12 replies to this topic

[Steve]

X3 Series Owners, How are you finding ownership of your X3?

let us know

[mattx3]

X3 Series Owners, How are you finding ownership of your X3?

let us know

im a newbie to this site, just bought a 54plate x3 2.0d,had a rav4 before this,am finding the ride stiff and bumpy so far compaired to the rav4, any softer springs on the market before i shatter my spine! goes realy well tho,plenty of torque, and a guiet motor.any common probs should i look out for?

[andy-mcq]

suspension is wierd thing, well not really but im sure you get me lol

on my old car i had it lowered on apex 30mm springs and it felt alot smoother<--evan the mrs said this!!
not saying lower the car but differnt springs might help, have you got run flat tyres?
ive heard they give a very bumpy ride and not many bmw (and mini) owners like them and dont keep them.
ive also heard some people ask not to have them when ordering new cars

[mattx3]

suspension is wierd thing, well not really but im sure you get me lol

on my old car i had it lowered on apex 30mm springs and it felt alot smoother<--evan the mrs said this!!
not saying lower the car but differnt springs might help, have you got run flat tyres?
ive heard they give a very bumpy ride and not many bmw (and mini) owners like them and dont keep them.
ive also heard some people ask not to have them when ordering new cars

hi andy,when you say you lowered it was it a x3? i intend to tow my caravan with my x3 so dont want to compromise the towing capacity either, i checked the tyres today theyre not run flats,so checked the pressures expecting them to be overinflated but accually they wernt,id read in reviews that the ride was stiff but didnt quite expect this.open to suggestions!

[andy-mcq]

may have new springs on? need settling in, are may and dont want to worry you have a prob with the suspension
you would think it would be a soft ride, my dads X5 isnt a hard ride

[MIKE T]

X3 Series Owners, How are you finding ownership of your X3?

let us know

HI JUST BAUGHT X3 3.0D M SPORT AUTO FANTASTIC CAR CANT FAULT IT TAX IS A BIT HEAVY, BUT A JOY TO DRIVE.

[Steve]

Hi Mike

Welcome to the BMW Owners Club mate.

Glad your liking your X3

Like they say, first class ride requires a first class price. But well worth it in the end.

Stress levels are certainly lower than having a small car i reckon LOL

[Neil]

My X3 has a stiff suspension because its a sports edition, very bumpy ride every time but I have noticed that if I put it on 4x4 mode everytime steering power is better suspensions a lot flexible. very good engine I could say uphill drive easy no effort at all. downhill drive with support from BMW technology by just simply pressing a button the car drives for you downhill just mind the brake acceleration let your BMW drives for you. in my opinion this car is great, I love the sound of the engine as if you own the road each and every time you step on the gas pedal. speed wise managed to do 125MPH no shaking (aintree race circuit), it follows the contour of the road and it can do more but the road is not enough for the speed. make sure tyres are always on the right pressure or else you are prone to spend more to gas or diesel. the disadvantage is that disc brakes and disc pads, and tyres are prone to wear and tear within 1-2 years depending on use of course...but in total I Love this car. a perfect family mid class SUV.

[Bimmerbee]

Hi all,

I am new to this forum but I thought I would share some thoughts on my ownership of my X3.

I bought a silver grey 57 reg 3.0sd about three months ago and is the first BMW that I have owned. It had 20K miles and the previous owner must have liked putting the ticks in the boxes on the options list as it was nearly 47K when new! I paid just over 22K for it from a specialist! It has the full motorsport package (and a load of other goodies)and is fantastic to drive. Yes the ride is a bit on the harsh side but you get used to it.

The standard vehicle was reasonbly quick but I have gone a bit mad and had a rolling road remap (Evolve)taking power up an astonishing 340bhp/510lbstft torque. Apart from the amazing performance I also get another 3mpg on an average journey of mixed driving. If I drive at around 65mph on a longer journey I get around 39 to 40mpg, for the day to day mixed journey stuff I regularly get mid thirties consumption and when you feel like being a bit of a hooligan it drops to around 29mpg when using the extra performance.

Running costs can be a bit on the steep side, BMW dealers in my area (South East)charge upward of £120 per hour for servicing and genuine parts are not cheap either although I have just found a good source of BMW spares (BMMiniparts.com) and a good local BMW servicing specialist with BMW trained technicians.
Tyres for the optional 19in rims cost an absolute fortune (around £220+ per corner)as they are specially made for BMW, road tax is in the top band for the 3.0sd vehicles manufactured up to 2008 - some small engine management tweaks for the 2008 onwards models see the emissions dropping from 232g/km to 208g/km and nicely into the £225 a year tax band. Shame I didn't know this before I bought mine!

Althought the car is a pleasure to drive I have also experienced the negative side of BMW ownership. My car was unmarked when I picked it up but in my short period of ownership it has already been dented (3 parking dents)on both sides and been given a completely unjustified parking ticket for having one of the rear wheels partway over a white line! Other drivers now refuse to let me out of side roads and will not let me in when queueing in traffic which I certainly did not experience with my previous car - a VW Passat. I guess it's somethng I will just have to get used to!

[andy-mcq]

neil are you from liverpool?

[Super.6.Four]

new to the forums and just bought a 2004 X3 m-tec kitted model, noticed everyone is saying how hard the suspension is, and you dont know hard until you have driven a dropped VW golf

[MY60X3BOY]

New Member here, just took delivery of my new X3 2.0D SE 2011 model, ordered it the day after it went live on the BMW web site in July, must say I love it, then new 184bhp engine is superb and he drive system has no problem in all this snow, love it love it he he

[Dougx3]

Just bought a 2006. X3 2.0 diesel from BMW main dealer. Finding the manual gearbox very clunky and stiff to engage reverse and first gear. Anybody had similar experience as I am going back with it. Also want to chip it for better performance and fuel economy. Any advice for tuners in north scotland