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      01-09-2014, 01:59 PM   #23
darcyb62
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Update.
I guess there is a BMW engineer coming into the Regina dealership early next week to look at the issue in greater detail. I've been told the dealership here currently has 5 X3s with the same problem. They wouldn't comment on when a fix might be available.
I will keep you all posted.
Driving a Tucson right now. It starts.

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      01-09-2014, 10:25 PM   #24
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Originally Posted by darcyb62 View Post
Driving a Tucson right now. It starts.

That might finish it for me.

I respect Hundai and Kia for what they have accomplished, and for what they are, but I bought a BMW.
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      01-15-2014, 09:40 AM   #25
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Now that we have some cold here too (-15 Celsius in the morning, without windchill effect) I just realized I always use preheating at home.

http://www.defa.com/en/automotive/wa...ngine_heaters/

It warms up the engine a bit before I leave to work. Also I have the interior heater -> windows are open and the cabin is warm.

This all with electric, it is so easy.

If I had problems with the battery discharge, I would also install the battery charger to work with engine heater.
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      01-15-2014, 10:59 PM   #26
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I've only had the problem once so far, and it was a couple of weeks ago when the temp here was -14 F. I called my dealer to ask if they've seen this before, and he responded that they have seen this in extreme cold weather, and it is battery related. If the battery drops even 1 mv below the 12 or 13 volts it should be putting out, it will cause "electrical issues" like this. The two that they see quite a bit is an airbag light, and this drivetrain malfunction.
I haven't seen the error since it's warmed up, so maybe there is some truth behind this. Hope so.
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      01-16-2014, 07:57 AM   #27
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When I first had the issue the dealer said the same thing. They've since determined it to be an issue with the PDM. See above. I've been told engineers have narrowed it down to a component on the PDM and that the dealer is getting the new component to do some testing. If it works they'll be ordering a bunch up to do the outstanding repairs here. I will be following up with them later today.

Last edited by darcyb62; 01-16-2014 at 08:23 AM..
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      01-16-2014, 02:21 PM   #28
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Originally Posted by darcyb62 View Post
When I first had the issue the dealer said the same thing. They've since determined it to be an issue with the PDM. See above. I've been told engineers have narrowed it down to a component on the PDM and that the dealer is getting the new component to do some testing. If it works they'll be ordering a bunch up to do the outstanding repairs here. I will be following up with them later today.
I feel for you,the dealer has had my X3 since December 11th.Same story from them.
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      01-16-2014, 02:44 PM   #29
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I feel for you,the dealer has had my X3 since December 11th.Same story from them.
Ouch. That's a long time. I thought my two weeks was long.
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      01-16-2014, 08:35 PM   #30
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If you get this error can the vehicle be driven right away or do you have to let it sit for about 15 minutes? Seems like everyone says the vehicle starts but get the message too. It says Drive Moderately so if you drive until the engine warms up will it go away? I'm planning a trip into cold country so want to know what I should do if I get this message. I don't have the luxury of stopping at a dealer.
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      01-16-2014, 11:11 PM   #31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cadman50 View Post
If you get this error can the vehicle be driven right away or do you have to let it sit for about 15 minutes? Seems like everyone says the vehicle starts but get the message too. It says Drive Moderately so if you drive until the engine warms up will it go away? I'm planning a trip into cold country so want to know what I should do if I get this message. I don't have the luxury of stopping at a dealer.
When I got the error, mine wouldn't start at all. I heard the engine cranking, but it wouldn't turn over. I let it crank a few times to get it to start, and then after about the 3rd try, I got that drivetrain malfunction error.
I let the car sit for about 3 more minutes, and was persistent and tried starting it again. This time it started! I just let it run for a while, and haven't had any problems since.
In other forums, I've read that some people have gotten it while driving, and had to pull over. I mean, it is a pretty general sounding error...drivetrain could cover lots of things.
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      01-17-2014, 08:44 AM   #32
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The error for me went away after letting the vehicle cool down.

The 1st time it happened to me the car wouldn't start even though the engine was cranking. After about 20 minutes the engine would start but I had the engine malfunction error. After another 30 minutes of cooling that error message went and it was back to normal.

The 2nd and 3rd times it happened I just got the Drivetrain Malfunction error but I was able to start and drive the vehicle with a very restricted performance.

Here is the latest update from the dealer: "I have called our two reps with BMW Canada to get an update as to where we are at. The PDM module that has been sent out as an update needs to be tested in cold climate similar to the weather conditions we had when it failed here. They have a team of engineers that were in Winnipeg and they have developed an updated module and they are flying to Ontario for testing on Monday."
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      01-22-2014, 08:07 AM   #33
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good info! thanks. I'm going to call my dealer to find out if they have any reported incidents and what they do about it. Sure would hate to have this happen and not be near a dealer.
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      01-22-2014, 08:59 AM   #34
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The latest update from dealer says that have designed a fix but needs to be tested. Since the issue is related to extreme cold conditions I've been told that they've put a few X3s on flatbed truck and brought them up to Thompson, Manitoba where they'll be met by a team of BMW engineers for testing. It should all be happening now.
I've asked for updates every couple of days so I will continue to post updates as I get them.
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      01-22-2014, 10:28 PM   #35
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Thanks darcy for keeping us informed !

I'm still wondering if I'll keep my 2011 X3 for a few years, or sell it next summer... SO MUCH trouble with cold temps (it's my 3rd winter with the car) that I don't want to own it out of warranty.

BUT if BMW gets a fix for it... everything else if perfectly good with the car !
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      01-23-2014, 10:50 AM   #36
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Update from this morning:

"We arrived in Thompson, Manitoba this morning and have set the cars up for testing.
We will try to recreate the problem this week.

Unfortunately that is all that I have at the moment and will update you ASAP."
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      01-23-2014, 04:06 PM   #37
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Quote:
Originally Posted by eROCK View Post
When I got the error, mine wouldn't start at all. I heard the engine cranking, but it wouldn't turn over. I let it crank a few times to get it to start, and then after about the 3rd try, I got that drivetrain malfunction error.
I let the car sit for about 3 more minutes, and was persistent and tried starting it again. This time it started! I just let it run for a while, and haven't had any problems since.
In other forums, I've read that some people have gotten it while driving, and had to pull over. I mean, it is a pretty general sounding error...drivetrain could cover lots of things.

Sounds like my problem this morning. We have -30C(-20F) for a few days now. This is my second winter and whenever we have a cold stretch, I always have the "increased battery discharge" message came on but it will go off after I drive it for a while when restarted. This time, I drove only a short distance and engine would crank but wouldn't turn over. I have somebody help me jump start the truck but still no luck. Then somebody told me to get some deicer to put in the gas tank. I was outside Walmart this morning and I went in to get the gasline antifreeze and 10 mins later when I came back out, the car started. During all these frustrating attempts, believe I saw the drivetrain... drive moderately message. So now the engine warning light is on. I went home and called a dealership which cannot take my truck in for another 2 weeks!! Was advised that I need to drive the truck more, preferably for an hour on a highway(not city driving) to boost up battery in this cold weather. I went out for 30 mins highway driving and doesn't seem to have any problem. But the engine warning light is still on which bothers me a lot.
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      01-23-2014, 05:21 PM   #38
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I've had several error messages pop up in my BMW... I'm kinda wondering if I should have bought an Acura or Lexus.
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      01-23-2014, 05:24 PM   #39
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Originally Posted by lbjgh View Post
I've had several error messages pop up in my BMW... I'm kinda wondering if I should have bought an Acura or Lexus.
I had an Acura MDX for almost 10 years, no problem what-so-ever, and thought I "upgraded" to a BMW 2011 X3 and now problem after problem..........

Last edited by momo28; 01-24-2014 at 07:54 AM..
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      01-23-2014, 06:01 PM   #40
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Ya our other car is an Acura and we've only changed fluids and brakes in 220,000km Engineering on BMW is over promised and under delivered from my experience.
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I had an Acura MDX for almost 10 years, no problem what-so-eve, and thought I "upgraded" to a BMW 2011 X3 and now problem after problem..........
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      01-23-2014, 09:37 PM   #41
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I got an interesting error message today after an extended engine crank-no start condition today.

My car sat for 15min then started.

-20c -->-36c with the windchill
Drivetrain Malfunction

This is the exact error message I got on my 2013 28i 3 days ago when it was about -19 outside..I had no power loss or hard starting. I let the car sit for a few minutes, re-started and it went away, EXCEPT I then had a CEL on.

Took it to the shop right away and two days the car was returned after putting a new "module in"....

Fingers crossed...
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      01-24-2014, 06:21 AM   #42
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Originally Posted by momo28 View Post
Sounds like my problem this morning. We have -30C(-20F) for a few days now. This is my second winter and whenever we have a cold stretch, I always have the "increased battery discharge" message came on but it will go off after I drive it for a while when restarted. This time, I drove only a short distance and engine would crank but wouldn't turn over. I have somebody help me jump start the truck but still no luck. Then somebody told me to get some deicer to put in the gas tank. I was outside Walmart this morning and I went in to get the gasline antifreeze and 10 mins later when I came back out, the car started. During all these frustrating attempts, believe I saw the drivetrain... drive moderately message. So now the engine warning light is on. I went home and called a dealership which cannot take my truck in for another 2 weeks!! Was advised that I need to drive the truck more, preferably for an hour on a highway(not city driving) to boost up battery in this cold weather. I went out for 30 mins highway driving and doesn't seem to have any problem. But the engine warning light is still on which bothers me a lot.
With the exception of the increased battery discharge message this is exactly what is happening to my vehicle. Based on my experience the engine warning light will go away.
We'll see what happens out in Thompson. Hopefully their fix to the PDM works.
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      01-24-2014, 06:26 AM   #43
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Originally Posted by darcyb62 View Post
With the exception of the increased battery discharge message this is exactly what is happening to my vehicle. Based on my experience the engine warning light will go away.
We'll see what happens out in Thompson. Hopefully their fix to the PDM works.
Thanks for letting me know. Hopefully the warning light will go away soon as my appointment with the dealership is 2 weeks away.
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      01-24-2014, 06:59 AM   #44
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Originally Posted by 02420X3 View Post
That might finish it for me.

I respect Hundai and Kia for what they have accomplished, and for what they are, but I bought a BMW.
I was thinking the same as I was driving an $18k Mitsubishi Endeavor loaner while my new X3 was in the shop
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