[stlgirl]

I hope that I'm posting appropriately. I am new here and apologize in advance if this is in the wrong spot, wrong format, etc.
So, I got my 2011 2.8 X3 on Feb 9th this year. It has the premium, cold weather and technology packages.
It currently has ~700 miles on it.
2 days ago a warning light came on which read "oil temperature sensor malfunction". I took it into the dealer and they didn't have time to look at the car that day but assured me that this was not a big deal. Then today on the way home from work, I turned the A/C on and had only warm air blowing out. I had the dial turned to blue and I had the snowflake-looking button pushed. (I had a BMW 3 series prior to this X3 so I'm pretty used to operating the climate control system).
So my questions are: do you think these 2 problems are related--ie, like sensor issues? do you think I got a lemon? what kind of things do i need to make sure they check? and, anyone else have these probs?
thanks in advance for any advice or words of wisdom.

[Lotus7]

Originally Posted by stlgirl

I hope that I'm posting appropriately. I am new here and apologize in advance if this is in the wrong spot, wrong format, etc.
So, I got my 2011 2.8 X3 on Feb 9th this year. It has the premium, cold weather and technology packages.
It currently has ~700 miles on it.
2 days ago a warning light came on which read "oil temperature sensor malfunction". I took it into the dealer and they didn't have time to look at the car that day but assured me that this was not a big deal. Then today on the way home from work, I turned the A/C on and had only warm air blowing out. I had the dial turned to blue and I had the snowflake-looking button pushed. (I had a BMW 3 series prior to this X3 so I'm pretty used to operating the climate control system).
So my questions are: do you think these 2 problems are related--ie, like sensor issues? do you think I got a lemon? what kind of things do i need to make sure they check? and, anyone else have these probs?
thanks in advance for any advice or words of wisdom.

A few people on this and other X3 forums have reported having problems with the oil level sensor, but not the oil temperature sensor. The temp. sensor problem is probably minor, and is either a wire that fell off the sensor, or at worst an actual bad sensor. Either will be easy to fix. It's extremely unlikely that these problems are related.

Haven't heard anyone yet report A/C problems, but since it's a constant problem (no cold air) it "should" be easy to isolate. Doesn't sound like you received a lemon................yet.

Give the dealer a chance to correct the issues before you panic. Do try to get the dealer to tell you exactly what happened to your car, (not just "it's fixed"), and please report back to the forum when it's resolved.

Good Luck!

[stlgirl]

Thanks Lotus! I needed the "hand-holding" you just provided. These cars are big investments and unfortunately, I don't know a lot about their inner-workings. Love to drive em though. Thanks again and I will def post a follow up after the appointment this Saturday.

[perto]

I post what I believe you can check about the A/C system.
If you press the snowflake button the manual says:
The air is cooled and dehumidified and
– depending on the temperature setting –
warmed again.
If you meant the dial in middle of the top vents its only for colder/warmer air in those vents. So if your temp setting was high enough it will blow warm air. Specially if the out temp was cold the system will in auto try to prevent fogging the inside of windows while you start up your car.

[sfax]

My last car had a problem with A/C blowing out warm/hot air as described and it was down to a broken air compressor. Expensive to replace but you're covered by warranty if you have picked up a bad compressor (that somehow got through quality assurance ). If you switch to Auto and select the lowest temp setting, it should be blowing out cold air immediately

[Hawkshaw]

I don't know about the technical issues, but I'm a little surprised the dealership brushed you off so quickly when you brought it to their attention. I would have expected better customer service - especially if I was worrying that I had a lemon on my hands.

[MA78]

Originally Posted by Hawkshaw

I don't know about the technical issues, but I'm a little surprised the dealership brushed you off so quickly when you brought it to their attention. I would have expected better customer service - especially if I was worrying that I had a lemon on my hands.

This is exactly what I was thinking.

[sfax]

Originally Posted by MA78

This is exactly what I was thinking.

+1 I would not be happy if I went in with a problem with a brand new car at that price and they told me to come back tomorrow

[stlgirl]

Thank you all for the replies. I guess I should clarify: I stopped by the dealership without an appointment and the service advisor said he could work me in within an hour. Unfortunately I didn't have an hour at that point. (This particular dealership used to give out loaners left and right but has recently become more stingy with them--grrr, another gripe for another day).
Anyway, the advisor said that these new X3s are having "several" sensor issues. He said he was "100% sure" that the oil temp sensor malfunction would not cause any irreversible damage.
I have my appointment tomorrow afternoon. I will make sure I talk to the actual mechanic so I can inquire about the compressor. Any other expensive items I should make sure are looked over?
I'll have a full report for all interested parties tomorrow.

[Lotus7]

stigirl,

By chance did you notice if the oil temperature gauge appeared to be working correctly?

Under normal driving conditions, the oil temp. gauge should read somewhere between 205 and 295 deg. F. after you've driven 4 or 5 miles at moderate speeds (under 60 mph). Those temps. are represented by the (2) unmarked gauge lines on either side of the centered "250" deg. mark.

If the gauge is behaving normally, your oil temp. sensor is likely OK and the warning may be due to a loose wire or an error in the iDrive electronics. If the gauge does not show a "normal" reading after driving more than 5 miles, it could still be a wiring issue, but could also be the temp. sensor itself.

Re: The A/C problem. That's a much more complicated system and there are many (literally hundreds) of components, which can cause the loss of A/C function.

They will probably first check that the refrigerant compressor clutch is operating and the that the compressor is actually turning and then go down the list of other likely candidates. On a brand new vehicle, the likelihood is that it's just a simple wire than wasn't connected properly or a control panel switch that's defective or not plugged in all the way, but there are many other components (vacuum servos, electric damper motors, refrigerant pressure sensors,refrigerant leak, etc. etc, that can result in the same malfunction). If it's not one of the obvious, simple fixes, don't be surprised if it takes them a little while to zero in on the cause.

[stlgirl]

Lotus, in fact the oil temp sensor almost always reads lower than 200 degrees. It's funny b/c that's something I've sort of noticed. With my old 325xi the oil temp sensor was always smack dab in the middle-at the 250 degree point. Even after driving to work (15 miles essentially all highway, no traffic) the temp is still low. I'm really glad you pointed this out and explained the significance. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of this input. Even though the vehicle is under warranty, I like to be able to speak (semi) intelligently to the service people. It kind of keeps them on their toes--makes them think they're dealing with someone who has good knowledge of cars...even if that's not the case.
Details to follow tomorrow!

[stlgirl]

Okay here's the skinny:
Went to the dealer today. (In the mean time my oil temp sensor malfunction light is no longer showing up--[??])
Told the service advisor I needed the sensor checked and the a/c checked.
They worked on it for about an hour and then the advisor came back to tell me what was going on.
Apparently the diagnostics didn't pick up a problem with the sensor. Then he said that with respect to the a/c, the freon had "leaked out". He told me he was going to give me a loaner b/c they needed to run further tests to find out where the leak is. I asked him if this was due to some sort of quality control issue. He said, "no, the leak would have just sprung up recently." I asked him how he knew that. He himmed and hawed a bit and so I asked to talk to the actual mechanic.
The mechanic came out and was really nice. He said the same thing about the sensor--that nothing was showing up. I asked him to check the actual sensor b/c I would be pissed beyond recognition if I had to come back and deal with this 2 weeks later. He chuckled a little and said he would check out the sensor. Then he told me about the freon. He thinks that the car left the factory without freon being put in it. He said he would run all the tests to make sure there isn't a leak but that this looks like the car got past some quality control check points. He said that right in front of the service advisor who kind of gave me some stupid sheepish smile.
Since I had the attention of the actual mechanic, I asked him what kind of probs he's seeing with these new X3s. He said that they are still kind of too new and that he hasn't seen much. He has, however, fixed 2 with defective oil LEVEL sensors.
Will let you know if I have any follow ups.
In the mean time I have a sporty 328xi to drive around!

[Brutus1]

You go girl! Keep them on their toes!

[Lotus7]

If the mechanic actually checked the refrigerant pressure and found it to be "0" his explanation is plausible. Although it's not very confidence inspiring to think a car could be sent out without any Freon in the A/C system. If the system had been filled, it would take a major, easy to find, leak to loose all of the charge in so short a period of time.

Regarding the temp. sensor: Sounds like they just checked for any stored error codes in the computer and finding none decided it was just a "glitch". Their thinking is probably: "We'll send the customer home and if it occurs again they will be back and we'll look further, if not, we're off the hook".

In today's service departments, on modern electronically controlled vehicles, the diagnostic computer rules the service dept. To actually check the temperature sensor system would take a little time and require actually physically inspecting the sensor wires, measuring the oil temperature with a temp. probe and, of course, would take time. They probably won't be willing to spend the time unless the error light goes on again.

At 470 miles my own X3 triggered a really "scary" brake system failure warning - multiple red lights on the dash and a "Take the car to your dealer immediately and drive very slowly and carefully" on the iDrive screen. The brakes were fine and after stopping and restarting the car the warning cleared, and it has not recurred again. Another forum member had the exact same "brake error" warning occur multiple times and left his car at his dealer for (I believe) three days, they couldn't fine anything wrong and gave it back with no repair done.

With a relatively new model, some production "glitches" are inevitable. Fortunately, as several owners have the same issue occur, the word will eventually get back to the BMW engineers and they will issue a TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) when they have a "fix". Buying any car in the first year of production, especially one as complex as a X3 involves some early production "debugging". These issues are usually resolved fairly quickly, but can be a pain for the "first adopters" (us). On the other hand, we have had the use of a technically advanced piece of machinery, whether it's a X3, a first gen iPhone or a first gen iPad.

All you can do is to keep an eye on the oil temps., and run the A/C every day or so and note any lost cooling capacity. If the system does have a leak it will shut down if the pressure gets too low before it damages the compressor.

[raleedy]

Freon? FREON???

[Btt335]

Hello guys, I am a new owner of a bmw X3 35 whit all packages and the first day that I picked up the car one hour latter the dash show me one problem whit one head light, now the car has five days on the dealer and the car is not fixed yet,and every time I call the service they say the car is to new and we don't have the part yet , sorry for the inconvenience!!!!!! I'M NOT HAPPY WITH THISSSSSSSSSS PROBLEM. NOT ONLY THE MONEY I SPEND ON A NEW BMW THE ULTIMATE DRIVING MACHINE......

[MA78]

Originally Posted by raleedy

Freon? FREON???

[MA78]

Originally Posted by betto0515

Hello guys, I am a new owner of a bmw X3 35 whit all packages and the first day that I picked up the car one hour latter the dash show me one problem whit one head light, now the car has five days on the dealer and the car is not fixed yet,and every time I call the service they say the car is to new and we don't have the part yet , sorry for the inconvenience!!!!!! I'M NOT HAPPY WITH THISSSSSSSSSS PROBLEM. NOT ONLY THE MONEY I SPEND ON A NEW BMW THE ULTIMATE DRIVING MACHINE......

Huh?

[jaymk5]

Originally Posted by betto0515

Hello guys, I am a new owner of a bmw X3 35 whit all packages and the first day that I picked up the car one hour latter the dash show me one problem whit one head light, now the car has five days on the dealer and the car is not fixed yet,and every time I call the service they say the car is to new and we don't have the part yet , sorry for the inconvenience!!!!!! I'M NOT HAPPY WITH THISSSSSSSSSS PROBLEM. NOT ONLY THE MONEY I SPEND ON A NEW BMW THE ULTIMATE DRIVING MACHINE......

We are seeing more problems reported these days this makes me really concerned about my decision on x3. Mine started production past week and I am very worried at this point

[jijioben]

For every one problem that's posted, there are usually many more happy customers. I was a bit worried about buying a "version one" car but it's not like they never tested it until the first one was sold, and although there are glitches overall many cars have had zero problems. I am also confident that BMW will avoid any bad advertising that could come from a poorly handled recall (see Toyota). Any sufficiently complex system will have problems, and car definitely qualify. Now the ball is in the service depts. court, hoping they take care of any such glitch in the professional manner that BMW customers expect... I'll stay optimistic - for now

[Lotus7]

Originally Posted by raleedy

Freon? FREON???

Good catch!

Since stigirl quoted the mechanic as saying "He thinks that the car left the factory without freon being put in it." I thought I'd just carry on the convention. Of course everyone knows that we don't use ozone layer poisoning Freon-12 in vehicles any more and X3s SHOULD actually be filled with R-134a, 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane or sometimes called "HFC-134a which is not Freon.

Unfortunately, any auto mechanic who has been in the business more than 10 years or so still calls it "Freon".

[Lotus7]

Originally Posted by jaymk5

We are seeing more problems reported these days this makes me really concerned about my decision on x3. Mine started production past week and I am very worried at this point

Don't worry - Be happy!

Since modern vehicles, whether they're BMWs, Toyotas, Hondas, Audis or vehicle xxxx, typically contain upwards of 20 dedicated microprocessors and/or programmable logic arrays, several million lines of code, thousands of feet of cable, and components made in dozens of different countries, all assembled by robots, occasional errors and defective components are inevitable. I've owned Fiats (a first generation early 1973 X-1/9) that was dead reliable and a new Audi and a Jag that were constantly in for minor repairs. If you're lucky, you may be one of the 90 percent of new owners who have no problems and are delighted with their cars, if you're not, then its back to the dealer.

We (owners) want faster, more economical, more space efficient, safer cars but than worry about the added complexity we’re demanding.

Sony and Panasonic have reputations for making the most reliable consumer electronics ever produced, but if you read the reviews at any retail sales website, you will find plenty of irate owners who have had problems. The satisfied customers are not the ones who write complaints.

Buying an early production version of anything carries a higher risk then buying a model that's been out for 3 or 4 years. At least with a company like BMW, the likelihood of a fix coming along quickly is very high, since the last thing the factory wants is a vehicle that is costing them tons of cash (profits) in warranty repairs.

If the risk of owning a new X3 is too high for your comfort level, you might consider looking for a clean 1980 Honda Accord. I once owned one and it was as reliable as a hammer.

rant mode OFF!