A year in the life of ISF ownership vs BMW ownership

FTBBCVoodoo · April 22, 2017

Got a reminder on Facebook today that I picked my ISF up a year ago today. She replaced an E90 335i which I also had for a year. Summary of ownership below...

BMW 335i M Sport - MY2007 - 40k miles

Failures...

2 x turbos

2 x turbo actuators

1 x Lambda sensor

1 x High Pressure Fuel Pump

6 x Injectors

1 x major oil leak

Then on to Lexus ISF - MY2008 - 50k miles

Failures...

Zero

In case of tempting fate I have just renewed my Lexus warranty for 2 years. Money well spent? ;-)

Farqui · April 22, 2017

Bloomin' heck, that's a nasty list of repairs. Did you have to shell out for that lot yourself?

Big plus for the Lexus the eh, encouraging.

Jgtcracer · April 22, 2017

6x injectors in a year??

Can't claim to be surprised by the result. Threads like this make it hard to justify the extended warranties available.lol

FTBBCVoodoo · April 22, 2017

45 minutes ago, Jgtcracer said:

6x injectors in a year??

Can't claim to be surprised by the result. Threads like this make it hard to justify the extended warranties available.lol

1 injector went and they did all 6 under a recall.

Everything was under warranty apart from fuel pump.

It was more the inconvenience that the car was at BMW for 11 weeks in 1 single year rather than cost :-(

Jgtcracer · April 22, 2017

Yea, when it's a warranty job the cost doesn't matter but the buggerance it causes does. I've found myself in a situation recently where i could upgrade from the ISF to something faster, more exotic but realistically, the ISF is already pretty unique at it's current level. If i was to buy something else like a new M5 i think i wouldn't enjoy it because I'd worry it would break.

There are plenty on here that could afford something faster but the ISF is so reliable and still quick that it doesn't make sense to replace it.

My GTR was super quick..... to the garage!

Nick W858 · April 22, 2017

Agree it's the worry nagging away at you that annoys me plus of course the inconvenience when it needs to go into the garage, it's inconvenient even if it's under warranty but seems to grate less when you are not presented with a bill.

I'm about to put a warranty on mine, don't explain to claim but I think the peace of mind is useful plus if you decided to sell on, then in my experience with my previous ISF it also helps to have some warranty on it.

DAW · April 22, 2017

This shows perfectly just how poor the quality control is for most of the German manufacturers these days and that they are still peddling this I idea that they are producing a quality product.

A friend had a 525 from new that went through a set of coil packs every yr & BMW could not get to the bottom of it. In the end he traded it because BMW were not prepared to shoulder the ongoing costs of replacing them even though they accepted the problem had been there from new.

I have heard so many similar stories from people who have had these kind of experiences with all the German manufacturers. It amazes me really that they are still so popular given how common these issues are becoming, but I suspect the relative lack of alternatives probably plays its part.

Owning a German performance car only seems to make sense to me during the 1st 3 yrs while it's under the manufacturers warranty, but a risky proposition beyond that without the hefty expense of an extended warranty (which you will likely need).

It's a great shame because the problems I had totally spoiled the ownership experience of some really good cars for me.

I was seriously considering buying a very low mileage Porsche 997 C2S recently, which like most petrol heads I have always wanted to own at some point. But when it came down to it I couldn't face going back to that nagging feeling that something was going to go wrong completely out of the blue. That and the fact that when I thought about it I really didn't want to loose the F.

The ISF is the 1st car in a while that I have the confidence to consider keeping for a longer period.

I hope I haven't just jinxed myself!!

Jgtcracer · April 22, 2017

There's a nice carrara 2s for sale next to me in blue for £30k. Would be a lovely car if i thought it wouldn't break.

DAW · April 22, 2017

Exactly - still one day maybe!!

Mark6pot · April 23, 2017

I'm waiting to see if there is going to be any reliability problems with the RR Racing supercharger fitted to the isf.

A year from now we will all know for sure due to amount of Americans fitting them now, and I'll have the money by then.

Just think a reliable 640 bhp grocery getter.

Jgtcracer · April 23, 2017

1 hour ago, Mark6pot said:

I'm waiting to see if there is going to be any reliability problems with the RR Racing supercharger fitted to the isf.

A year from now we will all know for sure due to amount of Americans fitting them now, and I'll have the money by then.

Just think a reliable 640 bhp grocery getter.

It's tempting but I'm struggling to work out cost fitted? Can't be far from £15k!!

Where would we get this done? Is it a simple case of bolt ons and a new map supplied with the kit?

Mark6pot · April 23, 2017

RR Racing supply fitting instructions and there tune makes sure it all runs smoothly.

I'll be doing it next year myself with there kit or source stuff from UK to do it.

Jgtcracer · April 23, 2017

Yea, i knew it was a package so must just be bolt on plus an ECU map. As I've said earlier, it's something i am looking into too but like you, need other people to be guinea pigs first

JonP · April 23, 2017

and then there is the headers and the free flow exhaust to help it breathe, maybe uprate the brakes, USRS, perhaps some other suspension mods..... I don't think I'll be able to afford it :(

JonP · April 23, 2017

not that I've been thinking about this you understand....

Plus the wife really wants a conservatory :(

Stuno1 · April 23, 2017

Can the isf put that power to the road? It's all well and good having massive figures but if in second or third out of a corner on a B road the car can't lay the power down it's wasted money.

Jgtcracer · April 23, 2017

It's wasted money if you care about lap times.

You can't put a price on the 'cool factor's it would bring though!!

Mark6pot · April 24, 2017

21 hours ago, Stuno1 said:

Can the isf put that power to the road? It's all well and good having massive figures but if in second or third out of a corner on a B road the car can't lay the power down it's wasted money.

I'm on 285/30 tyres on the back the now but if I do the supercharger I will go up to 305 or something in that area plus shave the arches and bigger alloys.