2014 EV only drivetrain malfunction error

Hello,

I am looking for help/troubleshooting my currently immobile I3. The car was driving just fine but when I went to start it up in the morning I was greeted with an error and could not get the car started. The symptoms are as follows: Screen displays "Drivetrain malfunction: Stop and turn off engine. Do not continue driving. Call Roadside Assistance." Car will play radio and can navigate the menu but will not shift out of park. It also makes clicking noises; like maybe a solenoid?

I went to a BMW repair shop and explained the issue. They suggested it was likely the 12v battery as I had the original one from 2014 still installed (sidenote, if I take the car into a repair shop for maintenance every two years should they be checking the battery?) I was given a verbal of low $400's to replace the battery with no promise that it would fix the issue. I would also need to figure out how to get the car to the shop without being able to put it into neutral. I decided to replace the battery myself. I would say that if you you are able to put together furniture from IKEA you can do this job and save a couple hundred bucks. Part number is AUX18L and if you call your local East Penn/Deka battery place they can direct you to a local distributor to pickup and save shipping as well as being cheaper than the list prices online. Video I followed (did not do the app):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLZO7pB_uVg

However, the error messages have not changed at all. I charged the battery before installing but put it back on the trickle charger installed as well and same result. I did not pair the battery to the car with whatever app, I was hoping to be able to drive it to the dealer/shop for that. Here's a current picture of my screen. What should my next steps be?



Thank you!

You need to either clear the error codes with an app like BimmerLINK and an OBDII reader or plug the car into L2 (preferably) and then let it sit overnight at least. Simply letting it sit while plugged in has solved many similar issues for people in the past when the 12v fails.

If you clear the error codes and they come BACK, then you might have a different issue but your battery still should have been changed. The car throws a bunch of random errors when the 12v fails.

You could license the BimmerLink smartphone app for <$40 which requires an OBD to either WiFi or Bluetooth adapter (<$30 at Amazon). BimmerLink would both erase diagnostic trouble codes (DTC's) and register the replacement battery. You'd probably save the cost of BimmerLink and an adapter by not paying to have your battery registered.

Another bonus is that the adapter could be used with BimmerCode (~$30) which could customize many of your i3's behaviors.

EvanstonI3 said:

You need to either clear the error codes with an app like BimmerLINK and an OBDII reader or plug the car into L2 (preferably) and then let it sit overnight at least. Simply letting it sit while plugged in has solved many similar issues for people in the past when the 12v fails.

If you clear the error codes and they come BACK, then you might have a different issue but your battery still should have been changed. The car throws a bunch of random errors when the 12v fails.

Click to expand...

What is L2? I put it back on the charger (it is the charger from the car itself plugged into a regular wall outlet) and will let it sit overnight. The car can "reset" just by sitting on the charger? The youtube video showed the car working straight after an install and made the BimmerLINK/OBDII portion seem almost optional in order to optimize the 12v battery life. Thank you!

alohart said:

You could license the BimmerLink smartphone app for <$40 which requires an OBD to either WiFi or Bluetooth adapter (<$30 at Amazon). BimmerLink would both erase diagnostic trouble codes (DTC's) and register the replacement battery. You'd probably save the cost of BimmerLink and an adapter by not paying to have your battery registered.

Another bonus is that the adapter could be used with BimmerCode (~$30) which could customize many of your i3's behaviors.

Click to expand...

Is Bimmerlink different from Bimmercode? I am very unfamiliar with cars and there are a ton of OBD devices on Amazon; do you have a suggestion of what to get or what I should be looking for? Thank you!

L2 is 240v charging. L1 is 120v charging (normal house/garage outlet)

BimmerLINK is different from BimmerCODE
LINK is used for looking at and clearing Error Codes in car. Also for Registering a New Battery.
CODE is used for altering configurations and customizing.

The video you watched showed just how to replace a 12v battery.
Usually this can be done with no issues, but if your car was displaying error codes of some sort that may have been caused by the old 12v battery, you may have to use BimmerLINK to clear the codes OR..... plug into a L2 Charger overnight (L1 might work) and just let it sit so the computers can work things out. This appears to be what has happened to you.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B011NSX27A

How does this one look?

YKK said:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B011NSX27A

How does this one look?

Click to expand...

Worth a try. The BimmerCode/BimmerLink developer has tested quite a few adapters and has posted a list of those that work. These tend to be more expensive than some. However, some adapters are too slow to respond which could cause time-outs that prevent BimmerLink or BimmerCode from working correctly.

I have been using a Vgate iCar 2 OBD to WiFi adapter for several years with no problems. It looks like this model is no longer available. I'm guessing that a Vgate iCar Pro would work.

If you have an iPhone, be sure than any Bluetooth adapter implements Bluetooth 4 or later. Earlier Bluetooth versions won't work on iPhones. WiFi adapters should work with all iPhones and Android smartphones. Apparently, any Bluetooth adapter should work with any Android phone.

Quick update on this and unfortunately not a good one. Constant rain made making progress very difficult but I was able to download the bimmercode app and connect with the "Veepeak Mini Bluetooth OBD II Scanner for Android Only, Auto Check Engine Light Code Reader Car Diagnostic Scan Tool" using the "Vgate iCar Bluetooth" selection on the app. There were a lot of errors. Some I was able to clear, some not... entire sections were displayed and there was only an option to clear all errors so on the sections I couldn't clear I don't know what the issue was. I think I was able to register the battery. I could not disable the breaks to enter service mode. However, nothing really seemed to happen and eventually my screen went black and the car is now completely non-responsive electrically. There was plenty of main battery charge and I put the trickle charger back on the 12v and still no juice. I can't put the main power plug back in because the door is locked electrically and I don't know how to get access without power. I can't think of anything else to do besides pay for a tow to the repair shop. Not happy about the idea of what this will cost me but I don't see much choice.

Are you sure you used BimmerCODE? BimmerCODE cannot read and clear error codes. As I pointed out earlier, only BimmerLINK can do that. You also have to PAY for it to be able to use it. If you did not pay for it, you are in demo mode.
The Download is "free". You must pay from within the app.

If the car is "dead" and you cannot pop open the charging door as usual, you have to open the rear passenger door to access one of 2 Blue Plastic Plugs on the lower part of the door frame. Remove the plug and tug on the plastic cord to manually release the charging flap. This is in your owner's manual (if you have one).

Thank you! I did get bimmerlink; not bimmercode. I took out the new battery and old one and brought them to an auto shop. They told me the new battery is bad; that it should be reading 12.4+ volts on a multimeter and was only reading about 2. In comparison, the old battery was reading 12.9V. I put back in the old battery and it powered back up but no change on the drivetrain issue. Here are some screenshots I took just now of the errors, clearing the errors, and what's left. Is there a way to tell if I'm actually doing anything/communicating with the car? Did I successfully register a new battery according to the app? Could whatever is wrong with my car have killed the new battery or was it most likely faulty from the start? I didn't think to test it before installing it... do battery stores generally replace new batteries that have gone bad in less than a month from purchase?