[2020 bmw x3m comp] "drivetrain malfunction" message @ ~1900 miles

xlyntmr · 10-26-2020, 11:45 PM

Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

folks,

i've had my beloved x3m comp for about 1.5 months. the car spent the first 10 days after i bought it getting a wind noise issue resolved (see https://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1758100).

now, this error popped up while i was driving on the freeway yesterday. car went into "safe mode" (felt the power drop immediately - i was actually in the process of changing lanes and had pressed on the accelerator to give the car some space relative to the car behind me).

anybody else experience this error on their 2020 x3m comp? i see it's a common issue on bmws, but not sure it's supposed to pop up on a brand new car (1000+ miles on the car now).

fyi, i will be taking the car to the service department tomorrow.

to_riffic · 10-27-2020, 12:37 AM

I was getting this only after installing the catless downpipes. Tune alleviated this, but wasn't aware of this issue w/o mods...

hxr · 10-27-2020, 05:38 AM

There's a bug on the 2019 firmware. There's been 4 engine revisions since and seems to not happen anymore.

xlyntmr · 10-27-2020, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hxr

There's a bug on the 2019 firmware. There's been 4 engine revisions since and seems to not happen anymore.

note that this is 2020 model, not a 2019. still the same firmware issue on the 2020s?

sittingmongoose · 10-27-2020, 10:45 AM

So not sure if this is the firmware bug or not....but based on your misaligned issue. Its also a safe bet you have a lemon. Usually when something is mass produced....phones, laptops, cars, furniture. If there is one thing wrong, there are many things wrong.

An example in the car world. I got an early 2018 Honda Accord, it was pretty much one of the first 2018 models(redesigned). I had some misaligned panels too, my hood, my door. I got a brake malfunction error the day after I bought it. Then I started getting all other kinds of issues. Had the car for 3 years, and it was in the shop about 9 months of those 3 years. My car is a lemon. Didn't replace it though because they refunded a lot of my payments, it was a lease, they covered it under warranty and my loaner was the same car.

Don't want to scare you but just wanted to give you a heads up. Hopefully its just outdated engine firmware. Either way be glad its a lease and its under warranty. Just don't buy the car out at the end of the lease.

floating.spirit · 10-27-2020, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xlyntmr

Quote:

Originally Posted by hxr

There's a bug on the 2019 firmware. There's been 4 engine revisions since and seems to not happen anymore.

note that this is 2020 model, not a 2019. still the same firmware issue on the 2020s?

Some 20s are built in 2019...

xlyntmr · 10-27-2020, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by floating.spirit

Some 20s are built in 2019...

good point. my car was built in jul/aug 2019, delivered to the dealer in sep 2019, and purchased by me in sep 2020 (yes, it sat on the lot for 1 year).

xlyntmr · 10-27-2020, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sittingmongoose

So not sure if this is the firmware bug or not....but based on your misaligned issue. Its also a safe bet you have a lemon. Usually when something is mass produced....phones, laptops, cars, furniture. If there is one thing wrong, there are many things wrong.

An example in the car world. I got an early 2018 Honda Accord, it was pretty much one of the first 2018 models(redesigned). I had some misaligned panels too, my hood, my door. I got a brake malfunction error the day after I bought it. Then I started getting all other kinds of issues. Had the car for 3 years, and it was in the shop about 9 months of those 3 years. My car is a lemon. Didn't replace it though because they refunded a lot of my payments, it was a lease, they covered it under warranty and my loaner was the same car.

Don't want to scare you but just wanted to give you a heads up. Hopefully its just outdated engine firmware. Either way be glad its a lease and its under warranty. Just don't buy the car out at the end of the lease.

ouch. hope it's not a lemon, but bmw north america has been engaged since day 2 of ownership and i have informed them of this latest issue.

sittingmongoose · 10-27-2020, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xlyntmr

Quote:

Originally Posted by sittingmongoose

So not sure if this is the firmware bug or not....but based on your misaligned issue. Its also a safe bet you have a lemon. Usually when something is mass produced....phones, laptops, cars, furniture. If there is one thing wrong, there are many things wrong.

An example in the car world. I got an early 2018 Honda Accord, it was pretty much one of the first 2018 models(redesigned). I had some misaligned panels too, my hood, my door. I got a brake malfunction error the day after I bought it. Then I started getting all other kinds of issues. Had the car for 3 years, and it was in the shop about 9 months of those 3 years. My car is a lemon. Didn't replace it though because they refunded a lot of my payments, it was a lease, they covered it under warranty and my loaner was the same car.

Don't want to scare you but just wanted to give you a heads up. Hopefully its just outdated engine firmware. Either way be glad its a lease and its under warranty. Just don't buy the car out at the end of the lease.

ouch. hope it's not a lemon, but bmw north america has been engaged since day 2 of ownership and i have informed them of this latest issue.

It wasn't a big deal really for me with my car. Honda took care of me. I would assume bmw would be even better. So I wouldn't be too concerned. I wouldn't buy the car out at the end. And probably wouldn't tune it unless this issue ends up being just a software issue.

to_riffic · 10-27-2020, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sittingmongoose

It wasn't a big deal really for me with my car. Honda took care of me. I would assume bmw would be even better. So I wouldn't be too concerned. I wouldn't buy the car out at the end. And probably wouldn't tune it unless this issue ends up being just a software issue.

Reminds me of when I leased the 2019 Civic. On the drive home the main screen just went white. Had to drive it back and spent a week in the shop ordering a whole new dash system for me. lol

sittingmongoose · 10-27-2020, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by to_riffic

Quote:

Originally Posted by sittingmongoose

It wasn't a big deal really for me with my car. Honda took care of me. I would assume bmw would be even better. So I wouldn't be too concerned. I wouldn't buy the car out at the end. And probably wouldn't tune it unless this issue ends up being just a software issue.

Reminds me of when I leased the 2019 Civic. On the drive home the main screen just went white. Had to drive it back and spent a week in the shop ordering a whole new dash system for me. lol

Yea so honestly it's usually not a big deal. Especially on lease deals. I guess it really depends on your dealership though.

I leased a 2013 Ford Escape. The rear trunk was misaligned. It was so bad it wouldn't open or close....from the factory.

Not only did I not get a loaner from Ford while they "fixed it"...they bent it back into place. And guess what. It never worked well....that was considered fixed for them.

Tldr; I wouldn't be concerned if you get a lemon bmw. They will take care of you.

allinon72 · 10-27-2020, 04:05 PM

One drivetrain malfunction and we're ready to drive it to the scrap yard? That's just a bit of an exaggeration, to say the least. This error message can pop up from a hundred different problems, guessing based on no data whatsoever isn't really that productive and quite silly. Let BMW diagnose it first.

YasM3 · 10-27-2020, 06:37 PM

Why are we talking about lemon law when the car has not even made it to the shop to diagnose? It may be a simple common repair.

A few things to note. A drivetrain malfunction is a generic warning which can be related to many many things drivetrain related. There is no one specific issue FYI.

Lastly, you also have to remember this is a new model, new engine etc. You have a very early production vehicle. Sometimes issues pop up, alot of times it is simply a software fix. Sometimes its a known issue and an easy repair.

Update us when you get it to the dealer before freaking out. The car is not a lemon.....

xlyntmr · 10-27-2020, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YasM3

Why are we talking about lemon law when the car has not even made it to the shop to diagnose? It may be a simple common repair.

A few things to note. A drivetrain malfunction is a generic warning which can be related to many many things drivetrain related. There is no one specific issue FYI.

Lastly, you also have to remember this is a new model, new engine etc. You have a very early production vehicle. Sometimes issues pop up, alot of times it is simply a software fix. Sometimes its a known issue and an easy repair.

Update us when you get it to the dealer before freaking out. The car is not a lemon.....

yep, will do. appointment is now on friday.

xlyntmr · 10-27-2020, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xlyntmr

yep, will do. appointment is now on friday.

some important details I left out earlier - car has mission performance's stage 1 tune on it. been running 91 octane on it. spoke with mission performance today and they asked me to get error codes which I did (screen shot attached). they indicated this is due to low octane - possibly due to northern california switching to winter blend. they told me to mix in e85 with 91. they also will be providing a slightly less aggressive tune tomorrow which I have the option to install (and I could of course go back to factory stock firmware). for now, I will see how e85 + 91 works - filled up this evening. will keep thread posted.

please feel free to share your thoughts

AlexFL · 10-27-2020, 11:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xlyntmr

yep, will do. appointment is now on friday.

wait, are you going to the dealer with a drivetrain malfunction message and a MP tune flashed on? you are one brave man!

xlyntmr · 10-28-2020, 01:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexFL

wait, are you going to the dealer with a drivetrain malfunction message and a MP tune flashed on? you are one brave man!

the plan to go to the dealer is on hold. mission performance is confident the e85 + 91 will prevent future occurrences, and they are delivering a less aggressive tune tomorrow.

how do folks with tuned cars take them to the dealer? I am told no way to hide the tune - am I mistaken?

MaxGainz · 10-28-2020, 01:27 AM

You can't hide, for any warranty work they will dig more and find it. Even if you are back to stock.

YasM3 · 10-28-2020, 05:35 AM

Ahh so the truth comes out. I am glad you were honest about it. BMW was getting dragged through the mud for no reason.

xlyntmr · 10-28-2020, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaxGainz

You can't hide, for any warranty work they will dig more and find it. Even if you are back to stock.

thanks for the confirmation.

xlyntmr · 10-28-2020, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YasM3

Ahh so the truth comes out. I am glad you were honest about it. BMW was getting dragged through the mud for no reason.

allinon72 · 10-28-2020, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YasM3

Ahh so the truth comes out. I am glad you were honest about it. BMW was getting dragged through the mud for no reason.

I think it was one guy who wanted a reason to tell us his unfortunate Honda Accord story...

10-26-2020, 11:45 PM	#1
xlyntmr Enlisted Member 11 Rep 48 Posts Drives: '20 X3M Comp, '08 550i, '06 M5 Join Date: Sep 2020 Location: SF Bay Area, CA iTrader: (0)	[2020 bmw x3m comp] "drivetrain malfunction" message @ ~1900 miles Featured on BIMMERPOST.com folks, i've had my beloved x3m comp for about 1.5 months. the car spent the first 10 days after i bought it getting a wind noise issue resolved (see https://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1758100). now, this error popped up while i was driving on the freeway yesterday. car went into "safe mode" (felt the power drop immediately - i was actually in the process of changing lanes and had pressed on the accelerator to give the car some space relative to the car behind me). anybody else experience this error on their 2020 x3m comp? i see it's a common issue on bmws, but not sure it's supposed to pop up on a brand new car (1000+ miles on the car now). fyi, i will be taking the car to the service department tomorrow. Attached Images
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10-27-2020, 12:37 AM	#2
to_riffic Lieutenant General 3024 Rep 13,760 Posts Drives: rwd Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: SoCal iTrader: (38)	I was getting this only after installing the catless downpipes. Tune alleviated this, but wasn't aware of this issue w/o mods... __________________ ~loud noises~
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10-27-2020, 05:38 AM	#3
hxr Enlisted Member 22 Rep 36 Posts Drives: X3M Join Date: Feb 2020 Location: London iTrader: (0)	There's a bug on the 2019 firmware. There's been 4 engine revisions since and seems to not happen anymore.
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10-27-2020, 10:45 AM	#5
sittingmongoose Captain 626 Rep 862 Posts Drives: 2021 x3mC Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Philly/Trenton Area iTrader: (1)	So not sure if this is the firmware bug or not....but based on your misaligned issue. Its also a safe bet you have a lemon. Usually when something is mass produced....phones, laptops, cars, furniture. If there is one thing wrong, there are many things wrong. An example in the car world. I got an early 2018 Honda Accord, it was pretty much one of the first 2018 models(redesigned). I had some misaligned panels too, my hood, my door. I got a brake malfunction error the day after I bought it. Then I started getting all other kinds of issues. Had the car for 3 years, and it was in the shop about 9 months of those 3 years. My car is a lemon. Didn't replace it though because they refunded a lot of my payments, it was a lease, they covered it under warranty and my loaner was the same car. Don't want to scare you but just wanted to give you a heads up. Hopefully its just outdated engine firmware. Either way be glad its a lease and its under warranty. Just don't buy the car out at the end of the lease. __________________ 21 x3mC Previous: 08 e90 M3, 02 e46 M3,2011 335is, 2016 AYM M3
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10-27-2020, 04:05 PM	#12
allinon72 Brigadier General 4909 Rep 3,798 Posts Drives: 20' M2C, 23' X1 Join Date: May 2017 Location: Indianapolis, IN iTrader: (2)	One drivetrain malfunction and we're ready to drive it to the scrap yard? That's just a bit of an exaggeration, to say the least. This error message can pop up from a hundred different problems, guessing based on no data whatsoever isn't really that productive and quite silly. Let BMW diagnose it first.
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10-27-2020, 06:37 PM	#13
YasM3 Lieutenant 258 Rep 487 Posts Drives: A BMW Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Out here iTrader: (0)	Why are we talking about lemon law when the car has not even made it to the shop to diagnose? It may be a simple common repair. A few things to note. A drivetrain malfunction is a generic warning which can be related to many many things drivetrain related. There is no one specific issue FYI. Lastly, you also have to remember this is a new model, new engine etc. You have a very early production vehicle. Sometimes issues pop up, alot of times it is simply a software fix. Sometimes its a known issue and an easy repair. Update us when you get it to the dealer before freaking out. The car is not a lemon.....
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10-28-2020, 01:27 AM	#18
MaxGainz Private First Class 83 Rep 107 Posts Drives: 2020 X3MC Join Date: Sep 2020 Location: British Columbia iTrader: (0)	You can't hide, for any warranty work they will dig more and find it. Even if you are back to stock.
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10-28-2020, 05:35 AM	#19
YasM3 Lieutenant 258 Rep 487 Posts Drives: A BMW Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Out here iTrader: (0)	Ahh so the truth comes out. I am glad you were honest about it. BMW was getting dragged through the mud for no reason.
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