BMW I3 -Most Dangerious Steering Of Any Car I've Owned!

[SSi3]

What is the defect in your car's chassis?

 

[S3RDP]

I'm not a mod on here, but...

I think it's time to realise that this thread has done its innings.

People have their views on the topic and certainly aired the same.

No further posts will change any of that.

Those who feel obliged to continue posting to this thread are following a different agenda, in my view.

Sit down and enjoy a cold one.

I too agree with my fellow patriots (psquare and MikeS) that it is time to draw this thread to a close as I think that it is obvious that there is two irreconcilable views on this subject.

It saddened me when Jim DeBruycker who seems to me the best informed, most helpful, unbiased and balanced contributor to this forum - and also the most assiduous - was criticised for endeavouring to bring a proper perspective to the discussion. I read comments on this website in order to benefit from Jim (and other owners) knowledge, wisdom and advice. I have become somewhat irritated at having to troll through so much **** when I only want to learn (and gain) from others experience of the unique i3.

 

[I33t]

Given all the documented troubles that BMW is having building these chassis perhaps both sides are correct. As designed and if built to specs, the i3 has quick, but safe steering. But some chassis are not built to spec and those chassis are the one with handling issues. My chassis has a manufacturing defect albeit one that does not affect safety. BMW admit this, so why is it so hard for some owners to admit that some chassis have problems that theirs do not?

One does not have to be a hater or a "paid shill" to read this forum and see that BMW is having trouble building a defect free car. When they are good, they are great, but there seem to be a far higher percentage of "not-so-good" ones out there than one would expect for a Premium Brand. Insulting those who are unfortunate enough to have a defective chassis by denigrating their experience or skills does nothing to advance our understanding of the problems BMW is having with build quality.

The choice of topic name and content has a lot to do with responses.

BMW has yet to admit that the steering in the i3 is dangerous, and most owners (maybe all) accept that the steering is not dangerous. They actually have i3's and drive them on a regular basis. I don't think we'll be seeing acceptance that the i3 steering is dangerous from 99.99% of owners here. Maybe people who bought the car for the wrong reasons, or maybe the paid shills, will jump on any complaint, but as previously said, and shown by responses from i3 owners in this thread, we're not seeing acceptance of the idea of dangerous steering.

Interestingly, we're also not seeing acceptance from the complainers about dangerous personal manoeuvres with the steering wheel.

If you think your chassis is out, get it checked by a suspension expert. Post the results, I'd love to see at least one confirmed report that the chassis is way out of spec. It would also give you a lever on BMW to swap your car.

 

[epirali]

I agree the thread has run it's course.

There are a couple of i3 haters in the thread who want to pick on anything they can find in a new generation car rather than than enjoy it. Maybe they don't even have one and they are paid industry shills.

No chance to brake at 30mph. lol.

You really should read your own messages sometimes, because you are basically trolling. Disagree, comment, but this crap? Cut it out. This is why the thread keeps going. If someone doesn't agree with you they are not haters. And around a sharp bend with another car appearing on your side of the road from the blind turn going 30 you have an effective 60 mph speed between the two cars and a few feet. What the heck do you think breaking will do?

Maybe the basic physics of driving escapes you, but maybe with some diagrams you would get it. Seriously some of you here are just some kind of special.

 

[uktechie]

It is a funny shape but it fits well in most places, only now and then is it a bit tight

 

[I33t]

I thought it was a truck?

a truck with load came around crossing the median by a bit.

You're taking sharp bends at 30mph?

Someone is trolling, you're right about that.

 

[Idleup]

OK, as many now know, the I3 suffers a serious dangerous defect of over-sensitive steering - after 3 days of repeated calls to BMW tech service, BMW informed me they are aware of the steering problems however to their knowledge, BMW has not yet initiated any fix or updates for the problem.

My best guess is they are waiting for someone to kill themselves first!

With in mind, I decided to not let my wife or daughter drive the car any longer and sell mine. I started looking at other cars (non electric) and after driving my I3 to 5 different dealers to include two BMW dealers in Atlanta and a Mercedes dealer, the highest offer I got was: ( Get ready for this!!) $28,500.

Now just so everyone understands, my I3 is a Giga model "Dead Mint" flawless loaded with leather - wood - range extender, etc and retailed for $53,250.00 and after a small discount I paid right at $50,000. Here I am a short 6 months later with only 3600 miles and this dog has "De-valued" itself over $20,000. No that's not a Typo, it depreciated $20,000+ so I hope you guys are planning on keeping your I3's because they are almost worthless already - don't take my word for it, NADA with all its extras only showed a trade value of $32K.

Am I dreaming? what is all this BS hype about BMW holding their values - this is embarrassing at best, so not only do i have a car that suffers from dangerous steering problem - no backup camera - No gas tank - and a range extender which won't maintain highway speeds, I also find out that I'm stuck with this piece of trash because evidently others are finding out the BMW's short-comings and nobody wants the damn things any more.

Ok - so much for the BMW smoke and mirror quality and highest trade in values!

 

[Sparky]

You are living in an alternate reality if you ever thought BMW, or any luxury car, held its value!
My wife ordered and bought a loaded MBZ E250 Bluetec, kept it six months and decided she wanted a GLK. We paid $68k for it and it was only worth $45k as a trade in.

You'll find that almost every $50k+ luxury car depreciates $20k as soon as you drive it home.

 

[WoodlandHills]

What is the defect in your car's chassis?

It makes the whoop-whoop noise when driven on smooth pavement. BMW have driven and inspected the car and admit that it has a defect of some sort. They cannot determine the cause and are hoping I will go away. Bridgestone has inspected the tires and say they are fine and are no different from those on every other i3.

 

[WoodlandHills]

Given all the documented troubles that BMW is having building these chassis perhaps both sides are correct. As designed and if built to specs, the i3 has quick, but safe steering. But some chassis are not built to spec and those chassis are the one with handling issues. My chassis has a manufacturing defect albeit one that does not affect safety. BMW admit this, so why is it so hard for some owners to admit that some chassis have problems that theirs do not?

One does not have to be a hater or a "paid shill" to read this forum and see that BMW is having trouble building a defect free car. When they are good, they are great, but there seem to be a far higher percentage of "not-so-good" ones out there than one would expect for a Premium Brand. Insulting those who are unfortunate enough to have a defective chassis by denigrating their experience or skills does nothing to advance our understanding of the problems BMW is having with build quality.

The choice of topic name and content has a lot to do with responses.

BMW has yet to admit that the steering in the i3 is dangerous, and most owners (maybe all) accept that the steering is not dangerous. They actually have i3's and drive them on a regular basis. I don't think we'll be seeing acceptance that the i3 steering is dangerous from 99.99% of owners here. Maybe people who bought the car for the wrong reasons, or maybe the paid shills, will jump on any complaint, but as previously said, and shown by responses from i3 owners in this thread, we're not seeing acceptance of the idea of dangerous steering.

Interestingly, we're also not seeing acceptance from the complainers about dangerous personal manoeuvres with the steering wheel.

If you think your chassis is out, get it checked by a suspension expert. Post the results, I'd love to see at least one confirmed report that the chassis is way out of spec. It would also give you a lever on BMW to swap your car.

Can you tell me what "suspension expert" you would accept as being able to inspect and i3 chassis. You sound as though you are an authority in all things BMW. Whose expert opinion would YOU be willing to accept over your own.....?
Simply having a chassis shop use laser alignment and measuring equipment to check chassis
geometry is a waste of time and money if the results are not accepted as valid. So whom do you recommend?

 

[WoodlandHills]

OK, as many now know, the I3 suffers a serious dangerous defect of over-sensitive steering - after 3 days of repeated calls to BMW tech service, BMW informed me they are aware of the steering problems however to their knowledge, BMW has not yet initiated any fix or updates for the problem.

My best guess is they are waiting for someone to kill themselves first!

With in mind, I decided to not let my wife or daughter drive the car any longer and sell mine. I started looking at other cars (non electric) and after driving my I3 to 5 different dealers to include two BMW dealers in Atlanta and a Mercedes dealer, the highest offer I got was: ( Get ready for this!!) $28,500.

Now just so everyone understands, my I3 is a Giga model "Dead Mint" flawless loaded with leather - wood - range extender, etc and retailed for $53,250.00 and after a small discount I paid right at $50,000. Here I am a short 6 months later with only 3600 miles and this dog has "De-valued" itself over $20,000. No that's not a Typo, it depreciated $20,000+ so I hope you guys are planning on keeping your I3's because they are almost worthless already - don't take my word for it, NADA with all its extras only showed a trade value of $32K.

Am I dreaming? what is all this BS hype about BMW holding their values - this is embarrassing at best, so not only do i have a car that suffers from dangerous steering problem - no backup camera - No gas tank - and a range extender which won't maintain highway speeds, I also find out that I'm stuck with this piece of trash because evidently others are finding out the BMW's short-comings and nobody wants the damn things any more.

Ok - so much for the BMW smoke and mirror quality and highest trade in values!

One question: what did you tell the various dealers when they asked why you wanted to sell? I only ask since if they knew you felt like you HAD to sell they might low-ball you a bit and take advantage of your misfortune. (Shocking idea, I know!)

 

[I33t]

You will have to find one yourself unless you want to send your car to Australia!

You think the whoop whoop noise is a chassis defect? I thought you were talking about something else. BMW isn't going to lemon a car for the whoop noise.

Have you tried swapping wheels with another i3 yet?

 

[mindmachine]

I was not going to post this problem but I know its not just me there are hundreds of owners who hate the steering on the I3 - I'm posting this in hopes of warning other drivers that the I3 can and will be very dangerous at highway speeds.

Just the other day while my wife was driving at 60 mph, a dog ran our from the shoulder and while it was no real threat to us, she nearly lost control of the car by the over-reactive steering - the steering is 100% too sensitive expessially on a narrow wheelbase car that is on the top-heavy side.

The steering requires 100% of attention all the time, even the normal gesturescause the car to move out of its track and lane. The other day I just leaned over to remove my phone from my pocket to lay it on the seat and the car was all over the road. Every friend wants to drive our I3 and without us saying a word, everyone loved the car but felt uncomfortable with the steering,

I know the steering is electric therefore both the sensitivity and effort can be changed by coding - so I'm asking if anyone knows of any coding for the steering is available - if not, as much as I love the car, I'm dumping it before the steering causes and accident.

Just so you know we're not a couple of idiots with regard to our driving abilities, I've built and owned race cars all my life and our present "other" vehicles are a BMW I8 and a C7 Corvette. My I8 has perfect steering and no sensitivity issues what-so ever.

I wish you never started this thread either! It is ridiculous, sell the dam car and get it over. I personally love the steering and so does my wife! Stop calling BMW to change something that others love if yo aren't keeping the car why mess it up for those of us who love it.

 

[mindmachine]

I was not going to post this problem but I know its not just me there are hundreds of owners who hate the steering on the I3 - I'm posting this in hopes of warning other drivers that the I3 can and will be very dangerous at highway speeds.

Just the other day while my wife was driving at 60 mph, a dog ran our from the shoulder and while it was no real threat to us, she nearly lost control of the car by the over-reactive steering - the steering is 100% too sensitive expessially on a narrow wheelbase car that is on the top-heavy side.

The steering requires 100% of attention all the time, even the normal gesturescause the car to move out of its track and lane. The other day I just leaned over to remove my phone from my pocket to lay it on the seat and the car was all over the road. Every friend wants to drive our I3 and without us saying a word, everyone loved the car but felt uncomfortable with the steering,

I know the steering is electric therefore both the sensitivity and effort can be changed by coding - so I'm asking if anyone knows of any coding for the steering is available - if not, as much as I love the car, I'm dumping it before the steering causes and accident.

Just so you know we're not a couple of idiots with regard to our driving abilities, I've built and owned race cars all my life and our present "other" vehicles are a BMW I8 and a C7 Corvette. My I8 has perfect steering and no sensitivity issues what-so ever.

PS: I think you and your family need to learn how to drive after reading this.

 

[Idleup]

You are living in an alternate reality if you ever thought BMW, or any luxury car, held its value!
My wife ordered and bought a loaded MBZ E250 Bluetec, kept it six months and decided she wanted a GLK. We paid $68k for it and it was only worth $45k as a trade in.

You'll find that almost every $50k+ luxury car depreciates $20k as soon as you drive it home.

Thanks for the reply but did you say "Luxury Car" let's set the record straight - there is nothing luxury about the BMW I3 other than the luxury price that you have to pay for it, there is cars selling for $14K that give you a backup camera yet on my car it was optional!

 

[Idleup]

I was not going to post this problem but I know its not just me there are hundreds of owners who hate the steering on the I3 - I'm posting this in hopes of warning other drivers that the I3 can and will be very dangerous at highway speeds.

Just the other day while my wife was driving at 60 mph, a dog ran our from the shoulder and while it was no real threat to us, she nearly lost control of the car by the over-reactive steering - the steering is 100% too sensitive expessially on a narrow wheelbase car that is on the top-heavy side.

The steering requires 100% of attention all the time, even the normal gesturescause the car to move out of its track and lane. The other day I just leaned over to remove my phone from my pocket to lay it on the seat and the car was all over the road. Every friend wants to drive our I3 and without us saying a word, everyone loved the car but felt uncomfortable with the steering,

I know the steering is electric therefore both the sensitivity and effort can be changed by coding - so I'm asking if anyone knows of any coding for the steering is available - if not, as much as I love the car, I'm dumping it before the steering causes and accident.

Just so you know we're not a couple of idiots with regard to our driving abilities, I've built and owned race cars all my life and our present "other" vehicles are a BMW I8 and a C7 Corvette. My I8 has perfect steering and no sensitivity issues what-so ever.

PS: I think you and your family need to learn how to drive after reading this.

Ok Mario - I forgot more about racing and sports cars than you'll ever learn! lol

 

[Idleup]

OK, as many now know, the I3 suffers a serious dangerous defect of over-sensitive steering - after 3 days of repeated calls to BMW tech service, BMW informed me they are aware of the steering problems however to their knowledge, BMW has not yet initiated any fix or updates for the problem.

My best guess is they are waiting for someone to kill themselves first!

With in mind, I decided to not let my wife or daughter drive the car any longer and sell mine. I started looking at other cars (non electric) and after driving my I3 to 5 different dealers to include two BMW dealers in Atlanta and a Mercedes dealer, the highest offer I got was: ( Get ready for this!!) $28,500.

Now just so everyone understands, my I3 is a Giga model "Dead Mint" flawless loaded with leather - wood - range extender, etc and retailed for $53,250.00 and after a small discount I paid right at $50,000. Here I am a short 6 months later with only 3600 miles and this dog has "De-valued" itself over $20,000. No that's not a Typo, it depreciated $20,000+ so I hope you guys are planning on keeping your I3's because they are almost worthless already - don't take my word for it, NADA with all its extras only showed a trade value of $32K.

Am I dreaming? what is all this BS hype about BMW holding their values - this is embarrassing at best, so not only do i have a car that suffers from dangerous steering problem - no backup camera - No gas tank - and a range extender which won't maintain highway speeds, I also find out that I'm stuck with this piece of trash because evidently others are finding out the BMW's short-comings and nobody wants the damn things any more.

Ok - so much for the BMW smoke and mirror quality and highest trade in values!

One question: what did you tell the various dealers when they asked why you wanted to sell? I only ask since if they knew you felt like you HAD to sell they might low-ball you a bit and take advantage of your misfortune. (Shocking idea, I know!)

I sure didn't tell them anything was wrong with the car - only that we decided we wanted to go back to a gas powered car!

 

[WoodlandHills]

You will have to find one yourself unless you want to send your car to Australia!

You think the whoop whoop noise is a chassis defect? I thought you were talking about something else. BMW isn't going to lemon a car for the whoop noise.

Have you tried swapping wheels with another i3 yet?

Don't know anyone with an i3. The neighborhood is full of Teslas, even a couple of Fiskers, a Kia Soul EV, lots of plugin Prius', but I am the only i3. Seeing one on the road is still enough of a novelty that it gets mentioned at dinner..... I am sure that CA sales are fantastic, just not in my part of Los Angeles. I am sure that my local dealer not supporting the i3 has something to do with it

 

[Idleup]

Its OK guys take a word of advise - dump your I3 now!

All the problems and short-falls of the I3 is killing the car and dealers are sitting on them right now - its just a matter of time before word gets out further and you'll be paying somebody to take it off your hands.

BMW with their smoke & mirrors had us all standing in line to by this miracle electric car that in fact is a toad with ton's of problems and we paid Luxury price for a compact piece of junk that in less than a year, no one wants - here's just a few reasons below:

The over-sensitive steering problem come on BMW you got it backwards when the car goes fast its suposed to be less sensitive not more!

Instead of having a real generator like the GM Volt they stick a stupid motorcycle engine in the car and you can't even see the damn engine!

A self-Starting generator (RX) that only starts after the batteries are already too low!

Having a generator in the car that for reasons unknown will not charge the battery! (hello)

The goofy small 2.5 gal fuel tank that was reduced even further to 1.9 gallons usable. (Put a damn fuel tank in the car my lawn mower has a bigger tank)

Shutting down the fuel pump after 1.9 gallons when there is still over 1/2 gal left in your fuel tank! (Hello)

Selling a $50,0000 car without a backup camera (hello)!

Selling a $50,000 car with all the safety hype and not put a blind spot feature in the car!

Selling a $50,000 car with manual pump up seats and no electric or memory.

Having a front trunk in a car that is unusable and leaks worse than being outside.

Bottom line I'm bailing out while i still have a shirt on my back for a real car like this C-300 Mercedes I test drove - Get this! the Mercedes is $6,700 less than I regretfully paid for the I3 - What a major mistake!


Is any of this starting to make sense to you guys?

 

[WoodlandHills]

I was not going to post this problem but I know its not just me there are hundreds of owners who hate the steering on the I3 - I'm posting this in hopes of warning other drivers that the I3 can and will be very dangerous at highway speeds.

Just the other day while my wife was driving at 60 mph, a dog ran our from the shoulder and while it was no real threat to us, she nearly lost control of the car by the over-reactive steering - the steering is 100% too sensitive expessially on a narrow wheelbase car that is on the top-heavy side.

The steering requires 100% of attention all the time, even the normal gesturescause the car to move out of its track and lane. The other day I just leaned over to remove my phone from my pocket to lay it on the seat and the car was all over the road. Every friend wants to drive our I3 and without us saying a word, everyone loved the car but felt uncomfortable with the steering,

I know the steering is electric therefore both the sensitivity and effort can be changed by coding - so I'm asking if anyone knows of any coding for the steering is available - if not, as much as I love the car, I'm dumping it before the steering causes and accident.

Just so you know we're not a couple of idiots with regard to our driving abilities, I've built and owned race cars all my life and our present "other" vehicles are a BMW I8 and a C7 Corvette. My I8 has perfect steering and no sensitivity issues what-so ever.

I wish you never started this thread either! It is ridiculous, sell the dam car and get it over. I personally love the steering and so does my wife! Stop calling BMW to change something that others love if yo aren't keeping the car why mess it up for those of us who love it.

The whole idea is to have others learn from our misfortune. Surely you do not want to present a totally one sided view of this car, isn't there room for those who have issues with their own particular chassis to present their experiences? Or is this just a place for incritical boosterism......?