[51morris]

Mod note: Fixing quotes, please do a Preview before Submitting posts. Thanks.

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

The car :

Attachment 1475653

Looks fabulous in white! The interior looks like a nice place to be in. Enjoy the drive!

[kdp]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

No I haven't got the maps updated and don't intend to do it either. I prefer google maps since I get live traffic updates and suggestions. I use an android phone and the connected drive feature is pretty much redundant as far I am concerned. I simply turn on google maps and place my phone over the iDrive screen. Easy to do in old BMWs since the iDrive screed is embedded in the dash and my smart phone fits snugly in this slot .

Where the in built navigation comes handy for me is on two lane highways and twisty curvy roads. I turn on the nav screen and it gives me a good idea of how the road curves up ahead. Not saying that I trust it completely to plan overtaking maneuvers etc... But it's nice to know if there is a sharp curve ahead. Also if I am out of home town it does throw up some good info like road names, fuel stations, eateries etc... around the area that you are driving through.

Hi. the absence of traffic info is definitely a negative as far as the F25 Nav system is concerned. Where the NAV does score is accuracy, it locates the car with far more accuracy in an urban canyon versus either my iPhone or nexus (probably due to the external antenna) The HUD integration is another plus, And it also works very nicely with the DTE indicator in the instrument cluster.

Will try to get an update can see accurate and useful it is. if CarPlay worked on this, I wouldn't even make the effort.

[Santoshbhat]

Update : Drivetrain error – Faulty EGR valve.

The infamous 'drive train' error popped up in my car about a month ago during Diwali time while I was driving to the airport to drop off some relatives.



The car went into some kind of safe mode on the fly, as I could feel the reduced performance. The engine wasn't revving beyond 2k RPM or so and the car felt real sluggish. I have read many instances online about BMWs where such errors are one off cases and the error just goes away after doing a full ignition off and restart routine. I was afraid that the car might not fire up at all if I turned the ignition off, so I found a deep enough slot at the departure drop off and turned the ignition off and started the engine again. The engine did fire up but so did the error, which came on within a few seconds of startup.

Luckily Navnit Motors service centre is just a stone’s throw away from the airport and I decided to drive straight to the service centre and report the problem. But as luck would have it we got caught in a major traffic jam caused by a prominent political leader's return and his supporters celebrations which blocked the airport road for nearly 2 hrs. Every inch of space was taken up on the road and there was total frenzy and break down of all order. Cars were just inching up at a rate of 1 metre per five minutes!! If it's the transmission we are looking at here, this was not what the doctor ordered, surely. A complete breakdown here would have been catastrophic. I kept the engine running and moved to N at all times whenever we were stationary. I had some guests waiting at home and Dad, who was with me at the time, was in no mood to go to Navnit and waste further time. Since the car was running, we decided to drive on towards home . We somehow made it back home (we were stuck on the road for nearly 2.50 hrs in the jam) and parked the car at it's usual parking place.

The next morning I wanted to check on the car and fired her up. Same error within a few seconds flashed on the screen. But this time it was accompanied by a check engine light on the cluster. I am pretty sure it wasn't there the previous day. I moved the car forward a few meters and then it happened. The car started shaking and the engine sputtered a few times and just died bang in the middle of our driveway. I tried to fire up again after a couple of hours just to see if I could move it to the side. Same result. I got out and could smell something burning. Popped open the hood. No smell, no smoke. Bent down and felt the smell coming from underneath the car. I made no further attempts to start the car.

If this had happened to us the previous day in the traffic jam , I can't imagine what our plight would have been! The next couple of days the car stood in the middle of the drive way as it was the festive weekend. I did reach out to BMW roadside assistance and they were ready to send me a tow truck to tow the car to the nearest service centre albeit on a chargeable basis since my car is not covered under RSA. Since Navnit was closed anyway I decided to contact them directly once they resumed duties.

Observations

• The car was shifting gears fine all this while. I did not feel any jerk etc.. from the engine or gearbox.
• Since about a month or so, the car was just shuderring a little during start up and shut down. It was barely noticeable actually. But when we shut the car off at the airport the shake during shut down was definitely more violent and noticeable.
• Engine oil level was at full level. Temp gauge was showing normal reading.
• The engine was sounding kind of funny in that safe mode.

I suspected a faulty fuel pump. As per the internet this is a common problem with BMWs. Drivetrain errors can mean anything from the transmission to the turbo to the injectors or any failed sensors. This was the first time such an error had popped up in the car and I was quite disturbed by this occurrence. Although I had warranty, I was scared of the scenario where the service centre is unable to diagnose the issue properly and I end up facing recurring issues and multiple visits etc.. It has happened with many German car owners and well documented on our forum.

Another possibility was adulterated diesel. But I had driven all the way to Belgaum and back just 15 days back and the car was absolutely fine. I had last tanked up in Belgaum (60 litres of diesel) and driven all the way to BLR. The car was running on the same fuel even now. So I didn't think it could be adulterated diesel.

Thinking about the places I've taken my car, I can't imagine what I would have done if this had happened during those drives, esp with family. Just last year I drove to godforsaken places like Honnemaradu with family. My running is 90% highway. So the car dying like this in my own parking place was a miracle in itself.

I contacted the dealership thereafter and they sent their mobile assistance team over. At first the technician suspected bad fuel. But when I said I am running the same fuel for the past 600 odd kms, he said it could be due to low fuel in the tank. (The reserve fuel icon had just lit up and range remaining was about 80 kms). He said sometimes when the fuel level goes down, air or vapour gets trapped and the pump may not be able to build pressure. He gave me a jerrycan and asked me to bring 5 Lts of diesel so that we could top up and see if that helped. He wanted to bleed the fuel lines once.

He had his diagnostic tools with him, so I wanted him to run the diagnostic scan first so that we could see what the error code is. So we plugged in the laptop and the error code was : 255C00 - EGR Valve position control. Valve open too wide.










We topped up diesel and tried starting. Engine started, but within a few seconds the engine died in a similar fashion. The diagnostics guided him to open a plastic trim and move a spring-loaded attachment manually. He did that and also lubricated it with a spray and then poured some synthetic engine oil over it. We started the car and the car fired up normally. No drivetrain error, no CEL. He then ran some EGR diagnostic program cycles which lasted about two minutes each time and the engine would rev up and the black circular flap like thing would turn left, turn right, turn left, turn right. Quite a flimsy looking thing it is with a thin rod connected to it which would open the actual valve deep inside I suppose.

After doing this, the engine idled normally and there was no error code in the car. But I could see in his laptop when he ran the scan once again, the same error code showed up and with the word "existent" next to it.

We did a small test drive and the car drove normally. He suggested I take the car to the service centre and get it checked thoroughly once. I was apprehensive to drive the car, but the technician said there was very little chance of it stalling again. The service centre is about 15 kms away on Airport road. I suggested he follow me till the service centre just in case the car broke down in the middle of the road. He assured me the car won’t stall again so soon. He told me he had another call in the vicinity - "If you are in trouble, just whistle".

Apparently, (as explained by the technician) the ECU software is programmed in such a way that when you are driving and get a major error like this, the car goes into safe mode, turning down all settings to a safe threshold, to allow you to get to safety and it does all it can to keep the engine running. Once you reach your parking place and shut down for a long time, say overnight, the car goes into a sleep mode. And then when you restart after a sleep mode with an existent major error, it stalls immediately, thereby not allowing you to move the car out of the “safely parked space”. Don’t know how far this is true, but it surely seemed to have worked this way in my car.

I drove the car to the service centre without any further trouble. Explained all this to the service advisor. For the third time, I asked him to check whether my car is covered under the EGR campaign. On earlier two occasions he had denied. This time it shows an 'open' status for the EGR campaign in the system. Apparently, that has nothing to do with the valve and is related to the EGR cooler or something. Anyway, I insisted on a full replacement of the faulty part and no shortcut fixes. I asked what could be the reason for this fault. He said - carbon deposit build up.

They kept the car overnight to check the fault and the part thoroughly and called me the next day to inform me that they have recommended for the EGR valve to be replaced under warranty. But the part wasn’t in stock with the dealer nor BMW India stores. So the part had to be ordered from Germany with an ETA of 15 days. The valve was cleaned and lubricated, but I was advised not to take the car out of station to be on the safe side. Local drives – no problem. So I drove back home and parked the car in its usual place. I don’t use the car in the city much anyway, so it wasn’t really much of a problem.

The part took about 3 weeks to arrive. I got the call and promptly took the car in and the got the valve replaced. They kept the car for two days for fitting, programming and two days of test driving the car for 10 kms each day. It was all good and I got back the car yesterday. The car does feel smoother and the engine quieter. Maybe the EGR was leaking exhaust gases at idle and low speeds as well, I don’t know. Since I drive this car only few days a month and switch from petrol cars to this car frequently, I didn’t notice that the car was sounding a bit rough.

All’s well that ends well, I hope and suppose. But this incident has certainly dented that feeling of invincibility and bullet proof reliability that this car had built up in my mind over the past 4 years and 50,000 kms or so. It has been super reliable till this incident. I just hope there are no more hiccups as I intend to keep the car for many more years to come.

Btw the total cost of the part to the company was about INR 16,000 or so which was covered under warranty. My only out of pocket expense was Rs. 2,000 for the emergency assistance, which should have been covered by the company. I did request for it to be waived off, but let it go since the technician was prompt, sincere, well equipped and helpful.

[KMT]

Dissapointing to hear about a mechanical failure with a BM engine.
If the SA had replaced the EGR as per the recall (and your request) you may not have had the problem. You must report this to BMW when they call/email with the survey.

Fortunately you were able to sort things out without great inconvenience or personal risk.

With so much emission control stuff on board to cause us grief, the days of EVs are not far away.

I shudder to think how low budget Diesel cars will function under BS6.

[suhaas307]

An unfortunate event there, Santosh. But as you said, all's well that ends well, I suppose!?

I would say, don't be too perturbed by this incident, as far as reliability goes.

Why don't you shoot an email to someone higher up in BMW, narrating the entire incident. It helps when you've placed your grievance on record and creates a foundation for future incidents, god-forbid.

[d3mon]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

Apparently, (as explained by the technician) the ECU software is programmed in such a way that when you are driving and get a major error like this, the car goes into safe mode, turning down all settings to a safe threshold, to allow you to get to safety and it does all it can to keep the engine running. Once you reach your parking place and shut down for a long time, say overnight, the car goes into a sleep mode. And then when you restart after a sleep mode with an existent major error, it stalls immediately, thereby not allowing you to move the car out of the “safely parked space”. Don’t know how far this is true, but it surely seemed to have worked this way in my car.

This explanation does not pass the smell test. I would think that the valve was partially operational when hot, but when it cooled down overnight, it got completely stuck due to the carbon deposits.

In any case, the EGR valve clogging is a common issue in most diesels and should not alarm you about the reliability of your car. It is slightly surprising that it occurred in your car which primarily runs on the highways, right? Usually EGR gets clogged when people drive too conservatively, but it's certainly very hard to drive the 3.0 diesel enthusiastically for more than a few seconds before getting deep into triple digit speeds.

[zombiedriver]

I had a similar issue within 12k kms if i remember right. It was a few days after the first service. My car stalled in coimbatore and had to be towed to the dealer there. They immediately diagnosed it as an egr valve issue but even after a week of replacing it the error remained even though the car was running fine during their test runs. Had the car brought to navnit in bangalore and they managed to get the error sorted. I was told that egr valve issue crops up if u fill dodgy fuel. Anyways didn't happen again till the time i sold the car, thats was after adding 60k kms after this incident

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by d3mon

In any case, the EGR valve clogging is a common issue in most diesels and should not alarm you about the reliability of your car. It is slightly surprising that it occurred in your car which primarily runs on the highways, right?

Yes, mostly highways. I understand that the EGR valve opens mostly during highway drives and when the car is cruising and stays closed at city speeds. Is it possible that my car being run predominantly on highways meant that the EGR valve has stayed in open position for relatively longer periods leading to build up of soot and carbon?

Originally Posted by d3mon

Usually EGR gets clogged when people drive too conservatively, but it's certainly very hard to drive the 3.0 diesel enthusiastically for more than a few seconds before getting deep into triple digit speeds.

I didn't buy the 3.0 to drive conservatively . I like to get into sport mode and make full use of the engine and chassis' prowess whenever I get the opportunity on wide six lane highways. In fact the last drive was quite brutal, if I am allowed to say so. I am also using BMW's diesel additive for 1 in 3 tank fills and generally tank up at reputed and good bunks only.

Originally Posted by zombiedriver

They immediately diagnosed it as an egr valve issue but even after a week of replacing it the error remained even though the car was running fine during their test runs.

You scare me zombiedriver

[Santoshbhat]

Just wanted to post an update after the EGR valve replacement. The car has been performing well without any further issues. The engine is smooth on idle and at higher revs as usual and feels pretty normal. I drove the car around town for a few days before venturing out on long drives with the family just to make sure that the car does not throw up any more errors after the EGR valve replacement.

I drove the car on the 19" Yokos + BBS wheels for about 2.5k kms before switching back to the tubeless Pirelli 18s. The 19s are very good no problems at all. Surprisingly the comfort factor never took a hit and they are nearly as comfortable as the 18s. The fresh Yokos are very silent and those 275 rears just seem to provide some unreal traction when you floor the pedal. The BBS wheels have just transformed the looks and I just can't seem take my eyes off the car!

The reason I switched to the 18s is that NH4 is undergoing widening right now and there lots of diversions with haphazard speed breakers and potholes. I do a lot of running between Bangalore and Belgaum and the roads are not in great shape. I don't want to risk it with these 19s. Also I had a drive to Sirsi coming up in December, and we did drive to some pretty remote places. Roads were terrible in some sections with road works going on etc.... Drove on rock beds for kms together. Really good decision to swap the 19s for the 18s for this trip. The tubeless Pirelli 18s have taken a lot of abuse in their stride. I don't know how RFTs would have fared in this situation. The crossover body style with enhanced GC has been very useful. Even the AWD was put to good use this trip with some mild off roading prowess needed to cover certain sections. Spare wheel + inflator + wheel changing tools kept my mind at ease.

The diversions on NH4 were very bad after the heavy rains this season but are getting better now. So I will be slapping the 19s back on soon. Can't tolerate the stock alloys now .

Close shave
Had a close shave on the highway with horses. The highway at Harihar does not bypass Harihar town and takes you inside the town for a few kms where the road turns into 2 lane. I was following a two wheeler and there was a small herd of horses (maybe 3 or 4) just standing beyond the shoulder of the road almost out of sight. A lorry was coming from the opposite direction. I wasn't showing any inclination to overtake the two wheeler and wanted the lorry to pass. But the lorry blared his horn just as he neared us and it startled the horses and one of them jumped on the road. Luckily it jumped behind the two wheeler, otherwise the rider would have been in serious danger with a lorry on one side and me right behind. I couldn't veer right as the lorry was approaching. Hard braking was also not an option as there were vehicles behind. Instincts took over and I veered right slightly, but veered back quickly into lane, braked a little and I hit. What seemed like a major body impact was actually just my left ORVM hitting the poor horse's face. The mirror cap came loose and fell on the road and the glass hanged down held just by the wires. I must have been doing something like 60 to 70 kmph and that saved the day for all of us (horse included). It was impossible to avoid the hit. I stopped and inspected for damage. There was no other impact except on the ORVM. I managed to slot the glass back into it's position and complete the drive.

I had swapped the OEM mirror caps with carbon fibre ones from Aliexpress. Came home and put the OEM ones back on. I wanted to order the same carbon fibre ones as they looked really good. I recently got a mail from Navnit Motors about some year end discount on accessories so decided to check with them first. They are quoting 45K for the M Sport caps and this is after 30% discount . Ordered a set from AliExpress costing some 5K. The last set was quite good and held up pretty well in our hot conditions.

Some pics taken on recent trip

[AirWind]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

Prelude and Purchase Decision

Wow, fantastic review @Santoshbhat - read all 17 pages / 249 posts and rated 5 starts!

Agree with you and @GTO wholeheartedly - if it was a BMW, then it at least needs to be a six banger! Yes, the cars like the Jetta or Octavia are so much VFM that upgrading from them needs big $$$

I am in one such dilemma, my Jetta is 6 yrs / 55K KM's done, still runs like a charm, but the itch of an upgrade is something I am unable to keep myself to... would have taken if not for the COVID situation that doesn't allow us on the road or perhaps there are sweet deals coming in the used car market, only time would tell.

On your need for power - would the ECU of a X35D be suitable, assuming it shares rest of the parts with the X30D?

[Santoshbhat]

Update : Battery drain issue

I got the car serviced in June. It was a routine service with no issue to report and the car was back with fluids and filters changed and a nice wash. Just 2 days before the service I had returned from a drive to Belgaum and the car seemed to be in fine fettle and not affected one bit by the low running during the lockdown period. During the lockdown I made it a point to drive 3 to 4 kms per week to keep the battery charged.

3 days post service, I wanted to move the car out of the garage for some reason and found that the car was not responding to the unlock command from the key. Strange, as this had never happened before. I then opened the door by unlocking manually by inserting the manual key into the key slot and turning it. The door opened but no cabin lights. I suspected the battery to have conked off. Except the light in the glovebox, nothing was lighting up. There was no way the car was going to start and it didn't. I called the SA and he said he'd send a technician to jump start the battery and thereafter he'd have to test the battery and replace if necessary.

The technician came and the jump start attempt failed. There was absolutely no response. The car had to be flat bedded to the service centre . The technician from Navnit had taken off, but I remembered that with a dead battery, it was impossible to disengage the electronic handbrake and bring the gear box to N from P. Without doing these, there is no way your BMW is going to budge an inch. I called the technician back and it took him more than an hour to get under the car and physically disable the parking brake and bring the GB to N. I really can't understand why BMW deems it not necessary to give some kind of an easy manual override to do this. Imagine being stuck somewhere far way from home and not even being able to move the car an inch till a technician with appropriate tools arrives.

I remembered that I had the emergency assistance feature in my HDFC Ergo insurance policy. I called the call centre number and the tow truck was at my place within one hour!! Very impressed. The driver was smart enough to know that a BMW does not move easily. He made sure that the gearbox and handbrake were disengaged and that the car was moving back and forth when pushed, before sending the truck.



The SA was quite surprised at this issue and we suspected that the battery had failed completely. He asked for 2 days time for a proper diagnosis. He came back with the report stating that there was an issue with the remote key + immobilizer which was draining the battery. He asked me to bring the second key fob. They had charged the battery but the car still refused to start with the original key. With the second fob it would start , but only when held up to steering column. It would not lock and unlock when these buttons were pressed on this key either.

Apparently the car was searching for the key even when it was locked which led to the battery drain. Then it was unable to recognise the key, due to which, it would not start. The remote key set had gone faulty and needed to be replaced fully. The set included the immobilizer, antenna, fey fobs etc...This particular part needs to be coded according to each car's VIN and has to come from BMW HQ in Germany. ETA 45 days.

We decided not to leave the car in the service centre during this period. The car was starting, albeit erratically. It would respond to one fob sometimes and sometimes to the other. By respond I mean engine start when held up to the steering column. Lock and unlock was not working with both. And once started the car would not recognize the presence of the fob in the car and would constantly give the 'no key found' warning. I was advised to park the car at home and drive it around town if necessary and avoid long distance running. They had disabled the parking brake and gear box P function. There was a good chance I'd have to tow it again once the part came. I parked the car at home and kept bricks in front of tyres to prevent the car from rolling away . I started the car for 20 mins once every 3 or 4 days and even went for short drives on the airport road just to keep the battery charged. With no parking brake or P function there was no way I could use the car, even for city use. Surprisingly the battery stayed charged and did not drain out during the 40 odd days that we waited for the part to arrive.

The part came in and I was able to drive the car there and there was no need for a flat bed this time. I wanted the battery to be replaced as well as it is nearing 5 years now. All this drain issue would have surely affected battery health I thought and tried my best to get a replacement under warranty. My SA said he'd try his best, but the test report said that the battery was perfectly Ok. Cost of the remote key set replacement was about Rs. 80k and was covered under warranty. It has been about a month since it was done and the car is fine as of now. I even did another Belgaum run recently with no problems. The timing of the problem was pretty good as there was very little need for transportation during this lockdown/ pandemic period.

Apart from this problem, the car is doing great. It is ageing nicely and feels really fresh for a 58,000 kms run 5 year old car. The new tyres and alloys have transformed not only the looks, but also the handling, ride and feel of the car. It feels more sporty and sharper to drive. I can't describe it, but it surely feels more agile and dynamic. These BBS CI-R's are known for their light weight. Maybe that's why it feels so good. Also the ride feels great too. There is a nice damped feel that was missing with the original RFTs or even the 18" Pirelli tubeless that I had before. Maybe this is a function of the nice rubber, courtesy : Yoko Advan Sport. Speaking of the Yokos, I find that the rear tyres seem to be wearing rather quickly. There seems to be more wear on the 275mm rears than the 245 fronts. Given the staggered configuration, I won't be able to rotate the tyres across axles.

Post lifting of lockdown restrictions, we managed a few drives to nearly places. Clicked a few nice snaps which I'd like to share.

[TheGearBox]

Wow! Those wheels look great. Very AMG GT R. I don't know how I missed reading the more recent pages of this thread till now.

[wittycat]

How many kms has the car done now, if I may ask? Thing is I have been offered the exact same config as your car and the seller is asking around 40L. Is it worth it?

[noufal.ps]

Originally Posted by wittycat

How many kms has the car done now, if I may ask? Thing is I have been offered the exact same config as your car and the seller is asking around 40L. Is it worth it?

I feel 40L is on the higher side mate, in KL. 30ish seems right with 50k+ running IMO.

[Santoshbhat]

5.5 years/ 64,000 kms update.



So the X3 moves into the long term section with this update. Can't believe it's been 5 years since we brought the car home. I am very happy to report that the car has aged superbly. It does not look and feel like a 5 year old car. Of all the cars we've owned, this one feels the least 'old' at the 5 year mark. All I need to do is wash the car down and vacuum the interiors and it feels like it's come straight out of the showroom! I get the car detailed once a year at 3M. After every wash the white car really shines! Except for a few chips on the bonnet, (result of fast highway drives) the exterior paint looks awesome for a 5 year old car.

The covid induced lockdowns meant that during March 2020 to March 2021 the X3 saw its lowest annual running. The X3 has been running fine. There have been few small updates and few events worth reporting. Read on to find out.

Battery replacement : I had mentioned a battery drain problem caused by the remote key. The entire key + immobilizer + antenna set were replaced under warranty and the issue was resolved completely. I had pushed for battery replacement as well at the time, but after charging fully, the battery passed all their tests and that was that.

Some time during December we were slated to drive to our native. I was getting a brake pad replacement warning rather prematurely and took the car in to have it looked at. Turned out the brake pad wear sensor was hit by a flying pebble or something. Since it was the last month of warranty, I casually asked the SA to test the battery again. And this time it failed one of their tests although the battery seemed absolutely fine and never showed any signs of being on its last days. They said that they could change it under warranty, but they needed to keep the car to run a few more tests to convince HQ. I had already made travel plans and the worst part was that I was slated to return after warranty expiry . The technician said that it wasn't charging fully and it could be risky to drive out of town. First trip planned after months of being under lockdown! I had no heart to tell my family to travel all cramped up in the GTI. My kids really enjoy the drives in the X3 and it would be cruel to tell them that the X3 wasn't coming. So I decided to take a chance and went ahead with the week long trip with jumper cables packed in the boot as a safety net.

The trip went well without any issues. I was assured by my SA that warranty claim would not be denied since the complaint was lodged before warranty expiry. True to their word they honoured the warranty claim and I got a new battery right at the 5 year mark. Hopefully, it'll last me the next 5 years. Talk about perfect timing . Battery costs a good 50k or so including labour and adaptation and what not.

Warranty claims : In the 5 years the X3 has now had about 4 warranty claims

1. Headlamp washer unit : Cost 7,500
2. EGR valve : Cost 20,000
3. Immobilizer + key set : Cost 80,000
4. Battery : Cost 50,000

Total costs : 1,57,500
Amount spent for 5 year BRI (extended warranty) : 1,50,000
Good ROI I must say.

Service costs : I did not opt for BSI packs at the time of purchase as I felt they were exhorbitantly priced. I find BMW's service costs quite reasonable for a luxury brand. My total outgo in the 5 years has been about Rs. 2.60 lakhs excluding non BSI items like air fresheners, diesel additives, wash n wax etc...The asking price for a 5 year/ 60k km BSI plus was about 3.10 lakhs at the time. If you add interest cost to this, then the pack would have proven to be very expensive indeed. My usage is predominantly highway, so the brake pads easily last 25k kms or so. You wouldn't believe if I told you that I am still on the original wiper set and the service teams have never till date, felt the need to recommend a replacement!

I often read about confusion among first time BMW buyers about BSI/ BRI packs. BSI is a service pack and BRI is a warranty pack. For peace of mind, BRI is what one needs. This is like an insurance against part failures etc... Whereas BSI is just paying upfront for regular service. When BMW gives you the service pack , they factor in the maximum consumable replacements and add it in the costs. For example if you take a 60,000 kms pack, they make a list of items likely to be replaced in that period, taking the worst case scenario into account. Now after 5 years, if you end up doing only 40,000 kms, you are losing out and BMW gains. Or if you eat up your 60,000 kms in just 3 years. This also works out to BMW's advantage. I find it always best to pay as you go. BMW is a big corporate and they've got excellent systems in place to ensure that the service centre doesn't take the customer for a ride. The car decides most items that need to be serviced. Just follow this and you're good. Their service costs are quite reasonable as I said earlier. Having said that, BMW has rationalised BSI pricing and they are quite economical now. Maybe they had factored in massive depreciation in the Rupee in that 2015-18 period.

Here's the break up of service costs



The car drives really well and has held up pretty well so far. Yes, there were a few breakdowns which luckily happened while the car was at base. These could have happened while touring and that could have been big trouble and maybe I would not be so forgiving. Can I give an overall reliability rating of 4 out of 5?

Overall I am a very satisfied customer. Happy with the product and happy with the after sales service. Warranty claims were handled professionally and smoothly and service experience has been very good overall.

The X3 is wonderful allrounder. Easy to drive in the city and enjoyable on the highways. The 30d engine is what makes it special. Cruising on the highway is pure bliss. The smooth and creamy engine note is very satisfying indeed. It can be blisteringly fast on the highway and make short work of long distances. X3 is a very agile SUV and you never feel like you are in a floaty SUV. With the adaptive suspension in sport mode, it almost feels like a sporty sedan. It is based on the 3 series touring after all. The X drive AWD gives it loads of grip. There is never any wheel spin and the car just shoots forward with ferocity when you mash the throttle, especially with the gear lever in sport mode with those trademark jolts on every upshift. Diesel economy is appreciated in times like these. The average kmpl has never fallen below 2 digits no matter how hard I drive.

Drive sedately and what you get is a very realistic 1,000 kms range.




Interiors have held up very well. I rarely park in the sun so I haven't been affected by the infamous BMW F series interior trim melting issues. No switchgear issues and no rattles as such. Only few creaks from the door rubber beadings for time to time. Rubbing some lubricants over them seems to solve this problem.

Coming to dislikes. The spare tyre on boot floor is a very common grouse among BMW owners. Only saving grace is that the boot is fairly large and square shaped. So the impact is not as bad as, say, the 5 or 3 series sedans.

The rear seat isn't really that comfortable or luxurious. This is mainly down to the hard seat cushions. Some BMW reviewers have called is 'as hard as a rock'. I don't think they are way off the mark with this description. The rear is spacious enough but the seats are kind of low. The hard cushions and slightly upright (unadjustable) backrest angle makes it an average back seat at best. The front seats are superb though. They are sport seats and different in the way they hug the occupier. They can cause trouble for someone who is generously proportioned though!

The steering feels artificially weighted in sports mode and there is no custom mode where one can decouple the steering setting from the chassis setting in sport mode. It stiffens up in sports mode but loses feel and feedback somewhat. I'd have preferred if I could've retained the steering setting in comfort mode.

The switch to 19' BBS alloys and Yoko advan tyres has had a positive impact on ride and handling. The BBS alloys are super light weight and the car just feels more agile with them. The tyres have good grip and the X3 always feels like it is on rails. I am yet to experience wheelspin or a skid in this car till date.

The rear Yokos seem to be wearing out a bit faster than the fronts. Since they are staggered, I can't switch them to the front. In-fact at around 15,000 kms of life, I felt they won't last more than another 2,000 kms or so. I panicked, what with all the tyre import situation, and checked with Madhus if they had a set. They did not have Yoko, but they had a pair of Michelin Pilot Sport 4s in the 275/40/19 size. I picked them up and have stored them in my garage. Luckily the current tyres have survived and we are at 18000 kms life right now. I may be able to extend them upto 20,000 kms. Thereafter we'll have yokos in the front and Michelin Pilot Sport 4 at the rear. I would never do this (2 different makes of tyres on different axels) , but since this is a staggered setup, I think it should be OK. Pilot Sport 4 is not available in the 245/45/19 size for the front tyres btw.

Rear tyre at 18,000 kms


Front tyre at 18,000 kms



I am really happy I could pick the X3 in 30d and M port trim. Goodies like the sport seats and 16 speaker Harmon Kardon speaker system and the 30d engine don't make me yearn for a new car even after 5 years. All the new cars in the segment are down on power and high on price! All they seem to have is electronic gizmos. Touchscreens and digital dials don't excite me one bit.

Few small updates include a new number plate and black wrap for the roof. They gel well with the black wheels. I always thought I would remap the car at the 5 year mark. I have second thoughts now. The car is mighty quick as it is. I do a lot of highway trips and consciously feel I need to slow down. These days I start every drive with a resolve not to get into duels on the highway.

Few pictures from the X3 album