Ask the Car People.SM


BMW X3 Reliability

41 messages,  Last post on Feb 23, 2013 at 2:01 PM

You are in the BMW X3 & X5 Forum.

What is this discussion about? BMW X3, BMW X5, SUV

Messages Page 4 of 5

#23 of 41 Re: The new math [pp2009pp] by Stever@Edmunds HOST

Feb 28, 2010 (2:40 pm)

Replying to: pp2009pp (Feb 28, 2010 2:15 pm)
We have a True Cost to Own tool that's based on more than a couple of data points.
 
Unless my math is wrong, the maintenance and repair costs for a 2010 X3 will run you .06 cents a mile over 5 years/75,000 miles. .067 if you drag the decimal points out a bit.
 
That's a bit more than the .058 I come up with for a '10 Lexus RX 350 (link), but a good bit less than the .086 the MB GLK will run you. (link)
 
Edmunds also offers reliability ratings on most new cars, at least through the 2006 model year. The X3 isn't stellar there (but better than the Mercedes):
 
BMW X3 Reliability

#24 of 41 Knock on wood again by pp2009pp

Feb 28, 2010 (2:58 pm)

People seem to think that the X3 is more reliable than the average BMW. I am knocking on its little tin head everyday hoping that it will be above average instead of like this one below. Since the AT is already problematic, I am also hoping that it isn't like the no-reverse situation that has cropped up in other models (older, higher miles than most X3s so far) is reportedly $3K-$7K to fix.
 
I still don't understand what it is about water inside the cabin though. It seems to occur on some X5's as well. Why do clogged drains in the roof cause water to drain into the cabin? Just how common is this in other cars? I remember originally hearing about it in an Audi with the water running down the side of the interior and rusting out the seat bolts.
 
"Yeah, the quote did make me smile though. I remembered helping 06BMWX3 helping out finding lowest price for these springs on this very forum and the price was in range of 140-200 from various resources. Dealer quoted me almost thrice, but thankfully CPO covers it.
 
Having said that, in past (almost) 2 years that I have owned this car if I didn't have warranty I would have spent close to 7-8 k on maintenance, assuming I get it done from dealer. I had sunroof cassette go bad (3.5k), driver side seat leatherette cracking (1k), brake pads + rotor replaced (~1k), passenger seat replaced under recall, low gear holding program applied to car (150), and now the coil springs (1.5k). Except the brakes all other things point to poor quality in either material or engineering. "

#25 of 41 Re: The new math [pp2009pp] by roadburner

Feb 28, 2010 (3:25 pm)

Replying to: pp2009pp (Feb 28, 2010 2:15 pm)
Well at least you remembered that the first 50,000 miles were free.
 
I never said the first 50,000 miles weren't free. I just broke it down further to show that the per mile expense wasn't bad no matter whether you factor in the first 50,000 miles or not.
 
Do you have the optional seat heaters and, if so, are they still working?
 
Four of my BMWs have been equipped with heated seats and I've never experienced a problem.
 
DIY doesn't count as 99% of people are never going to DIY anything more than washing their car and not even that these days.
 
Work on reading for comprehension; my DIY changes were in addition to the factory servicing requirements. The $50 spent on each of those changes actually increases the cents per mile calculation.
 
As I have said repeatedly, it is the roll of the dice and one or two data points do not a significant picture make. When the dice come up badly the repair costs are very high. That is the way the car industry works.
 
Yes, you do keep saying that. And each time you you fail to present any statistical data to support your statements.
 
It is irresponsible financially to pay up to your maximum budget for a pricey used car somehow expecting the additional 'quality' to mean lower repair costs.
 
I've never said that someone on a tight budget should try to own any car without leaving enough money in reserve to pay for repairs. All I've done is refute the unsubstantiated and preposterous claims and cost numbers that have been tossed around.
 
Not everyone has a good, responsible, honest independent mechanic in their area and then they are at the mercy of the massive mark ups of the dealership.
 
Do you mean the massive mark ups that you quoted based on hearsay? That are approximately three times the amount that I've paid at my dealer?

#26 of 41 Re: Knock on wood again [pp2009pp] by roadburner

Feb 28, 2010 (3:14 pm)

Replying to: pp2009pp (Feb 28, 2010 2:58 pm)
People seem to think that the X3 is more reliable than the average BMW. I am knocking on its little tin head everyday hoping that it will be above average instead of like this one below.
 
You should be fine; what are you averaging now, 1000 miles per year? Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't one of the BMW forums you frequent create a separate topic thread just for you to house your litany of complaints?

#27 of 41 X3 reliability and cheer leading for zero effect by pp2009pp

Feb 28, 2010 (4:45 pm)

Most X3's have less than 100K miles on them but the litany of complaints is VERY robust.
 
- Pano roof leaking pouring water inside the cabin of the car - what?
- Door seals leaking doing the same - what?
- transmission problems - that is its own universe it has become such an issue:
--hard engine braking/downshifting
--failure to accelerate
--rocky, bumpy, hesitating shifting
--holding onto gears while going uphill
- heated seats burning people - what?
- coil spring breaking off their pigtails - what?
- bumpy, rocky, swaying, uncomfortable ride
- HVAC system instantly fogging the windows
 
Some of us pay attention and keep track of the actual issues and do not presume that a single data point means anything.

#28 of 41 Re: X3 reliability and cheer leading for zero effect [pp2009pp] by roadburner

Feb 28, 2010 (9:11 pm)

Replying to: pp2009pp (Feb 28, 2010 4:45 pm)
As I've said, people can read our respective posts and judge for themselves as to which ones are credible and which are preposterous.
For the last time, enjoy your X3.
Let us know when yours reaches 1500 miles.

#29 of 41 Let's add them up by pp2009pp

Mar 01, 2010 (1:15 pm)

Me: Naming very specific issues that many others have commented on and can easily be found by googling them.
 
Not me: forgets about the free maintenance and warranty.
 
Very specifically, the X3 when it behaves itself it is lots of fun to drive. It has a tight turning radius, it has plenty of power, it has great brakes. The manual mode is interesting especially as it doesn't let you do anything too stupid. It has plenty of interior room yet it fits easily into a small parking space.
 
Now imagine how good it could have been if BMW had made some reasonable changes: kept the original AT, upgraded the instruments, did something with the pano roof that didn't include leaking, fixed the heated seat situation when they fixed the passenger side airbag situation (I think they are the same problem but I am not sure), made the suspension reasonable, etc.
 
It coulda, woulda owned this segment as the most popular 'luxury' SUV is the Lexus and there isn't a junior version of that car.

#30 of 41 Re: X3 reliability and cheer leading for zero effect [roadburner] by woodyww

Apr 20, 2010 (11:38 am)

Replying to: roadburner (Feb 28, 2010 9:11 pm)
Would pp2009pp tell us his efforts at his bmw dealer getting them to resolve the problems? But in all these months, I've never heard one post in the dozens or hundreds of posts bashing X3's by him detailing the efforts to get his X3 fixed, if any.......
 
And if it's truly a Lemon, well there are Lemon Laws. And if there really are problems, people here could give you advice, if you asked. Or you could could sell this Horrible vehicle.
 
Problem solving, or ending, now there's a concept..... but why do I think that's not the point?

#31 of 41 Re: X3 reliability and cheer leading for zero effect [woodyww] by pp2009pp

May 10, 2010 (6:38 pm)

Replying to: woodyww (Apr 20, 2010 11:38 am)
The car has a few thousand miles on it and it has been back at the dealership too many times with no resolution. It isn't enough to trigger the state's lemon laws (yet) but is enough to cause a WTH moment when it bounces down the street or stops abruptly for no known reason.
 
I have come to the conclusion that it is what it is and BMW cannot or does not want to fix it. Maybe the new bodystyle from the stateside plant will fix it...or not. It could also make things worse.
 
Have you actually tried to LL a vehicle? It has to be in the shop for a designated number of days and/or have serious safety problems. Just because someone builds a bad car does not make it a lemon in the eyes of the law.
 
As long as I own this car it will have these problems because they are not getting fixed.

#32 of 41 Re: X3 reliability and cheer leading for zero effect [pp2009pp] by Stever@Edmunds HOST

May 10, 2010 (8:42 pm)

Replying to: pp2009pp (May 10, 2010 6:38 pm)
The lemon law is ridiculously weak here in Idaho. But it's not an exclusive remedy here - instead of suing under the lemon law, you can just sue under a breach of warranty claim. It still "helps" to have the car in the shop a number of times but the safety issues probably aren't as big a factor.
 
It might be hard to find an attorney willing to take the case though because your damages may not be high enough to make it worth pursuing. But lots of bar associations offer cheap or free initial consultations if you decide to look into it.

Messages Page 4 of 5

To POST a message, please Sign In.

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement