BMW X Models Problems

From the research, my pick is definitely the Benz. It's a development of the classy GLC wagon but with improvements including better suspension. The Benz costs a little more but there is stock in showrooms now so you should jump quickly if you want one.

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.

The GLA is actually my favourite of all the baby Mercedes-Benz models and I reckon it should suit her fine. It gets The Tick from me.

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.

Your budget limits you to older models, such as 2008/2009, which will have done 120,000 to 180,000 km. I am loath to recommend buying one of these cars with such a mileage on them; you would be heading the period of pain when you are quite likely to face increasing and expensive repairs. If you were to choose to buy one I would go for the Discovery. I would also urge you to have the car you choose checked over by a specialist mechanic who knows the brand intimately. Instead of the European models you are considering I would suggest you also look at something like the Toyota Kluger, which would likely to be more reliable and less expensive going forward, and your budget would stretch to a later model.

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.

I wouldn’t recommend a used BMW with that sort of mileage on it if you plan to keep it for an extended time. They are expensive to service and repair, something you must be prepared for in the future as the kilometres climb. I would definitely recommend that a dealer, or preferably an experienced BMW mechanic check it if you did decide to buy it. Go for a 7-seat SUV from a Japanese brand.

It sounds as if you want a sporty SUV and, with that budget, I’d be advising a late-model BMW X5.