10 Engines That DIE Before 50,000 Miles (Because They Are JUNK)

You want a reliable engine in your car and today there are some car manufacturers that get it right. However, if you're note careful, you could be buying one of the worst car engines to own. That's why I'm sharing this list of unreliable engines that I think you should avoid like the plague.

I'll show you cars from BMW, Mini, Buick, Audi, Subaru, and many more. So get ready because these are the cars to avoid (in my opinion).

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[Raider]

I heard that BMW has kidney grills because you have to sell a Kidney to keep them running, 😅.

[AndyDavis-vcsc]

This man speaks the truth -- I had a 2010 BMW 750li M Sport. I paid $4800 to fix the valve stem seal problem. The car was a demon and was one of the most comfortable cars I've ever owned. But, it was a money pit, which was untenable.

[thomashelm]

I owned one of those M-3s, one of the most beautiful cars I've ever owned. Loved the convertible, like this one.
Put about 5000 miles on it and started to get nervous, for no real reason. No regrets on getting rid of the ticking time bomb.

[nickthompson]

My brother had an 08 Mini Cooper S. His timing chain tensioner failed twice, the hoodscoop melted and the turbo went out all before 40k miles. He sold it while it was still under warranty.

[jeffwolf]

It's crazy how the BMW straight 6 has at least the one that I had in the 90s were damn near bulletproof. And then they make a V8 that they can even get the slightest amount of reliability out of it. How they can do one thing so good and fail so miserably on another is mind-boggling.

[stevenekdahl]

Have been a mechanic for 40 years, BMW is the biggest piece of sushi on the planet

[FredFlintstone]

I tried hating Toyota Honda for years I gave up it’s not there fault they build better cars then we do .that’s our fault

[multicyclist]

I love BMW's and other European cars but drive a couple of Honda's because... Life is too short to "BOOM!", and be stuck on the side of the road.

[MandusahRamirez]

Actually NorthStar engines after 2005 were the reliable ones. It’s the earlier model that suffered.

[TIMMEH]

What is another huge issues for all these heaps of German junk is the fact that the engines are horrendous to repair. Jim's tip of the day is DONT BUY IT!

[Michael-fwef]

Your explanations regarding the engine problems are top notch - the best I have ever heard. You sound more informed than the typical mechanic.

[thomaswinslow]

I have a 2015 Kia Forte5 2.0L GDI engine. It has over 100, 000 miles on the engine and its going strong. Heck of a reliable car for us actually. I think it was 2014 and back that got the recall but the 2015 is a heck of a great year for Kia and that car is awesome. Feels like your gliding when you drive that thing. Full synthetic oil and regular oil changes. I had heard you could just every so often hit the highway and gun it and the car would stay reliable. Seems to be working just fine. Taken it on road trips to cedar point and camping. Took it deer hunting last year and that car has done it all. No complaints about my Kia Forte5.

[sburns]

One to add to the pile: M-B V6 diesel. I was working with Daimler powertrain engineers in Germany at the same time I owned (from new) a 2011 ML350 Bluetec. In casual conversation when I told them of my woes with the diesel they just knowingly smiled and said they all do that.
Turbo sits above the Vee of the engine, directly over the oil cooler. So the oil cooler sits in in the Vee and below the turbo, one of the hottest parts of the engine. For some inexplicable reason M-B did not use Viton (hi temp) O-rings in the cooler and they have a nearly 100% failure rate under 100k miles. If on a long trip when this happens, could easily run the car out of oil. When ours started puking a quart of oil every 100 miles down the back of the engine, filling up the undertray and making a huge mess the dealer already had the parts ready in 2016 (Viton five years later!!!). Literally $20 in parts and $1700 in labor. They had repaired dozens of them.
I ended up spending $5000 in unexpected mechanical repairs (not maintenance) keeping the drive train going the last year I owned that thing. A Ferrari literally might have been cheaper to run.
Soon after M-B switched to an inline four for the diesel. Wonder why.

[MyCatIsSmarter]

My 2.5 L turbo subaru had burnt valves at 90, 000 miles, then broken piston ringlands at 130, 000. Engine out twice

[friedookiehil]

My colleague had a 2009 STi that blew twice!! My Peugeot 308 GTi had the 1.6T Cooper engine with loads and loads of problems. Leaks, leaks, leaks....water mains blew due t oil leaking onto the pipes. Thanx for confirming that. Those were sad days.

[Zappy]

My Aunt has a 2006 V8 Northstar DTR, I just cleaned her interior a few weeks ago... 265k miles on it.

[EvzenKovar-ip]

The massive rush to turbos in order to meet CAFE standards is likely going to be catastrophic for the car market a decade from now.

[craigt]

I just gotta say thank you again for all your content rich videos
I watch everyone I can
You’re very humble
However you are a superstar and a wonderful educator
You make learning serious Fun
Bravo
My best wishes always from Las Vegas Craig

[chazzmichaelmichaels]

Had the buick 3800. 34 million manufactured, rated top 10 engines ever!

[poopsy]

I must have been lucky. My 2003 Cadillac Seville engine went 316, 000 miles when a spark plug blew out of the head due to a bad coil. The replacement salvage engine is still going at another 200 plus thousand miles. Minor issues with the car beyond that.