[BMW F22]

In general, are they reliable? And compared to BMW, are they expensive to maintain? Porsche has consistently been top ranked by CR and Audi has been up there in recent years. Never owned either and was curious.

[overcoil]

Drove a 1991 911 tiptronic and it was basically a hand made tank that was reliable as long as you maintained and updated (distributor vent) as required. I know this isn't helpful to you - but that car was extremely well built. Went through rear tires at an extremely rapid rate.

[wdb]

Hearsay on Porsche but they have a rep for being very solid. Audi IMO is crap, I won't own one. Dumb engineering decisions that can make maintenance a nightmare, VW electrics. I'm sure others will disagree.

[GuidoK]

Originally Posted by wdb

Dumb engineering decisions that can make maintenance a nightmare, VW electrics. I'm sure others will disagree.

A lot of porsches share a lot of tech with audi's/VW's...
Platformsharers.

[Pierre Louis]

Originally Posted by BMW F22

In general, are they reliable? And compared to BMW, are they expensive to maintain? Porsche has consistently been top ranked by CR and Audi has been up there in recent years. Never owned either and was curious.

I've been following and owning Porsches since 1972 and they do sweat the details well. Audi not so much as I had one that was possibly only beaten by Yugo for lemon status overall. Both VW and Porsche have had problems with their engines (fuel pumps -VW, intermediate shaft bearings- Porsche) that have had large problems destroying the engines of up to 10% of engines depending on the year. This is unacceptable to many, but BMW has only been slightly behind (V8 engine bearings, fuel pumps). And forget about high mileage AMG Mercedes if you believe some of the stories. Each manufacturer (even Mazda and Toyota gumming up their engine lifters, Honda with poorly designed ATM's etc.) are prone to problems.

CR is not reliable in its ratings in my experience (they conspicuously avoid giving raw data and their black dots include somewhat reliable cars that have many features to terribly unreliable ones - you can't tell) but they do get it right eventually, i.e. the oldest year they are rating on reliability is the most accurate. JD Powers has a more reliable listing of newer cars IMO.

BMW reliability seems to have improved quite a bit, especially if you note that many have a lot of extra features which could add to CR unreliability ratings when they normally break. They are known to make excellent bodies and take risks with engines and electronics, so getting a model late in production as in many cars is a better bet.

My $.02

PL

[BMW F22]

Asking because I'm looking to move on from BMW and get myself into an Audi Q5, Porsche Macan, or the 2018 Lexus NX (hated the looks before but they've redesigned the exterior a bit). Of course NX is the most reliable but heart says Macan. Audi would be a great fit in between. Never owned Porsche or Audi so I'm a bit leary about their reliability. This would be my main vehicle.

[omegaSMP300]

Bought my CPO Macan S a year of so ago have put on 18k miles (sitting at 26k) it is my daily and it has been great. Put 14k on my 2013 911 4s before that also a trooper. I know this isn't the highest mileage but keep up with the annual service and you should be fine. Unless you buy a service plan the cars don't have them and annual maintenance is between 800-1400 I'd say. Not terrible in my opinion considering it is a Porsche. Good luck.

[The Automotive Enthusiast]

Audi's are known to be problematic in the long term, but no issues to be reported from friends and family that own them.

[CTinline-six]

CR is a media source that is easily swayed by corporations. Funny how they rank Audi near the top and VW near the bottom when many of their cars share multiple parts and platforms.

Many of the reports I've read are also not good comparisons simply because of the sample size of vehicles owned. Many more owners of say VWs in the report than Porsche.

Also be careful because a lot of the reports will classify all problems into the same category. For example, if VW has 10 power window or infotainment problems, and Honda has 7 engine failures, they will consider VW to be the less reliable brand since it has more "issues".

The best thing you can do is search different models you are interested in and look up the problems people have for that particular vehicle. All brands have their good and bad vehicles, some even in the same platform. An example would be the N52 328i BMW vs. the N54 335i BMW. The 335i is MUCH more costly to own, even though besides the engine they are the same car.

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by CTinline-six

CR is a media source that is easily swayed by corporations. Funny how they rank Audi near the top and VW near the bottom when many of their cars share multiple parts and platforms.

Many of the reports I've read are also not good comparisons simply because of the sample size of vehicles owned. Many more owners of say VWs in the report than Porsche.

Also be careful because a lot of the reports will classify all problems into the same category. For example, if VW has 10 power window or infotainment problems, and Honda has 7 engine failures, they will consider VW to be the less reliable brand since it has more "issues".

The best thing you can do is search different models you are interested in and look up the problems people have for that particular vehicle. All brands have their good and bad vehicles, some even in the same platform. An example would be the N52 328i BMW vs. the N54 335i BMW. The 335i is MUCH more costly to own, even though besides the engine they are the same car.

I saw that about CR too. That's what made me wonder if Porsche is really that reliable. Of course it's the most sporty vehicle and my heart says Porsche. However, being the most expensive I'm sure it costs more to maintain. Also a bit leary of Audi since it's in the same family as Porsche.

[KingOfJericho]

When I first bought my CPO Audi S4 (2010) 6MT, I called Audi to see how much a new clutch would cost.

They told me $5,000.

I sold the car.

Audi bad. Porsche good.

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

When I first bought my CPO Audi S4 (2010) 6MT, I called Audi to see how much a new clutch would cost.

They told me $5,000.

I sold the car.

Audi bad. Porsche good.

What makes Porsche so much better than Audi? They are the same family.

[///MPE]

My 2015 RS3 is knock on wood. Problems depend on your luck. I had a 2013 c class before my RS3 and it was lemoned

[FirstF80InSpace]

I've had two experiences with Audi. A 2003 A4 and a 2014 S4.

The A4 was a disaster. It was in the shop every two months getting something fixed. Luckily all the crap happened under warranty. I never had a single issue with the S4. It was a tank.

[KenB925]

I've had two Porsches and an Audi, my Boxster S was completely soild, never had any problems with it. Maint. was not cheap, but it didn't need much. It did go through rear tires...track days probably didn't hep with that.

My Cayenne S had more issues, but nothing major, and it was taken car of under warranty. A few switches that needed to be replaces, one for the transfer case (twice I think), one for the air suspension, a window switch went bad (wouldn't auto up, but worked if you held the switch). Mine was 2004, so it was the first full year of production on a new model.

My 2013 S4 was totally solid, only went back for scheduled maint.

[3798j]

Hmmm, here's something to consider...First F80inSpace speaks well of his '14 S4. Then KenB925 has good comments on his '13 S4. And I've got a '14 S5 that has never missed a step...I like it a lot particularly because of the willingness of its engine. All three vehicles have that same supercharged 3.0 V6 that is found in the Q5 the OP is considering. Also...The Q5's transmission is one of those ZF 8 speeds...a solid performer considered by many to be the gold standard of autoboxes.

[vandridine]

My neighboor has a 2012 a5 with 100k miles, they have not had a single problem with the car.

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by 3798j

Hmmm, here's something to consider...First F80inSpace speaks well of his '14 S4. Then KenB925 has good comments on his '13 S4. And I've got a '14 S5 that has never missed a step...I like it a lot particularly because of the willingness of its engine. All three vehicles have that same supercharged 3.0 V6 that is found in the Q5 the OP is considering. Also...The Q5's transmission is one of those ZF 8 speeds...a solid performer considered by many to be the gold standard of autoboxes.

2018 Q5's only come with 2.0L I4 engines. Only the SQ5 offers the V6 engine. Don't Audi engine have carbon buildup problems? Or is that a thing of the past?

[Twixboy]

A lot of the confusion with Audi's reliability stems from its reputation as an unreliable brand. I'm seeing so much misinformation in this thread it's sad. The truth is, there was a drastic turnaround in its reliability around the 2012 model year. On the other hand, BMW reliability has been plummeting since then. In time people will consider it to be a reliable car brand, just like it took time for people to start seeing Hyundai as a reliable brand after their turnaround about 10-15 years ago.

[3798j]

Originally Posted by BMW F22

2018 Q5's only come with 2.0L I4 engines. Only the SQ5 offers the V6 engine. Don't Audi engine have carbon buildup problems? Or is that a thing of the past?

Whoops...my apologies, wasn't aware of that.
Crud buildup in intakes and on valves because of direct injection isn't just an Audi thing.

[Unknown_Car]

Porschea used to be good but now days all the new ones are to much vw/audi, they have some serious problems. I have few friends with p cars, and i cant even think how many times they bean to the shop.

[chris719]

Originally Posted by Roma_335i

Porschea used to be good but now days all the new ones are to much vw/audi, they have some serious problems. I have few friends with p cars, and i cant even think how many times they bean to the shop.

Porsche is very good at sweeping their issues under the rug. They will pay for design issues out of warranty in implicit exchange for your silence. A friend of mine experienced this firsthand with one of their V8 turbo engines.