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Old 01-16-2018, 08:40 PM   #21
Nick M3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bren View Post
She still loves it.

I figure we're only left with the fuel pump and total VANOS failure still. Oh, and I guess the coils will all go bad eventually. In the mean time it'll go through several more rounds of rear brake pads (forgot to mention earlier the 14k mile replacement interval on those.)
Make sure you change the serpentine belt. The N5x motors have a charming failure mode where they suck the belt into the engine through the crank seal.
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Old 01-16-2018, 09:45 PM   #22
clyde
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick M3 View Post
Make sure you change the serpentine belt. The N5x motors have a charming failure mode where they suck the belt into the engine through the crank seal.
Do you have to pay extra for that?
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Old 01-16-2018, 10:09 PM   #23
bren
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick M3 View Post
Make sure you change the serpentine belt. The N5x motors have a charming failure mode where they suck the belt into the engine through the crank seal.
Great.

Edit:
Couldn't figure out how this would even be possible until I found a video explaining that the crank balancer/pulley relationship is basically backwards from every other GD engine ever. WTF
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Old 01-16-2018, 11:00 PM   #24
robg
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Originally Posted by clyde View Post
Do you have to pay extra for that?


Only ze Germans know how to engineer truly spectacular engine failures.
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Old 01-16-2018, 11:03 PM   #25
robg
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AF View Post
I’ll be there for you when you’re going through it (the teenager part and man is that fun )

I had the 2.8 and really thought it was a great car and could totally see living with it as my everyday car (I’m pretty sure I posted a pic of the car here) ... I would love to have driven the 3.5 because that must bring a great car to a whole new level !!

Enjoy and i’m looking forward to seeing some pics ... what color combo did you get ?
Will post some pics tomorrow-- it's black sapphire / oyster with aluminum trim. Lightest interior I've ever had, but its kind of nice to not be in a dark cave (like my past cars). Thought the aluminum would clash w/ the oyster interior but it kinda works.
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Old 01-16-2018, 11:09 PM   #26
wdc330i
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Originally Posted by robg View Post
Will post some pics tomorrow-- it's black sapphire / oyster with aluminum trim. Lightest interior I've ever had, but its kind of nice to not be in a dark cave (like my past cars). Thought the aluminum would clash w/ the oyster interior but it kinda works.
Congrats. And enoy the new ride!
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Old 01-17-2018, 01:22 PM   #27
robg
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A few pics


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Old 01-17-2018, 05:41 PM   #28
Alan
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That is an odd angle can you please take another pic

Looks good ... love the color combo !!
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Old 01-31-2018, 07:17 PM   #29
robg
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since it seems to be somewhat of a tradition here, I'm adding my first 1k impressions of the X3 for what it's worth. Overall I really like driving this car. It's the right balance of comfort/performance/practicality right now. The biggest things I don't like would've been rectified had I found one with the Msport and cold weather packages. Actually found the perfect one back in September (Carbon black, msport etc), but wasn't really sold on the idea at that point. Nothing that really irritates me yet though.

Likes:
-Definitely the best riding BMW I've had. No need to clench my teeth over potholes or rough roads. But doesn't seem to have an undue amount of body lean for being an SUV. I haven't encountered a situation where the car feels floaty or like it's going to understeer through a corner atleast.
-Best electric power steering of the BMWs i've driven. Reasonable feel and no looseness on center. "Sport" mode is nicely weighted without feeling artificially heavy.
-Smoothness of engine. For some reason the n55 in my old 335 had a rough idle - this one is glass smooth.
-Dash design. Simple, infotainment screen integration isn't the "tablet stuck on top" of the latest bmws, everything seems well laid out. Cluster from F10 5 series so it's got large, clear gauges, etc. Climate control also appears to be f10-style so it has the "sync" button that the f30 lacks (small thing but nice)
-Infotainment system (and nav in particular) continues to impress me with how easy and accurate it is. I haven't had any "want to smash the screen" moments like I've had on past vehicles or with Google and Apple Maps for that matter.

Mixed:
-I've always had the "sport seats" or equivalent. I kind of miss the cushion extender thing, but am realizing that the lack of bolsters makes longer trips more comfortable. Wish this car had heated seats though- i miss those. Seats aren't quite as comfortable as the ones i had in the e83- could just be that those were broken in after 100k miles. Headrests aren't adjustable for angle (e90 style) as they are on newer bmws (including f30). The 1st gen x3 had a kind of clever setup where the whole headrest could be adjusted in/out (without being on an angle).
-Steering wheel. I've always had the thicker "M sport" wheel with paddles. Similar to the seats, I kind of prefer the thinner wheel on longer trips. I still instinctively reach for the paddles in certain cases-- enjoyed using them occasionally. Kicking around the idea of buying/installing the msport wheel but probably won't bother.
-Build quality/materials: Overall pretty good. But some of the plastics seem like a step down from the 1st gen (e83) x3 i had. Funny because all the reviews of the 2nd gen fawned over how much more "upscale" it is. The door pockets in particular are hard, shiny, grained plastic with no lining. e83 was all soft touch. If they were in an FCA product, reviewers would jump all over it. Then again, for the price I'm paying anything else would've had plenty of hard plastic as well.
-Exhaust sound: While I like that there's no artificial enhancement. But it doesn't sound nearly as good as the same engine in the 335 did. Almost has a Nissan VQ-ish type of drone sometimes (like what i identify w/ G35s). Still much better than the unaugmented 4 cylinder sound in the 28i model.
-Looks: I've grown accustomed to the headlight design and side flourishes. Am realizing that I actually think it looks better in lighter colors and w/ different wheels. The matte black window trim on the "no line" x3s looks a bit cheap too. Not a car I glance back at- but wasn't really prioritizing that for this purchase.

Last edited by robg; 01-31-2018 at 07:30 PM.
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Old 03-14-2018, 05:17 PM   #30
lemming
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Quote:
Originally Posted by robg View Post
since it seems to be somewhat of a tradition here, I'm adding my first 1k impressions of the X3 for what it's worth. Overall I really like driving this car. It's the right balance of comfort/performance/practicality right now. The biggest things I don't like would've been rectified had I found one with the Msport and cold weather packages. Actually found the perfect one back in September (Carbon black, msport etc), but wasn't really sold on the idea at that point. Nothing that really irritates me yet though.

Likes:
-Definitely the best riding BMW I've had. No need to clench my teeth over potholes or rough roads. But doesn't seem to have an undue amount of body lean for being an SUV. I haven't encountered a situation where the car feels floaty or like it's going to understeer through a corner atleast.
-Best electric power steering of the BMWs i've driven. Reasonable feel and no looseness on center. "Sport" mode is nicely weighted without feeling artificially heavy.
-Smoothness of engine. For some reason the n55 in my old 335 had a rough idle - this one is glass smooth.
-Dash design. Simple, infotainment screen integration isn't the "tablet stuck on top" of the latest bmws, everything seems well laid out. Cluster from F10 5 series so it's got large, clear gauges, etc. Climate control also appears to be f10-style so it has the "sync" button that the f30 lacks (small thing but nice)
-Infotainment system (and nav in particular) continues to impress me with how easy and accurate it is. I haven't had any "want to smash the screen" moments like I've had on past vehicles or with Google and Apple Maps for that matter.

Mixed:
-I've always had the "sport seats" or equivalent. I kind of miss the cushion extender thing, but am realizing that the lack of bolsters makes longer trips more comfortable. Wish this car had heated seats though- i miss those. Seats aren't quite as comfortable as the ones i had in the e83- could just be that those were broken in after 100k miles. Headrests aren't adjustable for angle (e90 style) as they are on newer bmws (including f30). The 1st gen x3 had a kind of clever setup where the whole headrest could be adjusted in/out (without being on an angle).
-Steering wheel. I've always had the thicker "M sport" wheel with paddles. Similar to the seats, I kind of prefer the thinner wheel on longer trips. I still instinctively reach for the paddles in certain cases-- enjoyed using them occasionally. Kicking around the idea of buying/installing the msport wheel but probably won't bother.
-Build quality/materials: Overall pretty good. But some of the plastics seem like a step down from the 1st gen (e83) x3 i had. Funny because all the reviews of the 2nd gen fawned over how much more "upscale" it is. The door pockets in particular are hard, shiny, grained plastic with no lining. e83 was all soft touch. If they were in an FCA product, reviewers would jump all over it. Then again, for the price I'm paying anything else would've had plenty of hard plastic as well.
-Exhaust sound: While I like that there's no artificial enhancement. But it doesn't sound nearly as good as the same engine in the 335 did. Almost has a Nissan VQ-ish type of drone sometimes (like what i identify w/ G35s). Still much better than the unaugmented 4 cylinder sound in the 28i model.
-Looks: I've grown accustomed to the headlight design and side flourishes. Am realizing that I actually think it looks better in lighter colors and w/ different wheels. The matte black window trim on the "no line" x3s looks a bit cheap too. Not a car I glance back at- but wasn't really prioritizing that for this purchase.
considering this is a steal of a lease --there's nothing here that sounds horrible. but mostly positive.
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