German reliability Poll: On Indian Roads.

n.devdath · 14th November 2010, 23:24

Hi All,
I have been thinking of this for quite some time now.

GTO's thread about flatbeds towing innumerable "German" cars which have broken down on the road across our cities due to various factors is pretty active with spottings reported almost every day. Most discussions on that thread though, DO NOT have the voice of the respective owners of those cars.
Hence this is an attempt to capture the VoCs of those cars on what they feel when their German car breaks down on the road or one of their car's siblings breaks down.

The poll explains it more clearly.

Calling out to all TBHP "German" Car Owners ONLY to voice their opinions and comments along with their votes.

PS: This poll is ONLY for owners of all the German automobile brands in India viz; Mercedes, BMW, Skoda, VW, Porsche, Audi & Volvo. Mods, please add any other German brands that I may have missed.

EARTHed · 14th November 2010, 23:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Calling out to all TBHP "German" Car Owners ONLY to voice their opinions and comments along with their votes.

Who all can post here? Tbhpians owning German cars "Made in Germany" or even German cars "Made in India"?!

n.devdath · 14th November 2010, 23:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by EARTHed

Who all can post here? Tbhpians owning German cars "Made in Germany" or even German cars "Made in India"?!

Both Sir.

The idea is to capture the entire group of Germany made and India made German marques.

gomzi · 15th November 2010, 00:08

Good idea about the poll.

Quote:

Originally Posted by n.devdath

PS: This poll is ONLY for owners of all the German automobile brands in India viz; Mercedes, BMW, Skoda, VW, Porsche, Audi & Volvo. Mods, please add any other German brands that I may have missed.

but, but, Volvo? Certain people with viking heritage will be offended to hear it called German. It's Swedish or, well, Chinese now, but definitely not German.

theguy · 15th November 2010, 00:24

Welll AFAIK Skoda has its roots in Czech, so Skoda should be excluded too. But i guess OP meant reliablility of European cars

lamborghini · 15th November 2010, 06:54

Yes, our German car broke down on us, several times. However, we were never really stranded and could drive the car for a bit.
The problems were: Turbo getting clogged (twice), A/C (twice) and some other minor ones which never were a problem.
However, switching brands in this segment isn't easy as each brand is different from each other. However, we are tempted, and am sure that our next car will most likely not be the same brand.

But the question is, which brand?
BMW's are superb vehicles, and the most reliable. However, are they too delicate for our roads with the RFTs?
Mercedes has a lot of electronic niggles. However, they are the most comfortable and are improving. Also, these cars are the most comfortable, and sturdiest for Indian roads.
Haven't heard about Audi too much, though they have niggles. However, this could probably be our next brand with some superb vehicles (A4, new A8, etc.)

I am really keen to know how reliable the new jaguars are.

300 KMPH · 15th November 2010, 07:02

Till now, I have seen 4-5 octavias broken down on NH-3.

DrunkenMonk · 15th November 2010, 07:25

My 1997 Opel Astra (Is it German enough? Is it in the same league as the others?) with 1.75 Lakh kilometers, never broke down despite my rough usage and mistreatment at the hands of ham-handed garage mechanics. I once (unknowingly) drove from Pune to Mumbai with engine oil well below minimum level. I simply love that car to death.

I did have the fuel pump fail on the road once, but I cannot hold it against the car. It happened in the city and after I had parked the car. The car wouldn't start when I came back. Fuel pumps are probably designed to fail after some pre-decided number of hours of service.

EARTHed · 15th November 2010, 07:51

^^Regarding Opel Astra, cars a decade ago had not many electronics so chances of breaking down cos of electronic niggles was far less. Only mechanicals could have failed which did happen in your car.

pnredkar · 15th November 2010, 08:38

My Opel Corsa has not broken down on me anytime. It's 7 years and 56,000kms old.

srishiva · 15th November 2010, 09:12

Maybe Opel Corsa should be taken out ! Maybe GM infused some reliability into it?

issigonis · 15th November 2010, 12:15

>>>

GTO's thread on the business viability of flat bed lorries had the reliability of the three (obviously) German marques - Mercedes, BMW & Audi.

I had made a point there that it would serve a better purpose if the owners could post their reliability related travails (and give bouquets too if spared such agonies!) instead of generalised brand bashing which is so very easy.

This thread includes all the teutons, including a few which are strictly not, viz, Volvo and Skoda, although the latter has been revived in the last decade after the end of the Cold War, by VW's support and infusions of cash and technology.

Someone has suggested that we consider European cars; will that imply brands such as Seat (part of VW but basically 'Spanish'), Jaguar, (more European than Indian), and the French ones (such as Renault- Logan comes to mind, although in India it is now with M&M)? How about Fiat?

Also if we consider Porsche which is almost a 'supercar' brand, should we also consider other European supercar brands- Ferrari, Lamborghini, Koeniggsegg and so on? Or are considering German cars which are meant to be used as everyday transportation - Merc/BMW/Audi/even VW without Seat and Skoda?

I think once d.devdath indicates the framework, we will be better able to give our opinions in the poll; which hopefully will lead to clearcut conclusions.

One more point - the tenor of the thread suggests that if one owns a German car, it will break down. The queries in the poll, such as the one about recommending German cars to others if one has experienced a breakdown seems to suggest that. Or am I wrong?

Regards, drive safe

n.devdath · 15th November 2010, 12:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by issigonis

This thread includes all the teutons, including a few which are strictly not, viz, Volvo and Skoda, although the latter has been revived in the last decade after the end of the Cold War, by VW's support and infusions of cash and technology.

Someone has suggested that we consider European cars; will that imply brands such as Seat (part of VW but basically 'Spanish'), Jaguar, (more European than Indian), and the French ones (such as Renault- Logan comes to mind, although in India it is now with M&M)? How about Fiat?

Also if we consider Porsche which is almost a 'supercar' brand, should we also consider other European supercar brands- Ferrari, Lamborghini, Koeniggsegg and so on? Or are considering German cars which are meant to be used as everyday transportation - Merc/BMW/Audi/even VW without Seat and Skoda?

This thread has a very simple aim. To try and get real time reliability and user perception data about all the German automobile brands. The only reason Skoda was included is because it has more German than Czech technology going into it and there is generous parts bin sharing between it and VW.

I, at time feel that I was wrong in including Volvo since it was a Ford Co earlier and is now a Geely Co.

As far as recommending a German car even after it has broken down aims to bring out the amount of brand equity they command in the market not to mention that fact that if a car breaks down due to poor/ignorant/wrong service procedures or owner carelessness, the owner might still recommend it to a friend as a reliable buy if maintained well and as per schedule.

Coming to super cars, since this thread focuses on German brands, German supercars can be tracked here.

issigonis · 15th November 2010, 13:40

>>>

Another point :

Answers to query 1 and query 8 should ideally total 100%.

Regards, drive safe

Neilguy · 15th November 2010, 14:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by n.devdath

I, at time feel that I was wrong in including Volvo since it was a Ford Co earlier and is now a Geely Co.

Isn't Volvo primarily a Swedish brand, earlier owned by Ford and now by Geely of China. It is/was not a German brand.

View Poll Results: How has your GERMAN Car Performed?
Has your German Car ever broken down on the road?	5	12.20%
Have you ever seen another German car of your marque break down on the road?	11	26.83%
If yes, was it a gizmo?(Electronic)	5	12.20%
If yes, was it a core mechanical component?	9	21.95%
If yes, do you feel it was due to Indian Driving Conditions/Rough Usage/Negligence??	4	9.76%
If your answer to questions 1 & 2 is YES, are you thinking of changing your brand of car?	4	9.76%
If your answer to questions 1 & 2 is YES, would you recommend a German car brand to a friend?	4	9.76%
My German Car has never broken down on me.	28	68.29%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 41. You may not vote on this poll

14th November 2010, 23:24	#1
n.devdath BANNED Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 4,287 Thanked: 2,811 Times	German reliability Poll: On Indian Roads. Hi All, I have been thinking of this for quite some time now. GTO's thread about flatbeds towing innumerable "German" cars which have broken down on the road across our cities due to various factors is pretty active with spottings reported almost every day. Most discussions on that thread though, DO NOT have the voice of the respective owners of those cars. Hence this is an attempt to capture the VoCs of those cars on what they feel when their German car breaks down on the road or one of their car's siblings breaks down. The poll explains it more clearly. Calling out to all TBHP "German" Car Owners ONLY to voice their opinions and comments along with their votes. PS: This poll is ONLY for owners of all the German automobile brands in India viz; Mercedes, BMW, Skoda, VW, Porsche, Audi & Volvo. Mods, please add any other German brands that I may have missed. Last edited by n.devdath : 14th November 2010 at 23:30.
	() Thanks

15th November 2010, 00:24	#5
theguy BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: chennai Posts: 30 Thanked: 0 Times	Welll AFAIK Skoda has its roots in Czech, so Skoda should be excluded too. But i guess OP meant reliablility of European cars
	() Thanks

15th November 2010, 06:54	#6
lamborghini Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 6,113 Thanked: 5,760 Times View My Garage	Yes, our German car broke down on us, several times. However, we were never really stranded and could drive the car for a bit. The problems were: Turbo getting clogged (twice), A/C (twice) and some other minor ones which never were a problem. However, switching brands in this segment isn't easy as each brand is different from each other. However, we are tempted, and am sure that our next car will most likely not be the same brand. But the question is, which brand? BMW's are superb vehicles, and the most reliable. However, are they too delicate for our roads with the RFTs? Mercedes has a lot of electronic niggles. However, they are the most comfortable and are improving. Also, these cars are the most comfortable, and sturdiest for Indian roads. Haven't heard about Audi too much, though they have niggles. However, this could probably be our next brand with some superb vehicles (A4, new A8, etc.) I am really keen to know how reliable the new jaguars are.
	() Thanks

15th November 2010, 07:02	#7
300 KMPH BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 210 Thanked: 1,022 Times	Till now, I have seen 4-5 octavias broken down on NH-3.
	() Thanks

15th November 2010, 07:25	#8
DrunkenMonk BHPian Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 80 Thanked: 3 Times View My Garage	My 1997 Opel Astra (Is it German enough? Is it in the same league as the others?) with 1.75 Lakh kilometers, never broke down despite my rough usage and mistreatment at the hands of ham-handed garage mechanics. I once (unknowingly) drove from Pune to Mumbai with engine oil well below minimum level. I simply love that car to death. I did have the fuel pump fail on the road once, but I cannot hold it against the car. It happened in the city and after I had parked the car. The car wouldn't start when I came back. Fuel pumps are probably designed to fail after some pre-decided number of hours of service.
	() Thanks

15th November 2010, 07:51	#9
EARTHed BANNED Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Greater Bangalore Posts: 420 Thanked: 39 Times	^^Regarding Opel Astra, cars a decade ago had not many electronics so chances of breaking down cos of electronic niggles was far less. Only mechanicals could have failed which did happen in your car.
	() Thanks

15th November 2010, 08:38	#10
pnredkar BHPian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 167 Thanked: 362 Times	My Opel Corsa has not broken down on me anytime. It's 7 years and 56,000kms old.
	() Thanks

15th November 2010, 09:12	#11
srishiva Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 4,375 Thanked: 2,256 Times	Maybe Opel Corsa should be taken out ! Maybe GM infused some reliability into it?
	() Thanks

15th November 2010, 12:15	#12
issigonis BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bombay Posts: 956 Thanked: 95 Times	>>> GTO's thread on the business viability of flat bed lorries had the reliability of the three (obviously) German marques - Mercedes, BMW & Audi. I had made a point there that it would serve a better purpose if the owners could post their reliability related travails (and give bouquets too if spared such agonies!) instead of generalised brand bashing which is so very easy. This thread includes all the teutons, including a few which are strictly not, viz, Volvo and Skoda, although the latter has been revived in the last decade after the end of the Cold War, by VW's support and infusions of cash and technology. Someone has suggested that we consider European cars; will that imply brands such as Seat (part of VW but basically 'Spanish'), Jaguar, (more European than Indian), and the French ones (such as Renault- Logan comes to mind, although in India it is now with M&M)? How about Fiat? Also if we consider Porsche which is almost a 'supercar' brand, should we also consider other European supercar brands- Ferrari, Lamborghini, Koeniggsegg and so on? Or are considering German cars which are meant to be used as everyday transportation - Merc/BMW/Audi/even VW without Seat and Skoda? I think once d.devdath indicates the framework, we will be better able to give our opinions in the poll; which hopefully will lead to clearcut conclusions. One more point - the tenor of the thread suggests that if one owns a German car, it will break down. The queries in the poll, such as the one about recommending German cars to others if one has experienced a breakdown seems to suggest that. Or am I wrong? Regards, drive safe
	() Thanks

15th November 2010, 13:40	#14
issigonis BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bombay Posts: 956 Thanked: 95 Times	>>> Another point : Answers to query 1 and query 8 should ideally total 100%. Regards, drive safe
	() Thanks