[Wgosma]

Originally Posted by TEF

Bought my X3 28d new in September 2016 and it's now gone 35K miles that includes an extended cross-country trip extending west to Calgary and south to northern AZ. Since then, it's been suburban driving and R/T trips on the East Coast of 200 to 1000 miles. Other than scheduled oil changes and DEF refills, the X3 has been flawless. In fact, the reliability thus far, has been comparable to Japanese cars purchased in the 70's, 80's and 2000's. While it may be bad luck to say this, the BMW is surprisingly well made and problem free to date.

Sounds good! But at that mileage the car is barely broken in😉
Good luck /Bill

[venomnightrider]

Originally Posted by Riick

The turbo won't last 200k, so keep that in mind on your list of things

Yup at that point pure stage 1 is what i'll do.

[venomnightrider]

Originally Posted by x3sm

Wow! Nice work man! I wish you did DIYs on all this stuff. Please make sure to take pictures of tranny and diff flushes. I used to own a E92 335 N54 and did a ton of stuff to, from plugs to injectors to water-pump and thermostat, but never heard of people replacing the oil cooler gasket. What is the oil cooler gasket?

The oil cooler some refer to as a heat exchanger part#11427525333 is mounted on the front of the oil filter housing and the gasket part#11428637820 that is very common to leak and a lot of people mistake their leak thinking it's a faulty oil filter o-ring leak. It is very simple 15 minute job. My advice do NOT use anything other than OEM gaskets. I've replaced 5 and 3 of the 5 replacements an aftermarket gasket was used and led to leaks within several thousand miles. Replaced them with oem gaskets and no problems since. I'd also recommend changing the ofhg part#11428637821. You can look up horror stories on if not changed. All part numbers I've listed supersedes old part numbers.

I have a 08 e92 335i as well. It just sits as a spare now, but same thing has a bunch of work. At 90k miles with FBO from new original turbos still running strong. the N54 platform 335's won't have an oil cooler gasket unless you have the sports model that has a factory equipped oil cooler. You can quickly verify this by looking on the your passenger front fender well toward the front you will see vents and a factory mounted oil cooler. The oil cooler gaskets leak on these as well and is at the same location as n55 engines but it has a different design.

I have the Foxwell NT520Pro and it works well, though I do have the INPA I just never had to use it. I coded injectors for my 335i and the battery. I also used this to code my battery and injectors on the x3 as well. It can be used for the transmission service as well as the transfer case service to reset adoptions. The nice thing about it is it will show you the transmission temperature, when doing the drain/fill and getting proper measurement.
If you have any questions on doing any work on your x3 just send me a pm and i'll help out when I can. I'm rarely on here, but now with a newborn I have some downtime to catch up on what's going on in forums

[x3sm]

Originally Posted by venomnightrider

The oil cooler some refer to as a heat exchanger part#11427525333 is mounted on the front of the oil filter housing and the gasket part#11428637820 that is very common to leak and a lot of people mistake their leak thinking it's a faulty oil filter o-ring leak. It is very simple 15 minute job. My advice do NOT use anything other than OEM gaskets. I've replaced 5 and 3 of the 5 replacements an aftermarket gasket was used and led to leaks within several thousand miles. Replaced them with oem gaskets and no problems since. I'd also recommend changing the ofhg part#11428637821. You can look up horror stories on if not changed. All part numbers I've listed supersedes old part numbers.

I have a 08 e92 335i as well. It just sits as a spare now, but same thing has a bunch of work. At 90k miles with FBO from new original turbos still running strong. the N54 platform 335's won't have an oil cooler gasket unless you have the sports model that has a factory equipped oil cooler. You can quickly verify this by looking on the your passenger front fender well toward the front you will see vents and a factory mounted oil cooler. The oil cooler gaskets leak on these as well and is at the same location as n55 engines but it has a different design.

I have the Foxwell NT520Pro and it works well, though I do have the INPA I just never had to use it. I coded injectors for my 335i and the battery. I also used this to code my battery and injectors on the x3 as well. It can be used for the transmission service as well as the transfer case service to reset adoptions. The nice thing about it is it will show you the transmission temperature, when doing the drain/fill and getting proper measurement.
If you have any questions on doing any work on your x3 just send me a pm and i'll help out when I can. I'm rarely on here, but now with a newborn I have some downtime to catch up on what's going on in forums

Oh okay now I understand what part you are talking about, thanks for the part numbers! It does look like an easy job, I work on all of my cars myself and should be able to do this gasket. Will I be losing any oil when removing the oil cooler gasket?

[antgenn]

2016 X3 28i Replaced transfer box at 50750 miles under warranty today. Dealer told me it's pretty common across all model lines with x drive.
Still running on original brakes. Replaced tires at about 48000 miles.

[Wgosma]

Originally Posted by antgenn

2016 X3 28i Replaced transfer box at 50750 miles under warranty today. Dealer told me it's pretty common across all model lines with x drive.
Still running on original brakes. Replaced tires at about 48000 miles.

What was your car doing, or not doing that required the xfer case be replaced?
I'd be wary of that dealers statement-

[antgenn]

Originally Posted by Wgosma

What was your car doing, or not doing that required the xfer case be replaced?
I'd be wary of that dealers statement-

It was binding on turns. If the steering goes beyond the certain angle, then there is vibration/noise and it feels like differential locked.
I am happy it was covered by warranty, it would be probably about 5G otherwise.

[Scout10]

2017 X3 X28i & 17,400
under warranty

replace the idrive/infotainment/nav display head and a circuit board.
it was slowly doing less and less and getting lost more and more.

after repair it was doing things it had NEVER done ! (good things to )

[venomnightrider]

Originally Posted by x3sm

Oh okay now I understand what part you are talking about, thanks for the part numbers! It does look like an easy job, I work on all of my cars myself and should be able to do this gasket. Will I be losing any oil when removing the oil cooler gasket?

If you are only replacing the oil cooler (heat exchanger) gasket, you have very little fluid loss to where you will not need to top it off. What I recommend doing is raising the front end of your vehicle up by jacking or driving on ramps. Then do the gasket replacement. At this point it will barely leak if any at all at this point and makes it easier for you. Also put some rags underneath the OC before removing the 3 torx bolts.

[cmore33]

New to BMWs - mine is a 2103 X3 35i xDrive with 65K, just purchased. Seems to be in pretty good shape, but I don't have any running history at this point. My Indy checked it over and was pleased, so I got that going for me....

Anyway, I'm just lurking for potential problems. I've been pleased so far, but it's a bit of an adjustment from a VW GTi.

[bmkman]

- day one faulty roof cassette, multiple times serviced, eventually the complete roof cassette had to be replace...cost $8K...but they offered goodwill gesture to change it for $800. To be honest I am scared to use it so I have it closed all the time.
- replaced the passenger side window motor. covered under warranty.
- replaced main ECU with new ECU under warranty. mysterious electrical issues because my car did not start mutiple times in the winter in year 1 and year 2.
- rusty rotors, replaced after 20K km...looks like BMW did not choose a good supplier compared to Audi etc. Anyway they work ok but look horrible.
- 2 faulty coil packs at 70k KMs. I replaced them all but I would have thought they would last longer...at least until 100kms.
- 2 broken real springs at 75k kms...surprising since I don't haul heavy stuff...just grocery items purchased from Costco. Dog likes riding in the car but he is only 120lbs.
- cracked vinyl front seats after 30k kms. Sales guy told me vinyl was just as good as leather but without the fade...that's so wrong.
- battery appears to drain easily if you do not drive it daily so I have to keep it charged with trickle charger.

Overall the build quality is not that good compared to Volvo, Audi or Lexus as my reference points. In terms of overall maintenance costs similar but definitely higher compared to other luxury cars. I have to admit the BMW overall is drive is more connected compared to similar cars/SUV as long as you overlook the reliability issues.

[cmore33]

Purchased about 2 years ago with around 60k - no issues to speak of. I've been pleased so far.

[pungo]

Originally Posted by bmkman

- day one faulty roof cassette, multiple times serviced, eventually the complete roof cassette had to be replace...cost $8K...but they offered goodwill gesture to change it for $800. To be honest I am scared to use it so I have it closed all the time.
- replaced the passenger side window motor. covered under warranty.
- replaced main ECU with new ECU under warranty. mysterious electrical issues because my car did not start mutiple times in the winter in year 1 and year 2.
- rusty rotors, replaced after 20K km...looks like BMW did not choose a good supplier compared to Audi etc. Anyway they work ok but look horrible.
- 2 faulty coil packs at 70k KMs. I replaced them all but I would have thought they would last longer...at least until 100kms.
- 2 broken real springs at 75k kms...surprising since I don't haul heavy stuff...just grocery items purchased from Costco. Dog likes riding in the car but he is only 120lbs.
- cracked vinyl front seats after 30k kms. Sales guy told me vinyl was just as good as leather but without the fade...that's so wrong.
- battery appears to drain easily if you do not drive it daily so I have to keep it charged with trickle charger.

Overall the build quality is not that good compared to Volvo, Audi or Lexus as my reference points. In terms of overall maintenance costs similar but definitely higher compared to other luxury cars. I have to admit the BMW overall is drive is more connected compared to similar cars/SUV as long as you overlook the reliability issues.

Well, with any vehicle, there's a chance of getting a lemon and it sounds like you got one. The sunroof failing on day one, the dealer should have covered the entire cost. Really, $8000 for a sunroof repair?

Vinyl seats cracking after 30k? Are the occupants much heavier then average? Where on the seats did they crack, the bottom bolsters where you get in? Were the seats maintained with protectant to keep them supple?

Broken rear springs and rusted rotors. I assume you live in a salt belt and don't powerwash the salt from the undercarriage at the end of the salt season. I guessing you have a lot of rust on the fasteners for the suspension and undercarriage?

Newer vehicles are power hogs and suck batteries down when not driven.

[Orangepeel]

Any updates to those who have the 2017 X3s? New to the boards here and am looking at used 2017 X3s for around 28-29k price range. Wanted to see if there are any updates to those who have these models and if they are reliable/worth it, stay away, etc. Thanks!

[6MT_Addict]

Originally Posted by Orangepeel

Any updates to those who have the 2017 X3s? New to the boards here and am looking at used 2017 X3s for around 28-29k price range. Wanted to see if there are any updates to those who have these models and if they are reliable/worth it, stay away, etc. Thanks!

2017 will, generally speaking, be the most reliable of the lot. 2015 MY saw the N20 timing chain redesigned for example. This rule of thumb is true across all vehicles; the last year of production will have all updates to the vehicle included, often addressing reliability or part failures identified in early production years.

You're better off looking at issues with the engine in the X3s you're looking at and general F25 issues like the glove box delaminating.

Generally speaking though the 3.0 diesel or gas appears to be the most reliable power plant.

[thenew3]

Originally Posted by pungo

Vinyl seats cracking after 30k? Are the occupants much heavier then average? Where on the seats did they crack, the bottom bolsters where you get in? Were the seats maintained with protectant to keep them supple?

There apparently was an issue with some of the sensatec seats. My wife's X3 had the driver seat bottom cover replaced less than 3 years and 19k miles after we bought it. It developed several cracks. I put vinyl protectant on it every 3 months, it was soft and supple, but still developed several 2-4 inch long cracks.

The dealer didn't hesitate to replace it, they said it was a common known issue.

Took a few weeks as there was apparently a part shortage for the seat cover.

[e30lover318i]

My mother’s F26 had a similar issue after 2 months of ownership, she even paid for the ibex coating. When they replaced the leather the tech said it looked like the seat was punctured professionally repaired and dyed!? Theory was it happened during transporting and the company must have repaired it. I have a friend who works at a port with a company that receives Mercedes and they actually have a complete collision center at the ship yard. I’ll let you use your imagination as to what type of horrors have happened to brand new cars.

[KPL]

Changed chains, EGR, DPF Turbos... B47, got almost new engine

[rcblackwell]

Originally Posted by Scout10

under warranty

replace the idrive/infotainment/nav display head and a circuit board.

Lucky you. The dealership want $4,000 plus to replace the unit in my car. No warranty. Needless to say its not been repaired!

[spudslatte]

I have to say I purchased a 4/50K mi warranty from a reputable 3rd party company - I had them for my previous M cars - I feel a bit more secure as my 2016 is mint and I don't want to even think about trading it in, even at 70K

[shoman24v]

Originally Posted by Orangepeel

Any updates to those who have the 2017 X3s? New to the boards here and am looking at used 2017 X3s for around 28-29k price range. Wanted to see if there are any updates to those who have these models and if they are reliable/worth it, stay away, etc. Thanks!

Mechanical issues are generally sorted on the last year. Hence why I bought our 2017. That's really all you need to know. Personally, I'd up your budget a few thousand and try to find one where you have a balance of options/low mileage.

[pungo]

Originally Posted by Orangepeel

Any updates to those who have the 2017 X3s? New to the boards here and am looking at used 2017 X3s for around 28-29k price range. Wanted to see if there are any updates to those who have these models and if they are reliable/worth it, stay away, etc. Thanks!

Originally Posted by shoman24v

Mechanical issues are generally sorted on the last year. Hence why I bought our 2017. That's really all you need to know. Personally, I'd up your budget a few thousand and try to find one where you have a balance of options/low mileage.

Since @Orangepeel asked about this well over a year ago and hasn't been on the forum since, I'm sure that boat has already sailed