Abnormal noise motor?

[Diogo.cardao]

I just bought an i3 2015 Rex 147.000km
The vehicle overall shape is very good and runs well, but there is this annoying noise when driving both slow or high speeds.
I believe this is not normal, can someone please advise?
Check video
Mechanic changed all brakes and disks, he says it's normal sound from the motor.

 

[mojo]

Probably the most important advice is: never, ever buy an i3 that's making strange noises - because there's a fair chance that it will be very expensive to fix properly.

It's never easy to diagnose problems by sound alone, but that sounds to me like excessive gearbox wear. It won't be cheap to fix, so if you have any option to return the vehicle, I would take that route, unless the car was very very cheap to buy.

There is also a known problem with failed motor mounts on i3s of that age - but I'm not convinced that you would get that sort of sound - perhaps someone will be along soon with direct experience of the sounds you get with that. The upgraded mounts are surprisingly expensive (or perhaps not surprising if you're familiar with BMW parts costs).

 

[alohart]

There is also a known problem with failed motor mounts on i3s of that age - but I'm not convinced that you would get that sort of sound - perhaps someone will be along soon with direct experience of the sounds you get with that. The upgraded mounts are surprisingly expensive (or perhaps not surprising if you're familiar with BMW parts costs).

I'm pretty certain that this sound isn't due to a broken polymer motor mount bracket. When the bracket cracks, a driver might hear some unusual clucks when changing from drive to reverse or vice-versa or when driving over rough pavement.

When the bracket breaks completely, the motor, A/C compressor, and REx system, if so equipped, would drop down which could break electrical cables, refrigerant lines, and other critical components that would likely prevent an i3 from being driven.

The official BMW procedure to replace the polymer brackets with their aluminum versions is very labor-intensive, so the high cost is due mostly to labor rather than to the cost of parts. The original motor mounts aren't compatible with the aluminum bracket, so the mounts themselves must also be replaced adding to the total cost.

 

[Diogo.cardao]

Probably the most important advice is: never, ever buy an i3 that's making strange noises - because there's a fair chance that it will be very expensive to fix properly.

It's never easy to diagnose problems by sound alone, but that sounds to me like excessive gearbox wear. It won't be cheap to fix, so if you have any option to return the vehicle, I would take that route, unless the car was very very cheap to buy.

There is also a known problem with failed motor mounts on i3s of that age - but I'm not convinced that you would get that sort of sound - perhaps someone will be along soon with direct experience of the sounds you get with that. The upgraded mounts are surprisingly expensive (or perhaps not surprising if you're familiar with BMW parts costs).

Thanks for the advice, probably will return it to the dealer and spent a bit more to get a tesla.

 

[mojo]

Thanks for the advice, probably will return it to the dealer and spent a bit more to get a tesla.

Probably a wise move, though if you buy a faulty Tesla, bear in mind that they are not reputed to be cheap to fix either!

If you liked everything else about the i3, it might be worth returning the one you have and looking around to see if there are any other i3s available in your area?

 

[scottybiff]

May be electric motor bearing. BMW quoted $14k to replacei did it for $5k.

 

[Diogo.cardao]

May be electric motor bearing. BMW quoted $14k to replacei did it for $5k.

That's an expensive repair, not worth the trouble for a 10 years old vehicle... thanks for sharing

 

[Diogo.cardao]

Probably a wise move, though if you buy a faulty Tesla, bear in mind that they are not reputed to be cheap to fix either!

If you liked everything else about the i3, it might be worth returning the one you have and looking around to see if there are any other i3s available in your area?

But maybe tesla is more reliable than the i3? With everything I have been looking in the internet i3 is quite ok when young but after some point of km it starts failing a lot

 

[mojo]

But maybe tesla is more reliable than the i3? With everything I have been looking in the internet i3 is quite ok when young but after some point of km it starts failing a lot

To be honest, it's difficult to know for sure. Bear in mind that BMW sold a quarter of a million i3s, so there are a lot of them out there. But I don't think BMW do themselves any favours with some of their repair pricing policies. It means that even a relatively small number of "huge repair bill" stories can get a lot of publicity.

 

[Diogo.cardao]

To be honest, it's difficult to know for sure. Bear in mind that BMW sold a quarter of a million i3s, so there are a lot of them out there. But I don't think BMW do themselves any favours with some of their repair pricing policies. It means that even a relatively small number of "huge repair bill" stories can get a lot of publicity.

Yes I guess I was unlucky enough to end up with a faulty motor case .... I bought it because I remember driving one back in 2016 and the memories were good

 

[JoeCool88]

The sound reminds me more to a chafing of a gear on the wall inside the reduction gearbox. An easy and cheap way to get clearer about that is to drain the gearbox oil through a mesh filter and have a look at the magnetic plug. If both is ok you could fill in the oil again through the vent port on the top of the gearbox with a syringe, as explained in several YouTube videos

 

[Houdini56]

Thanks for the advice, probably will return it to the dealer and spent a bit more to get a tesla.

Dont get a tesla..an ioniq 5 maybe

 

[808Pants]

My ear-filters aren't that great at screening out the competing ambiance of tires on cobblestone and brick paving..no smooth pavement nearby, I take it?