The British consumer magazine “Which” has just published a report showing that two different BMW models are the most unreliable and the third most unreliable models on the road in the UK.

This isn’t really a surprise. In Germany the brand enjoys better reliability statistics, but BMW runs a fleet of “Service Cars” there (and in Austria). A BMW owner in those countries gets free roadside assistance from the silver and white striped BMW estate cars 24 hours a day, every day of the year. (Follow the link in the previous sentence to see a picture of a service car).

Of course, the BMWs serviced by BMW’s Service fleet don’t get counted in the official ADAC (automobile club) break-down statistics, so the reliability looks a lot better. Perhaps someone at BMW Germany needs to give their British colleagues a word in their ear? Of course, it don’t affect how reliable the cars really are, just the statistics.

It’s interesting, BMW has operated the Service cars for many years, so presumably it is cheaper to run a team of mechanics on 24 hour standby and fix the break-downs than to build higher quality cars in the first place.

Never trust a statistic that you haven’t manipulated yourself…