My i3 broke down the same night I bought it!

Hello i3 experts! I really need your advice!

I’m not a car person, but I’ve already fallen deeply in love with the i3. So I was extremely disappointed when my newly purchased 2014 REx (Certified Pre-Owned with extended warranty) broke down about an hour after driving it off the lot!

The details will surely break your heart: I was enjoying the most blissful and zippy drive down the Massachusetts Turnpike. I’d left the BMW dealership outside Boston, headed west to Springfield, where I was planning to have dinner with friends and recharge the battery for the first time. The trip is only about 60 miles, but on a night where temps were 20 degrees (and falling) and the heat and heated seat were both blazing, I did not expect the full battery to last the entire trip, and I was looking forward to experiencing “the switchover” to the Range Extender.

I was about 10 miles outside of Springfield when the car flashed “Range not acceptable, searching for charging stations.” I giggled with excitement because I assumed that meant that the changeover was near. And indeed, when the car gradually slowed down from about 78 mph to 72, I assumed that was happening. But the slowdown persisted. 64 mph then 62 and so on. At 56, I began to worry. When the speed fell below 50 mph, I pulled over to the shoulder and coasted to a slow and complete stop, and in the complete cold!

I called my sales rep, who was surprised, but calmly told me to press the SOS button and have the car returned to the dealership. My friends in Springfield stayed on the phone with me because it was sooo scary on the shoulder of the MassPike, in the deep woods, on a dark, cold night!

When the tow truck arrived 40 minutes later, I heard the driver tell the dispatcher “It’s an electric car and it’s completely dead!” and “Yeah, a shame. She just bought the car earlier tonight!” When we arrived back at the BMW dealership, the sales rep took a look and also said “It’s completely dead.”

The next day, the dealership told me that they believe the problem was related to “the battery” and that a new part was being ordered. They were also calling in the corporate team to look at the issue. The dealership flew me back to the Washington, DC area, where I live, and told me that they would ship the car to my home in Virginia when repaired.

I’m hoping all you i3 experts could share thoughts on whether I should be extremely worried? The tow truck operator, sales rep and manager have all said that I have been very patient. But now I’m wondering – is it a bad “sign” for the car to break down so completely an hour off the lot? Should I begin looking at backing out of the purchase? What questions should I be asking the dealership?

As I said before, I’m not a car person! I’ve been happily car-less for years, but have found that harder to do since the DC Metro system began a massive and urgent reconstruction project last summer. Uber/Lyft are not always practical. My apartment building has lots of Level 2 charge stations in our parking garage – so an electric car seemed to be the perfect solution. And I do absolutely love the i3 and was overjoyed to find one in the color/price that I wanted.

But I would not be satisfied with a car that was constantly in the shop. It’s now been four days since the breakdown, and still no final word on when the problem will be resolved. Should I remain “patient” – or begin looking at ways to get out of this purchase? Please let me know!

That's a tough one, but until the cause is isolated, I'd probably hold tight. The car has two different battery systems in it: a small 12vdc 'car' battery that actually runs all of the computers and the lights, and the main, high-voltage set that drives the car. If the 12vdc battery has a major issue, the controllers can't do their job. While the car is on, though, the car makes 12vdc to charge that battery and run things, so it would have to be something else in the circuit that didn't work. From my experience, the car has been quite reliable. Mine is a BEV, though, and does not have the extra complication of the REx. If the computers don't have the proper control voltage, they can't tell the REx to turn on, and when the main battery is dead, it's dead! Nothing will work. It's just that the REx should turn on prior to that happening, and keep things humming along. Maybe not at 70mph on the highway, but should still be able to maintain the speed limit.

It may be something as simple as a dead 12 volt battery. Especially if the car had been sitting for a while. Although this should have been detected during the predelivery inspection, it may have been missed.

Our 2015 REx car had a defective 12 volt battery that was replaced at 5 months of service. Fortunately our battery was replaced during an oil change before we broke down.

Could also be a defective sensor. This would explain why computer didn't pick it up.

I know this is very obvious and probably very left field but are you sure it's a Rex? Did you see any errors/warnings or hear the Rex turn on? I am assuming failure to start engine would result in diagnostics.

Sorry to hear about the problem. It's unfortunate, but I have news that should make you feel a little better, I hope. The issue you experienced is beginning to happen on all early 2014 REx models. I have one, and this recently happened to me also. Basically, as the battery begins to age, the car has a more difficult time getting a proper reading of the precise state of charge. That's not too much of a concern when the battery is mostly charged because if the SOC reading is a couple off, it's not the end of the world. However, it is VERY important for range extender use. Since the range extender turns on once the SOC reading is below 7%, and then needs a minute or two to warm up and run at a high RPM, the accuracy of the reading is paramount.

If the car thinks the SOC is 7% and it's really only 2% or 3% then once the REx turns on, the car will go into reduced power mode within a minute or so because you'll use up the little power there is before the REx can really catch up. This is even a bigger issue when it's cold, which is why this problem only started comping up in the past month or so. I've documented 5 cars that have had this problem and BMW has already put out a service bulletin for it - B61 20 16.

Please tell your service adviser to check that service bulletin. The latest software version, 16-07-501 should correct the problem, but in some rare cases it doesn't. (It didn't in mine) In that case, the dealer needs to connect the car to BMW HQ remotely, and perform an IRAP session. That fixes it 100% of the time. It basically reprograms the SOC adaption values and the car then has a precise SOC reading.

Again, sorry about your troubles, but the good news is there is definitely a fix for what happened to you. Just make sure your dealer has this information This is a very recent finding, so not all dealers are up to speed. They get dozens of service bulletins and don't always read all of them until there is a customer with an issue.

I want to point out that this isn't the same as when you drive too fast or climb long, extended hills in REx mode and the range extender can't keep up with the energy use. That's just how the car works, it cannot produce enough energy to do certain strenuous tasks while in charge sustaining mode. This is different, it's an actual problem with the older cars that BMW can fix.

Hi,

I was in your shoes the last week of May of this year:

transev said:

. . .
I was about 10 miles outside of Springfield when the car flashed “Range not acceptable, searching for charging stations.” I giggled with excitement because I assumed that meant that the changeover was near. And indeed, when the car gradually slowed down from about 78 mph to 72, I assumed that was happening. But the slowdown persisted. 64 mph then 62 and so on. At 56, I began to worry. When the speed fell below 50 mph, I pulled over to the shoulder and coasted to a slow and complete stop, and in the complete cold!
. . .

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It sounds as if the engine, the Range Extender (REx), did not come on. Your symptoms are consistent with:

Source: http://insideevs.com/bmw-i3-rex-guide-to-reduced-power-operation-range-expectations/

The difference is I contacted these folks and bought the $150 package that allows me to turn on the REx at 75% instead of waiting to 6.5%: http://dvdinmotion.com/bmw-i3-special

Officially BMW disapproves of the patch because the CARB states, including MA, it would be 'outlaw.' South of the Mason Dixon line, we don't have any CARB states. Still, if you could find some of the Boston Tea Party rascals . . . <grins> The DVDinmotion patch works like a switch: first application puts it ON; next application puts if OFF.

My first drive was 463 miles from Charlotte NC to Huntsville AL and I knew it would be critical to climbing the 2,800 ft pass on I-40 on the way to Knoxville TN. I would need the battery to climb the hills and the REx to preserve the charge on the trip.

As soon as I got around the block, I pulled into a parking lot and applied the DVDinmotion patch (i.e., called coding in cars.) About 20 miles later, the battery State of Charge (SOC) dipped below 75% and I enabled the REx which came on. At that point, I knew the car could get me home. If it had not, there was enough battery to drive back to the seller and we would have a 'chat.'

The seller told me about the "Check Engine Light" and they had taken the car to BMW. They reported 'the light went out on the drive and BMW could not find a problem.' When I did my initial inspection I saw the "Check Engine Light" had come back and the BMW inspection report. The light went out and I've never had a problem with the REx.

Checking out the REx with the CARB default, 6.5% starting threshold, is difficult. I would have had to drive around Charlotte staying within range of the seller/BMW dealer in case the REx was broke. My only surprise is you've not reported seeing the "Check Engine Light." It is on the bottom of the display in front of the steering wheel and depending upon how it is adjusted, it can be blocked from view.

If the "Check Engine Light" was off and the REx failed that would be bad news. It would mean the engine controller had failed to report a problem. Do you remember the gas level/range on the left side of the display?

The reason I ask is I almost bought an I3-BEV because I had not checked the VIN number to see what that car had as standard equipment. That would have been bad. If you have the last seven characters of the VIN (mine is V277136), we can use any of the VIN checking sites:
https://www.bmwdecoder.com

Now if they sold you a battery-only BMW i3 everything would be consistent. No "Check Engine Light" and no REx. Drive out of battery range and you're stranded by the side of the road.

GOOD LUCK!
Bob Wilson

Thank you all for your feedback! Very helpful to read the responses from so many folks who clearly understand engineering! Based on your suggestions, I won’t seek to get out of the purchase – at least not just now.

Some updates:

8 days later and the car’s still in the shop in Massachusetts. AK, the service team supervisor, has called me daily. He says they’ve determined that the problem was “with the safety box, which supplies power to the high power batteries.” He says this problem is not only complicated, but rare, so they are working directly with BMW to resolve it.

“BMW wants us to check each of the battery cell modules individually,” AK said. “There are 8 of them. Then they want us to do programming and then testing. This all takes a while.”

AK says he drives the i3 himself and absolutely loves it. Hoping I will be able to confirm that for myself soon!

To answer a few questions:

Q. Did you see any errors/warnings or hear the Rex turn on?
A. Nope, the Rex did not turn on at all. The indicator showed a full tank of gas, but nothing happened. The only car warning I saw was something like “Range not acceptable, searching for charging stations.”

Q. If the "Check Engine Light" was off and the REx failed that would be bad news. It would mean the engine controller had failed to report a problem. Do you remember the gas level/range on the left side of the display?
A. I don’t recall a “Check Engine Light” warning, so I guess that’s bad! The gas level icon on the left side of the display clearly showed a full tank!

transev said:

. . .
8 days later and the car’s still in the shop in Massachusetts. AK, the service team supervisor, has called me daily. He says they’ve determined that the problem was “with the safety box, which supplies power to the high power batteries.” He says this problem is not only complicated, but rare, so they are working directly with BMW to resolve it.
. . .

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You have my sympathies but if you get a chance to visit the shop, ask if you can see the car and visit with the technician (bring home made cookies. <GRINS>) The old PBS show, Car Talk, had two characters from MIT who often mentioned about the magic powers of home made cookie on repair shop staff: http://www.npr.org/podcasts/510208/car-talk
http://www.cartalk.com

Unlike some other car companies, the Huntsville Alabama BMW service center has been very good about letting me take a peek at what they are doing. They tolerate having technology interested customers come back and maintain excellent communications. If they let you, take photos of the work (and share them with us.<GRINS>)

You might consider downloading and printing a copy of this training manual: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0ahUKEwijpen_xpXRAhWDQCYKHedBBEgQFggrMAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jack.sh%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2014%2F08%2F06_I01-High-voltage-Components.pdf&usg=AFQjCNEokDXyhs41sHidfkqZQFnOavPlMA&sig2=i2mXyoeHqTKIRhs4S2Fa8Q

Scan it and bring a copy along when (if) you visit the shop. Ask if they would show you where the problem is and explain it. Tell them a bunch of BMW i3-REx folks are pretty interested.

Our BMW i3-REx are the first generation and the 2014 (a few 2013) are the first model year. For the privilege of driving this great ride, we are also the last of the integration and test team. Stuff happens and we wind up finding the latent problems ... which for me is interesting.

One late thought, you did nothing wrong but the car should have enabled the REx and kept the battery from getting too discharged. Some of the battery descriptions suggests the deep discharge and subsequent investigations were unexpected.

GOOD LUCK!
Bob Wilson

Well, here's my (similar) story: I was TEST DRIVING a brand new (like 15 miles on it) 2016 i3 at my local BMW dealer. The salesman was excited because he said the car's charge was low so we'd get to see the REX work. Off we went on the freeway. About 3 miles down the road we heard the REX kick on. We also got a number of messages on the display (being new to the car I didn't catch all the messages but at least one of them sounded familiar to the one you describe). The car started slowing down and we were just able to limp off the freeway and stop after exiting. By this time the REX wasn't running any more and it appeared (to me) that the battery was dead. The salesman seemed perplexed but he said "most of the time if you just cycle the start/stop and restart the car it resets and works". So, that's what we did....turned it off, then back on and, sure enough, the REX started up and we were able to drive the car back down the freeway to the dealer.

By the way, I ended up buying a used, 2014 with low miles (ex-lease) so the "incident" didn't scare me away. Have had the car now a week and really love it.

Good luck figuring out your problem!

Most all modern cars are one big network of computers...so, a hard reset may be required once in awhile! Shouldn't be, but we're long past simple, analog cars. Even the switches in many cars don't really switch anything...they send a message to the computer to tell it to send another message to the device to do what you asked. Luckily, it all works most of the time! It can be very frustrating, though, when it doesn't.

Going back to the original post - If that had happened to me I would have just declined the purchase and asked for my money back as the car, in UK consumer rights language, is NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE.

Again, thank you all for sharing your thoughts and suggestions. All incredibly helpful.

The dealership says my car is ready to go. Unfortunately, it’ll take them two weeks to ship, so I will fly up to Boston this weekend and drive it home to the DC area. I’m certain that I’ll be anxious waiting for the REx to turn on, but hopefully that fear will vanish over time! I will post an update after the trip…

FWIW, from the DC area, I'd be much more inclined to take the train to Boston than the plane! By the time you deal with security, probably faster, too!

jadnashuanh said:

FWIW, from the DC area, I'd be much more inclined to take the train to Boston than the plane! By the time you deal with security, probably faster, too!

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Yes, assuming Amtrak doesn't break down, is on time, no rail issues or cows on the rails....

epirali said:

. . .
Yes, assuming Amtrak doesn't break down, is on time, no rail issues or cows on the rails....

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You would need to be at the dealer by COB on Saturday or wait until next week ... phone call to coordinate. If it is still there Jan 20, I'll convoy with my new 2017 Prius Prime <GRINS>.

Plz take pictures and let us see the return trip. If you get it on Saturday, there are some nice sea food places with off-season rates.

Also, consider coding for 75% SOC, it not already done. I picked up my BMW i3-REx with a coding USB stick and did it around the corner before leaving Charlotte NC. I knew before leaving the Charlotte beltway that the REx was working. If the engine had not come on, I would have made a U-turn and returned to the seller.

If using the stock setting, slow down when the REx first comes on while it warms up. When the SOC returns, resume normal driving in the 65-70 mph range. With coding, I don't slow down during the warm-up because I have a lot more battery SOC to buffer the delay. A speed of 65-70 mph won't overload the REx power and lead to another battery-based, slow-down. Take a lot of fuel stops because the 6.5% SOC is not a lot of range.

Consider getting a small, 1 gallon, spare gas can for the frunk just in case ... but I'm a conservative engineer. If driving during the day, no problem, but after 11 PM, there are some stretches that the gas stations are closed and you won't know it until you get there. <wink>

GOOD LUCK!
Bob Wilson

I am sorry to hear about your issue. I also experienced almost the exact same issue after purchasing a CPO i3 REx last weekend. I ended up on the side of the road after one hour of driving away from the dealership. I was able to find out what the issue was from posts in the i3 Facebook group. It ended up being an issue with the software update that came out in November. After that update, several cars have had issues and a service bulletin was issued because of it - SI B61 20 16. I hope they really fixed your problem the first time. Best wishes down the road.

Did you ever get the car back to DC?

I am going to pick up my CPO today and have been reading over all the forum comments my drive home is much shorter so I shouldn't even get to test the REX until I code the car but I am curious what the final outcome of your situation was.

transev said:

Again, thank you all for sharing your thoughts and suggestions. All incredibly helpful.

The dealership says my car is ready to go. Unfortunately, it’ll take them two weeks to ship, so I will fly up to Boston this weekend and drive it home to the DC area. I’m certain that I’ll be anxious waiting for the REx to turn on, but hopefully that fear will vanish over time! I will post an update after the trip…

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