[Drnelly]

Originally Posted by Harplayr

Show me a car maker that doesn’t have a thriving service department and I’ll be the first in line to buy that car.

All in all this has been the most trouble free car I’ve owned. I feel bad for the few that have experienced problems, but I don’t find anything alarming about the frequency or severity of most of the problems that have been reported to date.

Water pooling every time it rains is pretty severe, not to mention all the other issues I've encountered ...

[Dukat]

Originally Posted by Drnelly

Water pooling every time it rains is pretty severe, not to mention all the other issues I've encountered ...

As much as it sucks, I can understand a mechanical failure, but leaks should not happen ever, unless you're parked in 2 feet of water.

I understand forums are typically negative because people are more likely to come when they have an issue then when everything is working well; but it still makes me worry.

I knew someone who took their VW to the dealer for oil changes because they didn't trust the $10 quick lube shops. They put too much oil in, and after about 10 miles the oil cap blew and spilled oil all over the engine.

Drnelly, do you get water in the car if you wash it with a hose, or only from prolonged rainfall?

[Harplayr]

Originally Posted by married w/X3

I would wonder if you were a member of an Internet enthusiast forum for those other brands you owned. The range of experiences available in this context is probably the same for any brand.

I agree.
While I feel bad for those that have had problems, the relatively few problem posts here don’t cause me much concern. It’s when there are hundreds of people experiencing unrepeatable severe problems that I get alarmed.

For example I had a 2010 Subaru Outback. There is a known problem with the ones built in North America that causes the steering wheel to shake radically at highway speeds. There were hundreds of people reporting this problem (I was one of those unfortunate people) and now almost 2 years later the problem is not completely resolved. Most had to lemon or dump the car, and Subaru put a few band aid TSB’s out there to mask the problem.
The problem was so severe, they had to open a separate forum section to handle all the complaints and discussion!
http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/...-shake-issues/

Another example with BMW is the problems they had with the HPFP a couple of years ago. This spanned a long time and impacted many people.

A smattering of miscellaneous complaints with the F-25 while bad for those unlucky enough to have a car that isn’t perfect is not in that league.

[skier219]

Originally Posted by married w/X3

I would wonder if you were a member of an Internet enthusiast forum for those other brands you owned. The range of experiences available in this context is probably the same for any brand.

Yes, and I stated farther up that I realize that we tend to hear more bad news on car forums like this, so you do have to weigh that in. In the case of the X3, I really perceive the defect/quality issues to be higher than other new vehicles I have experience with.

[greg2step]

Harplayr - fully agree - still scary to ready a story of a lemon a few weeks after getting my X3 - but Lemons happen in every make and model - if they didn't we wouldn't need lemon laws.

Dukat - leaks happen in other cars as well - my 2003 passat had a leak in one rain storm - right front passenger seat floor area filled w/ 6" of water and fried the transmission electronic control until which was located under that area. car spent 3 days drying out and getting new electronics in the shop - fixed under warranty. on VWvortex Passat forum there was only a small handful of accounts of this.

VW dealer blamed it on failed seal around cabin air filter and replaced that as well. never happened again.

1 account on VWvortex after my incident - same exact problem with a 2003 passat from a guy in NY - but his dealer wasn't going to warranty cover it - he emailed me for advice - fortunatley i didn't have that issue - that Transmission ECU is like a $1500 part.

Drnelly and Olvrct when did you take delivery? how early in the run of 2011 X3's were yours built? i do feel bad for you both - Drnelly i would assume BMW is handling this well if you are ending up in another BMW.

[Drnelly]

Originally Posted by Dukat

Drnelly, do you get water in the car if you wash it with a hose, or only from prolonged rainfall?

It happens every time it rains. Light or heavy rain will do as long as it's continuous (over 20 mins or so).

Spoke to the dealership today, they seem to want to process a "trade assist" with BMW NA. I don't know anything abou what this means. Although I assume it means they will provide me with a new car at no cost. The problem is, I am not stepping foot on an X3 again, at least not this generation's. Hopefully they will accomodate and put me in a 535 even if I have to pay much higher lease.

[Drnelly]

Originally Posted by greg2step

Drnelly and Olvrct when did you take delivery? how early in the run of 2011 X3's were yours built? i do feel bad for you both - Drnelly i would assume BMW is handling this well if you are ending up in another BMW.

That remains to be seen, the dealership seems cooperative and so far, they are confident that my demands/concerns will be addressed. Let's see how this unravels after my meeting with the GM of the dealership tomorrow.

Thank you for your sympathy. At the moment, I appreciate all words of support.

[married w/X3]

Drnelly, Looking forward to hear what happens at the dealer. Wish you the best of luck.

[married w/X3]

Originally Posted by Want the thrill

True, when in sport mode, there is no lag. OP, sorry to hear about all the problems with your vehicle. That really, really sucks!

My wife just got back from a Philly, PA to Purchase, NY round trip. Hit stop-n-go traffic on the way back. She HATED the throttle lag. And we don't have sport mode

[married w/X3]

Originally Posted by skier219

Yes, and I stated farther up that I realize that we tend to hear more bad news on car forums like this, so you do have to weigh that in. In the case of the X3, I really perceive the defect/quality issues to be higher than other new vehicles I have experience with.

Yes, that's fair. Of course if reliability was all I wanted, I would have gotten another Accord to replace my rock solid, trouble free and boring '06 model. But the X3 is much more interesting and fun. Not expecting it to match the Honda's lack of problems. Just hoping they are minor, fixable and few.

[mibmwx3]

Originally Posted by married w/X3

My wife just got back from a Philly, PA to Purchase, NY round trip. Hit stop-n-go traffic on the way back. She HATED the throttle lag. And we don't have sport mode

I haven't noticed the lag since I had the software update.

[Dukat]

Originally Posted by mibmwx3

I haven't noticed the lag since I had the software update.

How long ago did you get those updates? You think 2012's have the new programming?

[mibmwx3]

Originally Posted by Dukat

How long ago did you get those updates? You think 2012's have the new programming?

about a month ago - I would think that the 2012's have the update.

[skier219]

Originally Posted by married w/X3

Yes, that's fair. Of course if reliability was all I wanted, I would have gotten another Accord to replace my rock solid, trouble free and boring '06 model. But the X3 is much more interesting and fun. Not expecting it to match the Honda's lack of problems. Just hoping they are minor, fixable and few.

Oh, I agree 100% -- the X3 is a wonderful vehicle. I can just imagine how a boring old Accord would seem pretty good when someone's new X3 leaks like a sieve...

[married w/X3]

Originally Posted by mibmwx3

I haven't noticed the lag since I had the software update.

What was the reason for your software upgrade?

[married w/X3]

Originally Posted by skier219

Oh, I agree 100% -- the X3 is a wonderful vehicle. I can just imagine how a boring old Accord would seem pretty good when someone's new X3 leaks like a sieve...

So true.

[hhlo]

sorry to hear that..

[mibmwx3]

Originally Posted by married w/X3

What was the reason for your software upgrade?

I brought my car in for a few rattles. They did the update without telling me. I noticed that the backup camera view was different and checked the version.