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      02-23-2021, 05:07 PM   #1
sfmary
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Engine On New X1 Destroyed by Puddle

I joined this forum mostly because I am horrified by our experience with our brand new X1 last week and I wanted to find out if anyone else has had a similar experience.

My daughter and I took a road trip to a state park last week and it was raining pretty heavily when we got there. Not ones to let weather get in the way of some exercise, we parked in a lot near a trail with other cars and went on a hike with our raincoats on. Came back after 2.5 hrs or so to find that the only road out of the parking lot we were in had developed a small muddy stream across it because of the rains. I had waterproof boots on so walked into it to see how deep it was. I'm 5'2 and it came up mid-calf so about a foot deep, maybe a few inches more. Definitely not high enough to go over the bumper or running boards. Maybe 15 feet wide.

We waited a little bit and watched other cars leave the lot -- a Subaru Outback, a Mazda, and a few other ordinary size SUVs and cars left without a problem. We decided "ok, looks safe enough" so followed suit. And the car died -- immediately -- right in the middle of the puddle as we followed a second Subaru out. Wouldn't start again. Put itself into park and so when someone offered to help push us out, we couldn't do anything because we couldn't get the car into neutral because it wouldn't turn on. No cell service so the Subaru driver said he'd drive to where he had service and call a tow truck for us. Tow truck driver arrived an hour or so later and put the car on a flatbed and then took us the 50+ miles to the nearest dealership. Then, from there, another 200+ mile tow to our local dealership.

The verdict? The car -- which only had 1000 miles on it -- needs a new engine (!) The service center at the dealership explained to me that the air intake on the X1 is lower than what is on a Subaru or the other vehicles we saw who had no problem at all in the same circumstances. It's placed this way (apparently lower than bumper level) for "performance reasons." And -- apparently -- my repeated tries to restart it so we could get it into neutral to move it = it sucked that water into the engine and killed it.

I bought this car so that I would have a car that was safer to drive in wet and iffy weather than our trusty Mini Cooper. And the very first time it was driven in wet weather, it left us trapped in the middle of nowhere in a storm. And failed in the most unbelievably expensive way possible (2 oz of water in the air intake valve and the engine = completely gone). Seriously -- how is that even possible? There were at least 15 other cars in the lot with us. We were the only ones with a car that got stuck and died. And died spectacularly. And expensively. Everyone one else -- just fine. Now we are just praying and crossing fingers and toes that our comprehensive insurance covers the situation.

Has anyone had a similar experience? Even if insurance pays to fix it I'm now completely paranoid about this car -- I mean, what happens if you're driving in rain and hit a big puddle? Really shaken by the entire experience -- especially since I had my teenage daughter with me and, but for the help of strangers, we'd have been spending the night in our car in the middle of nowhere.
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      02-23-2021, 08:11 PM   #2
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Umm the air intake is on the top of the engine like all of the other cars.. I would say they are lying flat out. How the heck water can get that high unless you rammed the car into the puddle is beyond me. The airbox itself is also sealed in the bottom so the air would have had to come in through the top of the grille of the front, which is well beyond your calf level. There is, however, a check valve that can open if the intake gets waterlogged, but again, the height of that is still beyond your calf level.
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      02-23-2021, 10:35 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sfmary View Post
I joined this forum mostly because I am horrified by our experience with our brand new X1 last week and I wanted to find out if anyone else has had a similar experience.

My daughter and I took a road trip to a state park last week and it was raining pretty heavily when we got there. Not ones to let weather get in the way of some exercise, we parked in a lot near a trail with other cars and went on a hike with our raincoats on. Came back after 2.5 hrs or so to find that the only road out of the parking lot we were in had developed a small muddy stream across it because of the rains. I had waterproof boots on so walked into it to see how deep it was. I'm 5'2 and it came up mid-calf so about a foot deep, maybe a few inches more. Definitely not high enough to go over the bumper or running boards. Maybe 15 feet wide.

We waited a little bit and watched other cars leave the lot -- a Subaru Outback, a Mazda, and a few other ordinary size SUVs and cars left without a problem. We decided "ok, looks safe enough" so followed suit. And the car died -- immediately -- right in the middle of the puddle as we followed a second Subaru out. Wouldn't start again. Put itself into park and so when someone offered to help push us out, we couldn't do anything because we couldn't get the car into neutral because it wouldn't turn on. No cell service so the Subaru driver said he'd drive to where he had service and call a tow truck for us. Tow truck driver arrived an hour or so later and put the car on a flatbed and then took us the 50+ miles to the nearest dealership. Then, from there, another 200+ mile tow to our local dealership.

The verdict? The car -- which only had 1000 miles on it -- needs a new engine (!) The service center at the dealership explained to me that the air intake on the X1 is lower than what is on a Subaru or the other vehicles we saw who had no problem at all in the same circumstances. It's placed this way (apparently lower than bumper level) for "performance reasons." And -- apparently -- my repeated tries to restart it so we could get it into neutral to move it = it sucked that water into the engine and killed it.

I bought this car so that I would have a car that was safer to drive in wet and iffy weather than our trusty Mini Cooper. And the very first time it was driven in wet weather, it left us trapped in the middle of nowhere in a storm. And failed in the most unbelievably expensive way possible (2 oz of water in the air intake valve and the engine = completely gone). Seriously -- how is that even possible? There were at least 15 other cars in the lot with us. We were the only ones with a car that got stuck and died. And died spectacularly. And expensively. Everyone one else -- just fine. Now we are just praying and crossing fingers and toes that our comprehensive insurance covers the situation.

Has anyone had a similar experience? Even if insurance pays to fix it I'm now completely paranoid about this car -- I mean, what happens if you're driving in rain and hit a big puddle? Really shaken by the entire experience -- especially since I had my teenage daughter with me and, but for the help of strangers, we'd have been spending the night in our car in the middle of nowhere.
What the guy above me said.

There is a cold air intake (fancy word for a tube connecting fresh outside air to the intake) running from the grille to the air filter box.

When you entered the water was there any change in plane let's say? Did the front of the car bog down and up again? Or maybe left to right.




I sincerely doubt 15 inches of water or even 2 feet is enough to come near the intake. But I am wondering if the intake wasn't already filled up with rain water.

As the person above me mentioned, there is a bypass for when the air box is clogged or full and I noticed the same on my girlfriends Audi but I think they are on the side of the box not on the bottom or facing down in any case.

I think the dealer is lying to you as well, not about the water ingress and engine seizing but the explanation of why. It doesn't make sense at all and they are using your "error" as the reasoning.


Fingers crossed for the new engine my friend
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      02-24-2021, 02:18 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sfmary View Post
I joined this forum mostly because I am horrified by our experience with our brand new X1 last week and I wanted to find out if anyone else has had a similar experience.

My daughter and I took a road trip to a state park last week and it was raining pretty heavily when we got there. Not ones to let weather get in the way of some exercise, we parked in a lot near a trail with other cars and went on a hike with our raincoats on. Came back after 2.5 hrs or so to find that the only road out of the parking lot we were in had developed a small muddy stream across it because of the rains. I had waterproof boots on so walked into it to see how deep it was. I'm 5'2 and it came up mid-calf so about a foot deep, maybe a few inches more. Definitely not high enough to go over the bumper or running boards. Maybe 15 feet wide.

We waited a little bit and watched other cars leave the lot -- a Subaru Outback, a Mazda, and a few other ordinary size SUVs and cars left without a problem. We decided "ok, looks safe enough" so followed suit. And the car died -- immediately -- right in the middle of the puddle as we followed a second Subaru out. Wouldn't start again. Put itself into park and so when someone offered to help push us out, we couldn't do anything because we couldn't get the car into neutral because it wouldn't turn on. No cell service so the Subaru driver said he'd drive to where he had service and call a tow truck for us. Tow truck driver arrived an hour or so later and put the car on a flatbed and then took us the 50+ miles to the nearest dealership. Then, from there, another 200+ mile tow to our local dealership.

The verdict? The car -- which only had 1000 miles on it -- needs a new engine (!) The service center at the dealership explained to me that the air intake on the X1 is lower than what is on a Subaru or the other vehicles we saw who had no problem at all in the same circumstances. It's placed this way (apparently lower than bumper level) for "performance reasons." And -- apparently -- my repeated tries to restart it so we could get it into neutral to move it = it sucked that water into the engine and killed it.

I bought this car so that I would have a car that was safer to drive in wet and iffy weather than our trusty Mini Cooper. And the very first time it was driven in wet weather, it left us trapped in the middle of nowhere in a storm. And failed in the most unbelievably expensive way possible (2 oz of water in the air intake valve and the engine = completely gone). Seriously -- how is that even possible? There were at least 15 other cars in the lot with us. We were the only ones with a car that got stuck and died. And died spectacularly. And expensively. Everyone one else -- just fine. Now we are just praying and crossing fingers and toes that our comprehensive insurance covers the situation.

Has anyone had a similar experience? Even if insurance pays to fix it I'm now completely paranoid about this car -- I mean, what happens if you're driving in rain and hit a big puddle? Really shaken by the entire experience -- especially since I had my teenage daughter with me and, but for the help of strangers, we'd have been spending the night in our car in the middle of nowhere.
Unfortunately the manual states maximum water depth is 9.8” or 25cm so it is an insurance claim.

This, a Max wading depth of 25cm, is pathetic for an SUV/sav and BMW should be ashamed. What is even worse is the speed and other caveats (still water, 3 mph), basically an X1 is not fit to drive in anything more than a puddle. I am sorry to read your misfortune and to be honest my thoughts are “but for the grace of....” because I would, in a similar situation, probably have driven through as well.

This is a valuable warning to all of us. I checked, out of interest, what the manual says for the X3 and it is double (19.6” / 50cms) which is probably acceptable.

If I still had my X1, I would probably be looking at how the intake can be repositioned as 9”/25cm at 3mph indicates significant risk at lower water levels and slightly higher speeds.

Last edited by MJE60; 02-24-2021 at 02:35 AM..
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      02-24-2021, 12:56 PM   #5
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Yes, meant to mention that -- 9.8 inches of water fording capability on the X1 vs. 19 on the Audi Q3 or the X3 (for those of you who are comparison shopping). 30 inches on a Jeep, btw. In all the research I did before buying, that was one thing I didn't even think to look into (and now I'm paying for it mightily). Btw, I don't think the service team is lying -- more likely that I'm mangling his explanation. He was very clear and honest that X1s have a huge design disadvantage in this department. Cold air intake = through the grill. There wasn't any change of plane or angle so possibly my following the Subaru through may have meant his wake pushed some water up and through the grill? I have no idea. But they said 9.8 inches in the manual and they weren't being conservative.

In any event, let this serve as a warning to anyone considering buying (or who has bought) a new X1 that -- just because you see other similarly sized vehicles that are this car's competitor -- like Audis or Subarus or Mazdas -- making it through a puddle unscathed and happily driving home with their family doesn't mean you will make it. I just measured up to the spot where the water hit my calf at its deepest and it was an even 12 inches deep. 12 inches of water at about 5mph is all it takes to completely disable your X1 and leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere with your kiddo, trying to get a tow truck in a pandemic with no cell service, then arranging costly tows hundreds of miles back to your home dealership where they tell you your engine is toast. I almost wish the insurance company would declare it a total loss so I could buy something different instead but there is no way they will do that on a car that has only 1,000 miles and where the exterior = perfect and there was no water damage to the cabin or electrical. And I write this as someone who has owned and driven BMW's and BMW-made vehicles my entire life -- two different BMW 2002s (a 1971 followed by a 1976), a BMW F650 motorcycle, MINI Cooper S's made by BMW, I could go on and on. I've had brand loyalty my whole life with this company and the vehicles they make (and not just because the largest BMW factory in the world sits outside my Dad's hometown of Dingolfing Germany). I don't think it will survive this incident, though. This seems like a very careless (and dangerous) design flaw for a vehicle of this type.

Last edited by sfmary; 02-24-2021 at 01:58 PM.. Reason: added something
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      02-24-2021, 08:49 PM   #6
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I have a 2018 BMW X1 which we purchase in January of 2019. One of the first things that I did was install a Cold Air Intake from BMS and had a drain hole installed in the air box that holds the intake. Plus the intake is a cone style waterproof intake. I hired a software programmer that uses special BMW programming software to add software options that are available to the higher end models as convenience like disabling the auto/start stop function at start and closing the mirrors using the convenience package by keeping my finger resting on the door button ribs a few seconds longer and other cool features. I'm shocked to hear about this issue and thankful that I installed this intake. At least in my case it may prevent hydro lock. Good luck to you and you might want to consider my modification in the event that you decide to keep your X1 and ask your service department about it too. BMS intakes are an approved BMW product. Cheers.
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      02-24-2021, 10:33 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by Xorbitman View Post
BMS intakes are an approved BMW product. Cheers.


Where is this documented? I had a BMS Intake and OCC in my F33.
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      02-24-2021, 10:54 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Xorbitman View Post
I have a 2018 BMW X1 which we purchase in January of 2019. One of the first things that I did was install a Cold Air Intake from BMS and had a drain hole installed in the air box that holds the intake. Plus the intake is a cone style waterproof intake. I hired a software programmer that uses special BMW programming software to add software options that are available to the higher end models as convenience like disabling the auto/start stop function at start and closing the mirrors using the convenience package by keeping my finger resting on the door button ribs a few seconds longer and other cool features. I'm shocked to hear about this issue and thankful that I installed this intake. At least in my case it may prevent hydro lock. Good luck to you and you might want to consider my modification in the event that you decide to keep your X1 and ask your service department about it too. BMS intakes are an approved BMW product. Cheers.
You don't need to hire someone to do all of that. You can do all of that and lots more with the Bimmercode app on your phone and an OBDII adapter. I also wouldn't call the BMS intake a "cold air intake" as it's located in the engine compartment uncovered leading to heat soak which actually can decrease performance. But, a lot of people get those types of intakes because they believe the websites hype and it sounds cool at WOT.
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      02-25-2021, 12:21 AM   #9
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I agree, you hired a guy to use BimmerCode? I hope you didn’t pay him much.
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      02-25-2021, 03:56 AM   #10
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Wow that 25 cm of wading depth is ridiculously low for a SUV. Many sedans have more than that... I've actually done quite a lot of light offroading in my X1 and it has been very reliable. I've still never had the misfortune to go through water though, so that's good to know.
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      02-25-2021, 02:13 PM   #11
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Having owned a X1 before changing to a X3, I think the X1 compared to many SUVs is best described as an estate car rather than a true SUV.
Driving wise the X1's ride height is perfect for ensuring it stays well planted on the road and has minimal roll through corners, but the relatively low ride height has to treated with respect when attempting what the 'big boy' SUVs tackle with apparent ease.
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      02-25-2021, 03:53 PM   #12
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Yeah, well - that's *not* how they promote the car. So how is the average consumer supposed to know that?

Watch the promotional video you'll see here as just one example:
I will spare you the agony of watching highly attractive hipsters go outside and have amazing offroad adventures in every sort of terrain in their X1 -- just fast forward to the 1:44 mark or so and watch them drive the X1 at top speed through a creek (one at least twice as deep and twice wide as the water that killed my car dead and left my daughter and me stranded). Definitely not 9 inches of water at 3mph.

The ultimate insult in all this? I bought this car specifically because I didn't feel safe driving our Mini Cooper S on longer road trips in wet weather. Guess what? The Mini Cooper S Convertible (not a Countryman mind you, my regular Mini Cooper S) has *12* inches of wading depth -- MORE than the BMW X1 that's advertised as an SUV capable of driving through creeks on offroad adventures (but which can't even handle a state park parking lot in the rain).

Lesson learned. The hard way. I just hope people see this and learn from our painful experience. And if anyone else has had something similar happen to them, please do let me know. BMW really needs to do something about this -- either be more transparent about the car's shortcomings *or* improve its wading depth to something more akin to the competition (generally, around 19 for cars like the Audi Q3 and the BMW X3).

Last edited by sfmary; 02-25-2021 at 04:11 PM..
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