German made cars are fine as long as you don't own them for more that 3-4 years. After that get your wallet out. The problem is the biodegradable plastic in all aspects of the car as required by German law.
This youtuber,The Car Ninja, works exclusively on German & European cars in Wichita Kansas.
You should not put biodegradable plastics under the hood. You can expect these parts to cook, get brittle and break under the heat.
For the price you expect to pay for the car, you should be entitled to see things like metal hoses under the hood. How much does a metal hose cost over a plastic one? There is no excuse for using say thermostat housings using plastic.
Increasing use of turbochargers increase the heat under the hood. It used to be when it says 530i for example, you get a 3 liter inline six that is naturally aspirated and for standard driving duties, well understressed. You are probably only seeing 70 to 80hp per liter of displacement. Now a 530i would mean a 2.0 liter four with turbocharger and you are getting 120 to 130hp per liter. That is a lot of heat burning under the hood. Not the safest place to put plastic.
One of the worst engine recalls in history has to deal with BMW's turbocharged N63 V8 engine. They placed the turbochargers in a way that managed to cook other parts of the engine. Considering that this is used on the highest end of BMWs, a lot of rich owners are not happy, and there was a class action lawsuit. [As an owner of a car with BMW's M62 V8 engine, where at least the engine itself lasted many years and avoided critical repair, hearing this surprised me.]
I know someone whose car has BMW's B38 engine. This is a turbocharged 1.5 liter engine with 3 cylinders. He said the engine was burning oil. That is not a good sign. That has nothing to do with plastics under the hood. One of those most probable causes of such a thing happening is breaking your piston rings.
