Nobody wants to be on this list: “AutoBild” published the 100,000 kilometer candidates who failed without a word – for example because of engine damage. The result is not satisfactory for German manufacturers.
This is really not a glorious page for Audi and Co. Of the ten models that had the most defects in the long-term test by “AutoBild” magazine, five came from German manufacturers. The magazine has evaluated its test results since 2014 and presented the ten worst candidates of the 80 long-term testers. After driving at least 100,000 kilometers, “AutoBild” has its endurance tester completely dismantled to see in detail how well the technology has performed.
However, not all cars even manage 100,000 kilometers without first breaking down with major engine damage. This also applies to the tail light, the Ford Fiesta, which with a grade of 5 and 51 fault points towered over all the others negatively. The Fiesta EcoBoost, built in 2017, stopped before the end of the test with engine damage in its turbo petrol engine. “The cause: a loosened retaining bolt from the toothed belt tensioner. But that’s not all: there were already problems with the steering and two losses of cooling water,” reports the “AutoBild”. The test ended on the tow truck.
Every year, TÜV, DEKRA and GTÜ check the defect rate of used cars with new statistics. FOCUS Online evaluates all available reports for you. Here you will find the most recent overviews from 2016.
The Subaru XV held out until the end, but the Japanese SUV with a boxer engine also proved to be a vulnerable vehicle. “A clutch that wore out prematurely, melting on two pistons, plus edge corrosion on chassis parts, defects on the driver’s seat and loose paneling,” noted the endurance testers.
Audi couldn’t convince either, at least not with the tested Q3. The SUV only achieved the grade 4 minus due to defects such as broken xenon headlights or a lot of trouble with the exhaust system. The DSG gearbox was also noticed negatively – and not for the first time in the VW Group. Meanwhile, premium competitor BMW was not always convincing. The three-cylinder engine of the 218i Active Tourer was exchanged as a gesture of goodwill, but even then it was not without problems. After all: The long-term test of the electric car BMW i3, which started in 2014, turned out better. The technology of the Stromer proved to be problem-free, only the charging cable sometimes caused trouble, according to “AutoBild”.
Incidentally, the bestseller VW Golf was one of the better candidates up to 100,000 kilometers, but did not survive the extension of the endurance test to 200,000 kilometers so well: “Both horns failed, front shock absorbers leaked, the fuel filler flap was stuck, the double clutch was defective. Points of failure after 200,000 kilometers: 32,” sums up the “AutoBild” experts. The complete list of the long-term test candidates that attracted negative attention can be found here.
100,000 kilometers is actually not a particularly high mileage for a car, especially since used car prices are currently extremely high – even for models with many more kilometers on the odometer. Most of the cars driving in Germany belong to the age groups 5 to 9 years and 10 to 14 years, show data from the Federal Motor Transport Authority. The trend is to keep your car longer. In fact, the average age of cars in Germany is now 9.8 years (2021 data), compared to 9.6 years before.
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