Heater only working 1 out of 4 trips

[BigKetchup]

2018 BEV. Anyone had this problem or something similar? Otherwise the temperature can be all the way up yet the cabin vents blow ice-cold air. But when it works, it works the entire duration of the trip.

Let me know

 

[AUTOMAN]

greetings with regards your heater not working unfortunately I suspect you will end up replacing the unit .
They are a complicated electrical unit and are prone to failure. Have the system checked diagnostically to confirm the system has failed. Normally the diagnosis will indicate a wording similar to ( fault found in heater unit????)
With my passed experience I simply replaced mine with a new unit as the second hand units are prone to failure due to the nature of the beast EXPENSIVE?????????

 

[FoolOnTheHill]

Just had this repaired out of warranty, on my 2019 i3s REX. $2600 at an independent shop. Not a cheap independent, but still likely a little less than the dealer

 

[FoolOnTheHill]

Here is the main part of the invoice, there are other pages of things like shop supplies, etc, but this is the core of it.

 

[alohart]

Here is the main part of the invoice, there are other pages of things like shop supplies, etc, but this is the core of it.

I doubt that both the electric auxiliary heater and the coolant pump failed simultaneously yet both were replaced. The official BMW electric auxiliary heater replacement procedure doesn't include replacing the pump and vice-versa. So unless there's a valid explanation, replacing both seems excessive.

$42 is the retail price for 1 liter of i3 coolant concentrate. A 50-50 mixture with water protects against freezing down to -40º. You were charged for 2 liters of concentrate which would have made 4 liters of coolant, double the capacity of the coolant circuit. Maybe additional coolant is needed for the filling process. Or maybe not…

You were charged for 1 hour of labor for a vehicle inspection. If you asked for a vehicle inspection, that's fine.

You were charged for 1 hour of labor to update IHKA software. I'm pretty sure that the IHKA software can't be updated without updating all of the system software (i.e., by increasing the integration level). If the integration level was increased, 1 hour of labor is a fair charge. However, there's no need to update the IHKA software when the electric auxiliary heater is replaced unless a new version incompatible with the existing software was installed. This seems very unlikely. Maybe the description is incorrect and "update IHKA software" is really "register the new heater with the IHKA controller". If so, I doubt that this would take anywhere near 1 hour. Maybe 1 hour is their minimum labor charge.

I hate to see anyone overcharged for i3 repairs. It feels like you were charged liberally for this heater replacement. However, I might be wrong never having had the heater replaced in any of our i3's.

 

[AUTOMAN]

looking at your invoice is disturbing I have never replaced this type of heater unit prior to my own .
Reluctantly I bought a new unit as previously mentioned and coolant ,the water pump was functioning fine and the high voltage lead was free of problems. Bearing in mind I had never replaced this type of unit before it took me 1.5 hours without any effort to complete the repair The total cost was £725 3 hours of a mechanics time is interesting

 

[FoolOnTheHill]

I doubt that both the electric auxiliary heater and the coolant pump failed simultaneously yet both were replaced. The official BMW electric auxiliary heater replacement procedure doesn't include replacing the pump and vice-versa. So unless there's a valid explanation, replacing both seems excessive.

$42 is the retail price for 1 liter of i3 coolant concentrate. A 50-50 mixture with water protects against freezing down to -40º. You were charged for 2 liters of concentrate which would have made 4 liters of coolant, double the capacity of the coolant circuit. Maybe additional coolant is needed for the filling process. Or maybe not…

You were charged for 1 hour of labor for a vehicle inspection. If you asked for a vehicle inspection, that's fine.

You were charged for 1 hour of labor to update IHKA software. I'm pretty sure that the IHKA software can't be updated without updating all of the system software (i.e., by increasing the integration level). If the integration level was increased, 1 hour of labor is a fair charge. However, there's no need to update the IHKA software when the electric auxiliary heater is replaced unless a new version incompatible with the existing software was installed. This seems very unlikely. Maybe the description is incorrect and "update IHKA software" is really "register the new heater with the IHKA controller". If so, I doubt that this would take anywhere near 1 hour. Maybe 1 hour is their minimum labor charge.

I hate to see anyone overcharged for i3 repairs. It feels like you were charged liberally for this heater replacement. However, I might be wrong never having had the heater replaced in any of our i3's.

That’s why I pointed out that I know they are not a cheap shop. I live in a location with VERY LIMITED options for Euro car repair, and even fewer options for EV repair. Really my choices were a bmw dealer 45 minutes away that has a horrible reputation for not only being expensive, but for not doing great work. Or this shop that does great work, backs up their work, but is also expensive.

There is also the hassle factor and the value of my time. I am at a place in my life where the above dollar figures is not a huge burden, but spending days trying to find or drive to a different shop would be.