2007-2010 X3 Automatic Transmission Problem Master Thread!

Originally Posted by x3ronnie

Well I had the trans reprogrammed again, This is time number 2 with the same result. Everything was great for the ride home, and a short one at that. There was much noticeable improvement. I get a 10 mile trip and the car sits while I go to work. When I start it up that night, back to the same nonsense! This is really ridiculous! They had the car for a whole day, while I drove a 528 Xi loaner. That thing was smooth and very nice. My X3 frustrates me every time I drive it. I guess I will have to continue to do the herky jerky for 21 more months (when my lease runs out).

give them one more try and then ask for a trade assist.

I'm in a lease so I don't know if trade assist is an option. Also I am NOT dealing with a safety issue here (fortunately) but a horrible nuisance. I will give them another try though.

Originally Posted by x3ronnie

I'm in a lease so I don't know if trade assist is an option. Also I am NOT dealing with a safety issue here (fortunately) but a horrible nuisance. I will give them another try though.

you can TA in a lease.

Thanks KJ

I think they try to get you in a comparable model at the same payment and loan duration, or a model of similar value at least. I am not 100% positive though because mine was a non-financed purchase.

UPDATE

What a difference a couple weeks makes . I think I'm back, if not 100%, then pretty darn close to where I was pre-update. It really went downhill this week. I was at an intersection, saw an opening in traffic, put my foot to the throttle and...nothing. For 2-3 seconds, as a car was bearing down on me, nothing at all happened, then it all came on at once. I'm back to looking like I'm driving (badly) a poorly-coordinated manual tranny car. I called my SA and let him know that the fix worked for a week or two, but it has reverted back to its demented former state.

In a related development, I located a very nice E53 X5 4.4i that's beckoning me to come closer. I like the gas mileage of the X3 (21mpg in overall drving), but my commute is only 12 miles per day, and the V8 in the X5 - and especially the fact that it has NO driveability issues or weird shifting problems - is making it look better and better to me every day.

Originally Posted by Driver8

CA330i - I didn't notice much difference in SD mode, honestly. I will try to see how it performs under those conditions today and post back my results. I have noticed that the 2-1 downshift when coming to a stop is more abrupt than before, but not in any way unacceptable or unreasonable.

Per my earlier post regarding the procedure that was performed, the service order says, ""DC 24 00 38 61 00. Updated EGS and DME software per SI B24 08 07. DME failed to reprogram on first attempt. DME reprogrammed on second attempt."

The more I drive it, the more I notice it feels like a totally different vehicle. I was set to trade it because it was just no fun to drive; that is not the case any longer. I might just keep it around for a while...

Originally Posted by Driver8

UPDATE

What a difference a couple weeks makes . I think I'm back, if not 100%, then pretty darn close to where I was pre-update. It really went downhill this week. I was at an intersection, saw an opening in traffic, put my foot to the throttle and...nothing. For 2-3 seconds, as a car was bearing down on me, nothing at all happened, then it all came on at once. I'm back to looking like I'm driving (badly) a poorly-coordinated manual tranny car. I called my SA and let him know that the fix worked for a week or two, but it has reverted back to its demented former state.

In a related development, I located a very nice E53 X5 4.4i that's beckoning me to come closer. I like the gas mileage of the X3 (21mpg in overall drving), but my commute is only 12 miles per day, and the V8 in the X5 - and especially the fact that it has NO driveability issues or weird shifting problems - is making it look better and better to me every day.

At least you got a couple of weeks. I got a couple of HOURS! Whatta load of crap.

.delete

I would love to have had a couple of weeks! I landed in the middle with about 30 hours of decent driving... then the bad shifting started again and my service engine soon light came back... oh BTW I noticed that they somehow managed to break my bluetooth last time too!!

Originally Posted by ycrazyy

I would love to have had a couple of weeks! I landed in the middle with about 30 hours of decent driving... then the bad shifting started again and my service engine soon light came back... oh BTW I noticed that they somehow managed to break my bluetooth last time too!!

I really can't wait till my lease expires, so I can get as far away from BMW as I can. The X3 transmission fiasco has been going on far too long.

Well back to the shop my X3 went today to see if they can "fix" the tranny issue... again. This time they made it a "priority" fix so a supervisor is going to get involved, yippee! I am so excited I can hardly contain myself .

I am so pissed at my dealer over this you have no idea. And to top it off, I was having them fix random other things last time the car was in 2 weeks ago like all of the static on my radio. Turns out there was a loose connector... now all of the sudden my bluetooth doesn't work! And since I have a Treo (which has worked perfectly fine for the past 18 months I've had the car) and it is an unsupported device, they say it's my problem and won't fix it. Now tell me, bluetooth works perfectly fine the day before and day of bringing it in to them. Day I pick it up, bluetooth no longer works. My fault? I think not! They can take their attempt at gouging me $1400 and shove it where the sun doesn't shine. We'll see how nice I am when my service engine light comes back on...

Y: you need to unplug the BT module in the trunk let it sit a minute and replug it. I bet that will be enough to reset it. it worked for me any many others on here. And I'm not sure they can deny you warranty work like that, regardless of the phone type.

Originally Posted by ycrazyy

Well back to the shop my X3 went today to see if they can "fix" the tranny issue... again. This time they made it a "priority" fix so a supervisor is going to get involved, yippee! I am so excited I can hardly contain myself .

I am so pissed at my dealer over this you have no idea. And to top it off, I was having them fix random other things last time the car was in 2 weeks ago like all of the static on my radio. Turns out there was a loose connector... now all of the sudden my bluetooth doesn't work! And since I have a Treo (which has worked perfectly fine for the past 18 months I've had the car) and it is an unsupported device, they say it's my problem and won't fix it. Now tell me, bluetooth works perfectly fine the day before and day of bringing it in to them. Day I pick it up, bluetooth no longer works. My fault? I think not! They can take their attempt at gouging me $1400 and shove it where the sun doesn't shine. We'll see how nice I am when my service engine light comes back on...

Originally Posted by Coffeeman

I really can't wait till my lease expires, so I can get as far away from BMW as I can. The X3 transmission fiasco has been going on far too long.

This is really a shame, as I feel the same way. This is my 2nd BMW (both X3's) and I can't see sticking with the brand. My lease has 21 months to go and that's way too long. I'm paying a premium for a premium vehicle (and I use premium fuel only) while the driving experience leaves something to be desired. Why can't they acknowledge the problem and try to find some sort of resolution? Why was I contacted about my door seals after posting here, and received excellent customer service, while this problem seems to be largely ignored? It's not going to go away. I said it in another post and I'll say it again. I drove a 528 Xi loaner and it was smooth as can be. My X3 is like a bucking bronco, and not at all refined. I shoulda stuck with my '04, but I wanted more goodies.

TELL THEM YOU WANT A TRADE ASSIST!!! then mention you have consulted an attorney. there ARE ways to get you out of these cars if you just use the right words.

Originally Posted by x3ronnie

This is really a shame, as I feel the same way. This is my 2nd BMW (both X3's) and I can't see sticking with the brand. My lease has 21 months to go and that's way too long. I'm paying a premium for a premium vehicle (and I use premium fuel only) while the driving experience leaves something to be desired. Why can't they acknowledge the problem and try to find some sort of resolution? Why was I contacted about my door seals after posting here, and received excellent customer service, while this problem seems to be largely ignored? It's not going to go away. I said it in another post and I'll say it again. I drove a 528 Xi loaner and it was smooth as can be. My X3 is like a bucking bronco, and not at all refined. I shoulda stuck with my '04, but I wanted more goodies.

Originally Posted by x3ronnie

Why was I contacted about my door seals after posting here, and received excellent customer service, while this problem seems to be largely ignored? It's not going to go away. I said it in another post and I'll say it again. I drove a 528 Xi loaner and it was smooth as can be.

It's probably extremely costly to PROPERLY fix all the affected vehicles, that's why they'll keep saying wait for the next software updates that do nothing or very little incremental improvements. They figure that it'll still cost much less with the potential loss of existing and future customers plus the chance of loosing any lawsuits due to product safety and class action. IMO

Originally Posted by x3ml

It's probably extremely costly to PROPERLY fix all the affected vehicles, that's why they'll keep saying wait for the next software updates that do nothing or very little incremental improvements. They figure that it'll still cost much less with the potential loss of existing and future customers plus the chance of loosing any lawsuits due to product safety and class action. IMO

+1 I truly believe the cure will only be seen on the '09 models and if and only if the updates are downward compatible, then you'll find a solution to the existing models. Otherwise, they'll just keep dragging and denying the problem as they have been doing for the past year. I don't even think they give a damn to the potential loss of future sales on this model. Just take a look at the lease rate of the X3 this past couple of months. They are higher than any of the 3 Series except the M3. This tells me that they are eager to sell any 3 Series than an X3. Since it is almost the end of the model year, the most logical way of thinking from the marketing standpoint of view is to wait till September.

Well I just picked my car back up from the dealer. It drives absolutely the same as when I dropped it off. My SA told me that since they reset the EGS, it would take some driving for it to adapt to me again. But IMO it is exactly the way it was before! I am also convinced that these guys believe in the almighty coincidence. They claim that my service engine light came on last time (2 mins after the car had a "stall" when making a turn and started shifting terribly or not at all) was because the coolant was low and nothing regarding the tranny.

So their coincidences are that the tranny didn't cause the service engine light when there was clearly something wrong. And that my Treo 750 which has worked flawlessly with my X3 since I got the car almost 18 months ago somehow stopped working after they were trying to fix the radio. I wonder what other coincidences will happen with the X3?

2 other BMWs that I love (see sig.) and yet this one is nothing but problems! I want an X6 but honestly after having this car, I don't think I could stomach leasing or buying another BMW.

I come back every once in a while for entertainment and it's still good. As long as you are complaining on this web site BMW doesn't have to fix anything. Isn't it obvious by now they can't fix it. Get them to replace it. Lease or sale, it doesn't make a difference.

Originally Posted by kjboyd

give them one more try and then ask for a trade assist.

...

I wish I had visited this site before I ordered my X3. I took delivery in early July and am experiencing the same issues outlined in this thread - so the problem continues in newly manufactured X3's (I had mine built to order so it has a June 2008 manufacturing date).

Has anyone been successful getting this fixed or do I need to pursue the Lemon Law remedy?

I bought a CPO BMW X3 3.0si fully loaded with every option from BMW Seattle and transported it to Connecticut. Periodically the X3 loses power if I am idling for a few minutes and try to accelerate. I experience it more often than now when waiting to turn left across a double yellow line to go into a gas station or driveway. If there is what would be ample time to cross when driving any other vehicle, the X3 tends to lundge forward and jerk to a stop for a few seconds before it accelerates forward. One time it did it twice as oncoming traffic almost drove into me before I was able to move out of the road. Another time a car was veering towards me and I could not just accelerate to move out of the way. Any one who has driven my X3 has had the same issue and felt as it they could have been killed.

I brought it in for service on Friday the 18th and complained of the trouble. The rep said there was a SIB on this and I would have to schedule an appt to leave the car. We won't mention that BMW should never have let me drive my car out of there. I was given an appt for Fri the 25th. The same rep seemed to not know of any SIB. She insisted that the service tech drive with me to see what the problem is. Anyone who knows of this problem realizes how ridiculous this is. It is a problem that is not only intermittent and can not be duplicated ad hoc, but a problem no one in their right mind wants to chance duplicating on public roads for fear that someone will collide into them - usually head on.

But they insisted, and of course, the tech did not experience it, and made sure to tell the rep he did not have a problem. I blew a bit of a gasket at the audacity, so they tried to calm me down and appease me, saying the just wanted to be sure what they were about to fix so I would be happy.

Well, they called for me to pick up the car today. I was not comfortable with their blase response that they simply did a program update, but the tech found no issues when he drove the car to test it after. Again, it is intermittent, but they seem to not recognize that fact. So, before I picked it up I wanted to be armed with info that they should have already, and came across this thread as well as other blogs on this same problem. In fact, the only problem the X# has is this, and the rare "clunk forward" when you stop the X3. The clunk I can deal with - it is annoying, but not deadly. Every complaint in each category for the 2007 x3 is regarding the dangerous hesitant issue on the NHTSA.gov site.

So, what do we do from here. My dealer says they did the SIB 12 17 07 upgrade which supercedes the SIB 24 08 07 upgrade. I get the feeling that they don't fully recognize the issue, though they finally admitted that others have had it after I insisted they put in writing my complaint and that they were letting my truck be given back to me fully cleared by them, in the event I ended up crashing because of it.

Has anyone had any success getting the problem fixed? Is the 12 17 07 the right fix?

Any advice would be appreciated. I love my X3otherwise, but don't feel it is safe.

Originally Posted by NCRaleighNewX3

I wish I had visited this site before I ordered my X3. I took delivery in early July and am experiencing the same issues outlined in this thread - so the problem continues in newly manufactured X3's (I had mine built to order so it has a June 2008 manufacturing date).

Has anyone been successful getting this fixed or do I need to pursue the Lemon Law remedy?

please try to read through this thread -- it will tell you what to start with. SIB and service numbers etc.

Well there may be some noticeable improvement after all. Driving today I experienced a significant and very noticeable change in the trans. I was able to start out smoothly, decelerate evenly, and I would say that it was like 80-90% better. This was only today, and I will have to wait and see what happens. I had the update performed on 7/14 SIB 24-08-07. To recap, there was a huge improvement when I drove home that day, and then after that it was as if nothing had been done. I will keep everyone posted.

Great. Now the service manager calls and says the regional rep will be here Friday. They would like to have a look at it then, so I can only hope that this temporary bliss goes away pronto.

The wife and I recently had a near collision because of the unexpected acceleration comming out of a turn. I haven't posted for quite some time and have just been watching this and many other forums about this problem.

Figured it wasn't going anwhere and was getting tired of being verbally acosted by some of the die hard BMW fans.

Still having the same problem with the X3, the unexpected powerloss or acceleration either just before a turn (powerloss) and comming out of a turn acceleration.

We took it to the dealer in mid June they reproduced both problems as they had previously been able to do so with me in or out of the car. They said there would be a new update comming out in later July and they would call us when they got it. In the meantime they resett everything so it went into learn mode, it's not as bad until it learns to be bad.

I have talked to the BMW Service folks and BMWNA CS nothing gives. I have a PUMA case 8985811 and today have filed a complaint with http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/
Your Confirmation number (ODI Number) is: 10236195

X3 is back at the dealer and they where hoenst and said even with the lastest patch. (I don't have the numbers yet) they didn't expect (based on early results other dealers are seeing) the latest patch will fix the problem. On a pretty open conversation with their "senior" tech, I asked/suggested that this was beyond a software problem especially where reportedly late model 07 and 08 are not seeing this issue. One would have to suspect it was mechanical and they are attempting to compensate for a mechanical issue with software. Otherwise if all things are equal mechanically, then this would have already been resolved. It's in the 08... ?? He laughed and said finally someone is catching on.

I don't know and don't really care what or where it is. Just want it fixed.

Bob