As much as the CAR WIZARD hates BMW's, he saved owner thousands fixing this '08 X3. What did he do? 

Careful letting those BMWs in. Hoovie will start bringing them in. That gear looks like cheap plastic? Johnnie doesn't like working on the cars the Wizard likes and vise versa. Makes sense they would send business to one another.

The Wizard cosplays as a Ninja today!

With the absurd prices of cars these days I don't blame anyone for doing whatever they can to keep their car running. Hyundai's are $50K+ now!!!

There should be consumer protection laws against greedy dealerships trying to gouge customers especially when there is a known faulty product.

Thanks for sharing this X3, Wizard. How much did it pain you to touch a BMW? Kidding aside, my theory on why this X3 mechanically looks good is that they use it as a daily driver as well as keeping it maintained. BMWs like exercise, and sitting is no good for them. I give mine exercise every day, and the underside of my car is dry, too.

My wife drives a 2006 BMW X3 which I meticulously maintain.We bought it used in 2009 CPO with about 45,000 miles on the clock and put on another 90,000 mi since. I do my own wrenching and so far, maintenance and repairs have averaged about $1000.00 per year including brakes, tires, cooling system rebuild, windshield replacement, oil leaks (several) fixed, oil changes, brake fluid flushes, driveshaft replacement and rebuild (both front and rear), suspension maintenance, bushings, struts, rear springs, wheel bearings, ABS reluctor ring replacement and many other odds and ends. Thirteen years of maintenance for less than first year depreciation on a new vehicle. By the way, we live in the salt/rust belt, no less. Car still looks new, no rust except for surface rust on drivetrain components and subframes. BMW replaced engine hood with a NEW one (pinhead size leading edge rust bubbles), driver side front door (small rust bubbles at bottom of door) with a NEW one and repainted both rear quarters (minor rust bubbles) under the 12 year corrosion perforation warranty when the car was about 11-1/2 years old. Try that with a GM or Ford. Good luck. As an added bonus, cars this old show up regularly at the pick and pull yards so any major components needing replacement are generally available for peanuts. Example front differential for about $25.00, ABS sensor $5.00. Yes, I like old cars and unlike the Wizard, I like BMW's, I've had several, still own a couple and find them rather easy to work on. On the other hand, if I had to pay someone to wrench on my cars, I might feel somewhat differently, but I suspect that would be the same for any other brand.

The mechanic community is usually friendly I still talk to mechanics I know even though I'm retired, I like talking to the young people going to the local Automotive Tech School near me, I hope a lot of them turn out to be honest and thorough like Car Wizard. LOL I got one shop that wants me to come out of retirement, I thought about it, but having to buy all the tools, scanners and subscriptions again, I'll stay retired.

I have spent Many years as both a BMW dealer tech and working at a BMW specialist independent shop. The maintenance point is definitely very true , I enjoy working on them personally , but yes I see more neglected maintenance on them then most other brands I have worked with . Good call on the diagnosis very common I knew what it was the second you started talking about the transfer case haha .

Car Wizard was right to recommend the X3 over the X5 of that generation. An X5 WOULD have cost thousands in repairs!

Hoovie needs to buy you a couple of those lifts since it's mostly his fleet hogging all the floor space

The ugliest SUV ever made. Again another Bangle designed POS.

I had to do a double take when I saw "BMW" in the title here. lol God I hate how BMW uses plastic on mission critical parts. It's been the bane of existence for every owner since the 80's; and it's only gotten worse over the decades. Still, I love them (well, mostly E-series and older models). They are what they are... mostly affordable European performance.

not to worry the X3 wont stay fixed long something else will mess up

Great work Wizard and Car Ninja, thank you for looking out for customers' best interest.

Now people with BMWs will start calling Omega to have their vehicles worked on.

Just blows my mind that any automotive engineer green lights any type of plastic gear into their designs in this day and age…

"Lots of breaky breaky plastic parts" no doubt, tired of the 2001 BMW 325i my father had... all the cooling system and air intake had to be replaced.

I kind of wonder if its a double scam. You scam the customer with a new transfer case (which costs you to buy so thats not really the big scam). The big scam is the customer goes away, the mechanic has the old transfer case, put a $10 gear in it and sells it - seeing it cost nothing its all profit.

I wish she did take it to the Car Ninja. His video would have shown the actual repairs, and not a lot of fluff.

That is an N52k engine . N52 is even better built than n52k , but the N52k has a newer cylinder head.

Boy racers are why used BMWs have such a bad rep while used mercedes dont. They beat the piss out of them and treat them like throw away cars while mercedes are more of an old mans car.

The Wizard and The Ninja; two of the top mechanics in the country!

I had this same car, and went thru the diagnosis of the motor and gear, however I had no lights on. After a new motor, control module with no resolve, I deemed it to be the actual clutch pack in the tcase. Not wanting to spend 500 bucks on the parts, I found a tcase on Marketplace for 100 bucks. problem solved. More involved than just replacing the motor, but it sure does tame that inline-6 once you get all four wheels grabbing.

Its good to have good networking with other shops.

I have the same car, and it’s handling is incredible, if a bit stiff and abrupt over potholes. Great highway ride, too.

I love V8 but I have to say inline sixes are definitely my second favorite engine configuration They really are awesome there's a reason why they were used as truck and heavy duty truck engines for a long time and still are used for commercial application like UPS trucks and FedEx trucks Ford straight sixes the little 300 they used to put those in f600 dump trucks 160 horsepower but they had about 275 torque pumping out that's the thing about in line six that torque just comes in so low and throughout the whole power band to very good configuration not to mention the smoothness and ease of work because it only has one bank of cylinders and most of the intake and exhaust is just on the side especially a transversely mounted I6

As a mechanic l know where you are coming from Wizard....l am in my 80's now to old to do much anymore.... Thank you and your Wife..!

Wife had one that had the same problem. Dealer charged 100 bucks for the gear and 500 labor. Went out less than two years later. Bought a fiber reinforced gear online for 25 bucks. 30 minute repair on buddy lift. Sold it right after.

There should be a Mrs. wizard headphone warning.

Wonder who thought you and the Car Ninja would be "enemies"? Silly. Makes perfect sense that you would both throw business each others way. On the fix? Wicked cool when you bring the car in for what is expected to be a LARGE bill and it's nothing like that. Very cool and brings up the point of finding a good trust worthy repair shop! Once you do, keep going there to make sure they stay in business...and tell your friends, family, coworkers, strangers...haha.

Reminds me of the fix Porsche made for the Boxster soft top motors which did the same thing. Plastic gear fails, brass unit replaces.

BMW Owners: "Car Wizard is fixing BMWs again?!" Long Freedom Convoy of BMW vehicles starts driving towards Omega Car Clinic 💵🚗🚗🚗🚗🚗🚗🚗🚗💵

As a BMW enthusiast, I knew it was that plastic gear for those X series. Even in the X5s.

I think transfer cases on SUVs and AWD cars are one thing that probably gets negletcted the most from what I've seen, partially because people don't realize that they have one when they have AWD. Or, like with some repairs, the listen to the bogus statements from the dealers about "lifetime" fluid, and how you maybe don't need to change it for the life of the vehicle, which is partailly true, if you wanted a shortened vehicle life. Same for the "life time fluid" BS on transmissions. BMW's are like a poor man's luxury/sports car... I'd say BMW's are probably the Ford's of the Luxury car class, sort of bottom of the barrel, but still decent luxiries. Sort of like how people buy knock-off Rolex's. They want the look, and the feel, but can't pay the money. I would expect Porsches to be decent quality. Range Rovers IMO are probably worse than BMW's. Mercedes I'm on the fence about (the older ones can be good cars, the newer ones not so much).

Replaced this on my e53 took about 30 just put a new actuator, probably the easiest thing i ever fix on my car.

I still have one of these and am the original owner! The transfer case has chains that can stretch so changing that expensive DTF fluid every 50k (or sooner) is critical to keeping it all working right. Also, most people don't know that all 4 tires must be kept even in wear. Don't ever swap just one or two tires out and call it a day. The transfer case will start to wear rapidly if there are different tire heights on different corners - they all must be the same and wear the same. If you ever turn the steering wheel in a low speed parking lot and feel the car "binding", thats worn chains in the transfer case and you need to change the fluid immediately. The original BMW X3's were made by Magna in Austria. In these days BMW did not have their Spartanburg SC plant up and running for X3's so it was outsourced to Magna. Many believe it's actually a better vehicle.

My sister owns a 2006 X3 3.0 with 188k runs great, panoramic roof doesn't work, New radiator replacement that's about it. I'm surprised.

Fun fact about this generation of BMW - this is the ONLY model BMW that had appearance differences EVERY year of production. BMW was still experimenting with its looks and that was the reason for it. This was BMW's first SUV smaller than an X5.

Yo, i just had the same problem with my e61. I was prepared to pay those insane bills, but a friend told me i dont have to do that. Every time i stopped the engine i heard a loud gear crank sound under the car somewhere in the middle. It turned out that if i changed the servo motor actuator on my transfer case then it's fixed. Bought a rebuilt one for 200 eur and gave them my old one and everything was working.

The N52 (engine presented in this video) is, in my opinion, the most reliable engine BMW has ever made. They have minor issues here and there (valve cover gasket leaking, VANOS solenoids, oil filter housing gasket), but are far better than N54/N55/N20 and it's further successors.

It would be nice to see you fix something it's getting boring watching you just point things out that needs fixed I'm about to unsubscribe before I die of boredom

Exact car I have it has 100,000 miles. I got it as a second car so I don’t drive my Camaro SS. I bought it with 69.000 miles. I changed the starter myself and it was a pain.Location is under the intake manifold. I never worked on a vehicle like this. I did well it started no problem. I had the water pump changed it was $600.The job was to big for me.My actuator ⚙️ is stripped and need a new one.The thing is cheap but install is a job I never did. I did brakes,Tires and oxygen sensor.

Most BMW's are great vehicles to own and to drive, but they are way too expensive to repair and to maintain, same with other European brands and models.

Plastic parts. The bane of the automotive industry. So many car companies under engineer things by using plastic instead of metal, and they fail.

I've somehow (knock on wood) not had the issue with my transfer case. 202k miles on a 2004 2.5i (with a 6 speed manual). It's been one of my more expensive cars to maintain, but has continued to be enjoyable to drive. The motor in this one though, the infamous N52, not so bueno. Glad I bought one with an M54.

My wife has an 07 X3. Looks exactly the same. It's been an awesome vehicle. I highly recommend the AvinUSA 10.25" Android screen that fits in the factory GPS spot. Definitely updates the interior and my wife loves the Bluetooth and backup camera. Maintenance hasn't been too terrible, fixed the usual oil leaks. The oil pan gasket replacement was a job. But it's done now.

Nice build BMW plastic on metal,BMW has to build the biggest shitboxes ever built,why

Wizard: "And I send him these things..." Wiz doesnt love BMWs.

I would rather have my 2011 Toyota RAV4. I’ll never own another BMW.

My mom had one of these. She bought it new and liked it up until about 125k miles. As soon as it hit 125k miles it starting having issues. A LOT of issues. Every 1-2 months something else would pop up, each time costing $1000-2000 to fix. She sold it at about 145k miles because the constant repairs were draining her.

Don't think I have ever seen the Wizard struggle to say anything about a car.... *Opens the bonnet:"it's an engine...." Crickets!*

I just cant bring myself to like beemers. I had one about 15 years ago and it was just a pain in the ass.

No thanks, stick with my Land Cruiser

I have the same X3, too. Solid SUV. Besides some cooling system issues, which were already taken care of, I find them as fairly reliable as most vehicles of its age. The issue described on this video is a common thing. The sign for this will be the parking brake, ABS, and 4x4/DSC lights on at the same time on your instrument panel.

Original owner to an '06 BMW 325xi 266,000 miles never left me stranded, great cars!

"I hate BMW's!!!" With a BMW sign in the background HAHA!

He's extremely right about BMW's not being maintained... leads to a lot of issues down the road and I'm surprised this one was in as good of condition as it was.

Thats a great fix, How are your new out of town Techs liking there move to the area ?

Car Ninja loves these junks

10:40 woa, for a 2008 this thing rarely if any saw any salt in its life. Being in Kansas I wouldn't expect much but wow is that clean

Arizona daily commuter? That IS showroom quality! :P

my first car was an 04 X3. loved the thing ps. loved

exactly- very few service them, hence BMW and Mercedes seen as unreliable.

as a video editor i love the new intro

It's interesting to think about what a different world this would be if BMW hadn't gone down this path of cheap plastic components that has caused such enormous damage to their reputation for quality. Cars like this would be so appealing: Comfortable, capable both on road and off, powerful and attractive. Used values would be through the roof. What a waste. This comes down to the incentive for manufacturers to make cars that sell well new, since their long term health is irrelevant to the manufacturer after that first sale. But perhaps we're seeing the long tail of that now, in reputational damage. Or maybe the people buying new BMWs don't care, because warranty. The cycle continues.

BMWs are simply awful. That’s why someone can make a good living specializing in fixing only them. Not too many garages make money fixing a single brand. Funny how most of the ones that only work on one brand are usually always German brands.

You can´t compare US made BMWs to euro made ones. US made ones are much worse.

I have two +20 year old BMWs with inline sixes, they run smooth as clocks.

This m57 engine in the x3 is a wonderful engine, some might say its bulletproof.

In Germany BMW is known to be fairly reliable car. Only in America where people neglect them because labor/parts is higher are they considered unreliable. In Germany parts and labor is cheap just like American cars in America.

Arizona? That one is from further away than the usual out of state customers.

Fixing a BMW? Car Ninja better watch out! lol

My wife’s x3 unfortunately was missing the infamous German “Golden Screwdriver “. Was glad to be rid of it. But when it was good it was a great car.

The other shop did not want to spend time diagnosing it.

I'll never buy a BMW, overpriced junk.

It's still a BMW. ( Piece of over-priced crap )

Yuck ! .. I'd hate to see their home if the car interior looks like that ..

Johnny has a really good start on building his YT channel ("Car Ninja"). Very enjoyable for an adult to watch, actually.

1:55 when a BMW has dirty wheels. The brake pads are probably cheap. 3:30 104k miles, I’m surprised he didn’t tell her to sell it and buy a Toyota. 6:15 he called The Car Ninja and charged the lady diagnostic fee. 9:50 he didn’t just the car up and checked the ball joints.

Nice how BMW has an updated gear because it's a common issue, but the initial diagnosis was a whole new transfer case...

Former owner of a Mini Cooper S...sold it after having the plastic water pump replaced...never understood how BMW products had so many plastic parts.

That first line of the video literally made me fall back off of my seat...... I’m not fucking kidding 😂😂😂😂

I kind of wonder now how many people just try and stop by to get their cars filmed not just repaired. Also I have to wonder if they film every care that comes in just in case.

after having one of these money pits, i vowed to never get another bmw ever again.

4 grand! What horse apples! 4 grand only to do the very repair wizard did. Long live moral and ethical mechanics!

BMW = Breaking My Wallet

Told the owner to junk it, saved multi thousands

Best X3 from all X3 bmw generation is this, 2.0d the most.

These SUV drives faster than the X5, due to its body weight ratio, I had 2 X3 with 2.5L engines, and 3.0L X5....a routine maintenance will certainly keep you smiling for sometimes...thanks Wizard fir bringing this model up...Nice job

Shouldn't there be service notices on this? From BMW?

104k on an X3? Be worried, be very worried.

Bmw is junk ! 🗑

Is this more reliable than aN AUDI Q5

What's the story about the viper in the back?

I love it when cars like this are showcased, you can tell its part of the family, yeah its a little beat up, and its a little dirty, but if you're willing to bring your dog (Or other animals) and you daily it, and yeah maybe its got a bit of a rub mark on the front corner, and maybe its over 100k miles, but you love it, it's the car equivalent of 'home' Also shows that they really care for it that they went to you Wizard for an independent unbiased assessment on it, most people would just say "BMW quoted me thousands! Well, it still runs. . . Might as well just keep going rather than fix it." I also respect the friendship that you and the Ninja have, you two are pretty much keeping the car culture in your area alive, one car at a time! Kudos to you guys!

Can’t wait to see that mid-70s Porsche 911!

Heeeeere's Johnnyyy! I can imagine what Jack Nickolson would have done to the doors.

Yep! ALWAYS a nice idea to put plastic and metal gears together!

I knew you could fix a BMW!!! Kuddos to the Ninja!

@7:44 "And I send them...these things." 🤔😄