in no way exclusive as they once were, desirable to some maybe but common as muck. They are also needlessly complex and needy. Add to the mix that they are only engineered to last the warranty period a bit like an argos lawnmower and hey presto there you have it. High volume, mass produced mainstream goods break down, it happens.
As for exclusivity, I couldn't give a damn but I accept that it counts for you, nothing wrong with that.
J4CKO said:
They are motorised cockroaches, we had a C1 which is the same thing for seven years and all that went wrong was the indicator stalk, which cost me £50 and an hour or so to change.
I also have a motorised insect. A 2000 A4 Avant PD115 estate. Am bored to death of it but it won't stop working. No rust, and even the aircon still blows cold. Am freelance in sport broadcasting and still trust it for 200 mile commutes to jobs I can't be late for.Muddle238 said:
raspy said:
sociopath said:
Given that the cast majority of cars are pcp these days I assume average age of cars is a lot younger than it used to be so not surprising that you see more broken down.
Absolutely no evidence to back up my claim though
Data suggests your assumption does not hold. Absolutely no evidence to back up my claim though
Average age of UK cars has been rising for a number of years
8.4 years in 2021 (highest ever)
7.8 years in 2015
6.8 years in 2003
https://www.smmt.co.uk/industry-topics/sustainabil...
https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/59950/average-a...
This would be down to the older vintage and classic vehicles getting increasingly older, of which there’s something like 500,000 or so in the UK - all over 40 years old and some even over 110. A majority of the normal every day cars probably hover around 7/8 years old on average, but roadworthy classics rarely get scrapped, if anything more of them appear as they’re found in barns and such like and brought back through restorations.
Easier to repair? yes. Cheaper to repair? yes - certainly less horror stories on massive bills. But considering how much more complex cars have got whilst also being objectively better (objectively, note: more economical, safer, faster, more space, more tech, etc), I don't see data saying reliability is any worse .
What we *do* have now is social media. So any issue massively amplified to the point people thing its the norm. Want some likes n'subscribes? Put out video of issues with your McLaren - it's a banker.
Analogous to public perception of risk. Literally never been a safter time in human history to be a human, on nearly every metric (ok - covid a bit of a dent); but old people will tell you that "these days things are so terrible and violent", and forget bright brighton beach riots, casuals in the 80s; ignore general decrease in crime and reduction of many other things that will leave you Horribly Killed!
Edit: on the specific devil's advocate point. 500k classic vehicles that *might* grow slowly doesnt really drive those average numbers if the total number of cars is ~33m. That data is driven by 'normal' cars just being kept longer - only real conclusion you can draw from it... where that is because more reliable more subjective, but it has to help!
Edited by cidered77 on Friday 11th June 13:45
georgezippy said:
I also have a motorised insect. A 2000 A4 Avant PD115 estate. Am bored to death of it but it won't stop working. No rust, and even the aircon still blows cold. Am freelance in sport broadcasting and still trust it for 200 mile commutes to jobs I can't be late for.
I hate modern Audis, but around the early 2000s was a real purple patch for them mechanically.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff