Long List of Issues

[M2140]

I'm on my 2nd i3. My first one had a ton of Charging issues and was declared a lemon after 6 weeks at the dealer. I should have learned my lessons then but my wife loved the car so much we decided to get another one. This time we went for a Pre-owned model because it helped us save a ton of money for the same car. Our first I3 had to go to the dealer after 5 weeks of ownership and right on cue our 2nd I3 right at the 5 week mark for an airbag restraint error and had to go into the shop. I'm current on day 9 for service.

2014 BMW i3 Rex Mega

Current Issues:
- Airbag / restraint error - car is not safely drivable
- I3 App does not communicate with the car.
- Fast Charging causes certain features to be reset: LED lights, GPS tracking, Low Cost Charging, etc...
- Low Cost Charging randomly does not charge
- Parcel shelf strap broke

So some quick history on the car. We are the 2nd owner and while we were inspecting it, we found the old service records and the previous owner had charging problem. The problems were due to a damaged cable to the KLE and they never brought it in for any of the required software upgrades and KLE upgrade. Everything was repaired on the car and we even tested fast charging during our test drive to make sure everything was OK.

We drive the car a lot, My wife averages about 80 miles a day with her commute ( no range extender) and on the weekend we would take long drives with it and quick charge about 2 times a weekend. We have the BMW i3 Home charging station at home.

Airbag / Restraint error:
This issue just showed last week and we took the car into the dealer right away. It took the dealer and BMW NA a week to troubleshoot to a sensor that was shorting out. Last update from the dealer is they reset the car and are still seeing the issues so they are starting to replace parts. At this point it's not yet fixed but they are replacing the faulty seat belt today.

I3 App does not communicate with the Car
When we first got the car we had really great communication with the car for about 2 days. We had real time status of the battery and could send all commands and set departure times reliably. But over the last 5 weeks the communication has gotten worse so the point that we cannot use the app anymore. On a regular basis The app status is at least a couple of hours old. Sometimes a day old. Initially we were able to wake up the communication to the app by going to the car and unlocking it an locking it. But that has stopped working. We also cannot send commands to the car. 9 or 10 attempts to send a lock command or set a departure time just fails. Sometimes with an error, most of the time without an error. Today we cannot set any departure times at all with the app, all attempts fail.

So we called i-concierge and they referred us to BMW NA to open a case to have it looked at. After about 2 weeks of waiting they completely reset the I account and we saw no improvements. We finally got communication at week 4 that they cannot see any issues with the car. While on the phone with them I showed them how late the status is and attempted several command that all failed and they still tell me everything is fine. The only option provided was to take it into the dealer to have BMW tech's work with the dealer to resolve.

So we take it into the dealer, the car is not operable because of the airbags so it's the perfect time. Right away the dealer is told by BMW engineering that they do not support the app, at all. They cannot troubleshoot or anything. So at this point I have no idea how we can improve communication of the car with the app. From reading the reviews on the App, I'm not the only one having this problem so if you have the same problem call BMW NA an open a case. hopefully if enough of us owners do, it they may fix it.

In contrast, I just got a Tesla last week and their app is phenomenal. Not Only do I get real time communication with the car, commands and communication with the car. I blows me away how a company that has only been in business for about 5 years making cars can provide a much better product and level of support than BMW that has been making cars for over 50 years.

Fast Charging causes certain features to be reset
This is a weird one but we noticed it after a couple of fast charge sessions. We have our i3 set for the modern (blue) lighting with GPS tracking & low cost charging. After a fast charge session from an NGR charger the lights turned back to red, GPS tracking disabled, and Low Cost charging would not start.
We would check the setting in the car and they were all set correctly but yet the features did not work. So we would go in and disable and reset the setting again. Then next fast charging session the LED lights were reset again, this time GPS worked, but now Low Cost charging does not work reliably.

The dealer told us we have the following response from BMW engineering: There is nothing wrong with the car the problem is due to your charging station not getting enough power or issues with the NRG public charging station. So in other words they are telling me I don't have a problem and it's all in my head. I told the guy that i have a Tesla that uses the same charging station and it not having any issues like the I3. Also the Public NRG stations I have been using have not had any problems with other I3 owners. We'll see how they respond buy I have a feeling nothing is going to be done here and BMW is just going to ignore it. the dealer does not have a fast charger so I doubt they even attempted to replicate.

- Low Cost Charging randomly does not charge
So this one is odd but randomly the car will not charge at night as scheduled. This happened the first week we had the car and my wife had to figure out a different way to get to work. It also happens after a weekend of fast charging. We have gotten used to resetting the Low cost charging every Sunday night to get it to work. But it now started happening in the middle of the week. For no reason the car would just not charge the night before. There would be no errors on the car or on the app. the car would just not change.

BMW's response has been the problem is your charging station and not the car. This one really pissed me off. We are using the BMW I specific charging station. Like I said earlier I have a Tesla too and the Tesla has no problems charging on a schedule with the same charge station. We just got the Tesla so we've had to use the Level 2 station while we wait for the circuit to be installed for it's own station. This just feels like BMW engineering does not want to troubleshoot the issue.


So this is my 2nd time around dealing with BMW and I'm less than impressed. Our first experience with the i3 was horrible with barely anything being done to the car in the 6 weeks it was at the dealer. This new car spend 4 business days at the dealer before BMW Engineering responded to the dealer with what to do. BMW NA won't let the dealers work on the car without instructions and approval from BMW NA. I so hope we don't have an extended stay at the dealer. But I'm also very worried about the messaging because it's obvious BMW has no interest to attempt to even troubleshoot some of these issues. They are very quick to dismiss out complaints rather than trying to replicate them.

If you have any of these issues or have options that I can take please let me know. If you have issues with the APP please call BMW NA thru I concierge: 1-855-236-1025 and open a case. I think more owners need to complain about this issues.

 

[janner]

I don't have any of these issues.

 

[SSi3]

Post this here too: http://bmwiforum.bmwusa.com/
Might get some visibility with BMW NA

App issues - have you tried pulling the fuse #115 for the cellular module? That has fixed app issues for others, search around on the forum for talk about it.

Low cost charging - from what I've read (and experienced), this is a well known issue. It's completely random. Whenever I make use of it I go and check on it after 7pm, if it doesn't start then you can wake it up by unlocking the doors. I think you can also wake it by sending a lock signal from the app, but obviously that won't work for you either.

Sorry to hear about all the hassles, some i3's have been flawless, some have had a few minor issues and others are complete lemons. This is definitely not a car to keep past warranty.

 

[dirtboy]

I recently had a problem with my app not connecting, but when I call BMW from the car button the app mysteriously started working again.

About once every 7-10 days my car won't charge either. I don't have a BMW charger; I built an OpenEVSE kit. I'm going to flash the firmware this weekend, but I don't expect that to change anything. I'm relatively convinced the car is the issue because the times I've caught it not charging (by waking up early and checking the phone app) the solution now is to press the unlock key on the fob and magically the car wakes up to start charging.

I figure the issues are with the car, but they are minor.

 

[jadnashuanh]

I recently had a problem with my app not connecting, but when I call BMW from the car button the app mysteriously started working again.

That does seem to force communications, and it did happen to me once in that manner. But, maybe 3x in the last year, pulling F115 also solved the issue Just don't do it with the car on or while charging. It can take a few minutes for things to reboot. For me, anyways, that usually solves the issue. No idea why it gets caught up in a loop, but occasionally, it does, and a hard reset seems to resolve it.

 

[M2140]

Just got a call form the dealer and it looks like the Airbag error is kind of a huge issue. The whole wire harness and motor for the seat belts has to be replaced n order to repair the car. They are thinking its going to take 3 days just to replace the parts and the hardness here because they have to take a apart so much of the cars back end and interior.

Still no support on the app communication issue or the other areas. So i'm having the dealer try the Fuse removal as well as using the SOS button to see if that will force and fix the app issues. Since it's going to spend extra time at the dealer might as well have them do it.

But not looking forward to the car now going well into the end of week 2 before we can get it back. BMW needs to improve how they service these cars.

 

[mindmachine]

I don't have any of these issues.

Same here, over 1 yr no issues. i3 app updates in about 5 minutes or less after i turn off the car.

 

[epirali]

I recently had a problem with my app not connecting, but when I call BMW from the car button the app mysteriously started working again.

FWIW I have been having app connectivity issues a lot this past week or so, where before it almost always worked. I wonder if there are server issues.

 

[psquare]

Sorry to hear about the issues described. Don't mean to rub it in, but choosing a 2nd i3 (maybe a really early one?) with unknown/unresearched service history was not a good idea. I know this is easy to say now. Hindsight is always 20-20.

For what it is worth, my i3 is a pleasure to drive and my only gripe isn't even with the car itself. It's with the ludicrous i Remote app, which still keeps on occasion (about 7-8x a month) logging me out of my account (and losing PIN, settings etc) when I'm moving between wifi and mobile data network. BMW i is not interested in the issue anymore and has decided to close the ticket I raised with them.

And as far as Tesla's great app is concerned: you'd expect that from a Silicon Valley company. It's basically a given for a company out of that part of the world. How's Tesla's Carbon Fibre chassis coming along? ;-)

 

[Blue20]

I've seen the "I3 App does not communicate with the Car" problem. I don't think it is a car problem...more likely a phone signal problem or server problem.

 

[justanotherdrunk]

my android phone i3 app updates in real time maybe 50% of the time and frequently when it's good and damn ready ...

... the other 50% it's several minutes or and hour or 2 delayed. :?


Interestingly, I installed an android emulator on my home desktop pc and there the i3 app updates 100% in real time always.

:ugeek:

 

[spinball]

The app communication issue, specifically SENDING COMMANDS TO THE CAR, not just showing data (which works much more consistently), is almost certainly server-side issues and something BMW should really hire some new people properly versed in server-side programming to solve. There's just no excuse in 2015. I know they have a campus in Mountain View, CA so BMW get some of those people on it and solve it once and for all!

Other than server communication being unreliable, I have had any of these issues either. Sorry to hear your having this experience and I agree that the service experience needs improvement especially on time needed to repair.

 

[WoodlandHills]

Has everyone forgotten that the OP was told by his dealer that BMW Engineering told them that the BMW app was not supported? How can this be, is this just a misprint....?

Based upon my experiences with BMW Engineering on a different issue I am beginning to think that the Engineering Dept is the biggest obstacle in the warranty and customer service area. My dealer was willing to do troubleshooting procedures that would have been very helpful, but was refused permission/compensation by the so-called engineers at BMWNA.

 

[M2140]

I don't have any of these issues.

Same here, over 1 yr no issues. i3 app updates in about 5 minutes or less after i turn off the car.

Waiting 5 min for an App update is too long for me in a car as sophisticated as the I3. On my first i3, Updates were always instant with commands taking about 20-30 seconds to get confirmation on the car. But they worked. On this car none of the app features work and data takes hours to update.

 

[M2140]

Sorry to hear about the issues described. Don't mean to rub it in, but choosing a 2nd i3 (maybe a really early one?) with unknown/unresearched service history was not a good idea. I know this is easy to say now. Hindsight is always 20-20.

For what it is worth, my i3 is a pleasure to drive and my only gripe isn't even with the car itself. It's with the ludicrous i Remote app, which still keeps on occasion (about 7-8x a month) logging me out of my account (and losing PIN, settings etc) when I'm moving between wifi and mobile data network. BMW i is not interested in the issue anymore and has decided to close the ticket I raised with them.

And as far as Tesla's great app is concerned: you'd expect that from a Silicon Valley company. It's basically a given for a company out of that part of the world. How's Tesla's Carbon Fibre chassis coming along? ;-)

We were able to see all of the service records for the car, they were in the car as part of the CPO paperwork. The original owner complained about charging that was due to a damaged cable. Also the first owner never brought it into the dealer for any of the fixes or recalls. Recalls and software upgraded were not performed till after the vehicle was sold to the dealer. So we had full visibility to the cars history and right off the batt the app and all the features worked.

As for the App. there is no excuse for the poor performance of the BMW App. the delays people experience and accept using the app is just unacceptable from a company like BWW for a car with such a high price point. Leaf owners do not experience these issues and those car are far cheaper.

Now on your last comment. Carbon fiber is not the best material. If Tesla cars were made out of Carbon fiber they would be twice as expensive. Also, Carbon fiber is not the best material for cars. While it's very light & strong it's also brittle on impact, easily delaminates, and expensive to repair. BMW put a ton of strength into the aluminum chassis and structural support throughout the car so that the Carbon Fiber Pod would not take an impact.

I'm a huge fan of EV's and have done a lot of research into them. The BMW i3 and the Tesla are by far the best and more viable EV's on the marker. But owners of Nissans, Chevy's, and yes Tesla get better support from their dealers than BMW owners. You have been lucky not having issues. Wait till you do and have to deal with the BMW dealer process.

 

[WoodlandHills]

It is amazing how BMW is able to "solve" problems by closing the repair order and then ignoring the issue forever after. I had exactly the same experience with a hardware issue.

 

[I33t]

Carbon fibre Reinforced Plastic is an amazing material. Whether Tesla would charge twice as much for their car if it were made from CF is irrelevant. What we have in the i3 is not the CF material we are familiar with, it is not the brittle fibreglass version that has become familiar to us, it is CFRP. Yes, it can be destroyed on impact, but not as brittle like standard CF. Haven't heard of any CFRP delaminating like standard CF, but even if it did it would be the result of an impact that would likely destroy the part regardless of construction material.

I think you need to familiarise yourself with the i3's structure before you claim that the CFRP does not take impact. The first point of impact on the car is always CFRP and the whole passenger compartment is CFRP.

BMW is adding CFRP across their range of vehicles due to the success of their CFRP innovation. Suitable strength is only one of the reasons CFRP was chosen.

 

[jadnashuanh]

The CFRP life module in the i3 is built with some crush built into it with appropriate means to repair. By adjusting the thickness and weave in the fabric, you can adjust strength in the direction(s) needed for best operation and safety, while minimizing weight. Nobody else in the industry has perfected the method BMW uses to build their I-cars, putting them at least a few years ahead of anyone else trying to copy them. I'm sure that process is still evolving, and the next new I-car will be as innovative as the i3.

 

[psquare]

Now on your last comment. Carbon fiber is not the best material. If Tesla cars were made out of Carbon fiber they would be twice as expensive. Also, Carbon fiber is not the best material for cars. While it's very light & strong it's also brittle on impact, easily delaminates, and expensive to repair. BMW put a ton of strength into the aluminum chassis and structural support throughout the car so that the Carbon Fiber Pod would not take an impact.

That's some bold statements. Any facts, links etc to substantiate?

I'm a huge fan of EV's and have done a lot of research into them. The BMW i3 and the Tesla are by far the best and more viable EV's on the marker. But owners of Nissans, Chevy's, and yes Tesla get better support from their dealers than BMW owners. You have been lucky not having issues. Wait till you do and have to deal with the BMW dealer process.

Well, I happen to also own a Nissan (not a Leaf) and can't confirm that the support is better from them. In fact, it's as rubbish as anywhere else.

Also, I've actually had problems with my i3, though not down to quality or built. I had a front screen replaced (search for it on the forum here). The replacement was done eventually, but then needed another front pillar panel replacement (now done) and today I had slight scratches polished out of my black bonnet.

Altogether, I've probably been back six times now, so certainly have some battle scars as far as UK dealerships are concerned. My verdict so far: They are all going through a learning curve, but try their best to rectify it as soon as they can.

As mentioned before, I am sorry you've had troubles with both of your i3. But to call me "lucky" for not having had any problems is a tad strong and certainly does not reflect the true situation. Naturally, forums like this attract people with gripes. Good news is that nowadays readers of the same do realise this.

 

[alohart]

We have not had any problems with our i3 BEV, but we've driven it less than 2,000 miles so far, so it's way too early to determine how reliable it will be. I'm becoming disappointed after reading about so many problems that so many i3 owners have been having. I realize that Internet forums tend to concentrate complaints, but since 2000, I have been an active member of a Honda Insight forum where far fewer problems have been discussed. Like the i3, the original Honda Insight hybrid was a totally new car from the ground up, yet it has had far fewer problems than the i3. Honda has had a better reliability record than BMW, in general, so I guess this extends to the i3 as well. Even though it's now 15 years old, I have no concerns about taking our Insight on a 5,000 mile road trip around Europe, but I would not be so confident about doing so in our i3 for fear that something would break with repairs taking long enough to ruin the road trip.

We are house-sitting for a couple of weeks just west of Austin, Texas. By pure chance, a neighbor owns an i3 REx. I met him this morning and asked him how he liked it. He told me that this was his second i3 because his first one, a BEV, had a problem that the dealer was unable to repair in a reasonable time, so they exchanged it for a REx. He said that the REx has been fine so far. I know that a sample of one can't be extrapolated to all i3's, but I have read about more i3 lemon law cases, so this isn't an isolated occurrence.

It sounds like the neighbor's BMW dealer did the right thing without much drama, but our dealer has done nothing proactive about our defective original KLE. I expected to receive a notification from our dealer informing us that our KLE was defective and needed replacing. But we have heard nothing since our November, 2014, purchase. So I guess BMW and/or our dealer hopes that we won't notice the slower charge rate so they won't have to replace our KLE until the warranty expires and we have to pay for a failed KLE. I'll be contacted our dealer when we return to Honolulu in about a week, but this is something that I shouldn't have to do.