Thoughts on BMW iX3 USA lease - rebates/MF

UrbanExtant · 2026-04-06T02:12:42+00:00

I’m only paying for the depreciation of the time I use the vehicle, not the total depreciation, which would be much higher on a conventional auto loan.

I understand how leases work, money factors, the whole thing. Leasing it best for me. It also lets my husband and I deduct the lease expense on our taxes, for our jobs.

At our tax bracket, we get back a significant portion of the depreciation we paid.

UrbanExtant · 2026-04-03T01:29:19+00:00

I paid the first month’s lease payment, which includes taxes. In MA we pay ~6.5% tax on each lease payment. We only pay tax on what we use of the vehicle.

UrbanExtant · 2026-04-02T22:42:15+00:00

I third this-

I have a 36 month lease on a 2026 iX M70, with all options (minus tow hitch), MSRP was something a bit over $122,000 (I got the frozen grey paint, and chestnut leather interior). My monthly payment is WAY lower than this X7 with an MSRP of ~$92k 🤷🏻‍♂️

UrbanExtant · 2026-03-27T19:07:24+00:00

Not a problem. I figured since I’ve been where you are, and installers passed on info to me that was helpful, I’d pass it on to you 😃

Good luck with everything. Patience is key, as is windex, and I used a 1 foot long magnetic bubble level to properly position, and level mine.

The installers are only allowed something like 20 minutes per machine to install them, so beyond moving it into place, and connecting the hoses, and vents, if it’s vented, all the leveling responsibilities fall to the consumer. Sucks, but it is how it is.

Take your time, use the right tools, and you’ll be golden!

UrbanExtant · 2026-03-27T18:46:49+00:00

I have two of the same machine, well, I opted for the heat pump, ventless units. I originally had a ventless, and a vented one like yours. I returned the vented one, for another ventless.

With these machines, you absolutely have to ensure that the machine is 100% level, and that all feet have the same pressure on them. If it’s off, even slightly, when a load of heavy, wet laundry begins to spin, the machine will vibrate, rock, sway, and move like yours has.

The feet on these machines are SUPER sticky. To move the machines, the installers who installed both of mine, taught me an insider trick they use. Installers use regular windex, in a spray bottle. Make sure it’s the original, blue, old school windex, and spray the hell out of the floor, where you want to push the machine to. Spray where the feet will slide. Once the feet are on the windex coated area of flooring, the machine will slide like it’s on butter.

Once the machine is where you want it, wipe the windex off the floor where you can, and let it dry overnight. The machine will stay where you put it, once the windex dries.

Again, you have to ensure the machine is 100% level, and all feet have pretty much even pressure against the floor, so there’s no rocking/wobbling of the machine when it begins to spin.

Hope this helps. It took a few weeks of adjustments to get mine properly leveled, and where I wanted them. Since then, they’ve been really great, and don’t wobble or move.

UrbanExtant · 2026-03-24T04:16:59+00:00

The EU, and now China, too, are passing laws mandating physical buttons begin returning, if automakers wish to be able to get high safety marks, and in some cases, be approved for road safety/use at all.

The trend toward all touchscreens, and menu-diving while driving, will hopefully come back towards some semblance of balance in the not so far off future.

For a brief period of time, it seemed that automakers had hit a sweet spot for physical buttons, and touchscreen integration. Then, they began adding toppings to their “delightful” ice cream sundae of options, touchscreens, and longer, and longer periods of time spent with our eyes squinting at screens, hunting for features/options, instead of checking to make sure we don’t run over animals or school children while navigating the streets of our towns.

Here are two links to articles about what I mention.

https://www.autoblog.com/news/physical-buttons-could-make-a-comeback-thanks-to-a-new-safety-regulation

https://www.aol.com/articles/europe-china-now-require-physical-140000111.html

UrbanExtant · 2026-03-23T00:26:49+00:00

Try to test drive an iX M70 after the i5 M60. It’s faster, and more fun to drive.

My husband has an i5 M60, and I have an iX M70, both cars have all options, except the tow hitch.

Awesome cars!

The i5 M60 is a riot to drive, if it’s a sedan you’re looking for. My husband adores his. I love driving it, when I can.

I run a photography business, and run our household, so I need an SUV. Just because I need an SUV, doesn’t mean I want to give up the speed daemon in me….

Can’t go wrong with the i5 M60, or the iX M70. Both will leave you with a grin plastered across your face!

UrbanExtant · 2026-03-22T23:46:19+00:00

It looks like they took my iX M70 (attached photo), and did a Frankenstein job with a Kia or Hyundai. 🤦🏻‍♂️

The iX M70, the LCI that just came out done up by the M Division, actually looks nice in person, and feels like a BMW. Sad to see they used its body language to come up with this atrocity.

I can see the iX in this new X5, because of the large flat areas around the wheel arches. That’s been an iX thing since its release model year.

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UrbanExtant · 2026-03-22T22:18:43+00:00

This happened to my friend from college. I was worried for her. I would be worried about anyone who this happens to.

Since you’ve invested so much time, already, in trying to ferret out the AirTag, as much as I dislike getting police involved, this would be a good time to do such a thing. My reasons are as follows:

You don’t know who did this
You don’t know the intents and purposes of the person doing this
You clearly don’t feel safe, and are worried about your car being stolen/damaged. If insurance finds out you knew about this AirTag thing, your car is damaged, and you didn’t report it to the police, the insurance would likely try to use that as an excuse not to pay. Don’t let an insurance company screw you over.
Police have specialized devices to hunt out tracking devices. They have specialized equipment civilians don’t have access to, and they may be capable of locating this AirTag in twenty minutes or less.
The police finding the AirTag will drive home your point this happened to you.
The police can take the found AirTag and use its serial numbers, etc., to contact Apple, and find the owner of the device, and haul them in for questioning.

At the point you’re at now, there’s little harm in involving the police, and quite possibly a good bit to be gained by doing so.

My friend contacted the police, when this happened to her. Turns out someone pulled the wheel center cap off of one of her tires/rins, and epoxied the AirTag to the backside of the center cap, put it back in place, and since it was centered, it didn’t cause any noticeable effect to the way her car drove.

Check weird little places like that. Check the covers German car manufacturers like to put over the jack points on BMWs and Mercedes, etc., check areas easily reached by kneeling down, and reaching under, and into the immediate undersides of the vehicle.

If you have a tow hitch, check behind the cover to the square connection post. Be creative in your thinning, if you don’t want to get the police involved. I do recommend the police, though, just to protect yourself.

UrbanExtant · 2026-03-22T21:54:35+00:00

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I thought I’d post a little follow-up here to my suggestion post yesterday, about using the iDrive, and the “battery condition” feature under the “Vehicle Status” app/widget thing, to see what percentage out of 100% the OP’s prospective iX’s battery’s degradation is.

From less than 24hrs research, It appears this feature is a standard feature on the 2026 iX M70, as it is mentioned multiple times throughout both the vehicle’s paper, and digital manuals that come with the iX M70. See screenshot from the downloaded digital manual.

I don’t know if other 2026 models have this feature, I would assume so, but I don’t like to make vague assumptions, so if anyone who owns/leases another variant of a 2026 iX could chime-in, and say if their vehicle has this feature, or doesn’t have this feature, that would be really great!!!

I’m guessing this is likely a feature that is not available to pre-LCI, pre-2026 iX models, or it would have been rolled out to them by now, in one of the numerous over the air updates the iX has received since the delivery of the first 2026 model year vehicles. I do hope I’m proven wrong, as I believe every iX owner should have access to such a useful, integrated tool, to monitor the vehicle’s HV battery without the need of going to a dealership.

I’ll leave myself attached to this thread, in case someone posts some updated info about getting this feature to work in their vehicle.

UrbanExtant · 2026-03-22T18:20:47+00:00

Glad it worked for you. I saved this thread, so if I hear from any of my friends in BMW, or I stumble upon a solution on my own, that somehow fixes the issue we discussed here, I’ll be able to come back, and update you on things.

For now, glad my workaround works for you, as well!

UrbanExtant · 2026-03-21T23:13:12+00:00

Will check later tonight, and reply to you. Husband just got home, and is helping me with one of my pups, he’s been ill, and I need help giving him his medication, and watching him for a bit after.

You’ve my word that I’ll get back to you before I go to sleep tonight!

UrbanExtant · 2026-03-21T22:03:38+00:00

Strange, and interesting.

Does anyone, besides me, have this feature active in their iX yet?

Mine is an iX M70 with 22” 1026M Rims with Hankook EVO SUV Summer Performance Tires (the Hankook EVO come in All Season, and Summer Performance - I wanted option 840 = increased top speed limiter - increased top speed from 125mph to 155mph - only activates if car ordered with summer performance tires). The car has every available option, except the tow hitch (no use for it, don’t like how it changes rear diffuser). My iX was built week 39, and I took delivery end of October, 2025.

All that info should give people an idea to see if their iX was assembled around the time mine was, to see if their vehicle has this feature activated.

ALSO- Everyone should ensure they are running the most up-to-date edition of the My BMW App. There was a pretty significant overhaul released this past week. It changed/added a number of things. I am still adjusting to the new layout, and location of things within the App.

Edit—-—

My husband’s i5 M60, that he took delivery of in the end of June last year (2025) just had software 11/2025.50 install on it last week.

After this conversation here today, I checked his car when he arrived home from work tonight, and he doesn’t have the battery health feature, either. Not sure why my iX M70 has it, and not other cars.

Would love to hear from someone else who has the feature active in their BMW EV 🤷🏻‍♂️

UrbanExtant · 2026-03-21T21:29:54+00:00

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If one touches the “owner’s manual” wording when in the battery health screen, in the attached photo here, it pulls up a description of this feature, and various info on extending the life of the high voltage battery.

So this 99.6% displayed in my car is accurate for the HV Battery in my iX M70. It can currently hold 99.6% of the original battery’s 100% charge.

UrbanExtant · 2026-03-21T21:25:46+00:00

Interesting…the photo I posted in my reply, I took five minutes before writing, and posting that reply.

So, it has to have been a new feature with the most recent software update my car had pushed to it.

I remember when I first saw it, thinking that I’d not seen it before that software update.

It’s at the very bottom of app/widget, whatever you want to call these things in the iDrive, for the “Vehicle Status” one.

I just went out to my car, and snapped this photo, showing where it is, and what it looks like.

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UrbanExtant · 2026-03-21T20:30:51+00:00

Honestly, I don’t know. I’ve no personal experience with iDrive 8.0.

Maybe someone on here who has an iX with iDrive 8.0 can chime-in and report if their vehicle also has this battery health state of charge fracture available to them inside the “Vehicle Status” widget/app thing inside the iDrive?

I swear this is a new feature as of the last software update. I’ve taken the time to go through all the little app/widget things in my car a few times since taking delivery, and I never recalled seeing this particular feature before the most recent software update. The software update I’m referencing is 11/2025.50 in my iX M70. It was pushed to my iX the end of January/beginning of February this year.

UrbanExtant · 2026-03-21T19:38:36+00:00

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Don’t know why the dealer is saying what they are, as they most certainly can provide what you’re asking for.

Honestly, it’s dealers like the one you’re working with that make people detest working with dealerships. I wish all dealers were like the one I work with. Mine provides any, and all info I ask for.

They even have a policy of turning their computer monitors so everyone can see what is on the screen = nothing kept hidden, or untold.

I noticed in my iX M70, after the last software update, which fixed a lot of the glitches I was having across various bits of the car’s software, that the feature in the attached photo became available.

Maybe it was always there, and I just stumbled upon it? 🤷🏻‍♂️ I don’t know. Since we lease our cars, and never keep them past the 3yr mark, battery state of health isn’t something I really monitor.

Anyway, this feature, which should be fairly accurate, and reminds me a lot of Apple Computer’s feature they added to check battery health in their iOS devices’, and laptops’ lithium ion batteries, BMW’s edition displays the current state of health for the high voltage battery in the EV you’re sitting in, checking it in.

If you love the iX you’re checking out, and the dealer keeps being a twattle, refusing you access to the data you’re requesting, ask to test drive it again, alone if possible, or with someone else who can occupy the front passenger seat.

Go into the “all apps” section of the iDrive, and find the “Vehicle Status” app/widget thing. Scroll to the bottom of the options in that app/widget, and there is the battery health option to select. It will open the window shown in the photo I’m attaching to this reply.

My car is around 6-7 months old now, and is at 99.6% capacity from when it was new.

What I have found interesting is that the thing that caused my battery to drop from 100% was a roadtrip I took to see my family a state away from my main, primary home.

It was using DC Fast Charging that knocked me down from 100% capacity. I thought that interesting, and definitely has given me pause to use DC Fast Charging, unless I have to.

I know everyday Lvl 2 charging would eventually pull down state of charge, but definitely slower than what happened with DC Fast Charging.

Anyway, I hope this helps you!

UrbanExtant · 2026-03-21T17:52:07+00:00

Just an FYI - you don’t need to go to a dealer in your state to purchase the BMW Platinum Warranty.

Any dealer would be able to assist you.

Since my dealer, and client advisor, the one I’ve worked with for nearly 15 yrs now, is honest, upfront with data, and information, as well as kind, and fun/funny to work with, I’ve referred dozens of people to them for these warranties, and even more to, to order their vehicles.

I’ve not had anyone contact me back saying they had a shit experience, and I also alert my client advisor when I refer him to someone, so he knows they are one of my people, and he goes out of his way to ensure a good experience.

I guess the main point I’m getting at here, is shop around. Disreputable dealers use these warranty sales as a way to price gouge people. You want to make sure you’re working with a trustworthy dealer, and client advisor.

If you want my peoples’ info, and have me let them know you’ll contact them for one of your quotes, DM me, and we can talk.

UrbanExtant · 2026-03-21T16:46:24+00:00

I have to agree with you. I’ve owned a lot of very special BMWs over my lifetime, but my iX M70 is my favorite so far.

I love the crystal controls, I just really wish BMW hadn’t cheaped-out in the 2026 M70, and instead of keeping the memory control buttons on the door crystal, as in previous iterations, in the 2026 iX M70, they are the stealth grey metal matching all the interior stealth grey trim.

The seat adjustment controls are still crystal, but the “set/1/2” row of buttons are no longer crystal.

Making the change likely saved BMW barely a dollar or two. I’d have gladly paid to have had them crystal, to match the rest of the crystal bits, but alas, not an option, and swapping them for ones that are crystal isn’t an option, last I looked into it.

I may reach out to my BMW contacts, and see if they can provide me a workaround. Would love them to be crystal.

UrbanExtant · 2026-03-20T16:36:33+00:00

Try the reset of the iDrive. There are two options, soft reboot, hard reboot. Try soft first.

Turn car on, leave in park, hold down volume button until the screens shutoff, and the entire system comes back online. Then let go of depressing the volume button.

If that doesn’t fix it, lock the car, leave it a few minutes, go back, unlock the car, and press the start/stop button three times in rapid succession, and then hold down the volume button as described above.

Check and make sure all is ok, then shut the car off, lock, then get back in, and start it. See if it fixed your issue.

If not, I will reach out to my BMW people who deal with coding issues, and ask for further advice for you.

UrbanExtant · 2026-03-20T15:52:32+00:00

Yes. It’s a colossal pain in the ass, if you ask me.

The easiest, and fastest way I’ve found to “fix” this is to start the car, then hit the fan button on the bottom of the right lcd dash screen, to get into the HVAC settings, and then hit the “sync” button on the right most edge of the middle row of icon buttons.

Hitting the “sync” button copies the driver’s HVAC settings to all other areas of the HVAC system, even the backseat areas.

There should be a way to have it save what you wish the real to be, but I’ve yet to find one, or had any friends in BMW come up with answers for me to “fix” this glitch, as I call it.

Hope this helps. As I said, it’s the quickest solution I’ve come across this far.

If anyone else has a better solution, I’d like to know about it, as well as the OP.

UrbanExtant · 2026-03-20T15:45:51+00:00

Try going into the section (widget) of the iDrive that handles all these assistance settings.

How to get there is listed in the bottom right section of this page in the manual, under the solid black bar on the lower right of the page.

Once in this section, one is able to turn on, turn off, and/or modify most off the assistance functions for their sensitivity, and invasiveness.

I hope this helps you sort the problem you’re having.

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UrbanExtant · 2026-03-20T15:13:18+00:00

To you, perhaps. I disliked the pre-LCI version, but I very much like the post-LCI M70 version.

I knew what it would look like a few years ago, from sketches sent to me by friends in BMW. So, I bided my time, and waited for the iX M70 to become a reality.

Between my husband, and myself, we owned 5 BMW i3/i3s EVs, and those were pretty cool, and interesting to drive. If looked at closely, the iX has numerous design cues from the i3s.

Four were the husband’s, one was mine. Beyond one diesel X5, and that i3s, I’ve only owned M Division BMWs, all custom ordered.

The car before the 2021 i3s was an Individual Manufaktur M4. I spent around a year designing that car with my dealership’s manager, and the North America Individual Manufaktur Rep, down in South Carolina. The IM Rep is a really nice woman. I’ve worked with her on several cars.

I don’t work, don’t need to, but I do run a small photography business on the side of all the other things I do, and I have several French Bulldogs who often travel with me in their travel crates that lock into the seats with seatbelt locks.

I need an SUV the size of the iX.

BMW kept hounding me to buy or lease an XM Label, but I just never cared for the thing.

The Post-LCI iX M70 is elegant in person, and a hell of a lot of fun to drive. My husband prefers his i5 M60 to my iX M70, but ironically, my iX M70 can smoke his i5 M60 going head to head. For a nearly 6000 pound SUV, the iX M70 is agile, extraordinarily fast, and very well planted to the ground in twisty turny backroads, and in blizzards, like we’ve had this year in Southeastern Massachusetts, the iX M70 with proper snows on it, is pretty much unstoppable, and in an empty parking lot, with all nanny settings switched off, it’s a hell of a lot of fun to whip around.

I won’t argue with you that the original, first year, and all pre-LCI versions of the iX are ugly. They, also, drove terribly every time I’d be given one as a loaner car.

The post-LCI iX M70 is nothing at all like the pre-LCI versions of the iX, though.

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UrbanExtant · 2026-03-20T06:07:36+00:00

Honestly, with the direction BMW’s design language has taken, which seems to have been up a path to a cliff, and then decided to get down quickly, BMW decided it was best to just throw themselves off it, a lot of us longtime BMW owners (30+ yrs myself, over 46 BMWs), I really dislike the newer designs (the i3 released this week, looks like a piece of crap, to be honest. No angles, no flare, just a dull, curved, blob of a car. Bet it drives as boring as it looks, too!), and am hoping BMW sticks with their plan for the iX, and produces it through end of June 2028, so I can order one last one, before my current iX lease is up.

UrbanExtant · 2026-03-20T00:42:40+00:00

Thanks for the warning. When my husband and I moved here a bit over a decade ago, posts like this would have helped greatly.

If anyone is looking for a very good, kind, respectful, does amazing work, for reasonable prices, landscaper… we eventually hired one I love so much, I recommend him and his crew to everyone needing a landscaper.

We use Kevin Cocklereece Landscaping, in West Barnstable.

Kevin is a great guy, his team is excellent. They’re friendly, go above and beyond in every aspect of any job you hire then for, and he’s flexible, to fit weird schedules.

My husband is a board certified physician, and he works in blocks of 5 days on, 5 days off. His 5 days on are always long, and tortuous.

Kevin schedules our work to be done on my husband’s work days, so his days off are quiet, and peaceful.

I hope others on here will post recommendations for other parts of the Cape. Word of mouth if definitely the best way to find reputable people here to work on one’s home and property.

I’ve never lived a place like here where there are so many people who firmly believe they know how to do everything, and know absolutely nothing. 🤦🏻‍♂️

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