The brief
The X2 was vibrating noticeably the moment it started up and again under acceleration, and there was a clunk every time it went between Drive and Reverse. A quick look in the engine bay found cracked rubber on one of the front mounts and corrosion creeping along its bracket.
Those symptoms point straight at the engine mounts. They are the rubber-and-fluid blocks that hold the engine and gearbox in place and absorb their movement, and there are three of them on this car: one supporting the engine, one the gearbox, and a lower strut that stops the whole lot rocking. When one is visibly failing, the others are usually the same age and not far behind.
The diagnosis
Up on the lift each mount got a pry-test. The front engine mount had cracked rubber with the bonded join starting to separate, the gearbox mount had sagged past spec, and the lower torque strut showed clear movement under load.
So all three were worn out, not just the one you could see from above. Doing them one at a time would have meant coming back in soon for the next, so the call was to replace the full set in one visit while the access was already open.
The work
The engine and gearbox were taken onto transmission jacks so the weight came off the mounts, then each old mount was removed in turn and a new BMW-spec replacement fitted in its place, all three of them: engine mount, gearbox mount and the lower torque strut.
Every fastener was torqued to the manual figures, and before the engine was allowed to settle back onto the fresh mounts the workshop checked the drivetrain was sitting square, so the new rubber would not be loaded crooked from day one.
The outcome
The cabin went smooth at idle, the vibration under acceleration was gone, and the clunk between Drive and Reverse with it. Nothing buzzing through the steering any more.
The X2 went home with the engine and gearbox held properly again. For the owner the everyday difference is a car that feels solid and quiet rather than shaky and loose. And doing the whole set at once means all three mounts age together from here, instead of a string of return visits for the next one to give out.
