According to my son, the mechanic, German cars are way more difficult to repair than Japanese and American cars. Something about the way they arrange things under the hood, it is very difficult to get to certain parts, and he often has to take other parts out to get to the part that needs repair. I am not surprised that repairs on German cars cost more. Our standing joke is that if he says he had a bad day, I ask if he had to work on a German car.