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  #1  
Old 01-08-2009, 11:24 AM
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Are technical or maintenance manuals available for X3?

Greetings to all.

I've had my X3 for a few months now, and I've started researching what I need to do to keep it running like that. I've read numerous articles on this forum (and a few others, but don't hold that against me) about general/standard maintenance you should perform above and beyond what BMW recommends. I am a firm believer in running a car into the ground and getting every penny out of it (as an example, I present my 1999 Dodge Dakota that has been bleeding me dry for several years and the reason I purchased a new (to me) Bimmer). I am a do-it-yourself kind of person who would rather fix or repair something rather than take it to a shop.

To that end, I have discovered a huge void in technical documentation available for my '05 X3 3.0 MT. Haynes does not offer a repair manual for the X3 (it does have one for the 3-series, but that's the cars, not the SAV). I looked on Pelican and RealOEM and don't see anything there. Nothing at the local auto-parts shops that they can locate. Does BMW have such a repair manual available for sale? I have a 2004 H-D Road King and I was able to purchase the repair manual ($40) and parts book ($40) right from the parts desk. It's great reference material before you dig into a project (and if you are like me, can locate the part number of the plastic do-hickey that fell, but never hit the ground).
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  #2  
Old 01-08-2009, 11:28 AM
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Found this in 20 seconds using the search feature.....

http://www.xoutpost.com/x5-e53-forum/...=repair+manual
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Old 01-08-2009, 11:50 AM
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Thanks Quicksilver.

I also found this, but it's for an X5, not X3. Although there are many parts that are the same, if not identical, it has been my experience (1999 Dakota and Durango are virtually identical except for body according to Dodge), they are not even close with respect to part numbers or repair info. Suspension is different, ball joints, wheel bearings, steering knuckle, tie rod ends, etc are different. Even though the Durango/Dakota Haynes manual says they are the same, they are not. If the X3 & X5 were very close, I'm assuming the author would include the 'minor' differences between the series and make his book available to more potentials buyers.

Anybody else know of anything? My dealership just chuckled and told me, "Our customers bring their cars to us, they don't fix them on their own".
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Old 01-08-2009, 11:53 AM
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Bentley produces a comprehensive repair manual for the E53 X5, but has not yet released one for the X3. Here is a link to DVD's that can be found on eBay that claim to be X3 repair manuals. I have no experience with these, so I can't tell you whether they are good or bad. But the prices are low, so you can't go too wrong by giving it a shot.

http://shop.ebay.com/items/_W0QQ_nkw...Q_fromZQQ_mdoZ
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Old 01-08-2009, 11:58 AM
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You're right about the Bently Manual, but the same thread mentions the service DVD's that UCrew mentioned.

Quote:
Originally Posted by QueueBall
Thanks Quicksilver.

I also found this, but it's for an X5, not X3. Although there are many parts that are the same, if not identical, it has been my experience (1999 Dakota and Durango are virtually identical except for body according to Dodge), they are not even close with respect to part numbers or repair info. Suspension is different, ball joints, wheel bearings, steering knuckle, tie rod ends, etc are different. Even though the Durango/Dakota Haynes manual says they are the same, they are not. If the X3 & X5 were very close, I'm assuming the author would include the 'minor' differences between the series and make his book available to more potentials buyers.

Anybody else know of anything? My dealership just chuckled and told me, "Our customers bring their cars to us, they don't fix them on their own".
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Old 01-08-2009, 12:39 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Quicksilver
You're right about the Bently Manual, but the same thread mentions the service DVD's that UCrew mentioned.
Agreed. I was pretty excited when you posted you found something , unfortunately, I found it too. Sorry if you felt I was calling you out , it's not my style.

I did order the DVD on eBay. For $16, it's hard to turn it down. If it brings any value, it is worth more than what I have right now. I will provide an update once the DVD comes in, and I have time to look it over.
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  #7  
Old 01-08-2009, 03:33 PM
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Apology not required, perhaps it was a bit misleading but helpful i hope.

Have a good one.....

Quote:
Originally Posted by QueueBall
Agreed. I was pretty excited when you posted you found something , unfortunately, I found it too. Sorry if you felt I was calling you out , it's not my style.

I did order the DVD on eBay. For $16, it's hard to turn it down. If it brings any value, it is worth more than what I have right now. I will provide an update once the DVD comes in, and I have time to look it over.
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  #8  
Old 01-30-2009, 11:49 AM
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I took delivery of my "official" BMW service manual on DVD and it was a sham. It was burned on a DVD with one of those home made label maker stickers on it. It was pretty funny, because the label was not even centered so it was obliviously done in somebody house on a home PC.

On the DVD is a glorified access database with gobs of useless information that is very difficult to retrieve. It had a front end GUI that didn't navigate very well, and since their was a scratch on the DVD, I wasn't able to access all the data files. I sent a follow-up e-mail to the eBay seller and asked for my $$ back. If they don't comply, I will threaten to contact eBay and notify them of the pirated software they are selling.

My search continues for a service manual for my X3. If I find anything, I will provide an update to the board.
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