bmw i3 motor bracket ( mount ) it broke ( 2016 no REX) - Manual for check and Replace...

****** Add at 12/10/2020 *****

I recommend to check this bracket ( that sometimes it call motor mount ), I have create a manual due we find more cases that have the same issue….

LINK: https://1drv.ms/b/s!An6SJIz7hZwhuJpVP5k6uMSwRmCe-g?e=YsC35z


The manual for replacement manual is in process as soon as I have I will publish.

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Let ‘me write this sad story, I am alex I live on a city close to México City. I have buy a BMW from a BMW dealer that was used my BMW ( company ) to show the car in the offices on México, it have 3,000 km.

One month ago I have the worst experience I have with my i3 BMW 2016, I was driving my car in a normal street at 20 km or less, I listened a loud sound like a like a stone that I stepped on. And my car mark an error in the propropulsion system. The car but N and I call for a crane and get muy car to my bmw dealership.

I have wait for 7 days to get a quote and I get a 6,000 USD ( $125,000.00 MXN Pesos) for fix my issue:
The BMW mount broke and this cause this damage:











***Other BMW cases ***

PDF: https://aponte-systems.com/bmw_case/MC-10147821-9999.pdf

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And this require to replace:
Motor Mount
Module that allow to charge and discharge the car.
Drive Shafts.


I have ask my dealership to ask to bmw to some clients having the same issue but they say that I am the only client that have this issue. At this time I have less than 30,000 km drive in the car life.


Please let´me know if you know some other i3 that same issues with the same part.


Regards, alex

I thought, by 2016, BMW was no longer using the plastic motor mounts.

Wow, that's amazing! I haven't looked into broken motor mounts assuming mine is aluminum and immune. Is that a plastic one? I can't tell. But that's catastrophic. I figured it'd be a crack. That looks like a grenade exploded.

Obioban, I doesn’t know that BMW change the part, due in México they say to me that the part haven’t change….

eNate, I know. when I knew everything that had happened through a support I was impressed. I found online that there is a piece of aluminum but I did not know that now they were all made of this material, if it is a catastrophe. If my piece was plastic in a 2016 i3….


It would be perfect to know if someone else has damage to this piece regardless of the material since BMW tells me that my case is the only one in the world ... but I don't think they are metallic now just because.



It would be perfect to know if someone else has damage to this piece regardless of the material since BMW tells me that my case is the only one in the world ... but I don't think they are metallic now just because.

There have been many reports of this on the BMW i3 Worldwide facebook group. The plastic mounts were breaking so there is/was a service campaign to replace the bolts with stronger ones. That didn't completely fix the issue, so they then went to aluminum mounts with larger bolts. There is also a software update that reduces the amount of torque the motor will produce when the rear wheels hit a bump and briefly spin free in the air so when they come back into contact with the ground it doesn't over stress the drive train The problem occurs when the rear wheels spin (like hitting a bump and becoming airborne, or slipping on ice) and then suddenly getting traction again. It can also cause damage to various electronic parts/wires as well when the mount breaks.

Thanks flyboy320, i Will search for some issues like this on this facebook group to have all can I get and check to BMW to try to get a global fix for this issues to all bmw i3...

aponte said:

Thanks flyboy320, i Will search for some issues like this on this facebook group to have all can I get and check to BMW to try to get a global fix for this issues to all bmw i3...

Click to expand...

The Facebook group is s great resource but it is a private group so just be patient when you request to Join, I think it can take a few days to get approved.

flyboy320 said:

The plastic mounts were breaking so there is/was a service campaign to replace the bolts with stronger ones.

Click to expand...

I don't recall reading of any plastic mount breaking, just the mount bolt. When the bolt breaks, the motor can thrash around causing serious damage, maybe even breaking the mount itself which might have happened in this case.

Several cases of the stronger bolt breaking have been reported. When this has happened, BMW replaced the mount with the aluminum version which allows the use of an even larger, stronger mount bolt.

alohart said:

I don't recall reading of any plastic mount breaking, just the mount bolt. When the bolt breaks, the motor can thrash around causing serious damage, maybe even breaking the mount itself which might have happened in this case.

Several cases of the stronger bolt breaking have been reported. When this has happened, BMW replaced the mount with the aluminum version which allows the use of an even larger, stronger mount bolt.

Click to expand...

Yes, you are right, I stand corrected

Although having said that, looking at the OP's pictures it looks like the mount has broken?

Our's is a 2014 with the plastic mount and it had the bolts replaced with larger ones under a recall/service campaign. Because of this I'm very mindful when it's slippery out I don't spin the wheels on snow/ice just in case!

alohart said:

flyboy320 said:

The plastic mounts were breaking so there is/was a service campaign to replace the bolts with stronger ones.

Click to expand...

I don't recall reading of any plastic mount breaking, just the mount bolt. When the bolt breaks, the motor can thrash around causing serious damage, maybe even breaking the mount itself which might have happened in this case.

Several cases of the stronger bolt breaking have been reported. When this has happened, BMW replaced the mount with the aluminum version which allows the use of an even larger, stronger mount bolt.

Click to expand...

The new bolts aren't sufficient? Why haven't they done a motor mount recall?

alohart said:

When the bolt breaks, the motor can thrash around causing serious damage, maybe even breaking the mount itself which might have happened in this case.

Click to expand...

Oops, wrong. The photo shows the bolt still attaching the remains of the mount to the frame, so the bolt hasn't broken.

I have open in facebook a post and it get delete by a admin..... but i have found an other client with the same issue..... please please help us to check your car and take photos and send or post to create a list and push BMW to fix this...

aponte said:

I have open in facebook a post and it get delete by a admin..... but i have found an other client with the same issue..... please please help us to check your car and take photos and send or post to create a list and push BMW to fix this...

Click to expand...

If you have the plastic mount, BMW will not proactively change it to the aluminum one (at least in my case when I asked, and as well as all the posts I've read on the FB group). They will however change out the original bolts on the plastic mount to the larger stronger ones if that hasn't been done already.

Ups, i know. i have this issue that in México BMW cant allow me to buy the aluminum only the plastic....

flyboy320 said:

aponte said:

I have open in facebook a post and it get delete by a admin..... but i have found an other client with the same issue..... please please help us to check your car and take photos and send or post to create a list and push BMW to fix this...

Click to expand...

If you have the plastic mount, BMW will not proactively change it to the aluminum one (at least in my case when I asked, and as well as all the posts I've read on the FB group). They will however change out the original bolts on the plastic mount to the larger stronger ones if that hasn't been done already.

Click to expand...

I'm concerned about this seeing that the mounts themselves can fail. Looks like the plastic will fatigue over time and fail.

aponte said:

I have open in facebook a post and it get delete by a admin..... but i have found an other client with the same issue..... please please help us to check your car and take photos and send or post to create a list and push BMW to fix this...

Click to expand...

On what kind of roads surfaces to did you drive the car? Meaning were there many rough spots? Speed bumps?

Mike

This car drive in México, we doesn’t have the best roads. We have a lot of Speed bumps and potholes you can google image: “cuernavaca baches” and you will see that is a very bad road. This BMW i3 have been sell in my town and it suppose to support the Méxican Road, my car only have 29,371 KM and I am very carful with my car in the road.

The fail haven been related to this due it haven when accelerating in a curve without Speed bumps and potholes.



Last week BMW sent me an email that was still reviewing the case, but I have no official news. I tried to show them the fault, but they still don't accept that if the piece fails. If someone else has evidence it would be helpful.

aponte said:

This car drive in México, we doesn’t have the best roads. We have a lot of Speed bumps and potholes you can google image: “cuernavaca baches” and you will see that is a very bad road. This BMW i3 have been sell in my town and it suppose to support the Méxican Road, my car only have 29,371 KM and I am very carful with my car in the road.

The fail haven been related to this due it haven when accelerating in a curve without Speed bumps and potholes.



Last week BMW sent me an email that was still reviewing the case, but I have no official news. I tried to show them the fault, but they still don't accept that if the piece fails. If someone else has evidence it would be helpful.

Click to expand...

I totally agree, just wondering what could have contributed to the problem. BWM should do a recall and provide the metal motor mounts to everyone.

I don´t know because i have open a BMW i3 of a friend 2015 without rex and his mount is perfect. No issue but this friend have a lot of cars and not use very often his car.
I have a case open in México, I am waiting the dealer to fix my car but I am searching the way to create this recall and fix this issue for all owners. Thanks all for your participation I really love my car but we all need to have this fix.

My car have other problem that BMW cover in warranty that are common but this cause more than 5K in damage.

Same thing has happened to us in Colorado. We have a 2014 i3 BEV first one delivered in the state of Colorado. It failed once before under warranty in February 2015. They replaced it, but still used the plastic part. The motor had to be replaced a year later and they updated the mount bolts at that time per service bulletin (SI B220115) but not the mount.

Now at 70K miles (warranty expired at 50k) and was driving under normal conditions. Hit a small bump in the road and kerplunk! It failed. The dealership wants over $17k to fix. Of course we wouldn't pay that as the car is probably only worth $8-10K at best. After a month of back and forth, they said they'd give us 20% off the repairs or a $5K credit toward a NEW BMW ICE vehicle. Unacceptable! We don't want an ICE vehicle and don't want to buy something we don't want.

The dealership recommend we try and insurance claim. The adjuster inspected the vehicle and said it would not be covered under collision as it was a mechanical failure. After a month of back and forth with the dealership (Schomp BMW in Littleton, Colorado), they said they could give us 50% off repairs...still over $8k! They recommend us contacting BMW North America as we might get more traction as a customer. BMW NA said they can't offer anything beyond the 50% off repairs or $5k credit towards new. By the way...getting an i3 right now isn't really an option...they aren't readily available.

After reading this thread and others online, I think it's just a matter of time before a class action lawsuit is started. BMW is screwing their customers for a known issue. This should be a recall. It's only going to start happening more and more as these vehicle age. Shame on BMW. They should stand by their product and loyal customers. This was our 5th BMW product...NO MORE!

If anyone knows of any legal cases about this issue, I'd appreciate a post with a link or a message.

:-(
Bummed in Colorado

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ALmsEbSk1BYe4yBLE3hHIxS7-n6LJFiw/view?usp=sharing