Endless issues with my X3
Discussion
I don't post very often, however I am now at the end of my tether with BMW (I will leave the dealer name out of this) and the ongoing issues with my X3. I have spoke to the supplying dealer and they agreed my car has 'had it's share of issues' and advised I should have been more assertive with my complaints about the car and it's reliability. My argument is BMW are a 'premium brand' and should want to look after their customers, not wait until they are furious and have to resort to complaining. I did buy the car new using PCP in Sept 2019 and its now on 29K miles, and my plan was to buy it out at the end of the PCP as it's the perfect spec and should have a few good years left in it, yet I have no confidence in the car and it's quality now, so feel a bit lost about what to do next.
A brief history although not in any chronological order -
Dashboard rattled under acceleration - multiple applications of foam have reduced but not sorted this. I have given up on this one!
DAB still loses signal for duration over 30 minutes sometimes - apparently this is due to the age of the tech in the car?
Drivers seat back had to be replaced - fair cop, these things happen! This is resolved.
For approx 12 months there was an incessant whine in the cabin and the car didn't feel right - eventually the diff was replaced.. this took around 7 visits to diagnose?
At crawling/motorway speeds there was an annoying metallic whine/creak - this was apparently due to low discs and pads on the front, which have been replaced and it's still making a noise - this took multiple visits and was present before the discs/pads were below the recommended level. The pad low warning light never came on and the pads suggested they had over 1500 miles when they were replaced.
Maybe related but when turning on full lock the noise is still present with a bit of a clunk thrown in for good measure - this is after the diff and brake replacement.
Who can suggest what to do next? I tried an email to the business manager and got a nothing reply. They aren't willing to work with me financially to swap the car... I don't want to be that person that hands off a dud car as it goes against my principles. I did call BMW customer services who were less than helpful too!
I am leaning towards emailing BMW dealer CEO/BMWFS/BMW Customer services however I am pretty inexperienced at this 'complaining' lark!
A brief history although not in any chronological order -
Dashboard rattled under acceleration - multiple applications of foam have reduced but not sorted this. I have given up on this one!
DAB still loses signal for duration over 30 minutes sometimes - apparently this is due to the age of the tech in the car?
Drivers seat back had to be replaced - fair cop, these things happen! This is resolved.
For approx 12 months there was an incessant whine in the cabin and the car didn't feel right - eventually the diff was replaced.. this took around 7 visits to diagnose?
At crawling/motorway speeds there was an annoying metallic whine/creak - this was apparently due to low discs and pads on the front, which have been replaced and it's still making a noise - this took multiple visits and was present before the discs/pads were below the recommended level. The pad low warning light never came on and the pads suggested they had over 1500 miles when they were replaced.
Maybe related but when turning on full lock the noise is still present with a bit of a clunk thrown in for good measure - this is after the diff and brake replacement.
Who can suggest what to do next? I tried an email to the business manager and got a nothing reply. They aren't willing to work with me financially to swap the car... I don't want to be that person that hands off a dud car as it goes against my principles. I did call BMW customer services who were less than helpful too!
I am leaning towards emailing BMW dealer CEO/BMWFS/BMW Customer services however I am pretty inexperienced at this 'complaining' lark!
With nearly used car prices being silly at the moment I'd get a settlement figure from BMW Finance (Alphabet?), and get some quotes for it from WBAC, Motorway etc, chances are you are in positive equity with it (like I was with my 2019 Polo GTi plus, around 6k in equity!), chop it in, pocket the cash and move on.
Sounds very much to me like you’re the victim of the usual main dealer chinese whispering game. Customer tells nice service advisor what the fault is. When that complaint is read back by the mechanic it doesn’t properly explain it. Many visits wasted before finally a mechanic comes out with you in the car to get to the bottom of it.
Don’t really think there is a solution, in my experience they’re all pretty much like that. I’m impressed the car has been in all those times and not picked up any damage though. Normally my cars come back worse than they went in almost every time.
Don’t really think there is a solution, in my experience they’re all pretty much like that. I’m impressed the car has been in all those times and not picked up any damage though. Normally my cars come back worse than they went in almost every time.
Griff74 said:
With nearly used car prices being silly at the moment I'd get a settlement figure from BMW Finance (Alphabet?), and get some quotes for it from WBAC, Motorway etc, chances are you are in positive equity with it (like I was with my 2019 Polo GTi plus, around 6k in equity!), chop it in, pocket the cash and move on.
This! Don't be sentimental about the car. Dump it and reduce the stress in your life. Griff74 said:
With nearly used car prices being silly at the moment I'd get a settlement figure from BMW Finance (Alphabet?), and get some quotes for it from WBAC, Motorway etc, chances are you are in positive equity with it (like I was with my 2019 Polo GTi plus, around 6k in equity!), chop it in, pocket the cash and move on.
BMW is just BMW Financial Services. Alphabet is the leasing side of the business. raspy said:
This! Don't be sentimental about the car. Dump it and reduce the stress in your life.
Exactly, I loved my Polo GTi, it was the exact colour I wanted with all the options I wanted as well, lovely to drive, quick and fun when needed, frugal (got 40+mpg on the motorway easily) and relaxed on a long journey. Am currently driving a 63 plate Move Up! until such a time we are doing more miles again, will keep the Up! as a 2nd car (pennies to run) and get an EV as our main car, ID.3, Cupra Born etc (used to have an i3 as a 2nd car which we loved and want to go to an EV with decent range as our main one when the time comes).Previous said:
You started PCP in Sept 2019?
Given the chnage in the market since then, I'd probably just look at ending the PCP. Ask for a decent deal on the next one (assuming you're continuing PCP) as opposed anything back to you, and check what other dealers will offer too.
I did this and they aren't interestedGiven the chnage in the market since then, I'd probably just look at ending the PCP. Ask for a decent deal on the next one (assuming you're continuing PCP) as opposed anything back to you, and check what other dealers will offer too.
steveball said:
I don't post very often, however I am now at the end of my tether with BMW (I will leave the dealer name out of this) and the ongoing issues with my X3. I have spoke to the supplying dealer and they agreed my car has 'had it's share of issues' and advised I should have been more assertive with my complaints about the car and it's reliability. My argument is BMW are a 'premium brand' and should want to look after their customers, not wait until they are furious and have to resort to complaining. I did buy the car new using PCP in Sept 2019 and its now on 29K miles, and my plan was to buy it out at the end of the PCP as it's the perfect spec and should have a few good years left in it, yet I have no confidence in the car and it's quality now, so feel a bit lost about what to do next.
A brief history although not in any chronological order -
Dashboard rattled under acceleration - multiple applications of foam have reduced but not sorted this. I have given up on this one!
DAB still loses signal for duration over 30 minutes sometimes - apparently this is due to the age of the tech in the car?
Drivers seat back had to be replaced - fair cop, these things happen! This is resolved.
For approx 12 months there was an incessant whine in the cabin and the car didn't feel right - eventually the diff was replaced.. this took around 7 visits to diagnose?
At crawling/motorway speeds there was an annoying metallic whine/creak - this was apparently due to low discs and pads on the front, which have been replaced and it's still making a noise - this took multiple visits and was present before the discs/pads were below the recommended level. The pad low warning light never came on and the pads suggested they had over 1500 miles when they were replaced.
Maybe related but when turning on full lock the noise is still present with a bit of a clunk thrown in for good measure - this is after the diff and brake replacement.
Who can suggest what to do next? I tried an email to the business manager and got a nothing reply. They aren't willing to work with me financially to swap the car... I don't want to be that person that hands off a dud car as it goes against my principles. I did call BMW customer services who were less than helpful too!
I am leaning towards emailing BMW dealer CEO/BMWFS/BMW Customer services however I am pretty inexperienced at this 'complaining' lark!
All of these are noise related. Has the car actually broken down?A brief history although not in any chronological order -
Dashboard rattled under acceleration - multiple applications of foam have reduced but not sorted this. I have given up on this one!
DAB still loses signal for duration over 30 minutes sometimes - apparently this is due to the age of the tech in the car?
Drivers seat back had to be replaced - fair cop, these things happen! This is resolved.
For approx 12 months there was an incessant whine in the cabin and the car didn't feel right - eventually the diff was replaced.. this took around 7 visits to diagnose?
At crawling/motorway speeds there was an annoying metallic whine/creak - this was apparently due to low discs and pads on the front, which have been replaced and it's still making a noise - this took multiple visits and was present before the discs/pads were below the recommended level. The pad low warning light never came on and the pads suggested they had over 1500 miles when they were replaced.
Maybe related but when turning on full lock the noise is still present with a bit of a clunk thrown in for good measure - this is after the diff and brake replacement.
Who can suggest what to do next? I tried an email to the business manager and got a nothing reply. They aren't willing to work with me financially to swap the car... I don't want to be that person that hands off a dud car as it goes against my principles. I did call BMW customer services who were less than helpful too!
I am leaning towards emailing BMW dealer CEO/BMWFS/BMW Customer services however I am pretty inexperienced at this 'complaining' lark!
Noise is pretty subjective, and as a person who is very sensitive to it, I can see why it'd drive you nuts. My missus doesn't care at all about random noises as I do, so she doesn't even notice the things I do.
You may get on better with an electric car if it suits your lifestyle, as they are simply quieter in every respect.
raspy said:
Griff74 said:
With nearly used car prices being silly at the moment I'd get a settlement figure from BMW Finance (Alphabet?), and get some quotes for it from WBAC, Motorway etc, chances are you are in positive equity with it (like I was with my 2019 Polo GTi plus, around 6k in equity!), chop it in, pocket the cash and move on.
This! Don't be sentimental about the car. Dump it and reduce the stress in your life. Many years ago I had a pup of an Audi A6.
Sold it back to them and never had an Audi since.
As someone else said, the ‘premium’ brands don’t build their cars any better than anyone else these days.
And longevity was replaced by manufacturing cost a long time ago.
For reliability it’s often better to look to companies heading upwards with a point to prove - Kia is a good example.
The Germans, I feel, have been resting on the laurels of their 80s / 90s engineering reputation for decades.
CraigyMc said:
All of these are noise related. Has the car actually broken down?
Noise is pretty subjective, and as a person who is very sensitive to it, I can see why it'd drive you nuts. My missus doesn't care at all about random noises as I do, so she doesn't even notice the things I do.
You may get on better with an electric car if it suits your lifestyle, as they are simply quieter in every respect.
I am an IT person, and although I like cars, I haven't a clue if they are related - as a hunch I would say no?Noise is pretty subjective, and as a person who is very sensitive to it, I can see why it'd drive you nuts. My missus doesn't care at all about random noises as I do, so she doesn't even notice the things I do.
You may get on better with an electric car if it suits your lifestyle, as they are simply quieter in every respect.
When the brakes and diff were replaced at the same time, I was told this 'should' fix the issues, however as its become apparent 'some' of the issues are still present.
Next courtesy car is June too!
steveball said:
CraigyMc said:
All of these are noise related. Has the car actually broken down?
Noise is pretty subjective, and as a person who is very sensitive to it, I can see why it'd drive you nuts. My missus doesn't care at all about random noises as I do, so she doesn't even notice the things I do.
You may get on better with an electric car if it suits your lifestyle, as they are simply quieter in every respect.
I am an IT person, and although I like cars, I haven't a clue if they are related - as a hunch I would say no?Noise is pretty subjective, and as a person who is very sensitive to it, I can see why it'd drive you nuts. My missus doesn't care at all about random noises as I do, so she doesn't even notice the things I do.
You may get on better with an electric car if it suits your lifestyle, as they are simply quieter in every respect.
When the brakes and diff were replaced at the same time, I was told this 'should' fix the issues, however as its become apparent 'some' of the issues are still present.
Next courtesy car is June too!
I've always believe the German reliability thing to be overrated, made me a bit nervous about getting an Audi after having so many Hondas, although I did notice Honda starting to become a little less reliable. Went for an S4 hoping that it's not been some abused lease vehicle and it's only made in their one plant in Ingolstadt, Germany so hopefully there'll be a good level of quality control and an element of manufacturing pride involved... well that's what I'm telling myself! haha Time will tell, but there's certainly not been the ongoing random issues and inherent design faults I had with my Jaguar.
WonkeyDonkey said:
German reliability is massively over rated. That's why so many people purchase extended warranties.
This, especially BMW. Had 5+ over 25 years of driving and by far the least reliable brand despite all of them being < 5 years old. Electrical issues, gearbox issues, fuel system issues etc. The only one I ever had that was trouble free was an i3.Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff