It was in vain that Russians appealed to Germans, asking them to take better care of their cars, saying 'we still have to drive them'. As the data from the recent technical inspection shows, Germans do not take care of their cars, and every year car owners in Germany become less careful.
If ten years ago only 11.6% of three-year-old cars could not pass the technical inspection on the first try, now this figure has reached 18.2%. That is, every fifth car has problems that make it unsafe to drive. Most often these are faults with brakes, suspension, and headlights. German technicians conducting inspections call such cars 'ticking time bombs' that could go off at any moment. Most cars, when in perfect condition and having undergone tuning, handle well, but these kinds of faults can cause the car to go out of control or create an emergency situation in certain circumstances. According to Klaus Brüggemann, director of the Technical Inspection and Supervision Society (TUV), more than eight million cars in Germany pose a danger.
Even among three-year-old cars, 6% have serious technical problems. And yet ten years ago that figure was only 3.5%. This is despite the fact that most manufacturers offer three-year warranties on their cars, so in theory the condition of the cars should be ideal for the first three years. But as it turns out, that is not the case. During the warranty period, German car owners do not always service their cars on time, although they manage to have tuning of BMW or their Ford done. And then the car starts having problems.
However, the published data at least makes it possible to determine which models are in the best condition. Such information can be very useful when choosing a used car from Germany. German firms showed a good result compared to others – their products are on average better preserved. As they say, at home even the walls help your own BMW.
For example, among three-year-old cars undergoing their first inspection, the highest number of problem-free cars were the Opel Meriva – only 1.8% of these cars had issues. Second place went to Ford Fusion with 2.6%. Just two tenths behind was the Honda Jazz – 2.8% of cars failed the inspection. The Mercedes A-class, Mercedes SLK, and Volkswagen Touran each had 3% of problematic cars. Then 3.1% for Ford Fiesta and Mazda 6. And 3.2% of faulty cars among the total for AUDI A8 and Porsche Boxster. These cars made up the top ten among three-year-olds. Eight of them are made in Germany, and only two have Japanese citizenship. The clear outsiders among those taking the inspection for the first time were the Kia Carnival – 25% of cars have problems, and the Volkswagen Sharan – 11.5%.
As for other age categories, among cars 4-5 years old the top three are: Porsche 911, Subaru Forester, and Audi A4. The best technical condition among 6-7 year old cars is found in the Toyota RAV4, Toyota Yaris, and Porsche Boxster. In the 8-9 year old group, the winners were Porsche Boxster, Porsche 911, and Mercedes SL.
Overall, among cars of different ages, the best condition in Germany is found in used Mercedes. In total, cars of this brand appear 12 times in the top 10 of all five age groups analyzed. The name Toyota appears ten times among the best. Porsche closes the top three with 8 mentions.
And the worst off on German soil are Kia, Chrysler, and Renault. Either they are poorly maintained, or the cars themselves cannot boast high quality – in any case, these three brands' cars are the most likely to fail the inspection on the first try. In addition to the already mentioned Kia Carnival, which turned out to be the worst among new cars, unreliable models include the Chrysler Voyager (the worst performance among 6-7 year old cars), the Renault Twingo (last place among 9-year-olds), and the Renault Espace (closing the list for 11-year-old cars). In total, last year about seven million cars of 186 models were inspected. 48.3% of them passed the test with honor, 33.5% had minor problems, and 18.2% failed and were sent for repair.
So TUV specialists recommend being careful when choosing a used car from Germany. It is especially important to check the suspension, brakes, and lighting. Moreover, one should not rely on the car's age. Even among cars manufactured just two to three years ago, every twelfth one has a fault, and among six-year-olds, problems are found in every fifth car. And most importantly: do not believe stories that the owner was a little old lady who only drove once a week to the local store.