Drivetrain issue - "Do not switch off engine"

[XXL]

But it is not meant to be as a backup. They say you can drive 160km with a BEV and 300km with a REX, they forgot to mention 'in limp-mode' or next to the comfort button the 'limp' button.

At least the driver should be warned whenever performance will be reduced at certain speeds or suggested to leave the motorway asap.

 

[noakey]

But it is not meant to be as a backup. They say you can drive 160km with a BEV and 300km with a REX, they forgot to mention 'in limp-mode' or next to the comfort button the 'limp' button.

At least the driver should be warned whenever performance will be reduced at certain speeds or suggested to leave the motorway asap.

I think BMW have to tread carefully here and properly manage the expectation of customers across different countries and states. I guess it starts with the sales guys and literature.

 

[BrianStanier]

Expectations certainly vary by country and by user. Here in the UK and for me the ability to maintain an average of 70mph - the legal limit - on motorways does not constitute 'limp-mode' at all. I've used the Rex for real on a couple of occasions and neither I nor my passenger were able to tell whether it was activated or not without consulting the display. As they say YYMV.

 

[MikeS]

As they say YYMV.

:?:

 

[BrianStanier]

Fingers not what they were! YMMV! Or possibly Your Expectations May Vary would be more appropriate.

 

[amateurish]

It always seemed crazy to me that the US REx doesn't cut in until the battery is almost flat.

From my very first demo experience - it was obvious that you need at least 20% battery back-up available for normal highway driving - including hills, overtaking etc.

On my first long motorway journey this week, I confirmed that the REx can hold battery charge state, on the level, at 73mph on cruise control. Over 75mph the battery starts to deplete - and in any case it can drop 10% quite quickly on a gradient or when increasing speed to pass a line of trucks etc.

This depletion can, of course, be recovered by reducing speed or on a downhill stretch - but it seems obvious to me that a 5% reserve will never be enough to maintain normal progress.

I think US customers have been oversold the car.

Did you notice that the Rex runs at different speeds depending on the level of charge?

With mine, Rex is activated at 6.5% charge. At motorway speeds, the Rex ran very quietly and the SOC slowly depleted to about 3%. Then there was a noticeable step change and the Rex "sped" up and then recharged the battery to around 5%.

So it may be that if you activate the Rex at higher levels of charge then it won't go into full power mode?

 

[Gonville]

Wonder what happens in ecopro mode?

I still think it's akin to driving with the fuel warning light on or on a space saver tyre.

Still I guess doing 85mph uphill on the freeway would be a challenge. (With the air con on)

 

[broon7]

Just had the do not switch off, do not pass go, drive direct to dealer message this morning. Arrived there at 6:50 nobody about so switched on again and the warning had cleared.

Drove to work and gave the dealer a call re the issue. Dropped the car off with them this morning and have been advised not to drive the car. Apparently the error has occurred 9 times but this is the first time I've seen the message displayed. The central locking was also switching off and on when cornering and may be related. This happened when I first got the car but seemed to sort itself out.

Dealer couldn't have been better, they're awaiting response from BMW i technical department, but have provided an X1 courtesy car in the meantime. I did request the i8 that had just arrived in the showroom but with no success!

To-date I've enjoyed 6,600 trouble free miles so hopefully this is a software glitch that can be easily fixed.

Missing the effortless performance and silence already!

Cheers,

Brian

 

[AndyW]

Hi Brian

Hope you get it sorted. The central locking thing sounds like the suicide door issue discussed here: http://www.mybmwi3.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=572 except that after 6600 miles you've probably sussed that by now!

Interesting 3-series/Lotus/i3 combo you have there

 

[jadnashuanh]

Basic fact...the REx can maintain cruise on the level or up a hill up to certain maximum loads. The REx is not, nor ever will be able to provide maximum performance at the edges with all of the comfort features activated while climbing a long grade when the battery is low. As a comparison, the Chevy Volt's ICE produces up to 83Hp, which is enough to keep the vehicle moving at pretty much full tilt. But, different designs, different purposes, different capabilities. The i3's ICE maxes out at 34Hp. That just isn't enough to maintain full performance with a (nearly) dead battery, and I'd have to say, even the Volt's 83Hp may be problematic under some circumstances as well. Once the batteries are nearly dead on either vehicle, you're left with the generator's ability to produce power. WHen was the last time you drove a car with 34Hp? Probably never. TO expect it to perform the same as if the 170Hp electric motor on full battery charge is just plain unrealistic!

So, especially in the USA where you have almost no control over when to engage the REx. Implemented as elsewhere, engaging the REx earlier, can significantly slow down the drain on the batteries (at the expense of CO2 exhaust and fossil fuel use), and prolong your trip, especially if the end game is not on high-speed roads.

The REx does what it says...extend your maximum range. And, if your trip doesn't include long grades, can probably keep you going without compromising operations. Throw that into the equation, and your progress will be slower. Shut off your a/c, heated seats, radio, (or switch to eco pro+ mode), and you may not impede your forward progress under the same trip conditions, at a cost in creature comforts.

 

[broon7]

Collected car tonight after a software update to clear the drivetrain and central locking issue.

First difference was it feels much livelier although that might be after driving a diesel X1 over the weekend. Next thing I noticed was the brake assist came on automatically on a hill, nice change.

The next was a range of 101 miles after the car was charged. The previous highest range was around 80 miles. I'll need to wait and see how quickly it diminishes 'though!

Downside is I've lost all my settings and the app doesn't sync with car anymore.

Cheers

Brian

 

[uktechie]

Collected car tonight after a software update to clear the drivetrain and central locking issue.

First difference was it feels much livelier although that might be after driving a diesel X1 over the weekend. Next thing I noticed was the brake assist came on automatically on a hill, nice change.

The next was a range of 101 miles after the car was charged. The previous highest range was around 80 miles. I'll need to wait and see how quickly it diminishes 'though!

Downside is I've lost all my settings and the app doesn't sync with car anymore.

Cheers

Brian

Hope it is all sorted now no more glitches, keep us posted.

 

[frannieM3i3]

...

I'm definitely interested in hearing if anyone else has experienced this. We had similar drivetrain faults in the ActiveE's but assumed that would have been a high priority for BMW to engineer out of the i3 and make sure it doesn't reoccur.

Obviously there will be some problems, but I really hope the drivetrain malfunction problem is behind us.

The picture in your post Tom is what I received on July 14th, the car was stuck in Park and would not go into Neutral at all.
Got the car towed to the dealer after 2 days and 4 tow trucks, of which 3 of the tow trucks drivers had no idea how to tow an electric car. The 4th guy was terrific - he used GO Jacks to get the car out of the garage safely and then a dolly for the front wheels while he hooked it up to the truck. By the way, if this happens to you, DON'T ask for a flatbed truck because it will drag your tires and make bald spots since the car won't go into Neutral.

The dealer was terrific, they had a loaner car waiting for me and took care of checking me in very quickly.
I gave them all the information from this blog site about what the issue might be.
I got a call from the dealer later that afternoon. They said that the Electrical Machine Electronic Module (EME) showed a fault and they decided to completely replace the module. I don't know what this module is but I would guess that might be the 'electrical brain' of the car.
The dealer doesn't know what it does yet either, it's the first time they saw this fault.
But they said they will let me know as soon as they get the explanation.
Does anyone know what this EME module does?

I am waiting to hear that the new one arrived.

I'll update more as I find out,
FrannieM3i3

 

[Firebird23]

EME = electric motor electronic
DME = digital motor electronic (gasoline combustion engines)
DDE = ditigal diesel electronic (Diese combustion engines)


BTW: You towed the I3 with front axle hooked up? Has to be the other way around (see owner manual). The electric motor is connected to the rear axle. Thereof if you tow the car electricity is "produced" from the rolling tires and charging the car (without the car knows about)...

 

[noakey]

...

I'm definitely interested in hearing if anyone else has experienced this. We had similar drivetrain faults in the ActiveE's but assumed that would have been a high priority for BMW to engineer out of the i3 and make sure it doesn't reoccur.

Obviously there will be some problems, but I really hope the drivetrain malfunction problem is behind us.

The picture in your post Tom is what I received on July 14th, the car was stuck in Park and would not go into Neutral at all.
Got the car towed to the dealer after 2 days and 4 tow trucks, of which 3 of the tow trucks drivers had no idea how to tow an electric car. The 4th guy was terrific - he used GO Jacks to get the car out of the garage safely and then a dolly for the front wheels while he hooked it up to the truck. By the way, if this happens to you, DON'T ask for a flatbed truck because it will drag your tires and make bald spots since the car won't go into Neutral.

The dealer was terrific, they had a loaner car waiting for me and took care of checking me in very quickly.
I gave them all the information from this blog site about what the issue might be.
I got a call from the dealer later that afternoon. They said that the Electrical Machine Electronic Module (EME) showed a fault and they decided to completely replace the module. I don't know what this module is but I would guess that might be the 'electrical brain' of the car.
The dealer doesn't know what it does yet either, it's the first time they saw this fault.
But they said they will let me know as soon as they get the explanation.
Does anyone know what this EME module does?

I am waiting to hear that the new one arrived.

I'll update more as I find out,
FrannieM3i3

We had this message a month ago. I went down to the car in the morning to unplug and drive away and there was a message telling me to stop!... For us it was the failure of the Charge Regulation Module which caused this error, the customer service saying that this message can be caused by lots of things.

Anyways... the flatbed driver only knew he couldnt tow the car and that he was not allowed to recover the car from a drive, so we had to push it off the drive, however, as the vehicle was stuck in park this was a big problem. They called their senior mechanic and he had a trick.

Apparently, if you hold the key against the 'D-N-P-R' selector for 2 seconds, it overrides the lock and allows you to select neutral. It seemed to work for the mechanic, so we pushed the car off the drive (was lots of resistance) and the car was towed onto the flatbed.

We havnt seen the car since, but today (5 weeks later) that is was fixed, and that it should be returned this week. Most of our delay was waiting for the part to come from germany (4 weeks).

During the whole experience BMW customer service has been awesome.

|Good luck with your yours... we love the car...

 

[frannieM3i3]

EME = electric motor electronic
DME = digital motor electronic (gasoline combustion engines)
DDE = ditigal diesel electronic (Diese combustion engines)


BTW: You towed the I3 with front axle hooked up? Has to be the other way around (see owner manual). The electric motor is connected to the rear axle. Thereof if you tow the car electricity is "produced" from the rolling tires and charging the car (without the car knows about)...

Thanks for your message Firebird23,
To clarify the towing, the front wheels were on a dolly and the back of the car was connected to the tow truck, all of the wheels were off the ground because the car was stuck in Park.

Do you know where I can find any information on what the EME module does?
I searched the internet and only found pictures that show the frame of the lower part of the car with what looks like the battery sitting on it.

FrannieM3i3

 

[frannieM3i3]

We had this message a month ago. I went down to the car in the morning to unplug and drive away and there was a message telling me to stop!... For us it was the failure of the Charge Regulation Module which caused this error, the customer service saying that this message can be caused by lots of things.

Anyways... the flatbed driver only knew he couldnt tow the car and that he was not allowed to recover the car from a drive, so we had to push it off the drive, however, as the vehicle was stuck in park this was a big problem. They called their senior mechanic and he had a trick.

Apparently, if you hold the key against the 'D-N-P-R' selector for 2 seconds, it overrides the lock and allows you to select neutral. It seemed to work for the mechanic, so we pushed the car off the drive (was lots of resistance) and the car was towed onto the flatbed.

We havnt seen the car since, but today (5 weeks later) that is was fixed, and that it should be returned this week. Most of our delay was waiting for the part to come from germany (4 weeks).

During the whole experience BMW customer service has been awesome.

|Good luck with your yours... we love the car...

Wow Noakey, 5 weeks is a long time!
Mine has been at the dealer for 8 days now and they called me yesterday to say they are still waiting for the part, they expect it to arrive this week.
I really miss my car and hate the fact that I have had to go the gas station twice already but at least I have a loaner.
My BMW sales, service, customer service and iGenius folks have all been great and they take care of me.
They really want to learn and share information about this new product line of cars and we have a sense of humor about it.
We were joking about how I drive my M3 and that I can't drive the i3 like that but it sure is fun to try.
I am not an EcoPro Plus type of driver. I use Comfort and Eco Pro (especially when the REX kicks in).
That is why my fully charged battery no longer shows the 98 miles per change, it recently got used to my driving and readjusted the range to 68 miles per charge.
I really like the D-N-P-R trick

Good Luck with your car and I really hope you get it back soon.
Please let me know if the module change fixed the issues.

Thanks, FrannieM3i3

 

[Surge]

Some of you have a lot more patience than I would… I guess I got spoiled by driving Lexus and other Japanese brands.

Waiting FIVE (5) WEEKS for a part?! So you're making your lease/loan payments and don't have the car you just acquired…
and the dealer is tearing it apart, to never put it back the way it was from the factory…

Sorry, I don't mean to be a downer, but if you guys as the owners are "happy" about this, then it's not sending a message to BMW that this is unacceptable.

No new car should have drivetrain issues, especially not one from a "luxury" automaker that costs over $40,000.

 

[noakey]

Some of you have a lot more patience than I would… I guess I got spoiled by driving Lexus and other Japanese brands.

Waiting FIVE (5) WEEKS for a part?! So you're making your lease/loan payments and don't have the car you just acquired…
and the dealer is tearing it apart, to never put it back the way it was from the factory…

Sorry, I don't mean to be a downer, but if you guys as the owners are "happy" about this, then it's not sending a message to BMW that this is unacceptable.

No new car should have drivetrain issues, especially not one from a "luxury" automaker that costs over $40,000.

But if you get bmw to pay all your lease bills until the car is back then it's not so bad... This is what I did.. they paid 2 months so far.. and for the diesel I put in the hire car...

 

[uktechie]

Some of you have a lot more patience than I would… I guess I got spoiled by driving Lexus and other Japanese brands.

Waiting FIVE (5) WEEKS for a part?! So you're making your lease/loan payments and don't have the car you just acquired…
and the dealer is tearing it apart, to never put it back the way it was from the factory…

Sorry, I don't mean to be a downer, but if you guys as the owners are "happy" about this, then it's not sending a message to BMW that this is unacceptable.

No new car should have drivetrain issues, especially not one from a "luxury" automaker that costs over $40,000.

But if you get bmw to pay all your lease bills until the car is back then it's not so bad... This is what I did.. they paid 2 months so far.. and for the diesel I put in the hire car...

Has this issue been resolved now with new builds?