Drivers side window & stormy weather

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Stevei3

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 2, 2013
Messages
365
Location
the Netherlands
Hi all,

we had quite a storm here in NL yesterday, the remnants of the depression that wreaked havoc in the UK (again) last friday.
Driving near the coast, the i3 had to cope with windforce 9-10 with gales on top, while driving 80-100 kmh, so the circumstances were challenging, to say the least. The resulting suction on the side not facing the wind, in this case the drivers side, seems to cause a problem at the top side of the window. The window was pulled from the top rubbers by some gales. It could be newness (stiff rubbers) or it could be the window doesn't close far enough (adjustable by the service team ?). We'll see how it develops over time. Anybody observing this issue with the i3 or has anybody observed this with any other frameless BMW windows ?

BTW: I hope that all UK members here are OK, for the situation seems quite dire in the southwest...

Regards, Steven
 
Hoi Steve i had the same thing when i went for a testdrive this december. I thought the window would be fall out, what a noise.
 
Hi Steve,

Yup, same deal here in Fryslân!
And it wasn't only the drivers side, this suction effect also affects the passenger side door, or in the UK the driver's side front door. :mrgreen:
Besides the top of the door window being sucked off on the lea side, the door combination on the wind side lets quite a draft through too!

I have this same effect with my 2002 Tii, but that door window is not automatically secured when closed by the electric window motor pushing it into the sealing rubber at top, as the i3 and other modern cars do. The area of the window is smaller though in the '02.
I cannot remember having had this degree of air leakage with my 320 (E36) and 330 (E46) convertible tops, both with frameless door windows.

This is probably a specific i3 quirk which is not readily remedied, otherwise it would have been fixed already.

If however BMW is not aware of this problem, they are now and please do something about it!
 
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