X3 Front Strut

It appears as though the right front strut failed on our 2007 X3 3.0. Fluid all down the strut and flung into the wheel well. Small pool of "light" oil on the garage floor (smells like oil, not brake fluid). Anybody else experienced this? Is this a common problem to this make/model?

How many miles?

Originally Posted by Zedfor

It appears as though the right front strut failed on our 2007 X3 3.0. Fluid all down the strut and flung into the wheel well. Small pool of "light" oil on the garage floor (smells like oil, not brake fluid). Anybody else experienced this? Is this a common problem to this make/model?

I'm right at 96,000 miles and mine are fine. Most of the time blown out upper seals are from the kinds of actions that flying over railroad tracks creates (quick and extreme compression and extension). This is why I cross situations of the like annoyingly slowly. It could also be from a lot of rough road driving.

65,000 miles on the car and we don't fly over railroad tracks. We don't off road. It's my wife's car and she is a pretty good driver, no she is a damn good driver. I just got off the phone with the service advisor and he said both struts are bad and to top it off they are not covered by the BMW CPO warranty I purchased when I bought the car. Total BS. I am not a happy camper with BMW at the moment.

Originally Posted by Zedfor

65,000 miles on the car and we don't fly over railroad tracks. We don't off road. It's my wife's car and she is a pretty good driver, no she is a damn good driver. I just got off the phone with the service advisor and he said both struts are bad and to top it off they are not covered by the BMW CPO warranty I purchased when I bought the car. Total BS. I am not a happy camper with BMW at the moment.

How many miles when you bought it? Do you know how it was driven by the previous owner?

34,000 when we bought it and no, I guess you never know how it was driven before, except we know it was a BMW executive in Detroit.

That said, it is a sport ute and should be able to handle rough roads and the occasional bump. It is supposed to be tougher than your standard sedan. I have never had to replace struts on a car anywhere near as low mileage as this.

Originally Posted by Zedfor

34,000 when we bought it and no, I guess you never know how it was driven before, except we know it was a BMW executive in Detroit.

That said, it is a sport ute and should be able to handle rough roads and the occasional bump. It is supposed to be tougher than your standard sedan. I have never had to replace struts on a car anywhere near as low mileage as this.

The Detroit part may be the problem:

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...RO05/902100381

http://jalopnik.com/5915319/detroit-...terrible-roads

What I find interesting is you see oil, yet they are gas charged struts. Anyway, for 65k miles, driven in Detroit, I'd say they are long gone and I'd have been looking to replace them anyway. Throw a set of Bilstein HDs on it, new mounts, check the rear springs for breakage and you'll be good to go.

Originally Posted by PSUEng

What I find interesting is you see oil, yet they are gas charged struts. Anyway, for 65k miles, driven in Detroit, I'd say they are long gone and I'd have been looking to replace them anyway. Throw a set of Bilstein HDs on it, new mounts, check the rear springs for breakage and you'll be good to go.

+1. BMWs are built to handle use but not abuse. Roads in the Northeast and other states where maintenance is not a priority don't lend themselves to the longevity of parts.

For instance, I have no qualms about taking my X3 frequently onto forest and fireroads, sometimes at speed. Yet I know to avoid craters in the surface and big protruding rocks as this isn't a Jeep Wrangler. And remember, the roads in Germany tend to be much better......

It did not get 65,000 miles on it in Detroit. I purchased it with 34,000 miles on it as a CPO and we live in Virginia. Regardless, the struts should not wear out with only 65,000 miles on them. I don't care if you are in Michigan, Virginia or Slovenia. If the car was abused by its previous owner, then it would have showed up much eariler and in other areas as well.

Originally Posted by Zedfor

It did not get 65,000 miles on it in Detroit. I purchased it with 34,000 miles on it as a CPO and we live in Virginia. Regardless, the struts should not wear out with only 65,000 miles on them. I don't care if you are in Michigan, Virginia or Slovenia. If the car was abused by its previous owner, then it would have showed up much eariler and in other areas as well.

You are right. I call BS on BMWs part.

I agree 65k miles is kind of low mileage for the strut(s) to fail, but not unheard of. We just replaced our 04 X3's struts at a little under 90k miles with the same issue...leaking. Who knows how long they were like that as it is my gf's daughters car, but she isnt an off-roader, harsh driver, etc.

The roads in the Northeast do stink, however, and I think that certainly plays a big part. Perhaps u got a bad strut, as well. The not being covered certainly stinks, so maybe ask for goodwill replacement. I was more angry at the cost and the fact they didn't look as easy to fix myself, like some of the other vehicles I've done suspension work on.

Oh and make sure they check the springs, those seem to be an issue as well...potential cracking.

Good luck.

Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using Bimmer App

Originally Posted by chrisk03

I agree 65k miles is kind of low mileage for the strut(s) to fail, but not unheard of. We just replaced our 04 X3's struts at a little under 90k miles with the same issue...leaking. Who knows how long they were like that as it is my gf's daughters car, but she isnt an off-roader, harsh driver, etc.

The roads in the Northeast do stink, however, and I think that certainly plays a big part. Perhaps u got a bad strut, as well. The not being covered certainly stinks, so maybe ask for goodwill replacement. I was more angry at the cost and the fact they didn't look as easy to fix myself, like some of the other vehicles I've done suspension work on.

Oh and make sure they check the springs, those seem to be an issue as well...potential cracking.

Good luck.

Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using Bimmer App

Thanks Chris... I'll ask about the springs as well.

Originally Posted by PSUEng

What I find interesting is you see oil, yet they are gas charged struts. Anyway, for 65k miles, driven in Detroit, I'd say they are long gone and I'd have been looking to replace them anyway. Throw a set of Bilstein HDs on it, new mounts, check the rear springs for breakage and you'll be good to go.

Gas charged shocks have oil in them too. The gas is to keep the oil pressurized to reduce foaming. Some are twin tube and some are monotube.

http://www.kyb.com/parts/monotube.php

Originally Posted by can0n4

You are right. I call BS on BMWs part.

They are made by either Sachs or Bilstein. Both well respected, top of the line, manufacturers.

Had the same thing happen to my '06 with 80K miles -- replaced both struts with assorted collateral at indy for just under $2K. Car was not abused, just driven on paved roadways. Was told by indy that it was not unusual in their experience that these struts do fail "around this time" and the replacements (OEM) would be good for at least that long. Have to say this is the first time in any car that I have come out and found a strut failed with oil under the car. Have replaced struts before because they were worn, not outright failed. Indy recommended both struts be replaced, I concurred just because it made sense that if one had failed, sure as little green apples, the other would too. After being "bulletproof" for the first 60K miles the car is becoming a money pit! More stuff on the horizion with leaking rear end, etc. Doubt I will keep it much longer.

At just over $750 for a full set of 4 Bilstein I would replace them just to have better units. 65,000isnt high miles by any means but I wouldnt see it as odd

Originally Posted by Zedfor

65,000 miles on the car and we don't fly over railroad tracks. We don't off road. It's my wife's car and she is a pretty good driver, no she is a damn good driver. I just got off the phone with the service advisor and he said both struts are bad and to top it off they are not covered by the BMW CPO warranty I purchased when I bought the car. Total BS. I am not a happy camper with BMW at the moment.

My wife's X3 just had a front strut replaced by the dealer. Car has 85,000 miles on it (new to us so don't know how it has been driven). However, the repair was covered by the CPO warranty that we inherited when we bought the car.

My indy shrugged his shoulder and said, "Yeah - those struts do a lot of hard work." By the way, the failure came after a 2 hour drive on Los Angeles freeways in very hot weather.

I would double check that CPO warranty by calling another dealer. Give him the last two letters plus the following numbers of your VIN and they can verify your coverage. Good luck.

I would think CPO would cover this unless it was a powertrain only CPO. Anyway lots of BMW's need shock replacement around 60-75K especially if equipped with sport suspension. My E39 has that & they were toast at 80K.

Originally Posted by Madtown

I would think CPO would cover this unless it was a powertrain only CPO. Anyway lots of BMW's need shock replacement around 60-75K especially if equipped with sport suspension. My E39 has that & they were toast at 80K.

Struts are considered wear and tear and thus not covered under CPO. There's quite a few exclusions in the CPO coverage actually.

Originally Posted by AzNMpower32

Struts are considered wear and tear and thus not covered under CPO. There's quite a few exclusions in the CPO coverage actually.

Ah that makes sense & thanks for heads up. I have a aftermarket warranty on our X3 & made sure struts were covered.

Originally Posted by AzNMpower32

Struts are considered wear and tear and thus not covered under CPO. There's quite a few exclusions in the CPO coverage actually.

Hmm, I am a bit puzzled now. As I posted above, I had a strut replaced under warranty last week (2007 x3 3.0Si - 85,000 miles). I believe I inherited an EXTENDED warranty. Is that different than a CPO warranty? The only exclusion I am aware of is the battery. Fortunately, for the 2007 MY X3, you don't have to have the car programmed after a battery change, so it is manageable.

Hi all, have had both fronts fail - one slow leak, then one splattered oil everywhere, including down sidmeof body - yuck.
Mine has done 170,000 Kim's, and I admit I'm not gentle, and have done a lot of unsealed road....
My problem is we don't have Indy suppliers here in Oz... I can fin bisteins on some USA sites, but I think these would better suit street rather than rough...
Any help finding a supplier who will ship to Australia would be appreciated (Getbmwparts don't ship here)
Cheers