Air conditioning failed

[i3Alan]

My 2014 i3 BEV just had to have the AC recharged. No leaks found, and the cause was attributed to normal seasonal losses. I normally drive a car around 10 years, and very rarely have I ever needed AC repairs/recharges. Did I happen to get the odd BMW i3 AC unit that is incapable of holding a charge for more than 5 years.

Anyone else have to recharge their i3 AC? Since I don't see the topic mentioned in other threads here, I am guessing (and hoping) that this is not a common problem.

 

[Anonymous]

cause was attributed to normal seasonal losses

No such thing. The AC is a closed system. The only way it loses pressure is through a leak. May be too small a leak to be easily detected through pressure testing, but it's there.

 

[i3Alan]

Update. Two weeks later and the AC went out again. This time making clicking noises (in the rear, where the compressor is located). Dealer said the compressor self-destructed, throwing metal fillings throughout the refrigerant lines, requiring all of the AC components to be replaced.

Total repair estimate was over $21,000. TWENTY-ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS.

In a good will gesture, BMW will contribute $2000 towards the purchase of a new BMW, with the dealer kicking in $4000 as a trade-in (for a totaled car!).

I think I'll pass. On BMW. Forevermore.

Anyone interested in salvaging a 2014 Giga BEV i3 in Tempe, Arizona?

 

[alohart]

Update. Two weeks later and the AC went out again. This time making clicking noises (in the rear, where the compressor is located). Dealer said the compressor self-destructed, throwing metal fillings throughout the refrigerant lines, requiring all of the AC components to be replaced.

Total repair estimate was over $21,000. TWENTY-ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS.

So sorry about what has happened to you. This is my biggest fear for our 2014 BEV. Regardless of its wonderful construction that should last much longer than a conventional steel vehicle and its drive train's much fewer moving parts, failure of expensive components will likely kill many older i3's. Such a shame…

 

[vreihen]

Anyone interested in salvaging a 2014 Giga BEV i3 in Tempe, Arizona?

I wonder how well the drive module would mate to a fiberglass dune buggy body? Heck, why not go for broke with a Sawzall and make an i3 convertible? :twisted: Neither would need air conditioning in most climates.....

 

[Anonymous]

Advertise it on the BMW i3 Facebook group, which is international. Have seen posts by members in Central Europe, buying i3's in the US that are in need of major component repair/replacement, shipping them over and repairing them or parting them out.

 

[Anonymous]

Hmmmm, just read through this:

https://www.mybmwi3.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&p=59829&sid=58fdefff3abdc8e89531c49c9cdf4aa0#p59829

I wonder if your BMW dealership mechanic, on your first AC 'fix' put in the wrong AC oil, causing the catastrophic failure of the AC compressor.

Does the previous work order list what they recharged the system with? Normally when a system is recharged AC oil is added as well, because if a system has lost freon, it has lost oil as well, and the electric AC compressor for the i3's takes a totally different oil from mechanical AC compressors. Putting the wrong oil in an electric AC compressor will cause the electric winding's to arch, and basically destroy the compressor it seems.

 

[TOEd]

Why not sell it to a Canadian or someone else who doesn't need a/c for most of the year? Our a/c rarely runs, even during L3 charging. We are in Toronto Canada.

 

[Anonymous]

Why not sell it to a Canadian or someone else who doesn't need a/c for most of the year?

Problem is, the AC also cools the battery pack. When charging, the i3 will activate the AC to keep the battery cool.

 

[Srivenkat]

So sorry about what has happened to you. This is my biggest fear for our 2014 BEV. Regardless of its wonderful construction that should last much longer than a conventional steel vehicle and its drive train's much fewer moving parts, failure of expensive components will likely kill many older i3's. Such a shame…

This issue seems to be even more expensive than mount failures. If BMW has updated the parts (compressor/valves, etc.), perhaps it would make sense to get them replaced proactively? Especially if this involves taking the motor down, the mounts could be replaced as well?

 

[i3Alan]

Why not sell it to a Canadian or someone else who doesn't need a/c for most of the year? Our a/c rarely runs, even during L3 charging. We are in Toronto Canada.

The AC system is also the heating system for the car. The one compressor drives dual heat pumps. One heats and cools the cabin, and the other heats and cools the battery. If our Canadian friends don't have heating, then both their rear ends will be cold (of course I did not order the seat heaters for this i3 in Phoenix!), and their battery will be way sluggish until it has had enough chance to generate its own internal heat. But even Canadians will see enough summer heat that the battery would suffer greatly if not cooled. That is, without the AC, the car will get inadequate power delivery in cold and rapid battery deterioration in the heat. At least in the extreme cold, the electric heat will kick in (and seriously reduce the range!).

 

[Anonymous]

This issue seems to be even more expensive than mount failures. If BMW has updated the parts (compressor/valves, etc.), perhaps it would make sense to get them replaced proactively?

Maybe the lesson here is, if you start seeing your AC lose the ability to cool the car, replace the AC compressor immediately.

 

[Srivenkat]

In a good will gesture, BMW will contribute $2000 towards the purchase of a new BMW, with the dealer kicking in $4000 as a trade-in (for a totaled car!).

Not sure if you got the $2000 figure in *your* discussions directly with BMW Customer Service or if that's what BMW told the dealer. If the latter, I would try calling BMW directly and requesting that BMW cover the costs for the repair, citing the fact that this has shaken the confidence of the BMW i3 community both here and on FB in regard to this specific issue of a compressor failure killing the whole vehicle designed to last a longer time than conventional vehicles.

 

[Anonymous]

try calling BMW directly and requesting that BMW cover the costs for the repair, citing the fact that this has shaken the confidence of the BMW i3 community

Doubt that BMW would do that (though they should). Even if the car had been covered by BMW's Platinum extended warranty - the fine print on it says they will only cover repairs up to the value of the vehicle, and trade-in on a 2014 Bev in average condition, average mileage, according to Kelly Blue Book is about $10K. But at the very least, BMW should be offering to buy the car back or trade it for a similar BMW lease return, as totaling a car if the AC compressor fails is a pretty big design flaw (exacerbated by a BMW Dealership service dept. unable to recognize a failing compressor when the car was first brought in for a problem with the AC). There should be some sort of filter/trap in the AC system that prevents metal particles from a disintegrating compressor permeating the entire system and totaling the car - and something BMW should be immediately jumping on for a recall/retrofit - and BMW should be issuing a Service Bulletin to all BMW Dealerships, to alert them of the problem, so they change out the compressor if there is even a hint it may be going bad.

Wonder if this kind of catastrophic failure is more prone to happen to Bevs, where the AC compressor does double-duty as the (Bev-only) heat-pump, so is in service for both heating and cooling - which may indicate a heavier-duty AC compressor is needed in the Bev models.

 

[Srivenkat]

try calling BMW directly and requesting that BMW cover the costs for the repair, citing the fact that this has shaken the confidence of the BMW i3 community

Doubt that BMW would do that (though they should). Even if the car had been covered by BMW's Platinum extended warranty - the fine print on it says they will only cover repairs up to the value of the vehicle, and trade-in on a 2014 Bev in average condition, average mileage, according to Kelly Blue Book is about $10K. But at the very least, BMW should be offering to buy the car back or trade it for a similar BMW lease return, as totaling a car if the AC compressor fails is a pretty big design flaw (exacerbated by a BMW Dealership service dept. unable to recognize a failing compressor when the car was first brought in for a problem with the AC). There should be some sort of filter/trap in the AC system that prevents metal particles from a disintegrating compressor permeating the entire system and totaling the car - and something BMW should be immediately jumping on for a recall/retrofit - and BMW should be issuing a Service Bulletin to all BMW Dealerships, to alert them of the problem, so they change out the compressor if there is even a hint it may be going bad.

Wonder if this kind of catastrophic failure is more prone to happen to Bevs, where the AC compressor does double-duty as the (Bev-only) heat-pump, so is in service for both heating and cooling - which may indicate a heavier-duty AC compressor is needed in the Bev models.

I agree with everything you mention. Whether they repair or total it, they should do right by the customer. We have seen reports of BMW picking up the cost for the mount repair even outside of warranty, so I feel BMW might very well do something reasonable for OP, if he contacts them directly.

 

[vreihen]

Because the car was not in an accident, stating that it was "totaled" doesn't mean that auto insurance is going to pay for a purely mechanical failure. The owner is on the hook for the loan if it is still financed. Also, there would surely be a personal credit score hit involved if the car was ironically financed through BMW Financial and the owner stopped paying the loan to stick it to the corporation.

Does your state have a lemon law, and is this car still under those terms? If not, I would hit the dealer with a negligence suit for mis-diagnosing the problem before the compressor grenaded.....

 

[i3Alan]

Because the car was not in an accident, stating that it was "totaled" doesn't mean that auto insurance is going to pay for a purely mechanical failure. The owner is on the hook for the loan if it is still financed. Also, there would surely be a personal credit score hit involved if the car was ironically financed through BMW Financial and the owner stopped paying the loan to stick it to the corporation.

Does your state have a lemon law, and is this car still under those terms? If not, I would hit the dealer with a negligence suit for mis-diagnosing the problem before the compressor grenaded.....

No accident so no insurance coverage, no lemon law applicability, and the car is owned outright.

There are three issues with the AC failure as I see it.

First, the dealer did not correctly diagnose the original problem. New AC systems should NEVER leak, but mine did, and the dealer said it was normal and charged me for refrigerant fill.

Second, it is highly possible, if not probable, that the service tech overfilled the refrigerant, or failed to add the required lubricant with the refrigerant, or other mis-repair, as that would be a likely cause for the compressor self-destruction, especially if there was no other issues beyond some micro leak in the system. But, just as with the first issue, this, too will be impossible to prove, and the dealer doesn't seem inclined to just assume it was their fault.

Third, the basic system design is a terrible failure because it is too easily exposed to catastrophic failure with outrageous repair costs.

The real issue personally is that I loved this car and now I am forced to replace it. Normally, when I fall out of love with a car in typically 6-10 years, I would buy a new car and do a private-party sell of my old car. However, I don't know how to sell a car for salvaging. I will call the auto yards and see what they say. I might try some on-line adds. I will also tell dealers what is wrong and see if they are willing to trade it in anyway. With trading, I will definitely lose the couple thousand dollars that I normally get selling private party versus what any dealer offers for trade in, and I will also lose because the car has lost value due to it must go to salvage. Well, the Tesla model 3, Chevy Bolt and Nissan Leaf sure are looking a lot more attractive to me. Unfortunately the Volkswagen, Mercedes, Audi, Kia and Hyundai EVs are not available in Arizona yet, and the rest are around double the cost of the i3. Also, I am going to give BMW USA another chance to make this right.

I do very much appreciate the discussion about this with so many. Thanks.

 

[Srivenkat]

Also, I am going to give BMW USA another chance to make this right.

Since you are an informed owner, I think there's a great chance BMW will own up the failure, if you mention your concerns as you detailed above to BMW iCOncierge directly (i.e., NOT thru the dealer). I say this because in the FB group, just a few days back, a gentleman posted his experience with the dealer messing up a preventative owner-paid motor mount replacement out of warranty and when he complained to BMW directly about the messup, BMW agreed to pickup the entire cost. You will see the post if you search the group for motor mount. Good luck!

 

[I33t]

If the BMW isn't go to cheap replace the problem, would you be able to get the parts from one of previously crashed i3?
The second parts should be able from damaged i3's in the US.

Would that work?

 

[Anonymous]

would you be able to get the parts from one of previously crashed i3 - Would that work?

Don't think parts are the problem. The AC system runs through the entire battery pack - as it cools it during charging. Labor is the issue - to replace the entire AC system, the car pretty much needs to be dismantled, and the battery pack completely disassembled. Would be a daunting task for even BMW engineers to do, let-alone an owner/diy.