German Autos High Repair Bills

As many of us may have suspected for a long time, these Mercedes, Audis and BMWs are the most expensive to repair over a five year period of ownership.

While this study doesn’t take into account factors such as depreciation, maintenance and fuel costs, it does tell future owners what costs they should expect when the “unthinkable” happens. By that we mean when their new Jag blows a head gasket along the side of the 5 freeway in bumper to bumper traffic.

By calculating figures from extended and factory warranty claims, the firm has come up with a list of vehicles that could conceivably break the bank for owners with no coverage. Especially those still making an $800 monthly payment.

Reasons for the sky high figures generally boil down to the fact that these makes usually have higher parts and labor charges at their respective service departments. But read between the lines and there must actually be repairs to be done in the first place for the parts and labor costs to be an issue.

Note: no Lexus models made the list.

Here is a partial list of the most expensive to repair models, followed by purely editorial commentary. For a full list, read the full report made public on Forbes.com via CTV.

1. Audi A8 – Add in a difficult to repair all aluminum body with a complex Quattro drivetrain and you have the makings of one expensive to fix German limousine. 
2. Mercedes Benz G-Class – This monster of a SUV rarely leaves the confines of Rodeo drive but is a favorite of celebutantes like Nicole Richie who famously drove one down the wrong way of a freeway onramp. Imagine if she had hit anything how much that would have been to fix! 
3. Jaguar XK – While Jaguar is well known for having stellar customer satisfaction, it appears that it comes in conjunction with sizeable repair bills as well. 
4. Range Rover – Tata has its work cut out for it with both of its “halo” models for Range Rover and Jaguar making this list of most expensive to repair vehicles. Entirely understandable though, as we still can’t figure out how the Terrain Response system can tell if the vehicle is on sand or snow. How do you fix that when it breaks? 
5. Subaru Impreza WRX – Subaru has always been known for having astronomical parts and service prices. Add into that the fact that the add-ons so favored by the tuning culture more often than not cause an increase in mechanical breakdowns. Subaru is the only Japanese manufacturer to make the list. 
6. Ford F-450 – While diesels are known for their durability, torque and good fuel economy, what few owners realize is how expensive and time consuming they are to repair. Also, many Ford dealers charge a higher hourly rate for a specialized diesel mechanic. 
7. BMW 7 Series – The originator of the “Bangle Butt,” so maligned at launch for looking like a monster that arose from a swamp, has seemed to mellow with age. Not so the electronics—read: the ever troublesome Idrive—which continue to give BMW mechanics hours upon hours of headaches. 
8. Hummer H2 and H3 – Besides being gas guzzling, obnoxious and environmentally unfriendly, these behemoths also manage to be expensive to repair. Karma’s a ***