Air conditioning

[BarryM]

Hi all,

After a couple of weeks with the i3s we've had some wet weather the last couple of days and the windows steam up pretty quick which is disappointing.

I leave the air con running permanently regardless of weather and have moved the fan to the middle position in the wet weather (as I have done in all my other cars) but this is the first car in years where it's been a problem. If I put the front window demister on temporarily it clears the windows as it puts the fan onto max speed but that's not a practical solution.

Has anyone else come across this, I guess maybe my air con needs re-gassing but the car is only 3 years old!

 

[mojo]

If I put the front window demister on temporarily it clears the windows as it puts the fan onto max speed but that's not a practical solution.

Why do you say that it's not a practical solution? Surely that's what the demist function is designed for?

I don't think what you're experiencing is too unusual. My car is always garaged when not being driven (so it is very unlikely to suffer significant rainwater ingress), and I get the same symptoms when it's cold outside and I first drive into rain. I just turn on the demist and after a few minutes it's clear again - I can then turn the fan speed back down again and it does not re-occur for the rest of the journey.

 

[BarryM]

Why do you say that it's not a practical solution? Surely that's what the demist function is designed for?

I don't think what you're experiencing is too unusual. My car is always garaged when not being driven (so it is very unlikely to suffer significant rainwater ingress), and I get the same symptoms when it's cold outside and I first drive into rain. I just turn on the demist and after a few minutes it's clear again - I can then turn the fan speed back down again and it does not re-occur for the rest of the journey.

Thanks for your reply, I probably should have added that although the demist function does indeed clear the windows, once I turn it off and revert to the middle fan speed the windows begin to mist up again within a few mins so I need to alternate between on/off with the demister which isn't what I'd expect.

 

[mojo]

Have you checked the carpets for evidence of rainwater ingress? It seems fairly common for the rear footwells to get wet, and that will mean a perpetually steamy interior when the heating's on.

 

[AUTOMAN]

For a number of years I carried out Air /Con repairs. The i3 having an electric driven compressor is interesting.
The first indicator of low gas pressure was normally the compressor not working or warm air when the air conditioning was supposed to be on. My thoughts were use it or loose it with regards to air conditioning .
The air conditioning is used to cool the battery pack as required,is anyone aware of any indications with regards to re gassing the system. Ie low gas pressure

 

[BarryM]

Thanks all, the car was from a main dealer with full approved warranty so I think I'll be popping back to get the air con checked out.

 

[oldstumpybiker]

Are you US or UK based? I only ask this as in UK Halfords do what I think is a great deal to re-gas an i3, as it needs a fair bit of refrigerant due to battery management system too. I had mine done last Nov at about £120, the mechanic reckons it was a good deal as the gas cost alone if you did it yourself (not recommended!) would be more than that, their machine sucks out all old gas/oil & replaces it with new & checks for leaks. He also said 2-3 years for re-gas is not unusual. Hey came to my home to do it.

 

[BarryM]

Are you US or UK based? I only ask this as in UK Halfords do what I think is a great deal to re-gas an i3, as it needs a fair bit of refrigerant due to battery management system too. I had mine done last Nov at about £120, the mechanic reckons it was a good deal as the gas cost alone if you did it yourself (not recommended!) would be more than that, their machine sucks out all old gas/oil & replaces it with new & checks for leaks. He also said 2-3 years for re-gas is not unusual. Hey came to my home to do it.

I'm UK based (it's in my signature ). I have an older BMW E39 and that's re-gassed every 2/3 years - as you say that's pretty normal to keep air con in tip top condition.
I've just been out to the i3s and set the air con to max/16 degrees for 5mins and tbh it wasn't ice cold so I'm thinking that is something I'll take up with the BMW dealer as the car still has 11 months 'approved' support. Incidentally I did check all carpets for water as I know this is a weak spot on older BMWs but I'd be very disappointed if a car from 2021 had this!

 

[TedStriker]

I'm UK based (it's in my signature ). I have an older BMW E39 and that's re-gassed every 2/3 years - as you say that's pretty normal to keep air con in tip top condition.
I've just been out to the i3s and set the air con to max/16 degrees for 5mins and tbh it wasn't ice cold so I'm thinking that is something I'll take up with the BMW dealer as the car still has 11 months 'approved' support. Incidentally I did check all carpets for water as I know this is a weak spot on older BMWs but I'd be very disappointed if a car from 2021 had this!

Did you check under the back seat too?

 

[AUTOMAN]

Greetings on reading the manual on the i3 it does mention a driver aware message if the air con ceases to work .
Low gas pressure causes the compressor to simply switch off. The result is the battery pack is not kept at the correct temperature. On a long trip I noticed the windscreen tending to mist up a sure sign the air con is not working correctly.
Normally to re gas the system the remaining gas is evacuated and the replaced gas is provided by weight.
On investigating the alternatives it is apparent that a DIY method is available. A small amount of the correct gas can be purchased and a the system topped up with a purpose made pipeline and pressure gauge.
The system is topped up to a recommended pressure which is supplied by the gas manufacturer .interesting.

 

[TedStriker]

I would strongly recommend against using the top up kits - you have no idea how much gas and oil ends up in the system.

You don't want any problems with the AC system on an i3, it can easily write the car off.

 

[BarryM]

I'm happy spannering stuff I know about or where I can't do any serious harm but air con has always been one of those things I like to leave to the experts- although I did take one of my cars to Kwik-Fit once