BMW X3 Problems

Generally the cost will depend on the variant and year. You can get more information on quick and cheap key replacments from dealers or automotive locksmiths here.

You’ve pretty much covered the field there, so it should come down to what you want from your car. Do you want comfort, safety, fuel efficiency, offroad capability, cabin space? If you are mostly driving on the highway, then a diesel SUV is probably the best bet. I would rule out a dual-cab ute because of comfort, unless you need the flexibility a ute gives you. I would rule out a hybrid, they’re not at their most efficient on the highway; they’re better suited to town use. Based on your annual mileage I wouldn’t keep the car any more than 3-4 years, that way you’ll have a decent resale value when you get out of it.

The diesel is fine around town. Being just three years old there shouldn't be anything wrong, so apart from overall condition of the body, paint, and interior make sure it has been routinely serviced.

Your fuel consumption is way off the claimed consumption figures released by BMW. The company claims the X3 20i should get on average 7.3L/100km, 6.2L/100km on the highway, and 9.2L/100km in city driving. You have to allow for some variation on those numbers due to individual driving conditions, but to be so far out suggests there is something wrong with your car. I wouldn't expect it to reduce enough to get even close to those numbers simply by driving it. Have it checked by your BMW dealer.

You need to get to the bottom of what caused the failure in your engine. It is all very well to assume it was caused by the timing chain wearing and stretching, but until you actually establish that as the cause you won't get anywhere with the carmaker. Have an experienced engineer inspect the damage and if they believe it is caused by the timing chain failure you have something you can take to BMW to argue your case for compensation. You also then have the option of going to consumer affairs to get their help.

If you haven’t had any direct contact with BMW to this point you now should make contact with the company’s head office and talk directly to the customer assistance people. Unfortunately you assume that it was inclusions in the glass that caused the window to “self explode”, but there’s no hard evidence to say that is what caused it. Same with the cable, which you believe was caused by something done by the mechanics when they worked on your car. Again it’s not possible to saw for sure that it was the mechanic’s work that did it. You need to clear your head and sit down with the dealer in the first instance and also BMW to seek a resolution for your troubles. The offer of 10 percent of the cost of parts and labour is a pretty miserable one; I would go for at least 50 percent.

The X3 would be fine but you should also - perhaps surprisingly - consider a Volvo XC60 which I rate as slightly better than the BMW as a secondhand choice.