[pluzallm]

Interestingly enough, the cooper is number one in the German ADAC statistics (similar to the American AAA) - meaning statistically had the least amount of defects of all the cars in the compact segment.

Interesting trend was that over the last several years it was always japanese cars dominating the first couple places - now the german brands are catching up - especially audi -

why is it tthat quality & reliability perception here in the US is so poor of mini's and German brands ?

[Crow]

Probably due to a phrase the current US govt. is keen on using. Germany to them = "old" Europe...

[Grumbler]

well, if I were to ask my neighbors with VWs, I could probably very easily justify the poor rating. They are constantly in the shop for one problem or another.(the bug in particular) I can't comment on BMW beyond my Cooper, which is too new to very justify a conclusion. Audi was extradorinarily poor during the 80s and 90s, and only since they have changed their styling have they begun to swing back into the public eye. I know several people who owned the lemons of the 80s and 90s...........kinda funny, the AC would only work if the windows were lowered then raised.


now you can look at how the various surveys are worded and probably pick out how some cars are being given a poor rep,etc...........when all is said and done, it depends on the "car", when it was built, who built it(not the company who manufactured it, but the people who were working that day.......how they felt, how they performed)

japanese manufactures have been always been very good to me, and consistent. I have always wondered why they have been able to preform better in these tests over other manufactures.............


anyhow, interesting statistics.

[antsmini]

I have been through three MINIs and have yet to have a problem free one...

[T13 Fighter]

Reading the faults and fixes section here i'm quite surprised (but pleased) it came out so highly.

[gone_motoring]

hmmmm, a sharp contrast to the US Consumer's Reports of just a month ago!

[Paul!]

Quote: Originally Posted by itsnotsizethatmatr

hmmmm, a sharp contrast to the US Consumer's Reports of just a month ago!

The Consumer Reports mag last month (and someone please put me in my place if I'm wrong ) was actually based on a 2002 review of the MINI, which isn't exactly fair.

-Paul!

[KJHawley]

I've never believed Consumer Reports anyway. I don't remember much about my college statistics class, but I do remember that the prof always used Consumer Reports as an example of how NOT to take a survey...

[dmholmes]

Yikes! If the Mini is rated "least defects" I'd hate to see the "most defects" category.

German car reputation seems to vary a bunch in the US. Personally I lean towards the "Detroit build quality but a lot more fun to drive" end of the spectrum. Probably just by knowing too many friends with various German cars over the years (a lot recent) that had quality problems that I would deem unacceptable. I think a lot of BMW drivers here, for instance, cut the cars a lot of slack because it's more of a "prestige" name here. Truly a driver's car but most people buy "because it's a BMW". Been in too many rattly BMW's with pretty low miles. Not a good indicator of build qulity in my book.

[roomey]

Interesting to note that the ADAC (German equivalent of UK RAC/AA) magazine states that the most common 'call-out' fault for all MINI's attended to by ADAC was gearbox linkages problems, defective clutches and broken relay's for the cooling fan.

Mines been in for adjustment to the gearbox linkages.

According to their table, in 2001, there were, on average, 5 breakdowns per 1000, in 2002 it was 4 breakdowns per 1000, and in 2003, it was 2 breakdowns per thousand MINI's. Seems like the quality IS getting better!

The worst result was the Skoda Felicia with 46 breakdowns per 1000.

Cheers

R.

P.S. The full list for the small car class is:

1) BMW MINI
2) Mitsubishi Colt
3) Toyota Yaris
4) Opel Corsa
5) Citroen Saxo
6) Ford Ka
7) Ford Fiesta
8) VW Lupo
9) Peugeot 106
10) Opel Agila
11) VW Polo
12) Peugeot 206
13) smart city Coupe/cabrio
14) Seat Arosa
15) Nissan Micra
16) Skoda Fabia
17) Renault Twingo
18) Seat Ibiza/Cordoba
19) Fiat Cinquecento/Seicento
20) Renault Clio
21) Fiat Punto
22) Skoda Felicia

At least 10,000 cars had to be sold to be included in the table.