My 2007 X3 Starts Draining My Wallet.

Hi everyone;

I have a 2007 X3 and the warranty expired Aug 2011, right before that I had several major items repaired under warranty.

1. Transfer case (the steering is heavy) they found rattle from the transfer case and oil inside is black. So they replaced transfer case.

2. AC evaporator.

3. Hose of the fuel system.

During the past 8 months after warranty. The repair items that I had.

1. Exhaust Brackets which cause the rattle. They just tight it. $50
2. Water leakage at the rear passenger side. $265
3. DMTL pump (module pump to detect the tank system leakage) failed. $116 + $365 diagnosis and replace.

Today right after I turned on the car the Brake and 4X4 light came on they are yellow and stay in there (not blinking). The car still drives well and quite smooth. I did some research on internet. Many people had the same experience before though many of them had different combination like one more ABS light or SRS light. Some people had the symptoms like

1. Bouncing while driving slowly.
2. Clicking noise.

I don't have either of them. Though several threads attributed the problem to the transfer case actuator. Is it the same thing as the transfer case? If so I may have it repair under the 2years parts warranty as I just had the transfer case replaced in Aug last year.

I am also considering buying the extended warranty which I am still eligible and it costs 18XX. Hope the lights are just electronic glitch though I turn off and back on the car for several times and they are still there.

Update I just call the dealer they told me the 2 years extended warranty for a 2007 X3 would be $3857.

Any suggestions are appreciated!!

Do you mean breaks my wallet! Turn the steering wheel all the way to the left and then all the way to the right. This might fix the 4x4 light.

I did that but seems doesn't work. As the car still drives well I guess it probably due to sensor faults. I will drive a couple of days if it is still there I will go to the dealer.
Thanks

How many miles do you have on the '07?

Originally Posted by 1stbmwx3

How many miles do you have on the '07?

45000 miles

My suggestion is to stop going to the dealer. They will eventually 'kill' your wallet and bury it somewhere down the cemetary of dead wallets behind the dealership. Peace on them.
Anyway, you don't have to go to the dealer for everything, there are great indy shops in every city who know a lot about german cars and can do it for much less. you can also find great parts in auto part stores that are as good as those found in dealerships.
Give some life to your wallet by avoiding dealers. Your wallet will thank you down the road.

I once had the ABS and 4X4 indicators on. This seems to be a low battery indicator. I would get this intermitently as I don't drive long enough distances to fully charge the battery. Once I started swapping my battery tender for the MRdstr the intermitent warning has not repeated.

Check your battery as your discription looks similar to my issue.

Originally Posted by ghpup

I once had the ABS and 4X4 indicators on. This seems to be a low battery indicator. I would get this intermitently as I don't drive long enough distances to fully charge the battery. Once I started swapping my battery tender for the MRdstr the intermitent warning has not repeated.

Check your battery as your discription looks similar to my issue.

Thanks very much for the reply. Did you mean to replace the current battery. Yes it has been almost 5 years. The battery originally comes with the car. I may test the battery tomorrow.

Originally Posted by motifrs

Thanks very much for the reply. Did you mean to replace the current battery. Yes it has been almost 5 years. The battery originally comes with the car. I may test the battery tomorrow.

Dont even bother testing it. It needs replacement. As a rule of thumb batteries of any sort are good for a maximum of 4 years (unless specialized type) as well as capacitors, and any other electro/chemical storage device.

Don't go to dealer. If you cant do it yourself find a nice ASE certified indy shop. Start with your local BMWCCA chapter for advice on mechanics.

Good advice. There are plenty of great indy shops out there. Replacing a battery is not rocket science and there are also lots of places you can have that done, or do it yourself. After 5 years its time for a new one.

I'm approaching 7 on my oem battery. Tested it last week and got 11.8 volts - i think that means it's dying?

Originally Posted by codog2

I'm approaching 7 on my oem battery. Tested it last week and got 11.8 volts - i think that means it's dying?

Replace it. I was lucky and mine lasted 6 years. Indicator for me was starter getting slowly more sluggish at turning over.

At 11.8V your battery is almost dead. Roughly, the range is 11.7 (0%) - 12.6 (100%). That's with no load or charging on the battery.

Originally Posted by Evlengr

Dont even bother testing it. It needs replacement. As a rule of thumb batteries of any sort are good for a maximum of 4 years (unless specialized type) as well as capacitors, and any other electro/chemical storage device.

Don't go to dealer. If you cant do it yourself find a nice ASE certified indy shop. Start with your local BMWCCA chapter for advice on mechanics.

I just back from the Autozone, they tested the battery, shows 12.x V and 86% and they told me the battery was good. I may disconnected the battery and put it back on see what happened. Thank you and I will keep update

Just reached 8 years on original battery that is still going strong.
(Eye is green - I know that is a necessary but not sufficient indication of a healthy battery.)

I don't agree that you can say a battery should be replaced after X years - depends on lots of things, such as:

- where battery is located in vehicle (away from engine heat is good)
- your climatic region (heat kills batteries more than the drain from extreme cold starts)
- your driving patterns (highway vs. city, long vs. short commute, day vs. night, etc.)
- whether you have had any full discharge occurrences (e.g. left at airport for a month)
- periodic use of a battery maintainer/ tender to minimize sulfation on plates
- how many high-draw accessories you have (heated seats, etc.)

Hi,

I have had a Battery that lasted from 1999 to 2011. Delco in a Chevy van. The one in the 2007 X3 is good to this day.

bye

George Allab

Originally Posted by George Allan

Hi,

I have had a Battery that lasted from 1999 to 2011. Delco in a Chevy van. The one in the 2007 X3 is good to this day.

bye

George Allab

Brings back a good memory.......

Many, many, years ago I had a 1972 Chevy 1/2 ton truck. The battery died because it was low on water. I had enough money for a battery or a charger but not both. I took a chance and bought the charger and topped the battery off with rain water. The battery came back to life and I still have the charger. That being said a 1972 Chevy truck with no AC and manual windows isn't a real big power user.

...and I'll bet that '72 Chevy is still soldiering on somewhere. Those old trucks tend to outlast their owners sometimes.
My '06 X3 still has the original battery at 85K miles -- still seems fine and if it ain't broke I won't fix it.