Looking for information regarding Bentley Arnage reliability
#16
04-22-2024, 04:49 PM
Hey-
Unfortunately, your link doesn't seem to work. There is no such car as a 1999 Arnage Red Label. There is a 1998 (UK), 1999, or 2000 (ie the "4.4 birkin blower") Green label. In the US you're only going to see the 99 Green Label with the 4.4 BMW twin turbo engine. The Red Label began in 2000 and had the heavier and more powerful old 6.75 single turbo from the Turbo R. WV didn't want to keep selling a car with a BMW engine after taking ownership.
To lump the 99-01s together and say they all have potential head gasket issues is inaccurate. 2000-2001 certainly did, but the 99 Green label did not.
The engine from the Green label is based on the 4.4 liter used in the bmw e38 v8 (7 series) and bmw 5 series of the same period with two turbos added. If you need engine parts, work done, etc not only are parts readily available but they are relatively "cheap." Certain parts off the 6.75 liter red label engine can be much harder to find and are often far more expensive as they are only available through the dealership. Similarly, the transmission on the Green label is a more modern 5 speed that was also used on the e38 etc, but it could not handle the torque of the old 6.75 so the 2000-2006 Arnarges went back to a 4 speed.
In terms of reliability, you want a good pre-purchase inspection done. In terms of specific things I have noticed in my experience to look out for:
-leaky turbos (as mentioned above)
-issues with the airbag light on the early cars (for '99 there was a replacement wiring loom with lower resistance that addressed this normally)
-is the rear suspension hard? (two gas "spheres" back there, similar to the BMW rear suspension spheres -- easy to replace DIY)
-on the Green label, make sure the idle is smooth-- the PCV valve is a potential point of weakness as on the bmw 4.4 however because of the turbo system, much harder to get to on the green label
-compression test for 2000-2001
-cam shaft failure on 2002-2006 models
-do the remote key fobs work correctly
-have the interior a/c recirculation filters been changed regularly? if these aren't changed the hvac blower motor resistor can fail (too much draw because of dirty filters) and the interior of the front half of the car has to come out to replace-- not that different than getting a head gasket replaced!
On the interior, check out the operation of the front cup holder, rear cup holder (both can be broken if you're clumsy), radio flip cover and pop up navigation motor and the power window operation (occasional regulator issues).
If you do end up getting one (which you should, they are great reliable cars with far more presence than the GT series) I would recommend replacing the batteries with AGM batteries such as the Sears Platinum Die Hard batteries. If you end up with a Green Label, I would also get the transmission fluid changed-- no fluid is a lifetime fluid (just read up on the bmw forums for more info on this). I'd also change the oil a more frequently than recommended. The manuals give a 10k service interval, but I would do some more frequent drains and refills at least the first few times after buying the car.
These are great, reliable cars that are fun to drive and command a presence that makes the GTs feel more like a toyota in comparison. They are also pretty straightforward to work on. For example, the Green Labels shared their brakes with the e38 750il and the Red Label/Black Label brakes are also relatively easy to work on -- no complex computer or process required to change the rear pads like on the GT cars. The green label is a little down on power compared to the red label, but is also a far more rev happy engine that is reliable and a LOT lighter.
If I were to rate the cars/list the pros/cons here's how it would go:
1999-- Green Label, easiest to maintain, lowest cost of ownership, reliable (spend a few $$ update stereo/nav and have a modern car, can also upgrade the front and rear indicator lights easily to improve appearance)
2000-2001-- skip (had teething issues regarding head gasket failures)
2002-2004 Red Label/Black label-- Same car (year wise), turbos improved, side airbags were added in here somewhere, terrible failures of the cam shafts -- well known problem, can be difficult to get replacements
2005-2006 Red Label/Black label -- received the updated front end to match the GTs, still suffer from terrible failures of the cam shafts -- well known problem, can be difficult to get replacements
2007 forward -- 6 speed transmission with shift-ability, curtain airbags added, may have also been on 05-06, change to roller cams on engines
If you end up with one, pick up a copy of Bentley Assist (the workshop CD--flying spares has copies) and let us know how it works out!
Unfortunately, your link doesn't seem to work. There is no such car as a 1999 Arnage Red Label. There is a 1998 (UK), 1999, or 2000 (ie the "4.4 birkin blower") Green label. In the US you're only going to see the 99 Green Label with the 4.4 BMW twin turbo engine. The Red Label began in 2000 and had the heavier and more powerful old 6.75 single turbo from the Turbo R. WV didn't want to keep selling a car with a BMW engine after taking ownership.
To lump the 99-01s together and say they all have potential head gasket issues is inaccurate. 2000-2001 certainly did, but the 99 Green label did not.
The engine from the Green label is based on the 4.4 liter used in the bmw e38 v8 (7 series) and bmw 5 series of the same period with two turbos added. If you need engine parts, work done, etc not only are parts readily available but they are relatively "cheap." Certain parts off the 6.75 liter red label engine can be much harder to find and are often far more expensive as they are only available through the dealership. Similarly, the transmission on the Green label is a more modern 5 speed that was also used on the e38 etc, but it could not handle the torque of the old 6.75 so the 2000-2006 Arnarges went back to a 4 speed.
In terms of reliability, you want a good pre-purchase inspection done. In terms of specific things I have noticed in my experience to look out for:
-leaky turbos (as mentioned above)
-issues with the airbag light on the early cars (for '99 there was a replacement wiring loom with lower resistance that addressed this normally)
-is the rear suspension hard? (two gas "spheres" back there, similar to the BMW rear suspension spheres -- easy to replace DIY)
-on the Green label, make sure the idle is smooth-- the PCV valve is a potential point of weakness as on the bmw 4.4 however because of the turbo system, much harder to get to on the green label
-compression test for 2000-2001
-cam shaft failure on 2002-2006 models
-do the remote key fobs work correctly
-have the interior a/c recirculation filters been changed regularly? if these aren't changed the hvac blower motor resistor can fail (too much draw because of dirty filters) and the interior of the front half of the car has to come out to replace-- not that different than getting a head gasket replaced!
On the interior, check out the operation of the front cup holder, rear cup holder (both can be broken if you're clumsy), radio flip cover and pop up navigation motor and the power window operation (occasional regulator issues).
If you do end up getting one (which you should, they are great reliable cars with far more presence than the GT series) I would recommend replacing the batteries with AGM batteries such as the Sears Platinum Die Hard batteries. If you end up with a Green Label, I would also get the transmission fluid changed-- no fluid is a lifetime fluid (just read up on the bmw forums for more info on this). I'd also change the oil a more frequently than recommended. The manuals give a 10k service interval, but I would do some more frequent drains and refills at least the first few times after buying the car.
These are great, reliable cars that are fun to drive and command a presence that makes the GTs feel more like a toyota in comparison. They are also pretty straightforward to work on. For example, the Green Labels shared their brakes with the e38 750il and the Red Label/Black Label brakes are also relatively easy to work on -- no complex computer or process required to change the rear pads like on the GT cars. The green label is a little down on power compared to the red label, but is also a far more rev happy engine that is reliable and a LOT lighter.
If I were to rate the cars/list the pros/cons here's how it would go:
1999-- Green Label, easiest to maintain, lowest cost of ownership, reliable (spend a few $$ update stereo/nav and have a modern car, can also upgrade the front and rear indicator lights easily to improve appearance)
2000-2001-- skip (had teething issues regarding head gasket failures)
2002-2004 Red Label/Black label-- Same car (year wise), turbos improved, side airbags were added in here somewhere, terrible failures of the cam shafts -- well known problem, can be difficult to get replacements
2005-2006 Red Label/Black label -- received the updated front end to match the GTs, still suffer from terrible failures of the cam shafts -- well known problem, can be difficult to get replacements
2007 forward -- 6 speed transmission with shift-ability, curtain airbags added, may have also been on 05-06, change to roller cams on engines
If you end up with one, pick up a copy of Bentley Assist (the workshop CD--flying spares has copies) and let us know how it works out!
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