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      12-05-2011, 10:12 PM   #1
xDrive35i
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Service Update

Some of you may know about my luck with the F25, some of you may not. Well, here's the story. I took delivery of a 35i in February 2011 and I was immediately bombarded with a slew of problems. From day five, I experienced stability sensor errors, a suspension clunk, a brake pad warning, rough idling, and some other quality control issues. The suspension clunk saw three dealer visits and a six-week wait for a new steering rack, but nothing changed. As a result of the suspension clunk, which still seeks a remedy (more on that later), I lemoned the car. I drove it less than the service department did from February to June. I was compensated accordingly and given a chance to order a new one with some extra options at no additional cost. So I did that--fully loaded.

I received my "second-chance" in August, and I experienced more problems: a HVAC pump leak, rough idling, and the worst...the suspension clunk. Oh yes. Not only this, the interior of the car suffers some seriously annoying and cheap sounding rattles and shudders.

About two weeks ago, just before bringing it in, a woman so carelessly backed into my passenger door while parked. So now I've brought the car in for the rattles, which should be fixed easily, for the door, which should as well, and for the clunk, which shouldn't.

The service foreman says that he still has my first F25 sitting in the service department as a parts bin and a diagnostics guinea pig. The problem has not yet seen a fix. Believe that. So he told me to keep my car after the rattles and the door are fixed, and he'll keep running tests on my first F25 to find out what the clunking REALLY could be. If he solves it there, he told me, I should bring my car back in so he can fix it accordingly.

Just wanted to give you all an update.

Please let me know if any of you experience the suspension clunk over bumps, expansion joins, speed humps (especially with the wheel turned), and driveways. When the car is off, you can turn the wheel back and forth and hear the steering/suspension components clicking like crazy. It sounds like how I imagine a velvet bag of marbles jangling around in a tennis ball can would sound when moving, but just loud clicking when parked with the car off. I just can't take it anymore.

Oh and what's even more annoying; the service department exhausted all of their 535i loaners to which I had become so accustomed in my service saga (they had some 25 in the fleet) and sold them off as CPOs, so now I'm stuck with a modestly spec'd 328i that, in its first 400 miles, was keyed all the way down the passenger side in a Fed-Ex Kinkos parking lot.

Last edited by xDrive35i; 12-06-2011 at 11:22 PM..
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      12-05-2011, 10:37 PM   #2
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I have heard some sort of "clunk" randomly when backing out of my driveway and in some other instances... It perks my interest but doesn't really alarm me as my car functions brilliantly.

Sorry for your misfortunes. Hopefully they fix everything. My X3 has been perrrrrfect.
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      12-06-2011, 03:54 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by juddholland View Post
Some of you may know about my luck with the F25, some of you may not. Well, here's the story. I took delivery of a 35i in February 2011 and I was immediately bombarded with a slew of problems. From day five, I experienced stability sensor errors, a suspension clunk, a brake pad warning, rough idling, and some other quality control issues. The suspension clunk saw three dealer visits and a six-week wait for a new steering rack, but nothing changed. As a result of the suspension clunk, which still seeks a remedy (more on that later), I lemoned the car. I drove it less than the service department did from February to June. I was compensated accordingly and given a chance to order a new one with some extra options at no additional cost. So I did that--fully loaded.

I received my "second-chance" in August, and I experienced more problems: a HVAC pump leak, rough idling, and the worst...the suspension clunk. Oh yes. Not only this, the interior of the car suffers some seriously annoying and cheap sounding rattles and shudders.

About two weeks ago, just before bringing it in, a woman so carelessly backed into my passenger door while parked. So now I've brought the car in for the rattles, which should be fixed easily, for the door, which should as well, and for the clunk, which shouldn't.

The service foreman says that he still has my first F25 sitting in the service department as a parts bin and a diagnostics guinea pig. The problem has not yet seen a fix. Believe that. So he told me to keep my car after the rattles and the door are fixed, and he'll keep running tests on my first F25 to find out what the clunking REALLY could be. If he solves it there, he told me, I should bring my car back in so he can fix it accordingly.

Just wanted to give you all an update.

Please let me know if any of you experience the suspension clunk over bumps, expansion joins, speed humps (especially with the wheel turned), and driveways. When the car is off, you can turn the wheel back and forth and hear the steering/suspension components clunking like crazy. It sounds like how I imagine a velvet bag of marbles jangling around in a tennis ball can would sound. I just can't take it anymore.

Oh and what's even more annoying; the service department exhausted all of their 535i loaners to which I had become so accustomed in my service saga (they had some 25 in the fleet) and sold them off as CPOs, so now I'm stuck with a modestly spec'd 328i that, in its first 400 miles, was keyed all the way down the passenger side in a Fed-Ex Kinkos parking lot.
Some how yourself and BMW just do not go together, I would move to another brand if I were you.
Such bad luck.
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      12-06-2011, 04:13 AM   #4
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I've only had one strange noise, just the other day. I was on a roundabout (rotary) so I had lock applied, there was a rough area in the road, nothing bad, as I went over it there was a noise sounding as if I'd just grounded some plastic trim (as happened a lot in my 335), it's a scrapping sound. Clearly this can't have happened in an X3. Is this to sort of noise being discussed here?
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      12-06-2011, 04:45 AM   #5
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I may have heard the same sound hitting potholes. It sounds plasticy, hollow, and to me like it comes from the top of the suspension assembly in the front (don't know what that's called, but that circular, finned area where to top support anchors). Doesn't sound to me like something breaking or failing.
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      12-06-2011, 04:53 AM   #6
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I had a democar from my dealer for a few days during this summer, and I heard the suspension clunk when driving on bumpy gravel roads or when I "accidentally" hit a hole in the road. When driving normal on ordinary roads, nothing could be heard.

Of course, I'm sure everyone have handled the loaner pretty hard.... I'm sure I did


BTW: The loaner had Dynamic Damper Control. I'm still waiting for my 2012 (March) with DDC and hope this is not an issue with DDC.
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      12-06-2011, 04:55 AM   #7
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I wonder if it is. I do have the DDC. I didn't hear anything on washboard type stuff, only really sharp changes that I couldn't avoid. Same?
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      12-06-2011, 04:57 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nahoa View Post
I wonder if it is. I do have the DDC. I didn't hear anything on washboard type stuff, only really sharp changes that I couldn't avoid. Same?
Yep. Only when hitting/driving on sharp edges, washboard gravel.
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      12-06-2011, 05:03 AM   #9
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I know the clunk you are talking about. I never have it while going straight on even seriously rough surfaces, holes or humps , but I do hear it like twice in 10 times as I enter through my gate with steering wheel turned right and slowed down to stop . It is not a regular sound that worn dampers or loose/faulty ball joints etc. would make in other cars , it's more like a metallic sound I am not even sure if it comes from the suspension system or not . It may somehow be related with the clunk some of us hear when reversing, known as being produced by brake pads moving inside calipers, because what I hear is metal hitting metal kind.
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      12-06-2011, 06:50 AM   #10
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i think i heard it this morning going in reverse, i thought i had driven over something
i will try to record it if i can remember to do it
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      12-06-2011, 08:46 AM   #11
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My Z4MC occasionally will make this noise when turning into my driveway and going over the gutter. It always is from the rear of the car. I haven't heard it at any other time.
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      12-06-2011, 09:01 AM   #12
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is it possibly the separate power-steering motor?

http://www.bmw.com/com/en/insights/t..._steering.html
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      12-06-2011, 09:17 AM   #13
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juddholland, listening to your story, I should not complain...my car has been in the shop for now more than 30 days, pulls very hard to the right and they cannot figure out why...changed everything they can think of, including the steering rack.

My question to you: how did you go about with the lemon claim? Did BMW NA do it voluntarily, did you have to ask, or did the dealership do it? My situation might be a bit more complicated since I bought the car from one dealer and am servicing it at another.

I contacted BMW NA last week and they promised to investigate and give me a call back. A week later: nothing.

I thought the lemon-ing was automatic after a certain point, but maybe we need to retain a lawyer. How did you go about it? THanks.
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      12-06-2011, 11:19 AM   #14
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Seems like a lot of people (myself included) have noticed a similar and vague noise during backing up / slow pulling in at high steering angles. It isn't everytime and it doesn't seem to indicate anything is actually broken. Strange.
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      12-06-2011, 12:24 PM   #15
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Must be different.... My pull was quite noticeable. On longer drives (say 30 mins) I was feeling my arms getting weary. It was either fixing the car or going to the gym...
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      12-06-2011, 01:45 PM   #16
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I get loads of clunks.. the main one is on the tailgate but the more annoying clunks and jolts are under the car.. .i asked them to check steering.. but i dont have my car back from repair still to test it.. will know more tomorrow or friday, but i guess it wont be fixed.
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      12-06-2011, 02:14 PM   #17
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I had a weird clunk sound during turning, could never figure out where exactly it came from even staying in the cargo area while someone else was driving.

Took it in for oil service and told the service rep, they said it was something that came loose inside the lower part of the tailgate and fixed it.

Never heard the sound again in over 2000KMs now.

I was 100% sure it was suspension because it happened on potholes & turning nearly all the time, nothing loud, but just really annoying.

Only clunks left now are the child seats when they are empty heh
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      12-06-2011, 11:17 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by paul386 View Post
Seems like a lot of people (myself included) have noticed a similar and vague noise during backing up / slow pulling in at high steering angles. It isn't everytime and it doesn't seem to indicate anything is actually broken. Strange.
That's the weird part, as there is no danger in this noise, but the dealer suspects something susceptible to high amounts of wear is loose.
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      12-06-2011, 11:19 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by x3valk View Post
juddholland, listening to your story, I should not complain...my car has been in the shop for now more than 30 days, pulls very hard to the right and they cannot figure out why...changed everything they can think of, including the steering rack.

My question to you: how did you go about with the lemon claim? Did BMW NA do it voluntarily, did you have to ask, or did the dealership do it? My situation might be a bit more complicated since I bought the car from one dealer and am servicing it at another.

I contacted BMW NA last week and they promised to investigate and give me a call back. A week later: nothing.

I thought the lemon-ing was automatic after a certain point, but maybe we need to retain a lawyer. How did you go about it? THanks.
No lawyer was needed. The dealership took it upon themselves to phone BMWNA and claim the car as a lemon, which prompted BMWNA to compensate for a completely new one.
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      12-07-2011, 12:51 AM   #20
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Long shot... have them check the rear brakes... I had that same problem with my e90 where i would hear this noise from the back as I was backing up.

Turned out that it was the rear brakes grabbing a little bit when backing up.
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      12-07-2011, 02:11 AM   #21
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Originally Posted by fiddy yen View Post
Long shot... have them check the rear brakes... I had that same problem with my e90 where i would hear this noise from the back as I was backing up.

Turned out that it was the rear brakes grabbing a little bit when backing up.
Well we all know that is a problem, but the problem to which I am referring comes from the front. Thanks for this, though. If we can confirm that people have seen fixes, then the dealerships might feel more comfortable diagnosing the problems in the first place.
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      12-07-2011, 02:05 PM   #22
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Judd I have no idea how you deal with Perillo. I went in the other day to have a window "squeak" fixed and a wire tucked back into the grill. I had to wait an hour just to tell me they needed to keep the car for a day to fix the wire. I was also told that they would need to order a part for the window squeak and it wouldn't get there till January! Needless to say I took it back to the dealer I bought it from(in the suburbs) and they had it fixed in under an hour! The window didn't even need a new part! Anyways good luck with your X3.
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