[CrippledLucifer]

Hey everyone,

It's finally time that I look into getting in a bigger car what with a growing family and the absolute need for a larger vehicle. I currently own an 2009 E90 328i and a 2016 F10 535i, the former of which will be leaving my garage once I find the right X7. I know enough about BMWs and their preventive maintenance needs having owned a few others prior. I also have an excellent BMW specific indy mechanic who takes super good care of my other vehicles so out of warranty repairs will be easier on my wallet.

I've been doing quite a bit research and I've pretty much narrowed down what exactly I'm looking for:

-Either a low mileage 2020 or low mileage 2021 X7 40i
-Mineral white exterior color since BMW doesn't offer a silver option on this car. Any darker color is a deal breaker no matter how gorgeous this car looks because of our horrible winters.
-M Sport package
-Premium Excellence package which includes pretty much everything that I could need (since I'm in Canada).
-Extended Merino leather upholstery (full Merino would be a bonus not a dealbreaker). I think the premium excellence in Canada package includes Merino leather but I'm unable to figure this out. If anyone know with certainty, please do chime in. I'm also not specifically looking for any interior color but black would be best for ease of maintenance. My F10 has nappa leather and I'm well aware of the effort it takes to keep clean.
-B&W audio (once again, if I can manage to find it, otherwise it's not a dealbreaker). I realize it's tough to find a car with B&W since not many seem to option it here.


I've become a bit confused when it comes to the 2021 models in particular, especially with regards to the 48v mild hybrid system. There's horror stories on here of failed batteries and what not, but strictly speaking, the users on the internet are a minority of users who are actually out on the road. Personally, I don't mind the ASS in my F10 one bit, but I suspect I'm in the very small minority who feel that way. I've also read reports of faulty rear seat sensors and motors getting stuck, leaking shark fin antennae, as well as evaporator issues. How prevalent are all these issues? From what I have managed to find online, the leaking shark fin antenna is limited to early build 2019s while the third row seats getting stuck is all over the place with no specific MY being affected. Same thing with the evaporator issues, what is it with BMWs and their leaking evaporators?! My E90 with around 300,000km (186,000 miles) has this issue as well and I'm neglecting on fixing it because it's just not worth it at this point. I can't imagine the evaporator on the X7 will be a cheap fix, but do they really leak on these far newer cars and that too at such low mileages? I intend on keeping the X7 till at least 200,000km (125,000 miles) but if I can maintain it well enough, I can easily see myself keeping it for longer. If I can get a good deal on an extended warranty, I'll likely invest in that but it all depends on the car I end up getting and its specific condition. It's also one of the main reasons I'm trying to find a low mileage car with factory warranty balance on hand so I can consider my options.

If anyone has any further things to look out for please do share. I will be test driving a few cars over the next few weeks and would love to keep some advice on hand so I can check. Thanks in advance for the help!

[admranger]

Transfer cases have been a point of contention on these for a while. I think the N63s suffer more than the B58s on this.

I'm 2k miles into a 5k mile road trip on my new to me '21 X7 40i w/25k miles (on start of trip). I changed the fluid in both diffs and the transfer case as it was ugly looking in each of them. 12v battery went out on mine (March 21 build) as well. 48v hybrid battery is a bit a pricey object but looks to be an easy DIY replacement if it fails. But still ~$1k for the part! Oof.

[ph1958]

At the risk of jinxing my experience, my June 2021 X7 40i has performed exceptionally well. I have over 65,000 miles, of which the substantial majority are on long-distance, high-speed trips. I have had no unusual experiences, including with the various software updates. I have the X7 serviced regularly as I purchased the service contracts through the 100,000-mile mark.

My single complaint relates to the rear seating. The second row of seats moves at a slow pace (for ingress / egress to the third row). Also, the excessive number of buttons (to move the second or third row of seats)are confusing.

Good luck on the search!

[Sat Pat]

Originally Posted by ph1958

Also, the excessive number of buttons (to move the second or third row of seats)are confusing.

And don't forget that pulling the buttons v/s pressing them can do different things. Plus there's single touch v/s long press.
There are too many combinations to remember, especially if you only use those buttons occasionally. Anyway, these are good problems to have.

[CrippledLucifer]

Originally Posted by admranger

Transfer cases have been a point of contention on these for a while. I think the N63s suffer more than the B58s on this.

I'm 2k miles into a 5k mile road trip on my new to me '21 X7 40i w/25k miles (on start of trip). I changed the fluid in both diffs and the transfer case as it was ugly looking in each of them. 12v battery went out on mine (March 21 build) as well. 48v hybrid battery is a bit a pricey object but looks to be an easy DIY replacement if it fails. But still ~$1k for the part! Oof.

I've learned to stay away from BMW V8s so a B58 is the only option I'm considering. As for the transfer case, it's pretty much the same thing with my 2016 build F10 535i. I replaced all the fluids in that as well and so far it's been fine. I intend to change any and all fluids as soon as I take ownership so I'll definitely be taking care of this. Very happy to know that the 48v mild hybrid is an easy DIY, my brother and I have lots of BMW specific tools between us so we should be able to take care of it should the need arise. Fully understood about the price though, I didn't think it would be cheap.

Originally Posted by ph1958

At the risk of jinxing my experience, my June 2021 X7 40i has performed exceptionally well. I have over 65,000 miles, of which the substantial majority are on long-distance, high-speed trips. I have had no unusual experiences, including with the various software updates. I have the X7 serviced regularly as I purchased the service contracts through the 100,000-mile mark.

My single complaint relates to the rear seating. The second row of seats moves at a slow pace (for ingress / egress to the third row). Also, the excessive number of buttons (to move the second or third row of seats)are confusing.

Good luck on the search!

Very reassuring thanks! Maintenance seems to be once again the key to a happy ownership and I intend to be even more diligent with the newer car. See below for my comments regarding the seats!

Originally Posted by Sat Pat

And don't forget that pulling the buttons v/s pressing them can do different things. Plus there's single touch v/s long press.
There are too many combinations to remember, especially if you only use those buttons occasionally. Anyway, these are good problems to have.

Oh man, I can totally relate to this now. I test drove a brand new LCI X7 yesterday with just 8 miles on the odometer and was so damn confused as to how those buttons work. I wanted to show my Mom the trunk space with the second row down but it was way too fiddly. It will take a bit to learn but definitely agreed these are good problems to have and not at all deal breakers.

It looks like a 2021MY 40i will suit my needs just well. The LCI while updated definitely lacks in the interior as compared to the pre-LCIs. Something about the interior felt "cheaper" than it's pre-LCI counterpart.

[BMW5and7]

I learned to live with the 48V system just fine. At least the AC continues to work when the engine stops at the red flight. Car will cruise for longer on eco mode. Certainly 2020 would be better if u can find one without 48V but I feel your GPM could be higher. You will love the smoothness of the 40i; and you don’t need to stretch the budget much for the M50/M60 if performance is not a priority. I’d try my best though to find one with the DHP package even if it’s a 40i.

[tkelley86]

Originally Posted by BMW5and7

I learned to live with the 48V system just fine. At least the AC continues to work when the engine stops at the red flight. Car will cruise for longer on eco mode. Certainly 2020 would be better if u can find one without 48V but I feel your GPM could be higher. You will love the smoothness of the 40i; and you don’t need to stretch the budget much for the M50/M60 if performance is not a priority. I’d try my best though to find one with the DHP package even if it’s a 40i.

I love my X7 so much and know that DHP is the primary reason why, it's so fun to own and drive. Read up on DHP, it'd mandatory according to many including I.

[keg97]

Originally Posted by Sat Pat

And don't forget that pulling the buttons v/s pressing them can do different things. Plus there's single touch v/s long press.
There are too many combinations to remember, especially if you only use those buttons occasionally. Anyway, these are good problems to have.

There is a difference in long v. single press of the buttons?

[CrippledLucifer]

Originally Posted by tkelley86

I love my X7 so much and know that DHP is the primary reason why, it's so fun to own and drive. Read up on DHP, it'd mandatory according to many including I.

Is there any indicators like extra buttons or the like that a car is equipped with DHP? Some used car dealers around here don't have that information available. Do those VIN decoder websites still work accurately?

[Phasers]

Originally Posted by CrippledLucifer

Is there any indicators like extra buttons or the like that a car is equipped with DHP? Some used car dealers around here don't have that information available. Do those VIN decoder websites still work accurately?

Personally I would strongly consider this one iof it is within your price range: https://g07.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=2128992

[Sat Pat]

Originally Posted by keg97

There is a difference in long v. single press of the buttons?

I could be mistaken but since there's a multi-second delay between pressing the buttons and the 2nd and 3rd row seats doing their dance that I end up trying several combinations of button presses before anything happens, and then not knowing which button press worked.

This is not counting the standard seat adjustments that obviously need long presses until they reach the desired position.

Also the massage function can be turned off with a single long press of the button instead of 3 short presses to reduce the massage intensity from 3 to 0.

[Sat Pat]

Originally Posted by CrippledLucifer

Is there any indicators like extra buttons or the like that a car is equipped with DHP? Some used car dealers around here don't have that information available. Do those VIN decoder websites still work accurately?

No physical buttons, but a car with DHP should have a Snow chains option under Drivetrain and Chassis. And if you have physical access to the car, you should be able to clearly see the rear wheels turning slightly thanks to the Integrated Active Steering sub-feature of DHP.

This video shows how it works: