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      06-06-2017, 08:20 AM   #1
TJNies
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F25 Reliability

I was reading a thread on another forum, and people were bashing BMW.

My X3 is my first BMW, and has been fine as far as reliability. So I was wondering how everyone else has been faring?

I don't want a complaint-fest, but rather any repairs required beyond normal maintenance items. List the miles on your vehicle for reference.
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      06-06-2017, 08:31 AM   #2
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I have owned my 2011 N52T X3 since new, special ordered it in fact and have a video of it on the production line, back when they still did that. Pretty cool IMO, don't know why they stopped. Anyway, the car has been okay, not perfect. I have replaced the air conditioner evaporator, coolant expansion tank, all 4 door edge protectors which had discolored, and the glovebox door that delaminated. Now the rear sunroof glass panel is creaking on driveways, I have tried lubing the seals as well as retorquing the mounting srews for the rear glass panel but hasn't helped. I will just live with that one. It also needs brake pads every 30,000 miles in the rear and 45,000 miles in the front which is a bit excessive but I do like the car overall and don't regret purchasing it, I went into this knowing it would have issues so I haven't been caught off guard. Car currently has 81,000 miles. Plan on keeping it 12-15 years and then trading it in.
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      06-06-2017, 09:26 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TJNies View Post
I was reading a thread on another forum, and people were bashing BMW.

My X3 is my first BMW, and has been fine as far as reliability. So I was wondering how everyone else has been faring?

I don't want a complaint-fest, but rather any repairs required beyond normal maintenance items. List the miles on your vehicle for reference.
What year is your X3 and is it a 28i or a 35i? It makes a difference.
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      06-06-2017, 10:20 AM   #4
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Barbera355, look here for the solution to the creaking sunroof: http://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=809566

I have the glove box delamination as well, havent fixed it yet.

Had to get the oil filter housing gasket replaced (and serpentine belt), but mine is a 2011 35i, shouldnt (?) be an issue for the OP's 2014 28i.

I just went over 92k miles on my X3 and plan to keep it until 200k or more. Probably replace it with a X3M.
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      06-06-2017, 10:28 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by najnad View Post
Barbera355, look here for the solution to the creaking sunroof: http://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=809566

I have the glove box delamination as well, havent fixed it yet.

Had to get the oil filter housing gasket replaced (and serpentine belt), but mine is a 2011 35i, shouldnt (?) be an issue for the OP's 2014 28i.

I just went over 92k miles on my X3 and plan to keep it until 200k or more. Probably replace it with a X3M.
Thank you najnad, unfortunately that is not my issue. I had already had that done which took care of the creating from the plastic rain gutter. The noise is actually from the rear glass itself. If I press on the rear glass the noise goes away. I know it isn't what you reference because the noise is present even if the sunroof is open.
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      06-06-2017, 10:53 AM   #6
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I have a MY'13 2.8i with about 50K miles on it.

Overall I have found it very reliable, never had a mechanical issue that rendered the car or even a feature of the car unusable. There were a couple of, trivial to me, recalls that were handled when I had it in for normal maintenance and I had my turbo oil line replaced after noticing a large amount of smoke from the tailpipe on startup.

-Bruce
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      06-06-2017, 12:13 PM   #7
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Sad to say, my "go to" sites for reliability (Consumer Reports and TrueDelta) both have the F25 X3 in the bottom 25% for reliability. I don't have the details in front of me, but I'm a member in TrueDelta, and they do a good job of parsing the data.
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      06-06-2017, 07:58 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 02420X3 View Post
What year is your X3 and is it a 28i or a 35i? It makes a difference.
The details are in my avatar; 2014 2.8i Xdrive.

I wasn't looking for MY X3 does specifically, but how they fare in general.
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      06-07-2017, 02:30 AM   #9
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We are approaching 6 years and 120,000 km (72,000 miles) in our 2011 F25 X3 30d. Apart from a loose rattling bolt on the front suspension (fixed at first service) and two flushes of the transfer case we have no problems in that time (touch-wood and all that).

However in saying this I recognise that maybe I've been one of the lucky ones. The first year or two of the F25 was littered with issues. Mainly various electrical/computer/sensor issues but the big one was the faulty design of the steering rack. I recall the design of the steering rack was changed in early 2013.

Overall I believe its a fundamentally reliable car. Even though I've got a very reliable 2011 F25, I'd recommend any buyer of a used F25 stay clear of the 2011 and 2012 models and you should be OK.

Tony
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      06-07-2017, 09:20 AM   #10
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I have a 2011 6 cyl non-turbo which I purchased from a dealer with 4k miles on it (basically new). The car has had the steering rack replaced after year one (search for this, seems to impact models all the way through 2013, maybe beyond). I got the drivetrain malfunction message at 60k miles, but turned out to be plugs and coils going bad. Other than that it's been a very reliable car. Yes, glove box de-laminated, and my door seals (inside) are also discolored like someone pointed out above. It goes through brake pads quicker than my last X3 (not to mention tires every 25k miles). Most of that isn't really "reliability" though.

It has about 65k on it now, I plan on keeping it two or three more years which will put it around 85k miles (low miles because I have an e46 convertible that takes some daily duty). I've owned the last generation X3 prior to this, so logically I'd be looking at the next X3 at that time.
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      06-07-2017, 03:03 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dreamingX3 View Post
Sad to say, my "go to" sites for reliability (Consumer Reports and TrueDelta) both have the F25 X3 in the bottom 25% for reliability. I don't have the details in front of me, but I'm a member in TrueDelta, and they do a good job of parsing the data.
Please re-check your data from Consumer Reports. The 2011 BMW X3 (the first year of the F25 X3) was rated in the bottom group for reliability by Consumer Reports. However, the 2012 to 2016 BMW X3 have each been rated average or better by CR.

TrueDelta reports repairs for 2015 to 2016 BMW X3 to be 128% of average. This does not put the vehicle in the bottom 25% of reliability. Moreover, CR rates all individual reliability categories as much above average or above average for the 2016 X3. So there is a clear inconsistency between CR and TrueDelta data.

I have reservations about the TrueDelta repair statistics. Note for example the 2008 to 2015 Smart ForTwo Note is rated among the best in terms of repair statistics at 52% by TrueDelta. In contrast, CR does not rate many years of the Smart ForTwo in reliability for lack of data received, but it is worse than average when rated by CR. Do you believe the Smart ForTwo is one of the most reliable vehicles on the road? I have more confidence in the CR assessments than those of TrueDelta.

Consumer Reports has millions of subscribers and has been collecting automobile reliability data for decades. CR states it received more than one-half million automobile reliability surveys in the past year alone covering more than 300 different cars. CR also does not report reliability data for specific models in years where it receives fewer reports than it deems statistically significant. TrueDelta has reports from 107,000 owners over the total period (about 14 years) it has collected data.

Last edited by MichiganMike; 06-08-2017 at 10:24 AM..
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      06-08-2017, 03:57 PM   #12
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With the exception of the ISO-FIX recall. Ours has been fault less.
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      06-08-2017, 07:22 PM   #13
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2011 X3 purchased last year with 30K miles. 50K miles right now, no issues.
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      06-09-2017, 01:11 AM   #14
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2016 30D MSport.
passenger door lock stuck and fuse knocked out idrive. Both dealer fixed under warranty.
10k miles now.
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      06-09-2017, 05:16 AM   #15
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I had a drive train error within a few months of purchase. It was deemed to a solenoid/relay. I did not ask which one because it was fixed under warranty. No other problems.
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      06-09-2017, 11:43 AM   #16
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......Although my entire trans was changed right after delivery to the dealership, according to the carfax.
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      06-09-2017, 04:13 PM   #17
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2012 X3 N52 Xdrive. Solid vehicle in the 6mos of ownership and 6K miles; only current issue is that the passenger side AC vent is stuck closed so it'll have to go in to be fixed since it's CPO'd still. Hoping that continues (reliability) .
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      06-13-2017, 05:16 PM   #18
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Our 2013 35i just passed 102,000 miles. Other than a sunroof rattle when it's cold in winter, we have had ZERO problems with the car. The last time I saw the dealer was the last free oil change before the warranty ran out (since then I do my own maintenance.) It was my first BMW and I was concerned about expensive repairs out of warranty, but so far my fears were unfounded. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one, but I'm not sure I can wait until fall for the new ones.
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      06-15-2017, 08:16 PM   #19
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The build quality of BMW cars i've owned have changed.

2003 BMW Z4 E85 3.0l: This car was driven on track and through the hills for most of its kms. It was sold at 120k km and never had any major issues. Oil was changed by myself every 10k km and at a garage every 40k km. During its life, it needed new engine mounts, clutch and flywheel and a set of O-rings (M54 engine thing)

2013 BMW F30 328i: Quick car and fuel efficiency was incredible! (had a tune and got 1100km out of 55l interstate). everytime i gave it a push in the hills I would have to top up some oil. At 120k+ km there was a significant loss of power and was advised to rebuild or sell the car. Dyno'd at 140k km and got 143kw ATW (was 170kw ATW with tune @ 30k km). At this point, the car had issues shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear with the car revving up from 3k rpm to about 4k rpm with no power (like the clutch was in).

2014 BMW X3 3.0D: Only owned for 2 months and no issues yet. Still a bit early to tell IMO.
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      06-17-2017, 08:47 PM   #20
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2017 X3 x28i . . . . . . 1 yr old @ 12,596 miles
Two issues has showed (both minor)
1. At a light or stopped, foot brake pressed, release brake and press lightly on gas pedal......... eng does a hesitation / studder
then catches and go is then normal. (Don't use the gas saver system / its off!) use 89 or 91 oct no difference using either.
Idle at O.T. apx 700 and smooth.
2. The RF shock tower bearing is making tap...tap... tapping. I can get it to make the noise on command. Slow, very slight bumps
. . . . . as the shock loads and unloads . . . . tap tap, clink clink, bang bang ...your choice

>That it so far.....
Well an annoyance on this. I have my key and wife has her. I drive the X3 98%
of the time. So everything is set to my key.......ya think. If we're going some
place and she gets in the X3 (pax side) FIRST. The drivers seat goes to her last position? ? ?
Luckily she says watch out, cause the first time it did that and I just hopped in...
I got knee capped by the dash! ooouucchh!!
The ride is great, quiet, everything is working. This is my first NON white color car in 25 years.
Yes it makes a BIG difference for interior temp ! in summer.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>> to update & expand. @ 17k miles
the right front strut and a link were replaced june '18
idrive / infotainment head replaced & firmware updated and reloaded june'18
eng still has slight hesitation. (im still told its normal?)
wiper flinches up 6" then down when car is shut off by the button ? ? ? (they will try again next time)
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Last edited by Scout10; 07-11-2018 at 05:51 PM..
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      06-26-2017, 11:56 AM   #21
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2016 X3 35i w/ M Sport - 21k miles
I'm modified w/ lowering springs, exhaust, intake, chip
Only issues I've had:
- GPS not reporting the right location
- Washer fluid hose kept disconnecting
- Driver seat support extension broke off
- Low coolant
^ These have been fixed by dealer.

Also, sometimes my rear view camera would come on at a stop so I don't know what's going on there.

Love the car but looking to trade in for something a little bigger. Great size for when it's just me and my dog, but little more difficult when passengers and cargo are involved.

I also had a E92 M3 w/ 30k miles and absolutely no issues.
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      06-26-2017, 12:43 PM   #22
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Our 2012 X3 has had a TPMS Sensor failure caused by a wheel knocking a wood post, other then that we have had clean MOTs apart from brakes & tyres based on the 42k miles. so happy.
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