2007-2010 X3 Automatic Transmission Problem Master Thread!

I want to apologize to my dealer for earlier comments made about their lack of involvement in the issues I was experiencing with the AT in my 2008 X3. Much of that was frustration and some was not fully understanding all the inner workings of BMW.

Yesterday I accepted the buy out offer from BMW NA. I had originally misunderstood their offer and after clarification I realized that it was in everyone's best interest to accept the offer and not seek legal assistance.

The other thing I did not understand was that it was actually the dealer that would agree to the buy out, not BMW NA. This was never communicated to me. I want to personally thank Carroll Stewart, the General Manager at Sterling BMW in Sterling, VA, for handling my situation with all the professionalism that I had expected from a marquee brand like BMW. There was one final sticky issue which Mr. Stewart resolved by making an executive decision and getting the transaction accomplished. With the way we were treated yesterday by Mr. Stewart I would feel very comfortable obtaining another BMW from this dealership if I ever chose to purchase another one.

The lack of communication about how the whole process was proceeding and having not heard anything from the dealership once I contacted BMW NA I got the wrong impression about their involvement. Looking back on the whole situation, our salesman was polite and professional, our first service adviser was not the best to work with, the service manager was courteous, polite and professional , and finally the general manager was the consummate professional I expected from BMW. So 3 out of 4 was not bad. Again, I would feel comfortable returning to this dealership.

While we did not sign a NDA I am not going to disclose any of the details of my offer. I don't believe its professional to reveal individual transactions. But the vehicle has been returned to BMW and my wife and daughter are no longer driving in an unsafe vehicle. Thank you BMW for doing the right thing.

I wish the rest of you good luck and now not being a BMW owner I will probably not be participating in this forum much. BTW, I started researching other SUV's as a replacement and the GMC Acadia appears to have been built with the exact same transmission and it appears this vehicle is experiencing the exact same lack of accelerator response we all experienced with the X3. Looks like the issue probably resides in the GM 6 speed transmission.

Originally Posted by viii_ball

I wish the rest of you good luck and now not being a BMW owner I will probably not be participating in this forum much. BTW, I started researching other SUV's as a replacement and the GMC Acadia appears to have been built with the exact same transmission and it appears this vehicle is experiencing the exact same lack of accelerator response we all experienced with the X3. Looks like the issue probably resides in the GM 6 speed transmission.

Congrats on your resolution.

That sucks about the Acadia. My wife and I have been thinking of getting one for her, since we'll have 3 kids soon and her Jeep Liberty isn't going to cut it. When we test drove one it seemed ok. But it was only a 20 minute test drive.

Originally Posted by MJS

Congrats on your resolution.

That sucks about the Acadia. My wife and I have been thinking of getting one for her, since we'll have 3 kids soon and her Jeep Liberty isn't going to cut it. When we test drove one it seemed ok. But it was only a 20 minute test drive.

From the customer reviews on Edmunds.com

The 6 speed transmission is less than desirable with consistent lag and hesitations. The vehicle can't stay at a constant speed as the engine cuts out and when driving and attempting to accelerate the vehicle hesitates. This is a major safety concern when merging on the highway or trying to accelerate to get out of the way of potential dangers.

6-speed transmission is annoying. Constantly shifting in town and in country.

Major trouble with drive train

You hear road noise and the transmission stinks. GMC needs to recall the transmission.

The AWD is noisy when it engages to the point of annoying on slippery streets.

Sound familiar?

Again 8ball, congrats on the resolution. But most importantly, thank you for sharing your experience with us! Though we can only guess you didn't have to pay to return the X3, BMW did the right thing by offering a resolution since you were rightfully not pleased with the purchase.

We would also like you hear from you which vehicle you eventually choose. If I have a chance, I would include MDX, RDX, RAV4 and Highlander.

Originally Posted by x3ml

If I have a chance, I would include MDX, RDX, RAV4 and Highlander.

All 4 of those are on our list to consider.

8 Ball

The RDX will be my first choice for a replacement. I did not experience the turbo lag folks have spoken about. However the dealer said take it home for the weekend and bring it back Monday if I liked. I spoke to a customer on my way out, and they were baffled by the question since they never experienced it.

The RAV4 although nice was too sparse with comforts, features, and no AT shifting put that second. The MDX and Highlander were just too big. I have never been a proponent of land yachts.

I have yet to try the new Murano, but Nissan tends to nickle and dime you back into the high 30's when you add back in all the features the x3 had standard.

The one common thread I have noticed in all satisfied trade assists and buy backs is that the DEALER and not BMWNA resolved it.

So the common denominator here is to play nice with the dealer. BMWNA doesnt seem to care. They handle their dealers as poorly as they handle their customers.

Well, in MY case it was BMW NA BOTH TIMES that made it happen for me.. NOT the dealer.
Both times the dealer insisted that there was nothing wrong with my car and told me they would do nothing for me... which was clear when then stopped responding to my requests for service.

Originally Posted by Evlengr

So the common denominator here is to play nice with the dealer. BMWNA doesnt seem to care.

This was not exactly my experience. The person I worked with at BMWNA was extremely helpful, courteous and professional. She kept in contact with me on at least a weekly basis on status of my "claim". I think I just did not get a complete picture of how NA and the dealerships work.

Originally Posted by viii_ball

This was not exactly my experience. The person I worked with at BMWNA was extremely helpful, courteous and professional. She kept in contact with me on at least a weekly basis on status of my "claim". I think I just did not get a complete picture of how NA and the dealerships work.

8 Ball I should have been clear. BMWNA is nice, but gets you no where imo.

In all the TA's or buy backs that I have followed it seems that the dealer was the pivotal point in the whole process, BMWNA seems to just track it.

I stand corrected--seems kj has a different story.

I was waiting at a busy intersection to turn left in the X3. There was no light, and I was waiting at least 7 minutes when I finally found a small gap in the traffic. I floored the gas all the way, and ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! After a second and a half, I completely lifted my foot up, and only then did I lurch forward into the path of a Ford Explorer. So back on the gas, and with just a tap I launch like a bat of of hell, complete with tire squeal. Only tapping the gas.

The X3 will be visiting the dealer shortly.


btw Evlengr: have you considered the Tiguan?

I am very happy no one was injured, but if you have had all the latest updates done BMWNA and by extension their dealers have taken a hard stance of " No Problem Found".

So they can't/won't fix it. Since there is no problem with your vehicle no matter what you say.

This is why I have been shouting from the roof tops on this vehicle. Someone is going to be serioulsy hurt or killed.

So they can't/won't fix it. Since there is no problem with your vehicle no matter what you say.

My lawyer tells me they are preparing for an inevitable class action suit. And if they roll out anymore updates at this point it is an admittance that there is a design flaw.


I had never heard of the tiguan until now. I will spending my lunch researching this tomorrow.

It looks really cool. And I have always had excellent luck with VW's (won't touch the Toureg though...I have heard horror stories about upkeep and repair pricing).

Is this a first generation? I usually swear off first gen anything and made the mistake of ignoring that philosophy with the X3 and its 6 speed AT. And look what it has got me.

What you just mentioned I have had happen on more than several occasions. The X3 is like Charlie Brown, Lucy and the Football. Except Lucy waits til Charlie is really going to wipe out to pull the football away. In other words you never know. And that is why I want to get rid of mine, because it will be the one day I let my guard down that will get me killed.

Looks like non-US market X3's use a ZF transmission. In which case this is a US only problem...any comments?

Originally Posted by Evlengr

Is this a first generation? I usually swear off first gen anything and made the mistake of ignoring that philosophy with the X3 and its 6 speed AT. And look what it has got me.

In the US it's first generation, but it has been in Europe for a year already.

Originally Posted by Aggie57

Looks like non-US market X3's use a ZF transmission. In which case this is a US only problem...any comments?

We got screwed? Interesting point woud be the software. In other words a comparative analysis.

My belief is that in order to meet certain US EPA standards BMW fudged the shifting ratios instead of designing the engine to be compliant (easier said than done I'm sure).

However by putting all your faith in an area that is not one of your strengths it was inevitable that there would be problems (this is in hind-sight).

One thing I have learned from owning an X3 is you can research all you want from magazines and car websites, but the real answers lie with the owners.

A side note: I am driving a 528xi again this week and it has the ZF transmission. What a smooth beautifully shifting vehicle.

That makes 7 GM6 transmissions and 7 ZF. The ZF transmission wins every time. I am still trying to get an X5 as a loaner to see if, "All AWD's drive that way".

Originally Posted by viii_ball

This was not exactly my experience. The person I worked with at BMWNA was extremely helpful, courteous and professional. She kept in contact with me on at least a weekly basis on status of my "claim".

I found this as well when I had occasion to deal with BMW NA. I'm wondering if the fact that I own my vehicle had something to do with a satisfactory resolution rather than if it was a lease..

viii_ball, do you own yours, and Evlengr, is yours leased?

Mine is owned. I was actually under the impression that folks with leases got T/A's faster since it was more of a wash , then actually having to buy back the vehicle.

BMWNA and BMW employees have always been extremely courteous (with one exception), but it is like the story of the "Briar Tar Baby". It just continues to smile at you and nothing gets done. It seems that this is a tactic that although not unpleasant..they hope you'll eventually give up. Not me.

After 2 days of extensive road testing, programming verified, my dealer concluded that my X3 is "performing as designed"!! So I believe for most of the concerns all of you have on the AT, it's "PAD". They also said a PUMA case was submitted.

So for all the herky jerky slow speed shifting and the jerky downshifts on the X3, it's this transmission's "characteristics". The SD mode is so jerky in city driving that I found impossible to tolerate... it's also the "characteristics". The sudden violent surge of power when it downshifts and the occasional stalling-like behaviour after breaking to a turn, it's either they could not duplicate at that time, or it's also the "characteristics", I didn't ask.

Originally Posted by STE92VE

I found this as well when I had occasion to deal with BMW NA. I'm wondering if the fact that I own my vehicle had something to do with a satisfactory resolution rather than if it was a lease..

viii_ball, do you own yours, and Evlengr, is yours leased?

I owned mine.

Originally Posted by STE92VE

I found this as well when I had occasion to deal with BMW NA. I'm wondering if the fact that I own my vehicle had something to do with a satisfactory resolution rather than if it was a lease..

Lease is just a form of payment, the dealership does not care if you paid in full, financing for 5 years or leasing your X3. It does not affect the resolution of the problem, etc.

Originally Posted by bimmer_fam

Lease is just a form of payment, the dealership does not care if you paid in full, financing for 5 years or leasing your X3. It does not affect the resolution of the problem, etc.

At least in Canada BMW Financial owns it if it is leased and the dealer has nothing to do with it. I expect that BMW financed vehicles are the same. Call it what you will but leasing is just another way of buying a vehicle. It's not like you can just turn it back in if you don't like it otherwise I would of done that. Just miss a few payments and see who comes after you!

I think the point trying to be made was: are you more likely to get a TA if the car/truck is a lease because then you are still IN a BMW making payments to BMW. If it's a purchase, chances are it's not financed thru BMW or paid cash for (like mine was) and it's harder to get a "check" for the value of the car. What's easier-- another BMW still making payments to BMW, or cutting the customer a check for $45.000 and not knowing if they will buy another BMW or not?

Originally Posted by kjboyd

I think the point trying to be made was: are you more likely to get a TA if the car/truck is a lease because then you are still IN a BMW making payments to BMW. If it's a purchase, chances are it's not financed thru BMW or paid cash for (like mine was) and it's harder to get a "check" for the value of the car. What's easier-- another BMW still making payments to BMW, or cutting the customer a check for $45.000 and not knowing if they will buy another BMW or not?

DING DING DING--Give the man a cigar. Thanks for clearing that up KJ.

Originally Posted by kjboyd

I think the point trying to be made was: are you more likely to get a TA if the car/truck is a lease because then you are still IN a BMW making payments to BMW. If it's a purchase, chances are it's not financed thru BMW or paid cash for (like mine was) and it's harder to get a "check" for the value of the car. What's easier-- another BMW still making payments to BMW, or cutting the customer a check for $45.000 and not knowing if they will buy another BMW or not?

I see your point, but AFAIK BMW AG and BMW FS are basically two different organizations. In fact, often initial leasing company would "sell" the lease to 3rd party after some time, just like mortgage.

I think the initial question was if you are leasing vs. bought out right, would it make a difference in the resolution of the problem. If you are seeking resolution in terms of having BMW buy it back, then there might be some hidden agenda in BMW's actions. I don't think there is a different service level for people with different forms of payment.

BTW Financing through BMW might not be such a bad idea, as currently they have very competitive interest rates... So the chances are pretty even IMO

Originally Posted by Evlengr

We got screwed? Interesting point woud be the software. In other words a comparative analysis.

My belief is that in order to meet certain US EPA standards BMW fudged the shifting ratios instead of designing the engine to be compliant (easier said than done I'm sure).

However by putting all your faith in an area that is not one of your strengths it was inevitable that there would be problems (this is in hind-sight).

One thing I have learned from owning an X3 is you can research all you want from magazines and car websites, but the real answers lie with the owners.

A side note: I am driving a 528xi again this week and it has the ZF transmission. What a smooth beautifully shifting vehicle.

That makes 7 GM6 transmissions and 7 ZF. The ZF transmission wins every time. I am still trying to get an X5 as a loaner to see if, "All AWD's drive that way".

I'll ask the dealer I've ordered our X3 from. Certainly the 3 examples we have driven here (a 2.5i, a 3.0d and a 2.0d) have shown none of the issues you guys are having.

My last post on this thread was apparently not politically correct as it was deleted almost immediately after posting. But you will note that of the 324 toal posts on this thread, 81 have been posted by Evlengr. In my opinion, this does not appear to be representitive of the many thousand satisfied X-3 owners who may or may not have real or perceived problems with their transmission, but rather a personal vendetta against BMW. My suggestion that enough is enough was apparently not appreciated.

Again, in my opinion, this continued bashing does not appear in the best interest of the information (as oppossed to vitriol) this forum is intended to share. Rather than deleting the post of one who questions this continued harrassment, the moderator might be advised to consider those of us who participate in these forums to gather real information.

Cheers, Bob