Great topic, It would be good to combine all experienced issues for people who are shopping for another car.

My story is the next, X3 G01 xDrive30i, 2019. Bought it as A CPO at the end of 2021 with around 30K miles on it.

So far I had next fun:
1. Radiator dynamic flaps malfunction causing check engine light twice - one time dealer somehow just fixed it, and the second time it appeared they completely replaced it under the original warranty.
2. Got the major coolant leaks, and diagnosed the problem - the upper radiator hose. CPO warranty doesn't cover hoses, paid out of pocket almost 1K for such a thing.
3. From the very beginning I don't like the hydro bearings in the front wheels, there are many complaints about them causing noise while backing up - CPO warranty doesn't cover it, still driving like that.

Nothing more happened so far, my CPO warranty is expiring in 4 months but I think I will keep the car anyway.
Likely, I will buy another X3 afterward

FWIW, I was in the BMW/Mini service department several months ago and my BMW SA mentioned that the G01 X3 is the most reliable vehicle in the BMW line-up. I expect that observation is somewhat anecdotal based on what they see coming in for repair.

This is my first post on the forum after many months of reading, including picking up some really good insights and advice.

I'd like to share my experience with my 2022 M40d, made in US, delivered in January 22, now with 30k km (19k miles) on the clock.
This is my first BMW, after many years of VAG cars (VW, Audi), followed by Mercedes GLC after which I switched to BMW. I have no intention of opening a debate about which brand is better as I strongly believe in that the German brands are all close to each other and that issues more or less have to do with bad (or good) individual luck. I also think that many of the issues that you will see below may not even be registered by some owners. However, cars are a bit more than A to B to me. So here goes:

- From day 1 I noted a high frequency steering wheel vibration, present only in a narrow speed band, from 120 to 130 km/h (that would be 75 to 81 mph). The issue was reported to the BMW dealership but was not taken seriously.

- The central display (MMI) developed an issue after 6 months, a strange shift of pixels in the bottom right corner, especially when the car was cold. BMW replaced it with a new one (24 hours), no questions asked.

- The steering wheel developed a strange resistance in the dead center position followed by almost no resistance in the +/- 5 degree position. This was one year into the ownership (15k kilometers on the odo). The entire steering rack was replaced, no questions asked, problem solved.

- The plastic 'fake' front wheel wing exhausts faded to become muddy purple instead of original glossy black. BMW replaced the parts after some back and forth with them. Still OK as far as their approach in the end.

- The windscreen washer bottle developed a rattle which I identified THANKS to this forum. A piece of plumbing insulation foam did the job. Nevertheless, almost two months of searching for the culprit was taxing on the nerves. Never reported to BMW, though.

- A strange sound, similar to plastic parts crushing, developed in the front suspension, especially when the car was cold and outside temperature approaching the freezing point. This was noticeable only when the shock absorbers were approaching full compression, regardless of the rate of compression. BMW insisted that this was intended behavior, perfectly normal or not reproduceable (depending on whom I spoke to in the dealership).

- At the first service (2 years or 30k km) I insisted that the aforementioned vibration needed to be looked at. My suspicion from the beginning was the main/rear drive shaft out of balance. Alas, my input was irrelevant to the dealership. This is where the real annoying part of the story starts. The car was taken in for regular service which was extended to a full week. The car was returned to me as I needed it back for a vacation trip. New appointment in 2 months' time... fine. I took it back mid-January this year, for what will take almost 5 weeks to fix.

They finally admitted that the vibration was not normal and had to be resolved. The approach they took is still fascinating to me, although I truly appreciate how this could be hard from the diagnostics perspective. First, they replaced all wheels with their own (BTW, I do not have BMW * marked tires and if that myth was true, I am sure they would have failed my warranty claim immediately). It was not the wheels (I did tell them I have two separate sets, winter/summer, both perfectly balanced... but no...). Next was thorough cleaning of wheel hubs, brakes, etc., to no avail. Third, they replaced all 4 wheel bearings. Nothing. Fifth, they removed the front half-shafts and disconnected the front transfer box. To no avail. Sixth, they removed the rear half shafts rendering the car FWD only - same behavior. In the end it boiled down to either the rear differential or the rear/main drive shaft. Finally, they replaced the driveshaft, and the problem is GONE. They also told me that some bolts on the front shock absorbers were 'not tightened to spec in the factory' and that this was the reason for the noise described in one of the above items. This is yet to be confirmed, if the issue is really gone.

Honestly, I am not sure what to think. The car is a dream to drive, to me personally miles ahead of my GLC or the Tiguan before that. I did have issues (in warranty) with those cars too, but nothing close to this. Although we do not have the lemon law in EU (and therefore no 'lemon' adjective), I do not want to call it a 'lemon' or a 'Monday' car, but that would not apply as the car was built in Spartanburg

I just wanted to share my experience with the community, maybe helping others with similar issues pinpoint the issue. Perhaps also provoke some comments too!

adizonevic wrote

First, they replaced all wheels with their own (BTW, I do not have BMW * marked tires and if that myth was true, I am sure they would have failed my warranty claim immediately).

BMW warranty is provided by the local market BMW, hence what may be ok in Austria, may not be OK in the UK etc.

The real “myth” is BMW provides a globally consistent approach to warranty, it doesn’t.

The “myth” in the UK is based on written response from BMW UK regarding warranty and * tyres.

Sounds like you suffered from Spartanburg quality assurance issues. Be interesting to know what South Africa build/QA is at present.

I have a the same model M40d haven’t experience any off those issues so far.

Fair enough, although my warranty claim went back to Munich each time. Perhaps BMW Austria has different arrangements with the BMW HQ.

My 2018 M40i has been mostly perfect; only issues were the grill flaps malfunctioning and the digital dash display was slightly skewed to one side.

Both repaired under warranty, and no problems otherwise.

TJNies wrote

My 2018 M40i has been mostly perfect; only issues were the grill flaps malfunctioning and the digital dash display was slightly skewed to one side.

Both repaired under warranty, and no problems otherwise.

Glad to hear yours been reliable. Mine has been reliable so far too. only problem was the grill flaps (replaced under warranty) I have a 2019 M40i. How long have you had yours ?

I just traded for a near-fully loaded Carbon Black 2019 M40i with 64,000 miles on it and three prior owners - It was 29k but between my trade and the change from another downgrade (swapped a 2020 Subaru Ascent for a smaller 2013 Benz GLK-350 that my daughter can manage) it was no cash out of the bank. The GLK is actually a high-seated body-rolling blast to drive too so now we have TWO fun cute utes.

Crazy yes but I have faith in the B58, plus my wife & I both work from home so being down a vehicle won't be disastrous, especially since my 'spare' car is an 08 Miata that only I can drive. Also the carfax showed the lot had the oil changed at a real BMW service department so I called and they were happy to give me the inspection report and it was green across the board. I have some interior scuffs up to iron out and I found brand new 19" BMW wheels & non-runflat Continentals on Facebook the very next day. So far it's been a hoot, only thing I'm missing is the adaptive suspension but like the X3 superfan who sold me the wheels said, it's one less thing to break.

Anyway, I'm just over here rockin' the thrift life

I just got a 2019 44k , unfortunately the dealership stuck me with , Passenger headlight with condensation, and supposedly a tune , this is what the bmw dealership said after used certified inspection, other wise it looks great.! Runs strong.
Buy from a bmw dealership is my recommendation, Currently I have M HD stage 2 on it with the a.a. down pipe & MST intake. Sounds freaking amazing and is a powerhouse. You don't even need to launch it to have fun. And it makes every sound that you want a turbocar to make. Pop it and comfort and go if you don't want to hear nothing absolutely love it.
And buying BMW you should always be prepared for costly repairs. No matter what just comes with a game. I do most work myself only way I could own one.

Since I keep my vehicles for a minimum of 10 years I will l let you know in 7 more! Seriously 4 years into my wife’s X5 and 3 years into my X3 with both being rock solid so far. I had my 2011 328 for 10 years and at the time it was the best car I ever purchased. I am a firm believer in proper maintenance during ownership goes a long way.

So far 2 years of ownership of LCI.

1. Side Mirror LED condensation replaced under warranty.
2. The steering wheel's inner plastic plate was replaced due to it slipping and making a clicking noise when turning. Under warranty.
3. Turbo Inlet Pipe rubber gasket failed due to it being pinched. Thus the oil returned into the intake was leaking out into the engine bay. 10 dallar part 15m of my time.

All minor problems and overall the car has been amazing for 15k miles.

Knocking on the door of 50k miles with my 2019 (owned since low 30s) and zero issues aside from the sunroof seal, which was fixed under factory warranty.

Thank you all guys here for your input. Leaning towards the LCI now with my car on sale now.

I will add my very short experience with the 2020 G01 x3. I have had my seat bottom replaced under warranty because it developed cracks on the side of the bottom. I have sensatec interior but this issue is not exclusive only to senstec. This can happen even to cars that have the leather upgrade. BMW still puts imitation leather on parts of the seat where the body does not touch. What is crazy is the new seat bottom is now upgraded with real leather on the small section where it is constantly prone to cracking. Just want to add my experience because this issue is quite common and worth checking if the seat is cracked. Visually you will never tell it is cracked until you push the seat down to expose the hair line cracks.

14k miles here... absolutely nothing outside of a frontal collision malfunction light during pouring rain... reset itself, i was told this is normal... car is absolutely stout

I have a 2021 G01 xdrive 30i. 32K miles and only real money spent was on front brakes/rotors ( the stop and go traffic here is a killer). Have never needed front brakes this early in 20+ years of driving. And yes, I felt the rotor the thing. I’ve replaced all the tires, mostly due to debris /screws from highway.

So in nearly 4 years I’ve spend $2K in maintenance. That’s $500 year. Love the car and keeping till wheels fall off.

Had my 2019 M40D built in South Africa from new, apart from needing new mirror cap due to scuff mark and steering wheel boss due to poor stitching, both picked up and rectified on collection, I’ve had no issues to resolve, still waiting for final decision and solution to the EGR recall but it isn’t an issue yet. Just over 50,000 miles now and it runs as sweet as the day I got it.

So far my 2022 X3 M40i LCI has been in the shop for three things:

1. Side mirror LED strip had condensation. (replaced under warranty but they scratched the crap out of the mirror cap and had to buff it out).
2. Clicking noise coming from the steering wheel when turning. (replaced under warranty, there is a plastic "washer" related to the blinker knob that sometimes can get misaligned causing the noise, obv first time they did some bulletin shaving some metal that can rub when the steering wheel is full turned...this was suspension related).
3. Turbo Inlet Pipe gasket was pintched from factory causing some intake return oil to leak into the engine bay. (Replaced this myself for 10 bucks).

Overall the car has been great for almost 2 years and 16k miles. The working from home effect but when I have to go into the office its a drive.

huggy509 wrote

Had my 2019 M40D built in South Africa from new, apart from needing new mirror cap due to scuff mark and steering wheel boss due to poor stitching, both picked up and rectified on collection, I’ve had no issues to resolve, still waiting for final decision and solution to the EGR recall but it isn’t an issue yet. Just over 50,000 miles now and it runs as sweet as the day I got it.

Johannesburg?

I believe G01 is very reliable.
I am 1st owner of 2017 30d with 132k miles so far. No real issues so far with exceptions of typical G01 problems:
1. Radiator dynamic bottom flaps malfunction - replaced
2. EGR cooler recall – still waiting for replacement
3. SOS Emergency battery replacement (old type battery died after less than 3 yrs)
4. Intake swirl flaps replaced at 124k miles as prevention.

avi66 wrote

BMW warranty is provided by the local market BMW, hence what may be ok in Austria, may not be OK in the UK etc.

The real “myth” is BMW provides a globally consistent approach to warranty, it doesn’t.

The “myth” in the UK is based on written response from BMW UK regarding warranty and * tyres.

Sounds like you suffered from Spartanburg quality assurance issues. Be interesting to know what South Africa build/QA is at present.

I have a the same model M40d haven’t experience any off those issues so far.

Late coming in here. But that’s not entirely true. BMW HQ covers the first two years of the warranty. If anything that is a warranty claim happens in those two years the local market will send the invoice for repairs to HQ. Beyond the first two years the warranty is up to the local market and the country BMW business will pick up the costs.

Other things like EV batteries, corrosion etc are also picked up bye BMW HQ for the life of the warranty. It’s why these warranties are common globally but the general warranty is a minimum of 2 years but otherwise country specific.

JimmyWales wrote

Late coming in here. But that’s not entirely true. BMW HQ covers the first two years of the warranty. If anything that is a warranty claim happens in those two years the local market will send the invoice for repairs to HQ. Beyond the first two years the warranty is up to the local market and the country BMW business will pick up the costs.

Other things like EV batteries, corrosion etc are also picked up bye BMW HQ for the life of the warranty. It’s why these warranties are common globally but the general warranty is a minimum of 2 years but otherwise country specific.

Are you saying that BMW warranty is consistent globally, as your last sentence implies it isn’t, which was my point.

Warranty is provided by local market, as in BMW dealers/in country importer, I didn’t mention anything about operational billing between BMW and its local importers/dealers.

BMW appears to cover some parts for much longer in some regions, so would this warranty extension be globally available as a consistent worldwide warranty ?

The original point was simply BMW warranty is anything but consistent globally, or even between dealers lol.