Lost Socket Nut in Front Bay

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skyfx

Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2021
Messages
9
Hey all,

While trying to replace the 12V battery in the front bay of my i3, I accidentally dropped a small socket nut in the bay. As it fell, it hit a few metallic objects and then finally landed on what sounded like a metallic pan presumably at the bottom of the car. Unfortunately, I can't see it, despite my best efforts. Any advice on how I might best go about recovering it?

Thanks!
 
Might be worth getting an endoscope attachment for your smartphone so you can drop that down in the frunk area. Get one with LED light and decent Megapixel so the pictures you get back make sense. Once you've located it which is half the battle, then I've recovered lost sockets before with Gorilla tape. That stuff is sticky enough to get a purchase on a screw or a socket.

I've not aware of accessing anything underneath the car, such as an inspection hatch. Not even sure if removing the front wheel would help so can access via steering.
 
Your local auto parts store should have a magnetic parts retrieval tool, which is a small telescoping wand with a strong magnet on the end. You can try poking around with one (with the HV battery disconnected) to see if you can latch on to it. On Amazon you can find them as well, including ones with flexible shafts for going around obstacles.

https://www.amazon.com/Master-Magnetics-Telescoping-Retrieving-07228/dp/B0000DINDG/ref=pd_bxgy_img_2/139-3905997-8249644?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0000DINDG&pd_rd_r=a50769c0-c6a9-4207-81b7-a37698ed4386&pd_rd_w=TeHwt&pd_rd_wg=l2KOa&pf_rd_p=f325d01c-4658-4593-be83-3e12ca663f0e&pf_rd_r=AFV6RRV0CPRG6YDDKR8M&psc=1&refRID=AFV6RRV0CPRG6YDDKR8M

https://www.amazon.com/Master-Magnetics-Bendable-Retrieving-07229/dp/B000H5QRV4/ref=asc_df_B000H5QRV4/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=241955516116&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=18006949688343197099&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9026839&hvtargid=pla-458948400634&psc=1
 
Thanks for the advice, everyone. I was able to recover the socket nut as follows:

1. I drove the front tires of the car onto two ramps so I could get underneath it.
2. I turned off the high voltage switch in the front bay of the car.
3. I removed the bolts from the metallic plate on the underside of the front of the car. The nut was lying on that metallic plate :?
 
Good work!

I once dropped a 10 mm wrench when I was removing the 12 V battery's negative cable. I tried every angle I could imagine trying to see where it might have ended up (it bounced around on its way down). I finally found a viewing angle that barely showed a shiny chrome end of the wrench against a dark background. I was able to reach down with my hand to carefully grab and remove the wrench. I'm now much more careful when removing the battery cable realizing that I was lucky to have found the wrench without any disassembly.
 
skyfx said:
Thanks for the advice, everyone. I was able to recover the socket nut as follows:

1. I drove the front tires of the car onto two ramps so I could get underneath it.
2. I turned off the high voltage switch in the front bay of the car.
3. I removed the bolts from the metallic plate on the underside of the front of the car. The nut was lying on that metallic plate :?

Lucky you. My buddy dropped the cap for the AC low-pressure Schrader valve a similar way to your incident. We both heard it hit the metallic plate. I drove the car aggressively back and forth. Jacked up the front of the car. Removed that pan. Unbolted a black plastic piece. No luck. The car ate it.
 
TARDISi3 said:
skyfx said:
Thanks for the advice, everyone. I was able to recover the socket nut as follows:

1. I drove the front tires of the car onto two ramps so I could get underneath it.
2. I turned off the high voltage switch in the front bay of the car.
3. I removed the bolts from the metallic plate on the underside of the front of the car. The nut was lying on that metallic plate :?

Lucky you. My buddy dropped the cap for the AC low-pressure Schrader valve a similar way to your incident. We both heard it hit the metallic plate. I drove the car aggressively back and forth. Jacked up the front of the car. Removed that pan. Unbolted a black plastic piece. No luck. The car ate it.

Bummer. I had first tried aggressive driving maneuvers too to no avail. Was pretty annoyed to have to go through all this trouble. I blame the location of the upper battery bracket bolt. It's almost like they want you to lose your equipment loosening that bolt.
 
skyfx said:
Bummer. I had first tried aggressive driving maneuvers too to no avail. Was pretty annoyed to have to go through all this trouble. I blame the location of the upper battery bracket bolt. It's almost like they want you to lose your equipment loosening that bolt.

Perhaps that is why the procedure is so expensive at the Dealer; they already factor in having to remove the bottom plate to retrieve dropped parts/tools?
 
EvanstonI3 said:
skyfx said:
Bummer. I had first tried aggressive driving maneuvers too to no avail. Was pretty annoyed to have to go through all this trouble. I blame the location of the upper battery bracket bolt. It's almost like they want you to lose your equipment loosening that bolt.

Perhaps that is why the procedure is so expensive at the Dealer; they already factor in having to remove the bottom plate to retrieve dropped parts/tools?

:lol:
 
I just finished a repair on my Flex and lost a screw in the door, which curves down and wraps under the frame, i.e. it tapers into an inaccessible sheet metal taco.

After a week of driving I opened a tiny drain port at the bottom of the door. Lo and behold there was my screw, but the hole was so small only the threads could fit through.

I dropped a length of dental floss into the door cavity and used a shop vac to suck the dental floss to the drain port. Simple overhand knot around the screw threads and a little tap and I was able to fish the dang thing out.

Maybe not as simple as removing the door, flipping it upside down and shaking it! :D
 
eNate said:
I just finished a repair on my Flex and lost a screw in the door, which curves down and wraps under the frame, i.e. it tapers into an inaccessible sheet metal taco.

After a week of driving I opened a tiny drain port at the bottom of the door. Lo and behold there was my screw, but the hole was so small only the threads could fit through.

I dropped a length of dental floss into the door cavity and used a shop vac to suck the dental floss to the drain port. Simple overhand knot around the screw threads and a little tap and I was able to fish the dang thing out.

Maybe not as simple as removing the door, flipping it upside down and shaking it! :D

One time I was working on my pickup truck about 5 years ago. I was using a 10mm 1/4 socket while working on the battery. The socket fell from me. It was not a fall through, unfortunately...it never hit the ground. Took off the engine guard, looked around everywhere. Subsequent to that did CV joint boots. Never found it.

Fast forward about 4 and a half years, and I found the socket sitting perfectly in a cup shaped suspension part under the truck. A bit rusted, but it was just sitting there. In the past 4 and a half years, I have done over 100,000km of driving, with some of it off road!
 
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