[atwnsw]

I own a 2012 X3 35i F25 with 70k miles and have been experiencing classic issues such as shuddering if the car is on a steep slope or taking sharp turns at low speed. My independent mechanic (whom I trust) said that he looked at the oil and it was black with metal shavings (or something to that effect). He stated that I needed a transfer case which doesn't surprise me.

My mechanic provided 2 options:
Used Transfer Case and Used Motor from a car with 70k miles. 90 Day warranty. Parts price $1,000 + Oil & Mounts.
New Transfer BMW/OEM Transfer case and New motor. 2 year warranty. Parts price $3,200. Includes Oil & Mounts.

I then searched the forums and found multiple references to www.tcbmwx5.com/ and spoke to Steven who seemed very knowledgeable. He offers a Rebuilt transfer case but without a motor for $1,050 with a 1 year warranty. His explanation was that the motors rarely go bad and especially if your car hasn't tripped any error messages or faults. Includes Mounts but not Oil.

My mechanic would charge me roughly $1,000 in labor regardless of what parts I use. Is this reasonable? Any idea what the flat rate manual shows for # of hours to bill?

What should I do? Is it true that the motors rarely go bad? Is there any way to make sure that my motor isn't going bad?

Thanks in advance.

Anthony

[atwnsw]

Follow up:

I went with the Transfer case from www.tcbmwx5.com and my mechanic told me that it looked practically brand new. He was impressed and the labor to install was $750. So, for $1800, problem solved. Car now drives great.