[BMWfan73]

I'm shopping around for my first X3 and came across a 2015 35i with 60K miles. Carfax history is a little thin, 2 owners. Services seemed to have taken place on schedule at the local BMW dealership, but as of 2 years ago (into the second owner), no further reports of service (after almost 2 years of 2nd ownership). Anything I should be considering for upcoming services at this mileage? Car is very clean, almost spotless. Everything looks great. Any time bombs on this model/year?

[najnad]

Are you buying from a private seller, dealer, or BMW dealer? Not all shops, esp indy shops, report to the carfax database for routine maintenance, so ask about what maintenance has been done where you think there is a gap. Nothing unusual coming up in theory other than trans/transfer/diff fluid changes, lots of threads on this topic.

[frisbeeguy]

Originally Posted by BMWfan73

I'm shopping around for my first X3 and came across a 2015 35i with 60K miles. Carfax history is a little thin, 2 owners. Services seemed to have taken place on schedule at the local BMW dealership, but as of 2 years ago (into the second owner), no further reports of service (after almost 2 years of 2nd ownership). Anything I should be considering for upcoming services at this mileage? Car is very clean, almost spotless. Everything looks great. Any time bombs on this model/year?

I'd recommend to buy Carly and try the "used car check"....it'll probably report the car as "bad in health," which is normal cause codes are not cleared often...main idea is to see what codes were present in the past to give you an idea of what was fixed/repaired....clear the codes and test drive again...any codes that pop up in carly again are the trouble spots for the vehicle.

[BMWfan73]

Thanks! I'll check out Carly.

Originally Posted by frisbeeguy

I'd recommend to buy Carly and try the "used car check"....it'll probably report the car as "bad in health," which is normal cause codes are not cleared often...main idea is to see what codes were present in the past to give you an idea of what was fixed/repaired....clear the codes and test drive again...any codes that pop up in carly again are the trouble spots for the vehicle.

[pungo]

Originally Posted by frisbeeguy

I'd recommend to buy Carly and try the "used car check"....it'll probably report the car as "bad in health," which is normal cause codes are not cleared often...main idea is to see what codes were present in the past to give you an idea of what was fixed/repaired....clear the codes and test drive again...any codes that pop up in carly again are the trouble spots for the vehicle.

If I was selling my vehicle and someone showed up wanting to connect some phone app and start manipulating my ECUs, I'd be hesitant to allow it. I wouldn't have any problem connecting my laptop with ista+ and showing them there aren't any faults.

[frisbeeguy]

Originally Posted by pungo

If I was selling my vehicle and someone showed up wanting to connect some phone app and start manipulating my ECUs, I'd be hesitant to allow it. I wouldn't have any problem connecting my laptop with ista+ and showing them there aren't any faults.

lol. I can understand the cautiousness. Most sellers/places allow it (of course always best to tell seller what you will do before taking action). You're not manipulating the ECU though (that's coding)...just reading past/present faults, clearing them, and seeing which ones return....the ones that do return always indicate a problem (most of the time not affecting drive-ability). Same thing that that ISTA+ does, except ISTA is more advanced.

[Wgosma]

Pay a reputable mechanic to perform a pre-purchase inspection....money in the bank when buying any used Bimmer. I've been driving BMW's for 15+ years, every car I've purchased was used, original owner- every one inspected by independent shop on my dime. It's great to have complete service history but IMO not a substitute for an inspection.



water pump failures at relatively low mileage (50-75K miles) are not uncommon- replacement runs in range of $1200.

Good luck/Bill

[BMWfan73]

I had Lemon Squad check out the car for me (it's located in another state). I highly recommend them for out of area inspections. Very thorough and well worth the money!

[pungo]

Originally Posted by frisbeeguy

lol. I can understand the cautiousness. Most sellers/places allow it (of course always best to tell seller what you will do before taking action). You're not manipulating the ECU though (that's coding)...just reading past/present faults, clearing them, and seeing which ones return....the ones that do return always indicate a problem (most of the time not affecting drive-ability). Same thing that that ISTA+ does, except ISTA is more advanced.

I'm well aware of the difference between coding, programing, reading and clearing error codes as I've been doing all those for a many many years. Using a phone app and clearing codes is still making changes to the ECU(s) stored values, maybe manipulating is too strong of a term. Still, I wouldn't let some Joe Blow with a phone app/dongle connect it to my vehicle. Like I said, if they were that that concerned, I'd connect it to ista+ and show them that way.

[pungo]

Originally Posted by BMWfan73

I had Lemon Squad check out the car for me (it's located in another state). I highly recommend them for out of area inspections. Very thorough and well worth the money!

Never heard of them. So how did it check out, are you buying it?

[Wgosma]

Originally Posted by pungo

Never heard of them. So how did it check out, are you buying it?

...I got curious and took a look at this company's reviews on YELP, ugh - they have more than their fair share of one star reviews; granted, the bad news always travels fast and one must read online reviews with a grain or two of salt, lots of people simply like to rant, etc. Let's hope OP's car is a clean and trouble- free as it sounds.

Personally I have always had my car's inspected in a shop that has a lift - couple of times I traveled in excess of 500 miles for the car but worth the time and expense; BMW's are not cheap to have repaired - I DIY a lot of things but some jobs are clearly out of my reach and Mr. Mechanic is necessary at times.

[pungo]

Originally Posted by Wgosma

...I got curious and took a look at this company's reviews on YELP, ugh - they have more than their fair share of one star reviews; granted, the bad news always travels fast and one must read online reviews with a grain or two of salt, lots of people simply like to rant, etc. Let's hope OP's car is a clean and trouble- free as it sounds.

Personally I have always had my car's inspected in a shop that has a lift - couple of times I traveled in excess of 500 miles for the car but worth the time and expense; BMW's are not cheap to have repaired - I DIY a lot of things but some jobs are clearly out of my reach and Mr. Mechanic is necessary at times.

I did a quick search on Lemon Squad and there were way more 1 star bad reviews than all other reviews, taking the reviews with a grain of salt, but there we a lot of people ended up with undetected issues. Since they don't use a lift, I'd be skeptical of how well of an inspection they can perform without one



I've always inspected vehicles myself and have the experience to know what to look for. I create a long list of items check specific to that vehicle. It does take a lot of time to do a thorough inspection, but in the long run, it pays off. Even though I do all my own work, I want to know about any work that's needed prior to the purchase so I can calculate that into the cost of the vehicle or even pass on it.

[frisbeeguy]

Usually the best route for being 100% sure for PPI’s are to do it with an independent bmw mechanic...imo....seen ppl like lemonsquad on M3 forums.

[tracer bullet]

Agreed to all the above. I'd have a specialist check it out - independent or dealer. You'll have to pay for it but the seller may be willing to do it. Mine was when I got my 135i from Philadelphia (bought my X3 locally from a dealer with warranty). And for not much listed for maintenance, it may still have been done. I DIY most of my stuff and can show it to an extent with record keeping and receipts of things like buying the oil. I guess if I had to sell the car the buyer would have to trust me, there's that, but he point is that it may have been well taken care of.

[BMWfan73]

Since Lemon Squad contracts out to ASE mechanics in the area that you need, the level of detail/inspection can probably be hit-miss. My inspector did a very thorough job detailing items and sent me about 75 pictures. He literally crawled underneath the car and took pictures front to back. Took close ups of the brake pads, inside the oil cap, etc. Here's the basic summary:

This BMW ran and drove well. On the exterior I noted there are minor misc scratches around the vehicle. This is normal for the mileage and most were too small to see in photos. The front bumper shows chipping in 2 locations. The wipers and all of the exterior lights worked as designed.The tires were all at 7/32 tread depth.

Inside I noted there is very light wear to the seats. The rear cup holder door is sticky. The door panels and interior trim are in excellent condition. I noted no smoke or odd odors inside the vehicle. All of the gauges worked as designed and the check engine light was off. The stereo and climate controls worked well.

Under the hood I noted full fluids. There were no engine bay leaks. The maintenance indicator shows the brake fluid is due for a service. In noted one code pending, P0440. More diagnosis needed. Inspection inside of oil fill cap shows clean oil with no sludge or indications of water mixing. Photos provided of car computer show oil is at proper level and due for a change in 7000 miles. Other service items are all satisfactory (per car's computer system).

I found no issues on the test drive. The engine had plenty of power and there were no misfires or excessive smoking. The transmission shifted as designed with no harsh engagement or slipping. The steering was responsive and the suspension was firm and the vehicle handled well. There were no abnormal vibrations or odd noises. The brakes were firm with no pulsation felt. There were no leaks found to the underside of the vehicle.

I have purchased the vehicle and my wife and I will be flying next week to pick it up and drive it back home (~850 miles).

[pungo]

Congrats on the purchase!
Sounds like from the report, you got one of the more competent inspectors. I guess you'll find out if the report matches the vehicle condition when you pick it up. Enjoy the long test drive back home...

[BMWfan73]

Thanks! I'm glad the tech was thorough and competent. Being 800+ miles away from the vehicle can be tough. I'm guessing the bad reviews are either from people who were unlucky in who lemon squad contracted with or they got the vehicle despite the tech's findings, ignored it and now they hate the vehicle and are blaming LS for it. Either way, it looks like I lucked out. This is going to be the loooooongest 8 days wait before we take delivery of the car.

Originally Posted by pungo

Congrats on the purchase!
Sounds like from the report, you got one of the more competent inspectors. I guess you'll find out if the report matches the vehicle condition when you pick it up. Enjoy the long test drive back home...

[Wgosma]

Originally Posted by BMWfan73

I'm shopping around for my first X3 and came across a 2015 35i with 60K miles.... Anything I should be considering for upcoming services at this mileage?

If you're not familiar with BMW's you might want to read this blurb about maintenance, look here https://www.autoblog.com/2016/08/31/...ZDhO2_CR-tmxrl

BMW touts 'lifetime' fluids in the transmission, transfer case and differentials - you'd do well to plan to have these fluids replaced in/around the 75K mile mark and again at about 150K miles. I'd suggest you get regular motor oil/filter changes at 6-8K mileage intervals and ignore what the car's CBS tells you. If there is no record of the coolant system ever being drained/flushed/refilled then I'd get that done in the not too distant future.

For the most part these cars are reliable and of course make for a great driving experience, but they do require diligence when it comes to regular and preventative maintenance - they are not like a Toyota or Honda, they don't get on well if service is neglected.

Good luck, enjoy your trip and new ride!

[383vett]

Sounds like a winner. Good luck. Show us some pics when you pick it up.

[andrewomatic]

Great purchase, good luck. What was the price out of curiosity?

When you get it, happy to help install a CarPlay retrofit if you're interested. I just went through the whole process for my own 2015 F25 35i so it's all top of mind.

[j2dad5389]

Originally Posted by andrewomatic

Great purchase, good luck. What was the price out of curiosity?

When you get it, happy to help install a CarPlay retrofit if you're interested. I just went through the whole process for my own 2015 F25 35i so it's all top of mind.

I'd definitely be interested in this. PM me!

[BMWfan73]

Thanks everyone for the feedback and congrats. The first BMW I owned was back in 1992 - a nice Alpine White 325i (My X3 is also AW, wanted to "relive" the days) so I'm still a bit familiar with the brand. By the time I traded it in, it had 275K miles on it and still going strong. I just needed (at that time) an SUV sized vehicle. I've always been a DIY guy so wrenching and doing my own maintenance is pretty fun for me so I'll be sure to be on top of this. I currently own a Land Rover, so doing lots of maintenance and upkeep is not new to me. As soon as I get it home, I've already got plans to do a baseline on all of the fluids (brake, coolant, oil, diffs, transmission and xfer case) and change them out. Next I'll get to sparks and coils, then brakes. Then I'll move on to coding some settings, maaaaybe a mild tune and that's about it for me. I don't want to "rice" it out or take it too far away from it's original form. Now I just need to find a shop manual so I can figure some things out. Any idea where I can get one?