How Unreliable Is The BMW i3... Really?

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eob

New member
Joined
Sep 30, 2018
Messages
2
Hi Folks,

I'm a huge fan of well packaged small cars, with an ol' Peugeot 205 GTi in the garage, an MX5 NC outside, and an '07 Honda Jazz Sport as a cheap van for hauling stuff.

I'm really very madly interested in the BMW i3. I think they are a genius product that would easily do me as a daily driver for a decade. Especially now that they're dipping below £15k in the UK.

However, I work in the insurance industry and as a result I get to leaf through a lot of car data and unfortunately BMW has been an absolute basket case in terms of reliability scores and warranty claims for a decade. Break My Wallet indeed. Really disasterous in terms of electrical issues and engine detonations.

From running through the i3 forum, it seems like the i3 is sadly no exception. I hate the Nissan Leaf as a fun car to drive but if you flip over to that forum there's like one guy wondering about an error he got once. Here it's all insane motorway shutdowns and catastrophic drivetrain errors.

But it's hard to decipher how bad they truly are from a lemon standpoint. At one time on the internet it seemed that every Porsche Cayman/Boxster had real main seal (RMS) failure but from the actual figures it was less than 5% of all models sold.

I want to couch this criticism in the fact that I really love the BMW i3. I think it's actually a future classic that will line up as the next great leap forward in the small car. I think it is a genius product. Not sure about the face, but I love the concept.

Help...
 
It somewhat depends on whether you choose the BEV or the REx version. The addition of an engine in the REx adds all of the maintenance and potential issues of an internal combustion engine to the mix which includes spark plugs, mufflers, oil changes, gas tank, etc.

Keep in mind that many of the people on forums such as this are either really adamant about their cars for the good, or seek it out because of a problem...I like to consider myself in neither extreme, but that's a personal opinion.

In my over 4-years of ownership, I've had only a couple of warranty repairs. One was for the charging door's release sticking, requiring the use of the emergency release. It appears that the hole the locking pin slid through was a little tighter, and sometimes would jam the pin...not really a catastrophic failure, but took a bit of time to sort out. I use their comfort cover to help keep the cabin cooler in the summer. Sliding that on/off on a regular basis caused the small rubber gasket between the trim at the front edge of the roof to tear. Totally cosmetic, but an annoyance, that was repaired.

I'm leaving out the service campaign that replaced the motor mount bolts and the KLE (neither of which failed on my vehicle, but were replaced because more than a small random sampling indicated they could). Those have been redesigned and have been in all production vehicles after the first year or so. There were a few general software updates applied to all vehicles that added or modified some operational features. A few more were done when in for routine maintenance, but personally, I'd not run into issues with the way it was prior to them.

So, at least for mine, it has just been humming along. There's very little, unlike an ICE, to wear out or break. FWIW, the range estimation on mine after four years of just always plugging it in when I'm finished, still shows the same estimated range as when I bought it.

With the CFRP frame, the plastic outside panels, and aluminum other parts, there's almost nothing to rust, and CFRP is pretty stable stuff. I had a window fan that got used nearly daily that finally gave up the ghost after about 30-years...the bearings on the i3's motor are a lot better, and a single-speed transmission is pretty simple, too. No reverse gear...just run the motor backwards, simpler. Everything works, and I hope it continues to. Personally, even if I do get a significant battery degradation, it won't impact my typical use. While the newer, larger batteries may have made it easier to sell when the time comes, even bigger ones would still affect the resale.

My advice, if you can avoid the REx, and live with the BEV version, life is simpler. But, those that have the REx, still generally, find the vehicle reliable. One of the bigger issues is that few actually read and understand (if they ever open it) their owner's manual...a complex EV like the i3 takes a bit of research to understand the philosophy used to develop it, and rationalize the design decisions. If you agree with them, it's a great vehicle...if you expect it to be like an ICE, you'll be disappointed. A Swiss Army knife, it's not...it's a dedicated tool designed for commuting, not cross-country travel, but some people do it, and some of them are the biggest source of complaints about the vehicle, expecting it to be a general purpose, no restriction, ICE replacement. IF you expect that, without understanding what you're getting into, you won't be totally happy. I use mine for running around, and my longer travel, even with the REx would be annoying to me for several reasons, so I don't try to make it my only car, but it does get used over 90% of my annual miles. When I do go somewhere the i3 can't easily go, it's typically in the 4-500 miles each way...not a good thing for an i3, even a REx, IMHO. The REx can do it, but my ICE can carry more, is more comfortable on a long trip, and doesn't require the planning and frequent stops to refuel/recharge the REx does.
 
Excellent reply
The i3 is a commute car.
Expect it to do more and you will not be happy

As a commute car, there is hardly anything to fail. An ICE is much more complex and more prone to fail
 
There isn't a lot of long term (out of warranty) data on the i3. There is an organization in the US called Consumer Reports, which is an independent agency that collects data from car owners and then publishes that data. (They test and rate other products as well). Some people swear by Consumer Reports, and some swear at it, but at least they try to be unbiased. For the i3, years '14 through '16, the overall quality rating is average. Yes, there were a few issues, all corrected under warranty. This does not speak to long term reliability. There was not enough data for '17. The Nissan Leaf and Tesla S, which have been around longer, have an overall above average rating. In general, there's just not that much to go wrong with an EV.
Here's a discussion for another forum which may or may not be helpful:
https://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1283368
By the way, if you're considering a Leaf, do your research on their battery management philosophy. All LiOn batteries should be cooled during charging. Nissan uses an air cooled system while other manufacturers use a liquid cooled system. The bottom line is the air cooled system is not as effective as the liquid cooled system, and battery life suffers as a result. Just make sure you really look at the pros and cons before you buy a Leaf.
 
In my 2.5 years of REX ownership I had a "Check Engine" light and a weird climate control problem both solved by software reloads, and a defective airbag. Still love the i3. I replacing mine with a 2018 model.
How do you have access to the warranty claims? Insurance industry can collect the crash and associated repair cost data, but what do you have to do with the warranty service?
 
Great replies above.

You have to remember that typically forums like these are used by people who are having problems and are either looking for help, or need to vent. Go to any vehicle specific forum and the majority of posts will be about issues.
This forum is pretty quiet, which speaks volumes (volumes, get it? :D :D ) about the actualy reliability of the i3.

On the flip side. The car is new and uses new technology, plus it's a BMW. When things go bad, there is a chance that it's going to be a big bill to fix it out of warranty.

From a personal standpoint, I have driven over 10k incident free miles since purchasing my '15 i3 in January this year.
 
Excellent, excellent responses. I wouldn't personally touch the Leaf with a barge poke given the lack of active battery cooling, degradation, dull driving experience, lack of power. I think the i3 is a completely different product. Actually I think the i3 is pretty much genius and it seems hard not to buy one when they're now quite affordable used on the used market and really such a fun little thing.

Something of note. Between service bills, fuel, and tax associated with my Mx5 NC I put about €4,000 a year through it as a cost related to the ICE.

With the i3... Charging is free in my country so those bills would more or less zero.

Once the i3 drops to about €12k used, and its getting close, i could actually buy one, drive it for three years then set it on fire and i would still be better off financially than with the mx5. Although ill miss the handling and that metal folding roof.

(thinking aloud here)

One thing you guys may found heartwarming. I went around and got battery reports on the highest mileage i3's i could find on the open market. Even about 120k miles battery degradation was incredibly low. 2% in one case. That's an incredibly achievement.
 
graememwl said:
...
On the flip side. The car is new and uses new technology, plus it's a BMW. When things go bad, there is a chance that it's going to be a big bill to fix it out of warranty.
In my case, all the issues I had were with the "old" technology. I have zero complaints about the e-drive. Judging by the posts, it is a common experience.
 
gt1 said:
graememwl said:
...
On the flip side. The car is new and uses new technology, plus it's a BMW. When things go bad, there is a chance that it's going to be a big bill to fix it out of warranty.
In my case, all the issues I had were with the "old" technology. I have zero complaints about the e-drive. Judging by the posts, it is a common experience.

If the "old" technology is anything like what was used in my old E46 323i, then I'm not surprised. :lol: :lol:
That car was the most unreliable thing I have ever owned. Fun to drive, when it ran....
 
I’m in year 2 of the lease on my second i3 BEV. Both have been perfect mechanically. Unquestionably the most reliable cars I’ve had in 36 years of vehicles.
 
13k miles no issues and use is about 75% electric and 25% Rex, wife is down to commuting 2-3 days a week instead of 3-4, Rex use to do almost 200 miles a week. Dealer is probably gonna be surprised when I am in for another Rex oil change so soon.
 
12 volt battery failed on a 2015 Rex model spring 2017. Annoying one week, guarante work. All else still works 3,5 year old car now, good Quality on high tech car, lots of small things that can fail. Battery kapa max 17-18 kWh, maybe down a bit after warm summer, 60 k km.
 
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