The first Bavarian SUV-crossover was the BMW X5, which went into production in 1999, and in 2003 appeared more compact BMW X3. These cars are considered driver cars - in the class of crossovers, they are one of the most frisky.

Interestingly in the BMW concern, they classify their crossovers - SAV (Sport Activity Vehicle), for those times they called SUVs, where U means utilitarian, so BMW crossovers are classified as active cars, with a sporty, driving class.

As for the X5, it can not be called a reliable car for Russia. At X5-th over time, there are many problems with the electrician, aluminum suspension and steering. But the X3 in Russia is considered one of the most reliable cars of the BMW brand.

Like any car, the BMW X3 is not perfect. Its appearance after several years of operation can spoil the luggage rails, which are slightly peeled off. At the junction of parts coating expands, therefore, to protect the body - it must be covered with anticorrosive. The body is galvanized, so corrosion is not scary.

In 2006, this car was re-styled, and many problems were fixed, for example, in dorestaylingovyh versions headlight wiper motors flowed. But there are also such problems that have not been corrected, for example, the ceiling of the room lighting, which rot due to the hardened seals. And door waterproofing can peel offand if it rains heavily, water will fall on the floor of the cabin.

You can independently remove the door trim, and how to stick the insulation. This is not a difficult job, and in the service it will take about 50 euros. Also, if the padded rear washer tube under the carpet disperses at the seams, the wet floor will also be provided. Therefore, in winter it is necessary to pour a good-quality non-freezing washer fluid. Despite the fact that the rear window is slowly getting dirty, it’s all the same, you need to turn on the rear wiper periodically so that the mechanism will not turn sour, otherwise you will have to disassemble it, clean it and lubricate it.

In 2006, the interior has been significantly improved, but it still looks quite simple, especially when compared with current cars. The quality of the cabin is high, but squeaks still appear over time, as a rule, in the front seats.

One of the frequent causes of water in the cabin - drainage hatch, which can be clogged, it passes inside the racks. And in general, the hatch in 3 years may jam, because it has a rather weak mechanism, the more often it is used, the higher the probability that it will break. Yes, and repair the hatch - an expensive pleasure - about 500 euros will have to spend, and completely change the hatch will cost 2,300 euros.

Also, the lanterns illuminating the license plate are not well protected from water, if rust reaches the board located near the left flashlight, this will cause the electric lock of the trunk door to fail.

By the way, during the washing it is necessary to remember that water should not fall into the control unit of windows and mirrors, which is located on the driver’s door and in case of a breakdown, its replacement will cost 150 euros.

Can still cause trouble rear wiperin which the oil seal located in the drive wears out. And if the outer shaft boot has worn out, the process of the rear wiper failure will accelerate.

The climate in the BMW X3 is reliable, it works stably and for a long time without problems, you just need to change it at intervals of 15,000 km. cabin filter, which costs 25 euros, and the replacement of the filter can be done independently. As for the heated seats and steering, there are some difficulties. If heated steering wheel is used frequently, then the skin will age faster, and when the steering wheel heating fails, nothing will happen, and if heated seats will failthen he can burn through the leather upholstery.

But you still have to disassemble the seat for another reason - when there is a signal that the airbags are faulty.

Motors with oily appetite

BMW X3 with engines of 2.5 and 3 liters, released after restyling, has a problem with the engine oil level sensor. By the way, a lot of gasoline cars - 35 and 40 percent. This the sensor confuses oil over timetherefore it is better to change it right away, it costs a new 200 euro. It is very difficult to check how much oil is in the crankcase without a dipstick, and these engines consume oil, and quite a lot - if you drive fast, then for every 2.5 thousand kilometers you have to add 1 liter of oil, in this case it is synthetic oil (LL-01 and LL -04), which, by the way, is not cheap. In general, BMW engines are prone to the consumption of oil, it is so designed constructively. Though the oil goes, but friction decreases, the parts of the cylinder-piston group wear less, the oil is constantly updated.

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On diesel engines there is no such oil consumption, only about 25% of cars with a diesel engine. If you take, for example, a 2-liter M47, then it has a fairly large amount of crankcase, in which you need to pour 5.5 liters of oil.

Before each start of the engine, near the odometer information is displayed about how many kilometers are left before the next maintenance. True kilometers, which is shown by the odometer, if desired, can be corrected in all electronic units.

Despite the fact that the on-board computer every 30,000 km notifies that it is time to go to the service and do a checkup, that is, it turns out that the oil changes with an interval of 20-25 thousand km. , because there is no confidence in the quality of oil and fuel. On cars manufactured before restyling, diesel should be poured in accordance with the Euro-3 standard, and after-restyled cars should be filled with diesel fuel that meets the Euro-4 standard. So, for those who want the machine to work longer, it makes sense before refueling read the passport quality diesel. If the fuel is high-sulfur, lower standard, it will quickly destroy the oil molecules with the tolerance LL-04, and it will have to be changed after 8-10 thousand km.

As for the durability of motors from BMW, then we can say that the engines are reliable, even the 2-liter gasoline engine that goes to the base - quietly serves 300,000 km. In all engines installed on the X3 is installed timing chain, which does not require attention. There are cases that the gas distribution system of gasoline engines requires minor repairs after 150,000 km. In most cases, it is the VANOS (phase control system) that can blunt.

There may be several options: if the plugs are still normal and everything is fine with the ignition, and the engine pushes, then the solenoid valve from the VANOS system is to blame. Or it could be in the hydraulic cylinders, in which the sealing rings had faded or worn out. Candles, as a rule, serve about 40,000 km, if you take the original for 18 euros, they have platinum electrodes. The new solenoid valve will cost 100 euros, but the set of rings will cost 600 euros.

Not once there have been cases that after 150,000 km. or after about 5 years of operation, the membrane at the ventilation valve of the crankcase gases has dried up; to replace such a valve is to spend 100 euros. Even the fact that oil begins to flow out of the engine is not very scary, but because of the high pressure when valve cover will break into pieces, this is serious. Replacing this cover will cost 400 euros.

Not very impressive is the fact that a deposit is formed at the bottom of the piston after some time, which leads to unstable operation of the motor. And there is a risk that there will be overheatwhich is extremely unacceptable for the cylinder head, which is made of aluminum. It can also cause overheating: a pump that has failed, costs 180 euros, radiator cells clogged with mud, thermostat guide flaps that have broken off because they are made of plastic, their replacement will cost 70 euros.

There are cases that appear in the block changes the length of the intake manifold DISA characteristic chatter after about 150 thousand. Km. This means that repairs must be made in this block, which will pull 200 euros, and it should be done faster, because if the mechanism crumbles, its small parts can easily get into the engine. Also, gasoline versions can fail, costing 200 euros, an electronic throttle control unit and air flow meter, the replacement of which will cost 500 euros.

The result is a lot of trouble with gasoline engines. Therefore, it makes sense to look at the diesel equipment, which are more reliable, and even more economical than the petrol versions.

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With normal driving with moderate “annealing”, the turbocharger will last for about 250,000 km. You should also fill in high-quality diesel, then the injectors will hold on not less than 250 thousand km.

On M-series engines with a cast-iron cylinder block has its own characteristics: it can after 180 thousand km. will appear the smell of burning rubberThis means that it is time to change the crankshaft pulley vibration damper, which will pull 400 euros. In general, so that suddenly there is no trouble on the road, it is better to advance in about 120,000 km in advance. change the pulley.

On the 3-liter diesel engines M57, such modifications of about 10%, there may be cracks in the exhaust manifold after about 150 thousand km. Replacing this collector will cost 450 euros. But especially carefully need to check intake manifoldespecially on cars older than 2006 that use Euro-3 diesel. After 200,000 km, traces of oil may appear on the shells of the vortex channels, which means that the valve, in which the axle has broken off, falls directly into the cylinder - it is urgent to go to the service and correct the situation.

But on diesel engines operating on Euro-4 standard diesel fuel there is a higher degree of recycling in the EGR system, therefore a heat exchanger is used here. True, after 160-200 thousand km, it can burn out from the inside, after which the antifreeze will be released through the exhaust system. Replacing this heat exchanger will cost 500 euros. But this is nothing compared to the problems that can arise with recirculation valve, which every year is clogged with sediments. New such costs 200 euros. This is due to Russian fuel and traffic jams. Therefore, in order to have less problems, the owners of such cars turn off this valve or get rid of it, the ecology certainly suffers from this, but the possible danger with a heat exchanger does not wait for the owner of BMW X3.

It should also be on each diesel engine purely for the prevention of changing the cost of 15 euro glow plugs after 4-5 years of service. After all, if at least one candle fails, then there is a risk that you will have to change an electronic control unit for 450 euros.

Transmission from BMW X3

The most reliable box in the BMW X3 is considered a mechanic, it is installed on cars with gasoline and diesel engines. In this box, you only need to change the glands, and after 200,000 km. It will be necessary to change the clutch, for this you have to remove the box. The new clutch will cost 350 euros. If you notice that the clutch is stalling, then the repair should not be postponed, because it is not desirable to drive for a long time with such a clutch, - fail 2-mass flywheel motorwhich is expensive - about 900 euros. Manual gearboxes are reliable, but on models with diesel engines, the first and rear gears are turned on harshly.

Automatic transmission is also quite reliable, if you calmly ride, then it will easily work 250,000 km. But the machine has some special features, if you buy a car with a mileage of at least 150,000 km, that is, the risk of getting for 2,000 euros, it will be worth the repair, and replacing the box will cost 5,000 euros. At risk, this automatic box contains clutches, a torque converter, as well as an oil pump and a hydraulic control unit. But in general, such machines as ZF and GM are reliable and, with proper use and maintenance, serve for a long time.

Transmission from BMW X3 – продвинутый xDrive – полноприводная система, ее конструкция достаточно сложна, но надежна, и на более новых машинах, выпущенных позже 2006 года, почти не создает никаких проблем. Разве что, servo drive of multi-plate clutch may fail on the transfer case after about 180,000 km, its replacement will cost 600 euros.

Here in the older X3 versions, released before restyling, there are more possible problems with the transmission. The new transfer case is not cheap - about 1,400 euros, and it can stretch the chain after 150,000 km. Many razdatok changed under warranty because of this reason. And on the earliest cars, on the rear driveshaft, weak outboard bearings are installed, which are more than 40,000 km. could not resist and demanded replacement - at 80 euros per piece. But after restyling, they were finalized, they began to serve for a very long time.

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We also had to change the front driveshaft for 800 euros in the assembly after 130 thousand km., Because it is poorly protected from dirt and the rear cross-piece quickly wears out. Already in 2006, such a defect was corrected and the back cross was reliably protected from dirt falling into it. If you notice that on the driveshaft broken crossthen such a cardan should be changed as soon as possible so that it would not be necessary to repair the front main gear and the transfer case prematurely.

There are several nice features in the xDrive all-wheel drive system - when the car starts to move and the speed does not exceed 20 km / h, the clutch is closed and the rear-wheel drive works. And when the car picks up speed, the torque is distributed between the axles depending on the traffic situation: for example, the system scans how the steering wheel is turned, what speed, how much the accelerator is depressed. But if the speed is more than 180 km / h, then the torque goes to the rear axle completely.

In order for the torque to shift to the front axle, a multi-plate clutch is used, which is controlled by a Bosch drive with an electric motor, and a worm gear and a yoke are also involved. Due to a breakdown of the control chip or if plastic gears are worn, the rocker will fail. In general, the repair of the system will cost about 400 euros.

Suspension

On BMW cars, the suspension has never been famous for durability, but you can't say the same about the X3. Suspension design is about the same as on X5The difference is that the levers are used steel, not light alloy. Therefore, the suspension on the X3 is long enough, even longer than on the X5.

Moderate off-road for the BMW X3 - the usual environment, the suspension shows itself well, the engine and transmission are well protected from below, the only thing that can be damaged when driving off-road is the plastic plates near the wheels.

But without the costs will not do - after 80,000 km it will be necessary to change, at 20 euros per piece, the stabilizer bar. When driving on Russian roads, already after 150 thousand km. will require replacement shock absorbers, and these are 180 euros for the rear and 260 for the front, silent blocks and front and rear (about 25 euros per piece), ball bearings (the front for 50 euros, and the back should be changed along with the lever for 150 euros), wheel bearings - about 80 euros.

If there are knocks, when you turn the wheel after 120,000 km. or earlier, this does not mean that it is necessary to change the steering mechanism, firstly, it is not cheap - 1200 euros will cost a new rack and pinion mechanism, with all the rods assembled. It will be necessary to make this expensive replacement after about 200,000 km, when a serious backlash appears and fluid flows.

By the way, on the rear suspension, you can separately change the existing silent blocks, but as a rule, the very first one fails - after 120,000 km. ball silent block on the upper arm. A new one costs about 25 euros.

Even such a compact and seemingly nondescript car like the BMW X3 is technically quite complex and requires enough attention, but if compared with other BMW models of the same model years, the X3 is the most trouble-free. Prices for BMW X3 with mileage are in the range from 1 million to 1,400,000 rubles. The price decreases annually by about 9-11%, which means that the car is really reliable. The main thing is to look at the previous owner with a caring mind, as a rule, and such a car will be in good condition.

The following video is an indicator of how correctly and professionally you need to choose a used car on the example of the BMW X3: