Bang, then shut down, drivetrain malfunction error.....

[SugarMan1]

As a follow up - dealer says the pop was a cable disconnecting and they have now ordered a new KLE unit. It'll be days before they get it, and days more till it's installed and tested out. Why did the cable disconnect? They don't really know... Also, I asked them how they got it off the flatbed and they said they used soapy water and slid it off! Apparently it's not so easy to get it into neutral all the time. Stay tuned.

 

[jadnashuanh]

In the i3 Owner's Manual APP (and, I think, in the printed manual, but have not looked) (search on transmission and it's the first selection). IOW, it IS in a readily available manual - might be in the in-car one as well, again, I've not looked. It was easier to copy it from the app while at my computer.

"Electronic unlocking of the transmission lock

Engaging selector lever position N
1. Press and hold the Start/Stop button.
2. Depress the brake pedal.
3. Turn and hold the selector lever to position N. A corresponding Check Control message is displayed.
4. Turn the selector lever again into the position N within approx. 2 seconds. Position N is indicated on the selector lever.
5. Release the Start/Stop button and brake.
6. Maneuver the vehicle from the danger area and secure it against moving on its own."

The 'key' symbol on the steering column is used if the battery in the fob is weak or dead...the RFID chip in the fob can be read when it is touched at that point. I've had to do it once when parked very close to a major TV and radio station transmission tower installation, had to use the key to open the door as well since it could not filter out the fob's signal from all of the other high intensity rf in the area. I think that complex had 3-4 different TV stations' transmission towers broadcasting on numerous channels.

 

[Sparky]

Not in the printed manual in the glove box. I understand that it may be in the APP, but when you're directing rush hour traffic around your car for 1.5 hours, the only readily available document was the manual in the glovebox. Also, as soon as I read that with certain electronic defects, selector may not move, I gave up.

One last point, in the APP, it states, "unlocking is possible, if the started can spin the engine". Whatever that means. That wasn't a misspelling.

 

[Blue20]

I would put the onus on the concierge. I presume you pressed the big red button to order the tow truck. Under this type of stressful situation, it is not realistic to expect the customer to RTFM. Since the concierge ordered the tow truck, they should also give the tow truck driver or the owner the necessary instruction on how to safely tow the car away.

 

[Sparky]

I would put the onus on the concierge. I presume you pressed the big red button to order the tow truck. Under this type of stressful situation, it is not realistic to expect the customer to RTFM. Since the concierge ordered the tow truck, they should also give the tow truck driver or the owner the necessary instruction on how to safely tow the car away.

Finally, thank you.

 

[mrsmith]

Sounds like the emergency battery cut off kicked in?!

I remember reading somewhere that in an airbag deployment situation the high voltage battery physically disconnects itself. Maybe some glitch caused this to deploy? Would explain the noise on breakdown too.

 

[SugarMan1]

It's also surprising that the dealer had to use soapy water to slide the car off the flatbed - you'd think they would have RTFM As for the concierge, I have to say they were not terribly helpful and didn't even know that I needed a flatbed rather than a tow truck since the i3 can't be towed. It was just blind luck that the provider they called didn't have a tow truck available and sent the flatbed instead.

 

[epirali]

It's also surprising that the dealer had to use soapy water to slide the car off the flatbed - you'd think they would have RTFM As for the concierge, I have to say they were not terribly helpful and didn't even know that I needed a flatbed rather than a tow truck since the i3 can't be towed. It was just blind luck that the provider they called didn't have a tow truck available and sent the flatbed instead.

Does anyone actually use a tow truck anymore and/or ACCEPT a tow truck if one shows up?

 

[Sparky]

The i3 can be towed from the rear with the back wheels lifted off the ground. Also, Gojacks may be used to winch the car onto a flatbed.

 

[epirali]

The i3 can be towed from the rear with the back wheels lifted off the ground. Also, Gojacks may be used to winch the car onto a flatbed.

I personally wouldn't let any car I had to be towed with some wheels off the ground and some rolling. Call me overly protective!

Now towing children on the other hand....

 

[spinball]

The i3 can be towed from the rear with the back wheels lifted off the ground. Also, Gojacks may be used to winch the car onto a flatbed.

You can winch it onto a flatbed using the tow hook screwed into the front or rear bumper in the provided slot but BMW explicitly says NO TOWING on page 195 of the i3 owner's manual:

Your vehicle is not permitted to be towed.
Therefore, contact a service center in the event of a breakdown. Do not have the vehicle towed. Have your vehicle transported on a loading platform only; otherwise, damage may occur.

It also shows two pictures of different tow truck arrangements with a big "X" through them. The other picture without an "X" is a flatbed truck.

 

[Sparky]

Look at the pictures carefully. They show no towing with the rear wheels in contact with the road. You CAN tow it with the rear wheels OFF the road. We did.

 

[Sparky]

Update:
Went down to the dealer and spoke to the service tech. He showed me the mark from an arc on the cover of the EME. The arc came from the inside of the controller. They HAVE seen 4 others, some with a dime sized hole through the case. I don't know if BMW engineers know the root cause of the arc, maybe they do.

When this happens, they replace the EME and the battery pack. Even though the batteries are protected by fuses, they replace them anyway.

Good news: they located a battery pack in the U.S., so all parts should be available in a week or so, and I'll be back on the road Ina couple of weeks. Driving an X1 loaner.

 

[SSi3]

wow thanks for the update Sparky!

what year is your i3? (cautiously hoping this is not something that will affect the 2015MY builds )

 

[Eikon]

I had this happen to my MY2015 BEV.

 

[SSi3]

I had this happen to my MY2015 BEV.

dammit :lol:

Sparky, please report this to the nhtsa so they have it on record. Anything that can potentially shut the car down and bring it to an abrupt halt is definitely something they would be interested in following, especially after the whole GM ignition debacle.

 

[i3Alan]

That's funny, my dealer says they're the world volume leader in i3's and they haven't seen this malfunction either!

If your dealer claims to be the world volume leader, you can treat that as fact. Car dealers do not lie.

Likewise, there can be little doubt that your dealer has ever seen this malfunction, as you were no doubt speaking to the official spokesperson for your dealer who certainly is briefed daily on all rare vehicle malfunctions seen throughout their entire service department, and has perfect recall of all those briefings.

All sarcasm aside, it is important to ALWAYS be skeptical of information from any kind of retail establishment, especially from any employee or owner of any car dealer. Plenty of them are very knowledgable and consistently truthful, but good luck recognizing which ones they are, as the dishonest ones are highly practiced and extremely good at deception.

When I read your post I got pissed. I'm a big boy and don't appreciate condescending comments on forums.

Very sorry to piss you off. That was not my intention. However, your highly credulous comment certainly suggested that a big flag needed to be waived lest others "learn" from it that this issue might be a rare malfunction. Sarcasm can be a very big, educational flag, which is what I intended.

 

[Sparky]

I had this happen to my MY2015 BEV.

dammit :lol:

Sparky, please report this to the nhtsa so they have it on record. Anything that can potentially shut the car down and bring it to an abrupt halt is definitely something they would be interested in following, especially after the whole GM ignition debacle.

Already reported it.

 

[spinball]

Look at the pictures carefully. They show no towing with the rear wheels in contact with the road. You CAN tow it with the rear wheels OFF the road. We did.

The text seems rather clear and direct when it says "Your vehicle is not permitted to be towed." and "Do not have the vehicle towed." I checked this against a 3 series owners manual and it's different. The 3 series manual gives instructions for a regular tow truck with only 2 wheels off the ground. Both cars are RWD so it has nothing to do with that or it would say simply lift the drive wheels off the ground.

I may call the BMW i Concierge and ask them about this as I'd like to know definitively in case I ever need to use it. I'm sure it's possible to tow with rear wheels lifted but I'm more concerned about liability in case something goes wrong. If BMW says "flatbeds only" then I'm going to do that and not take on that risk myself.

 

[Boatguy]

Update:
Went down to the dealer and spoke to the service tech. He showed me the mark from an arc on the cover of the EME. The arc came from the inside of the controller. They HAVE seen 4 others, some with a dime sized hole through the case. I don't know if BMW engineers know the root cause of the arc, maybe they do.

When this happens, they replace the EME and the battery pack. Even though the batteries are protected by fuses, they replace them anyway.

Good news: they located a battery pack in the U.S., so all parts should be available in a week or so, and I'll be back on the road Ina couple of weeks. Driving an X1 loaner.

Did your dealer give you a suggested procedure for getting the car into neutral or otherwise out of harms way? Any sort of official response to "dead car in the middle of the road".