Is your air con cold?

[Sprinty]

Hi, yesterday it got as hot as a heady 21 Celsius yesterday in the uk so fancied a bit of air conditioning on the way home after work, I think it may not be working because it was not cold at all, can anyone else confirm if there's works well?

I don't want to have to take it back to the dealer, could it be I'm missing some user button or maybe the first time takes a while to gas up?

 

[Plug]

Actually Sprinty, I'm thinking exactly the same thing. I did read somewhere that cars get transported with the AC turned off and the dealer has to turn it on before delivery so I was wondering if mine hadn't been done. Can't believe I hadn't noticed for 2 months but, like you say, it's only just the last couple of days where it's been warm enough to turn it on in the UK.

 

[agj]

In what mode were you driving? Comfort, EcoPro, EcoPro+?

Comfort is the only driving mode that will make the air con work the way it works on conventional cars.
EcoPro would limit its cooling/warming power.
EcoPro+ would only allow fans.

If you were in Comfort mode, then it is probable indeed that your dealer skipped something during pre-delivery inspection :shock:

 

[DerfSdrawd]

My BEV is in to the dealer on 21st to have the air con sorted. It also has the heat pump option (not sure if that is relevant to a/c though).

I had suspected a lack of cooling before so the dealer had a look a couple of weeks ago and found that the a/c was inoperative -I presume they checked the transport setting, as has been noted on other threads so there is an issue. I'll report on what they tell me they found, assuming they get to fix it.

My understanding is that on Eco Pro the a/c & heating works at reduced power and on Eco Pro+ it is switched off altogether.

As you've said, it's only really been an issue in the last few days and hasn't (yet) spoilt my enjoyment over the first month/2k miles.

Fred

 

[DerfSdrawd]

Unfortunately the dealer couldn't fix the air con and has raised something called a Puma report to BMW UK meaning that the diagnosis & repair is coming from BMW itself. Because the air con is inoperative it also means that the battery cooling system isn't working so the car is now off the road.

So if anyone is concerned about their air con I'd get to the dealer pronto otherwise your battery could be damaged. It's all under warranty of course but a right pain in the a**e!

 

[Gonville]

The dealer demo model I borrowed did get cold yesterday. I was driving in Eco pro so didn't expect it on. Then started off in comfort and wondered why the fans were on full blast. Then saw the little thermostat set to 17 degrees. Was working pretty well. Fans calmed down a bit when I went up to 21. Still comfortable today in Eco pro but blasted back to the dealer in comfort mode was very pleasant. Will miss it.

So yes if you are not getting cold it's bust.

 

[Gonville]

The cream carpet is a shocker. Was really filthy. Gave it a Hoover out and it looked a bit better. The next person will have a better impression I hope.

The Froot was full of dried leaves. So I guess as well as not being waterproof it's also not secure against falling leaf ingestion.

It is a fantastic piece of engineering and a great mode of transport.

 

[DerfSdrawd]

So having sorted out hire car, "initially for a week", got a call today saying the i3 is fixed.

All they did was re-torque the main battery terminals, apparently, then the air con and battery cooling system worked fine. I've read elsewhere that loose battery terminals have caused glitches ( thought it was the 12V battery though rather than the main battery).

The a/c is certainly effective now so all happy in South Oxon.

 

[Buskraut]

All they did was re-torque the main battery terminals, apparently, then the air con and battery cooling system worked fine. I've read elsewhere that loose battery terminals have caused glitches ( thought it was the 12V battery though rather than the main battery).

It is highly unlikely that a poor battery connection (either on the 12V or HV battery) would cause the AC to be inoperative. However, I'm really curious what the real problem is since several owners seem to be reporting problems.

 

[fenlander]

I had a problem that initially looked like the air con wasn't working - the car became stifling hot even with the air con on.

The problem 'resolved' itself when I removed the mobile phone holder that was partially covering up the right hand vent in the centre console. There must be a sensor in there somewhere that assumed that because the back of the phone was nice and cold the rest of the car probably was as well. (Either that or a condensation sensor.)

 

[stumbledotcom]

The cream carpet is a shocker. Was really filthy. Gave it a Hoover out and it looked a bit better. The next person will have a better impression I hope.

The Froot was full of dried leaves. So I guess as well as not being waterproof it's also not secure against falling leaf ingestion.

It is a fantastic piece of engineering and a great mode of transport.

Posted this response in the wrong thread Wednesday night. That's what I get for opening topics in multiple tabs.
-----
I know the light mat in the Lodge aka Giga interior looks white-ish but it's actually pale grey. Discovered this insignificant fact when I brought mine in to vacuum over the weekend. The mats are the exact same shade of grey as the cord on my Dyson ball upright.

Note that I resorted to the vacuum after owning the car just a few days. It was my one complaint when the sales person called to follow up Monday. He dropped off a complimentary set of the all-weather mats the next day. Haven't installed them yet but I'm sure I will use them during the rainy season.

On topic: I am getting cold air though the system hasn't been stressed yet. Temps in SF have been in the high 60s (18-ish C) during the week I've had the car. Though it has sat in the sun a couple of times. Interior cooled down quickly. If anything, the system seems to cool faster than those in ICE cars. I've driven in Comfort essentially all the time. Cycled into EcoPro only to see if it worked.

The i3 climate control system seems similar to the one I'm used to in my e90 but subtly different as well. I'm still sorting out the minutiae. The manual says in Auto the system controls temp, air flow and fan speed. But I haven't noticed the fan speed increasing on its own yet. Maybe that's because our ambient temps have been so mild. You can adjust the "intensity" of the system with the fan control button, which increases airflow immediately. One LED is lit and moves sequentially from left to right. If you turn off Auto, multiple fan-speed LEDs stay on as you press the fan control to the right. In contrast, the e90 system has three intensity levels that you cycle through by repeatedly pressing the Auto button. If you press the fan button, the Auto program is turned off.

 

[DerfSdrawd]

All they did was re-torque the main battery terminals, apparently, then the air con and battery cooling system worked fine. I've read elsewhere that loose battery terminals have caused glitches ( thought it was the 12V battery though rather than the main battery).

It is highly unlikely that a poor battery connection (either on the 12V or HV battery) would cause the AC to be inoperative. However, I'm really curious what the real problem is since several owners seem to be reporting problems.

The dealer told me that increasing the torque settings on the battery was the first suggestion from BMW and when they did it, it worked. I can't see why he'd bother to make up such an explanation (but then I'm a Brit so still believe that men landed on the moon, Princess Di died in an accident etc :lol: ). The explanation is consistent with another thread where strange electronic behaviour was apparently cured by tightening the battery terminals. Maybe moisture ingress creates interference. But it works so I'm happy.

I have noticed that since the fix, whatever it was, the indicated range when fully charged has increased by about 10 miles. Perhaps they installed a REX while I wasn't looking :idea:

I swapped the cream carpets for black ones BTW

 

[Buskraut]

All they did was re-torque the main battery terminals, apparently, then the air con and battery cooling system worked fine. I've read elsewhere that loose battery terminals have caused glitches ( thought it was the 12V battery though rather than the main battery).

It is highly unlikely that a poor battery connection (either on the 12V or HV battery) would cause the AC to be inoperative. However, I'm really curious what the real problem is since several owners seem to be reporting problems.

The dealer told me that increasing the torque settings on the battery was the first suggestion from BMW and when they did it, it worked. I can't see why he'd bother to make up such an explanation (but then I'm a Brit so still believe that men landed on the moon, Princess Di died in an accident etc :lol: ). The explanation is consistent with another thread where strange electronic behaviour was apparently cured by tightening the battery terminals. Maybe moisture ingress creates interference. But it works so I'm happy.

I have noticed that since the fix, whatever it was, the indicated range when fully charged has increased by about 10 miles. Perhaps they installed a REX while I wasn't looking :idea:

This really interesting. Not trying to be a conspiracy theorist! Did the dealer say if it was the 12V or the HV battery? Amazing that battery contact resistance would cause the symptoms you describe....

 

[Kriskristoff]

Got the same problem with my i3 today. After one week of driving :evil: They confirmed the cooling to the battery will not work if the AC in the coupe will not work. On the other side, the car will enter safety modus if the batteries is too hot. The car will be towed to the car dealer tomorrow to get fixed. Will report on the conclusion of the error from the norwegian BMW dealer.

 

[designreality]

Only had the car 2 weeks, fantastic all round but this weekend the sun was out and we realized the air-con is dead.

Rang dealer and I have to take the car to Liverpool from north wales to get it looked at!

I had hoped that being a bmw the only times I would see the dealer would be at service times.

Hopefully the feedback already given above has been entered to the bmw channel so I don't have to make the 95 mile round trip on a regular basis to sort it out!

I also have the BEV so it has to be charged before I return back or drive really slow!

If it turns out to be that the aircon is in transport mode I will be very annoyed!

 

[DerfSdrawd]

And mine is back at the dealer with a recurrence of the a/c issue. I was trying to book it in then it let us down on the road. It showed a warning that the battery was not being charged (I take this to mean the 12v battery not being charged by the main battery. Then the power steering failed then the car shut down. After a few minutes I pressed start again - still the PAS warning so I pressed stop then start and all was fine (apart from no a/c still).

So I got it home and then had it recovered to the dealer. Am in a nice 320M courtesy car.

I guess the above faults are consistent with a poor connection (still don't get the a/c limk though) but it needs to be fully sorted otherwise I'll lose faith in it. :-(

 

[GMac67]

And mine is back at the dealer with a recurrence of the a/c issue. I was trying to book it in then it let us down on the road. It showed a warning that the battery was not being charged (I take this to mean the 12v battery not being charged by the main battery. Then the power steering failed then the car shut down. After a few minutes I pressed start again - still the PAS warning so I pressed stop then start and all was fine (apart from no a/c still).

So I got it home and then had it recovered to the dealer. Am in a nice 320M courtesy car.

I guess the above faults are consistent with a poor connection (still don't get the a/c limk though) but it needs to be fully sorted otherwise I'll lose faith in it. :-(

This looks like the EME Controller. Serious failure. As I understood from Jeremy's explanation it is indeed the main battery. Mine had the same issue (not the A/C thing, A/C works well), and was fixed pretty quick. Software failure/update of the EME controller was mentioned.

 

[designreality]

Bmw arranged a recovery company to take mine to the dealer due to the distance, they offered a courtesy car but we did not need it as we still have 2 cars in the family as we have only had the car 2 weeks.

I have had a little feedback from Williams Liverpool who have been great so far, just to say the air con is not running cold as I said!

Hopefully I will get a diagnoses early next week.

If they tell me the cause I will share with the group but it seems only central bmw keep tracks of issues as the dealer had no clue about any other people with air con issues. They just do what bmw tells them to look for.

 

[designreality]

Turns out Williams checked the system over and it had no gas in the system, they checked for dry seals etc and nothing. They refilled it and its now fully working as it should be, I will probably never find out if the coolant leaked or was never put in in the first place at the factory. Either way I cant believe it was not checked during PDI at the original supplying dealer.

On the whole though I can recommend Williams BMW Liverpool highly for i3, they have kept me informed all the way through the process and hopefully fingers crossed we wont see them again until the service

 

[designreality]

24 hours on and no Air-con in the car again, BMWi care is great car has been picked up within an hour of letting them know its not working and the hire car is on its way, this time I want them to guarantee the air-con is working this time before it comes back.

Williams have been apologetic and hopefully this time they will find out what the problem is, again service has been great but just a little annoyed the fault has raised its head again.

Also I am going to keep note on the distance advised by the car when it comes back as we drive predominantly sub 56 miles an hour and we are lucky to return 70 miles from full, according to the car, even in eco pro mode, people have mentioned that the air-con is linked to the battery cooling/ conditioning system in some way is this fact? could my car with no air con not be efficiently running hence the lower than average advisory mileage?

ours is a BEV with the extras including the cold weather cabin prep and the winter package.(both of which aren't helping my current issue but are linked with the cooling/heating system)