Heater Not Working

[Darlouis]

Thanks for the replies. Please note that I’m in the UK and as far as I have noted, there's not many cars here with the heat pump ( auxiliary cabin heater). To add, Wiseley Automotive, a UK expert on the cars don’t seem to mention the cabin heater. They have a playlist of helpful videos.


Have any UK cars had this cabin heater problem?

Wiseley replied to a threat elsewhere a while ago stating they had replaced the heater in 3 or 4 i3's in a single month.
Seems a common failure although maybe in later cars? The original part was superseded at some point but whether that was to fix the issue or the new part resulted in it being more of a common failure I don't know.

I wouldn't not buy an i3 because of it however but worth bearing in mind, maybe factoring its replacement into the price someone offers for a used i3 if it's not already been replaced.

 

[Gonville]

Thanks for the replies. Please note that I’m in the UK and as far as I have noted, there's not many cars here with the heat pump ( auxiliary cabin heater). To add, Wiseley Automotive, a UK expert on the cars don’t seem to mention the cabin heater. They have a playlist of helpful videos.


Have any UK cars had this cabin heater problem?

Pretty sure Wisely has another video on this as far as the UK is concerned it is one of the common failures. Involves also maybe replacing the HV lead which is one of the longest in the car as it runs from back to front of the car.

I’ll search for an example.

 

[Gonville]

This is a collection of extracts from Uk group. Seems like it has become common now. Cause of the internal failures not yet identified.

Heater failure



Failed auxiliary flow heater located in frunk area. We have had 3 fail this month.



Depending on the fault. Easy way to test if you have the heater option. Remove the front storage bin. The heater is behind the box under the windscreen. If working the water pipes will be warm.



Code 801380 is usually (but not always) present. Also, on some occasions the HV cable which powers the heater needs replacing as well.



It’s the metal box thing in the middle of this picture. We’ve had 3 pack in this month, after never having had an issue with a single one in 4 years. It is part of the HV circuit so I can only recommend not working on it unless you’re qualified.

 

[Paul4A]

Thanks for the replies. I’m not sure where you’re getting that information from but I’m not on Facebook if it’s from there.

I note a variety of repair costs across three posts from £1,000 to £2,100, though all better than the suggested £11,500 BMW asked. I think I understand it better now and Fordychaps post number #27 on the ‘Help no heat” linked thread is also very helpful with the close up picture of the problem part itself. If there’s been an improved heater element part created then was that during production and at what registration?

Darlouis suggests a failure mainly on later cars. Surely that should be earlier cars, hence the change of part design?

If the HV lead from front to back fails then how much is the cost to replace that?

Sorry for the questions, but I’m considering one but it would likely be a 2020 or maybe 21 car and want to be sure I’m aware of all the risks.

 

[Marty]

If it’s anything like the older units in gas bmws,it’s usually a bad capacitor in the dash unit (did one years ago,don’t remember location)

 

[Dogsbuddy]

Bought an 2019 approved used 120ah i3 last summer to replace an earlier 94ah which was unfortunately written off. Once the weather turned colder it turned out that neither the cabin heater nor heated drivers seat was working not to mention the blurred reversing camers image. To cap it all the first time I tried to charge it using my Zappi home charger it tripped the RCD 2 hours into the charge and there after gave the 'unable to charge' warning! All this on a 4 year old car with just 10,000 miles on the clock was a less than impressive for an approved used car. Just as well I love the i3! At least my local BMW dealership fixed all under warranty, no doubt 'saving' me a small fortune.
For the record the drivers seat fix was quoted at £787.65 and the unable to charge message £1292.44, reversing camera £510.60. No mention of the repare to cabin heater though ( not a heat pump)

 

[Darlouis]

@Paul4A I suggested it might be more common with later cars but it's not confirmed. I noticed some of the recent failures were 2020 or 2021 cars. Mine is a June 2020 car with only low miles. Searching on the topic I don't see older cars 2013/14/15 coming up as having the failure but maybe there are other reasons for that (more cars sold in recent years maybe so more apparent?).
Would be interesting to know when the new part was available from. If late 2021 for example then that might tie in with an improved part. If 2018/2019 then might be the cause of failures if indeed it is the later cars more likely to have the issue.
So, it's inconclusive.

 

[Paul4A]

Bought an 2019 approved used 120ah i3 last summer to replace an earlier 94ah which was unfortunately written off. Once the weather turned colder it turned out that neither the cabin heater nor heated drivers seat was working not to mention the blurred reversing camers image. To cap it all the first time I tried to charge it using my Zappi home charger it tripped the RCD 2 hours into the charge and there after gave the 'unable to charge' warning! All this on a 4 year old car with just 10,000 miles on the clock was a less than impressive for an approved used car. Just as well I love the i3! At least my local BMW dealership fixed all under warranty, no doubt 'saving' me a small fortune.
For the record the drivers seat fix was quoted at £787.65 and the unable to charge message £1292.44, reversing camera £510.60. No mention of the repare to cabin heater though ( not a heat pump)

All I can say is wow, what an unreliable instance and such an expensive model of car to repair. It’s enough to make me rethink the idea of buying an i3. A comprehensive warranty seems a must, but they’re also expensive - £1,000 for the first years extension according to a couple of local dealers I’ve asked. Potentially more for later years.

 

[David Briggs]

Brought a 2020 i3 with 8k miles on it recently from BMW. A few weeks ago noticed heating not working in 'normal' mode but would in pre climate. Went into dealer who replaced auxiliary heater FOC yesterday (which is about £1.2k worth!) but still appears not to work. Anyone any ideas before I take it back to dealer? Apart from that love the car!

 

[mojo]

If you've taken it somewhere and they claim to have fixed it but haven't, there's really only one option: take it back.

Do not try anything DIY, or there's a chance that they will claim that whatever you tried to do has broken it.

 

[alohart]

A few weeks ago noticed heating not working in 'normal' mode but would in pre climate. Went into dealer who replaced auxiliary heater FOC yesterday (which is about £1.2k worth!) but still appears not to work. Anyone any ideas before I take it back to dealer?

Does your i3 have the heat pump option? If so, it should be using the heat pump to heat the cabin unless the ambient temperature is below -10 ºC at which point the auxiliary heater would turn on. I assume but don't know for certain that the heat pump would also be used when preconditioning the cabin.

 

[Darlouis]

Brought a 2020 i3 with 8k miles on it recently from BMW. A few weeks ago noticed heating not working in 'normal' mode but would in pre climate. Went into dealer who replaced auxiliary heater FOC yesterday (which is about £1.2k worth!) but still appears not to work. Anyone any ideas before I take it back to dealer? Apart from that love the car!

Same case as before, so works fine in pre-climate mode and regardless of whether plugged in? Every little detail should help the dealer.
As suggested above, give it back to the dealer. It's a common failure in the i3, sadly, but very odd to have the same issue again so soon. Mine failed around this time last year. Worked a little if I charged it before using but other than that, was driving around in a fridge for about 6 weeks.
Could give them a second attempt at fixing and state if not fixed you want to reject the car, given that you've only recently bought it.

 

[David Briggs]

Same case as before, so works fine in pre-climate mode and regardless of whether plugged in? Every little detail should help the dealer.
As suggested above, give it back to the dealer. It's a common failure in the i3, sadly, but very odd to have the same issue again so soon. Mine failed around this time last year. Worked a little if I charged it before using but other than that, was driving around in a fridge for about 6 weeks.
Could give them a second attempt at fixing and state if not fixed you want to reject the car, given that you've only recently bought it.

Hi Darlouis, funnily (!) enough it seems worse. No heat now on pre-climate. Just waiting for a call back from the garage to get it booked in again. I know it's a common problem but thought it worse on older cars. Will see what happens! Lucky it's going to be a mild Xmas.

 

[David Briggs]

Does your i3 have the heat pump option? If so, it should be using the heat pump to heat the cabin unless the ambient temperature is below -10 ºC at which point the auxiliary heater would turn on. I assume but don't know for certain that the heat pump would also be used when preconditioning the cabin.

Hi alohart.
Not sure if mine has the heat pump option. Awaiting a call back from the garage for it to go back in again. Strangely it's worse now. No heat in normal mode or pre climate despite a new auxiliary heater. On the plus side at least it's covered by the years warranty supplied by BMW. Also the radio lost it's stored stations during reprogramming and now refuses to save stations which is weird but expect it will get sorted eventually.

 

[David Briggs]

If you've taken it somewhere and they claim to have fixed it but haven't, there's really only one option: take it back.

Do not try anything DIY, or there's a chance that they will claim that whatever you tried to do has broken it.

Don't worry, I won't touch it. Awaiting phone call to get it back into garage to resolve.

 

[alohart]

Not sure if mine has the heat pump option.

If you'd like to see a complete list of all options included with your i3, enter its VIN at M Decoder. The heat pump option is 4T9.

 

[yogi3]

Going to chime in here as my ‘19 i3s REX is with the dealer currently awaiting a fix for intermittent heating issues. Below are my notes from what I’ve noticed before bringing it in. Will try to share an update in a week or so if my experience can help your issue as well.

I was told that we must first address and fix mixed air issue. It turned out to be error 801186 (Motor mixed air or mixed air left: initialization error). When the heat did work 50% of the time, I noticed only hot air coming out of the left 2 vents, and cold out of the right. There is indeed a technical bulletin for this exact issue ‘19 and perhaps onward. I was doubtful that fixing the actuator that controls the directional airflow would fix the intermittent heating, but am giving it a chance as it needs to be fixed anyway.

• Intermittent Heating
  • The car is inconsistently heated (50% of time) upon entering after climatization or even just starting the vehicle.
    • Possibly occurring more frequently when below freezing weather 32º F
    • Typically when traveling, not at home charger originally, though now it is consistently not working early mornings.
    • During the driving session the car will not get hot at all, regardless of climate setting - only cold air comes out of the vents
    • When the heat does work, it is only effective at the highest fan speed.
  • Overnight scheduled preconditioning for departure plugged in charging seems to have the car ready at proper temperature. Some heat but comes out weakly.
  • Have checked the coolant levels, seemed fine
  • Have not checked cabin filter, may be blocked with debris
  • Forum Research - Part: i3 Heater Element responsible? Or just the 80amp EME Fuse?
    • Heater Element: "I understand it has been updated since the version fitted at build in 2019" is there a newer unit?
    • "i3 101 LCI i3s 120Ah Electric auxiliary heater with pump"
    • Failed auxiliary flow heater?
• Weak Air Flow through Vents
  • Air conditioning in summer would struggle to get cold, only temperature of outdoor air coming in
  • Weak air flow at lower fan speeds through vent, need to turn up high
• Hot out of left center vent, cold air from right center vent
  • Error code: 801186
    • Motor mixed air or mixed air left: initialization error

 

[websterize]

Passengers in my 2020 i3s BEV also are suffering from intermittent interior heating.

With or without preconditioning, the car will occasionally blow only non-heated air from all vents, no matter how high the temperature dial on the HVAC, or fan intensity. Thankfully, the heated seats still work.

Error codes from BimmerLink (above) seem to point to a failing auxiliary flow heater in the frunk, e.g. the electric auxiliary heater with pump.

BMW built it in June 2020 and included a heat pump (option code S4T9). The car currently has 28,000 miles (45,000 km) on the odometer. The level of the emerald fluid in the coolant expansion tank is a just below the yellow MAX marker inside.

This i3 is my fourth BEV. All have been optioned with heat pumps, but the 2020 is the first to have any heating issues. As a matter of experience, the intermittent interior heating affects only the late-model 120Ah i3.

It seemed to blow cold air for all warm-weather months this year.

I have started a service ticket at the local BMWi service department, with more to come on a diagnosis and repair plan. The 4-year/50K mile factory warranty expired this past August, but the car has a 1-year/unlimited miles Certified Pre-owned warranty that I hope covers the cost of the repair(s).

 

[alohart]

Passengers in my 2020 i3s BEV also are suffering from intermittent interior heating.

With or without preconditioning, the car will occasionally blow only non-heated air from all vents, no matter how high the temperature dial on the HVAC, or fan intensity. Thankfully, the heated seats still work.

Error codes from BimmerLink (above) seem to point to a failing auxiliary flow heater in the frunk, e.g. the electric auxiliary heater with pump.

BMW built it in June 2020 and included a heat pump (option code S4T9). The car currently has 28,000 miles (45,000 km) on the odometer. The level of the emerald fluid in the coolant expansion tank is a just below the yellow MAX marker inside.

I'm surprised that heating would fail on a heat-pump-equipped i3 unless the coolant pump in the auxiliary flow heater has failed. If the pump is working normally and the ambient temperature is above -10 ºC/14 ºF, the heat pump should heat the cabin heating coolant to provide cabin heat.

 

[Rohan Sharma]

If it’s anything like the older units in gas bmws,it’s usually a bad capacitor in the dash unit (did one years ago,don’t remember location)

The heater not working could be due to various reasons, such as a tripped circuit breaker, a malfunctioning thermostat, or clogged filters. Ensure the unit is plugged in and powered. Check the thermostat settings and clean filters if necessary. If the issue persists, the heater might require professional inspection for potential internal faults, such as a burned-out heating element or wiring problems. Safety first—consult an expert if unsure!