MAJOR ISSUE WITH Xdrive 35i

EmPower · 07-08-2014, 01:31 PM

A few weeks ago, I started hearing an odd sound coming in from my undercarriage. The best way to describe it is akin to putting ball bearings in an empty coke can and shaking it vigorously. I took the truck in on 06/25. TO THIS DAY THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIGURE OUT THE SOURCE OF THIS SOUND. My initial fear was that this may be broken off pieces of the turbo fans. It may still be the case, but BMW USA and BMW Germany are stumped.

At this time I am unsure what to do. My CA has promised to help me out and I have talked to him about getting a credit on my payment for this month.

The other option is lemoning the car, but I have very little knowledge about the lemon laws, but will do some research

More importantly, for all of you with the 35i, try this out - drive your truck under load (pressing the gas pedal and accelerating) when you are either close to a median, or in traffic - the idea being that under load, you should hear this clatter clearly while there are some objects around you.

Mathme · 07-08-2014, 02:09 PM

Lemon laws very by state so the best thing you can do is Google Lemon Law and your state. From there, it all depends on what your state statutes are. I know in California, they have more than one attempt to fix the issue and/or if the car is out of service for 30+days within the first 18 months of ownership. Again, your state may differ.

stewy604 · 07-08-2014, 02:43 PM

Possibly valvetrain? Timing chain? Sounds metallic, yes?

EmPower · 07-08-2014, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stewy604

Possibly valvetrain? Timing chain? Sounds metallic, yes?

metallic, but its from underneath the car. At this time they are suspecting the turbos and the waste gate assembly.

bluelodge400 · 07-08-2014, 04:07 PM

I am in the process of lemoning my vehicle. If I were you, I would try to avoid this process at all costs. Depending on your state, it is easy to get the car lemon’d but once it’s leomon’d, then what? Now you have to go through the entire process of getting another car. BMWNA leaves you high and dry in that department. You are at the mercy of the dealer.
Right now, there are no promotions on the 2014 or 2014 X5. If you order one, you will probably be paying more for the new one then what you currently have.
My advice to you, keep working with the service department to try and find a fix. If they can’t fix it, take it to an independent shop and see what they can find. You will be out of pocket some $, but a few hundred is worth the time saved from going through the lemon law process.

stewy604 · 07-08-2014, 04:13 PM

^^ I would tend to agree. They're not going to be very inclined to help you with a new sale following the lemoning process of the outgoing vehicle. Or maybe they would, who knows? In my experience, most dealers are willing to work with you through the problems. They recognize that things happen and usually help rectify the situation to protect their name and the manufacturer's name. Long story short, I would go a LONG way before going the lemon law route.

Mathme · 07-08-2014, 07:10 PM

I believe it also depends on your state laws. When I lemoned a car in CA in the past, the basic formula was (I'm doing this after several years so forgive me it it's not 100% correct):

Price you paid for the car including all fees
+
Interest paid on the loan
+
Car license fees for current year (if not in year 1)
*
Mileage factor (for CA this was a percentage number * the mileage when you first reported the problem).

My recommendation would be to continue to work with BMW to get it fixed and fixed RIGHT. Along the way, keep EVERY service receipt. I'd also recommend working with the same service writer as that way they become intimate with your issue and you don't have to start all over from zero each time.

Trust me, this is a frustrating process, but so long as you can document all of your service attempts, then you will come out ahead in the long run. Also get a lemon law attorney who specializes in these cases when you're ready and above all, do not threaten to lemon this to the dealer...that'll just make them mad and not want to help you. At the end of the day, if you lemon the car, BMW buys it back, not the dealer and if you have a good relationship with the dealer and your CA, they will want to try to earn your business again.

07-08-2014, 01:31 PM	#1
EmPower Captain 138 Rep 926 Posts Drives: 2014 X5 xdrive 35i Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: USA iTrader: (0)	MAJOR ISSUE WITH Xdrive 35i A few weeks ago, I started hearing an odd sound coming in from my undercarriage. The best way to describe it is akin to putting ball bearings in an empty coke can and shaking it vigorously. I took the truck in on 06/25. TO THIS DAY THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIGURE OUT THE SOURCE OF THIS SOUND. My initial fear was that this may be broken off pieces of the turbo fans. It may still be the case, but BMW USA and BMW Germany are stumped. At this time I am unsure what to do. My CA has promised to help me out and I have talked to him about getting a credit on my payment for this month. The other option is lemoning the car, but I have very little knowledge about the lemon laws, but will do some research More importantly, for all of you with the 35i, try this out - drive your truck under load (pressing the gas pedal and accelerating) when you are either close to a median, or in traffic - the idea being that under load, you should hear this clatter clearly while there are some objects around you. __________________ 92 Mazda Mx6 (sold), 00 VW Jetta (sold), 07 BMW 335i (sold), 10 VW Jetta (sold), 14 BMW X5 35ix (sold), 18 VW Jetta (totaled), 19 Audi SQ5 (sold), 20 Audi S6 (sold), 22 Audi SQ5
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07-08-2014, 02:09 PM	#2
Mathme Private 10 Rep 58 Posts Drives: 2014 X530d Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: San Jose, CA iTrader: (0)	Lemon laws very by state so the best thing you can do is Google Lemon Law and your state. From there, it all depends on what your state statutes are. I know in California, they have more than one attempt to fix the issue and/or if the car is out of service for 30+days within the first 18 months of ownership. Again, your state may differ.
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07-08-2014, 02:43 PM	#3
stewy604 Lieutenant Colonel 289 Rep 1,547 Posts Drives: 2014 BMW X5 xDrive 35d M Sport Join Date: May 2014 Location: Vancouver, B.C. iTrader: (0)	Possibly valvetrain? Timing chain? Sounds metallic, yes? __________________ 2014 BMW X5 xDrive 35d M Sport Mineral White 2011 BMW 135i M Sport Space Grey 2007 Suzuki GSX-R 750
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07-08-2014, 04:07 PM	#5
bluelodge400 Private First Class 31 Rep 111 Posts Drives: '21 X5M-C, '19 Cayenne Turbo Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Hillsborough, CA iTrader: (0)	I am in the process of lemoning my vehicle. If I were you, I would try to avoid this process at all costs. Depending on your state, it is easy to get the car lemon’d but once it’s leomon’d, then what? Now you have to go through the entire process of getting another car. BMWNA leaves you high and dry in that department. You are at the mercy of the dealer. Right now, there are no promotions on the 2014 or 2014 X5. If you order one, you will probably be paying more for the new one then what you currently have. My advice to you, keep working with the service department to try and find a fix. If they can’t fix it, take it to an independent shop and see what they can find. You will be out of pocket some $, but a few hundred is worth the time saved from going through the lemon law process.
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07-08-2014, 04:13 PM	#6
stewy604 Lieutenant Colonel 289 Rep 1,547 Posts Drives: 2014 BMW X5 xDrive 35d M Sport Join Date: May 2014 Location: Vancouver, B.C. iTrader: (0)	^^ I would tend to agree. They're not going to be very inclined to help you with a new sale following the lemoning process of the outgoing vehicle. Or maybe they would, who knows? In my experience, most dealers are willing to work with you through the problems. They recognize that things happen and usually help rectify the situation to protect their name and the manufacturer's name. Long story short, I would go a LONG way before going the lemon law route. __________________ 2014 BMW X5 xDrive 35d M Sport Mineral White 2011 BMW 135i M Sport Space Grey 2007 Suzuki GSX-R 750
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MAJOR ISSUE WITH Xdrive 35i

07-08-2014, 07:10 PM	#7
Mathme Private 10 Rep 58 Posts Drives: 2014 X530d Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: San Jose, CA iTrader: (0)	I believe it also depends on your state laws. When I lemoned a car in CA in the past, the basic formula was (I'm doing this after several years so forgive me it it's not 100% correct): Price you paid for the car including all fees + Interest paid on the loan + Car license fees for current year (if not in year 1) * Mileage factor (for CA this was a percentage number * the mileage when you first reported the problem). My recommendation would be to continue to work with BMW to get it fixed and fixed RIGHT. Along the way, keep EVERY service receipt. I'd also recommend working with the same service writer as that way they become intimate with your issue and you don't have to start all over from zero each time. Trust me, this is a frustrating process, but so long as you can document all of your service attempts, then you will come out ahead in the long run. Also get a lemon law attorney who specializes in these cases when you're ready and above all, do not threaten to lemon this to the dealer...that'll just make them mad and not want to help you. At the end of the day, if you lemon the car, BMW buys it back, not the dealer and if you have a good relationship with the dealer and your CA, they will want to try to earn your business again.
	Appreciate 0 Quote