My vehicle went up in flames

[fernan85]

I'm really having trouble getting this sequence of events in order of their occurrence.

I've done my due diligence in sharing the story, don't need to defend my experience -- the whole incident was unbelievable and I'm just of the opinion that the risk is not worth it. My kids are terrified of fires now, campfires now trigger my preschooler, but hey, if the sequence is questionable easier to be dismissive than support one another or accept that one's dream vehicle is not as fantastic as you might want to believe. I LOVED this car!

 

[EvanstonI3]

Great question, maybe these are novel enough to nudge your skepticism

Not really as those are the same photos posted to the Twitter comment I posted. So not "novel" enough I guess if some random person can post them to Twitter last year.

 

[websterize]

... I just spent months dealing w BMW believing that they would take accountability because there was so much evidence that this was a manufacturers issue. ...

What was the evidence?

 

[SSi3]

Was the REx engine running or had recently been running when this fire happened?

 

[cpallenjr]

Car2.jpg doesn’t appear to be an i3. Categorize things that didn’t happen for $100

 

[mojo]

I've done my due diligence in sharing the story

That's a very unusual phrase to use. I don't think I've ever before heard someone recount a story about themselves and then say "I've done my due diligence" about the story. Very unusual indeed...

But anyway, you now say that this happened on an unspecified date in 2022, and you ask for help. What help do you think forum members can offer in 2024? Presumably other things have happened in the intervening time that you haven't yet told us about?

 

[m6rk]

Very rare & unfortunate.

 

[airman2482]

What date, city and state (or country) did this happen in? To verify this actually happened as the event was told, it’s easy to obtain a report from a public agency. They are public in the USA and Canada.

 

[Badgersbits]

So what is this ‘danger’ that you’re making us aware of? Is is something specific to the i3? But if it’s that cars can catch without warning, then that’s not really news. Ask any Range Rover or Vauxhall Zafira owner, or one of any of the 40,000 vehicles that catch fire annually.

 

[Azure Blue]

What I’m caught up in is the dire need to “prove” something and the negative passion to discredit BMW. “I have receipts! BMW was wrong! Look out, They may get you too!”

I don’t know what she’s trying to accomplish here but I sense falsehoods and someone who needs a validation in the form of a hug.

 

[JimBmwi3s]

Wacko

 

[nilknarf]

Bizarre and confusing thread, especially considering that this happened two years ago. If you had comprehensive coverage, I can't see any way this wasn't covered. Hard to imagine insurance not paying because the tow truck lost the car after it caught on fire a second time. You have the towing company's information, so it shouldn't be that hard to find out what happened to the car simply by asking the driver. You asked for help in the first post. What kind of help are you seeking?

 

[Arm]

Shady post

 

[mojo]

Car2.jpg doesn’t appear to be an i3

In defence of the OP, if you zoom into the photo, it probably is an i3. The photo appears to show the car on fire with a pickup truck behind it - possibly the one that flagged the driver down. In the phone footage, the truck driver seems (sensibly) to have moved their car away.

I personally don't have any doubt that the event happened (BMW did after all sell a quarter of a million i3's, so statistically it's inevitable that some will have caught fire, like any other make/model), but I'm not convinced about the motives of the person raising the subject here...

 

[ksnax]

In defence of the OP, if you zoom into the photo, it probably is an i3. The photo appears to show the car on fire with a pickup truck behind it - possibly the one that flagged the driver down. In the phone footage, the truck driver seems (sensibly) to have moved their car away.

I personally don't have any doubt that the event happened (BMW did after all sell a quarter of a million i3's, so statistically it's inevitable that some will have caught fire, like any other make/model), but I'm not convinced about the motives of the person raising the subject here...

It's certainly weird timing from an account with no other posts, and not really news 2 years later that it burned. The only point seems to be that BMW refused to take full responsibility for covering a car that was out of warranty and not in their possession. Why would they?

Comprehensive insurance coverage (at least in the US) would have covered it, and low deductible amounts are not very expensive.

I am curious whether the TSB for the fuel line had been addressed or not.

 

[808Pants]

Comprehensive insurance coverage (at least in the US) would have covered it, and low deductible amounts are not very expensive.

If there's one useful takeaway to this tale, it's this. Comp covers a host of crazy didn't-see-THAT-coming incidents, and it's cheap.

 

[airman2482]

The “takeaway” I see from this is, someone can post some unverified report and people believe it “hook line and sinker”.

Metal or battery fires require a Class “D” fire extinguishing agent. Not water. Water is used for area protection in this case.

As for “fake posting” It’s obvious when looking at frame 1 and then frame 3. Some of the frames show a forest background.

Where’s the bridge in the background?

Why is the flora different? Did the flaming mess get moved while it was on fire?

One of the frames show a painted white steel wheel from what appears to be from a small light truck Not an alloy wheel or even an aftermarket steel wheel.

Even the photos don’t show the name of the fire department (which a report can be obtained to verify this posting)….

And then the inconsistencies in the story.

I say BS posted by a Troll.

 

[Azure Blue]

I strongly suggest we conserve this energy for our Amazing I3s and move away from this bogus thread.

I Love My Bailey I3!!! Don’t you love your (insert I3s name here)

 

[weajd]

I saw a BMW i3 on the internet set for a junk auction a while back. It looked badly burned like this. I know it can happen to any EV, but gas cars catch on fire too and can burn quickly without a fire extinguisher. The Li-Ion battery, if it catches fire somehow can go into thermal runaway and can burn a car to the ground. I don't know the point at which the carbon fiber frame catches fire, but it seems to melt to the ground with the plastic body panels. The only thing in the photos that I can even make out are the wheels from the side view photo and the steel that is likely from the electric motor on the left in a back view photo. The aluminum looks like it all melted down in the rear from the back view photo. The timing of how long it took to burn is of interest. Makes us want to put fire extinguishers in the car somewhere.

Does the poster have any of the service records for it? What went wrong in the first instance - dead battery or what - to take it into the BWM dealer? It is a 2016 i3 Rex so it had the smaller battery. These fires usually happen when the LiIon battery is being charged and it overheats. Was the HV battery recently charged by the BMW dealer or the owner? Is the REX charging it while the battery is hot? Was the regeneration recharging the battery? What was the weather like? Extremely hot day? Cold weather? Is the air conditioning compressor working to cool the interior of the car and the battery? If the AC compressor is not working, you might get a battery to overheat in high temp weather.

If something was wrong with the battery, I suspect they were repairing the battery instead of replacing it over the 8 month period with the dealer, but I could be wrong. Did they use proper new components - who made the battery replacement parts versus who made the new parts.

One would want to file a negligence lawsuit and get discovery of the mechanics name, all the records of repair, and depose the mechanic, the service manager, and the owner of the dealership. Another cause of action in the complaint could be intentional/negligent infliction of emotional distress from the fire, if anyone intentionally or negligently caused the breakdown. Some attorneys would take this on contingency but would charge 30-50% of the recovery. Insurance would normally cover the car and sue for the damages from BMW or not. A statute of limitations is running from the date of the accident. It is pretty easy to file complaints on your own in certain states to toll the statute so your rights are reserved.

No indication as to what state this occurred in and what state laws might then be at issue.
This can be a lot of work to sue the BMW dealer and it is not clear that it is worth it.

 

[weajd]

with two children in the vehicle. We escaped the car at 4:40 with 7 minutes it was burnt beyond recognition. The vehicle had just been pickup from the dealership after nearly a year in service and over $10K in repairs. BMW ultimately took zero responsibility for the incident because the car was too damaged and posed a safety risk to the engineer who was to inspect it. The vehicle was actually lost en route, as it apparently caught on fire after being loaded on the tow truck. I was told by BMW to lawyer up if I wanted to explore compensation, but I was offered $4k toward another BMW. Please help!

Damage questions: Were the $10K in repairs paid by you or were they performed under warranty by the BMW dealer. BWM usually warrants their work for a period of time after completion. Did the BMW dealer provide a loaner car while the car was in for service for 8-12 months or did you have to rent/lease another car. What did you pay to own the car or was it leased? I don't know how to research vehicle prices at the time of the fire to determine its value then but there must be a way to do so - car appraisers with your insurance company would know. Good luck.