Is your air con cold?

[uktechie]

Turns out Williams checked the system over and it had no gas in the system, they checked for dry seals etc and nothing. They refilled it and its now fully working as it should be, I will probably never find out if the coolant leaked or was never put in in the first place at the factory. Either way I cant believe it was not checked during PDI at the original supplying dealer.

On the whole though I can recommend Williams BMW Liverpool highly for i3, they have kept me informed all the way through the process and hopefully fingers crossed we wont see them again until the service

Good who was your contact at Williams?

 

[MikeS]

Just picked this up from another forum:

" A/C system does not operate on i3 BEV. ISTA diagnosis shows IHKA fault 801130 (Heat Pump general functional error), in some cases accompanied with consequential faults for the heat pump pressure/temperature sensor, or switch valve. Do not replace any components, since this situation is caused by a software error. To eliminate this software glitch, a temporary IRAP solution has been implemented"

that was straight from DCS
__________________
product genius at BMW of Mt. Laurel in New Jersey

 

[DerfSdrawd]

My i3 was fixed yesterday - a/c now working OK and seems decently powerful, enough to cool the car even with sunroof blinds open which makes the car like a greenhouse.

The dealer told me that the fix applied was to replace the 12V battery and the connectors. Looking under the hood, I can see that these are no ordinary terminals! There are several different types of cables/connectors attached to each one.

I was also told that I should return the car sometime in August when a new software version will be applied. That's consistent with MikeS's post below.

Hopefully the weather and a/c will hold out for another month or so.

 

[designreality]

My car has been diagnosed with the fault above in the post, the dealer says my car was the car that found they found the issue on but that may be just talk to somehow make me feel they had no clue and had built a software patch for my car!

Still great service from Williams bmw though!

It's not until the i3 had been taken away that I realised how much I actually miss the car.

 

[Ross]

My aircon has failed too

BEV with Heat Pump.

Car collected and 320d hire car deployed...

 

[designreality]

Ross

At least there is now a fix for you buddy so heads up! my car has been low loaded twice to the dealer for this fault.

Good thing is you will miss the car!

 

[Ross]

I've just been told it needs a software update to fix the issue.

But that update isn't available till August...

Dealer in discussions with BMW to see what they say.

 

[designreality]

Ross

My dealer called me today to say that they are updating the software tomorrow hopefully they are not going to do that all the way through to august!

He also said he is away for a week so maybe they are trying to drag it out!

 

[Ardie]

I typically drive with the climate control in Auto mode, letting the car decide how to maintain the temperature that I dial in (72° F / 22° C).
I find that with the climate control in 'Auto' mode (either Comfort or Eco Pro), the system starts out reasonably cold.
(NOTE: The system could be colder. The BMW 5-series I'm used to blows positively Arctic air when it runs. By comparison, the i3 blows air as if it has passed it over a tray of ice cubes.)

After a while, as the car closes in on the desired temperature the climate control slowly eases off with the cold air and simultaneously eases off with the fan speed. With a lack of moving air, the perception is that the cabin is quickly getting stuffy. I reach for the controls and have to take matters into my own hands, because it sure seems that the climate control system has stopped working.

A typical case in point: When I got into the hot BMW 525, it took just a few minutes of icy air flooding the cabin to bring the temps to something manageable. When I get into the i3, it takes several minutes (possible half again as long -- I haven't done a scientific study here) to cool down the car. Opening the windows to purge the existing hot air is almost mandatory. Luckily, I can precondition the car ahead of time. I set it so the preconditioning occurs 5-7 minutes before I get to it, and its very comfortable. Now all I have to do is to remember to do it when I'm out shopping and the car is baking in a shopping mall -- the iPhone app has all these fancy settings for timed charging and timed preconditioning, but they forgot to put in [CHARGE NOW] and [PRECONDITION NOW] buttons.

Maybe I should request a software change from BMW to adjust the climate control system so as to NOT automatically adjust the fan speed; just adjust the temperature of the cold/warm air that its moving and not the fan motor's rpm. {It doesn't help that the fan speeds are: Off - [hardly a breath] - [whisper] - [light zephyr] - [inadequate] - [TOO MUCH]. }

-- Ardie
i3/REx

 

[Ross]

My iPhone app has precondition now. I also have the diamond button on the key programmed to do the same. Not much use when it's hit and AC is bust though...

 

[arlorose]

Just to chime in... US build Terra BEV, all options... A/C is dead. Been nice enough in the SF Bay Area that I haven't needed it, but I did notice that a few days ago my range took a nose-dive.

The dealer is going to get back to me about a loaner and drop off, but they don't know anything about the i3, so I suspect this will be a fact finding mission for them. I'll pass on that service bulletin earlier in this thread.

 

[DerfSdrawd]

Just by way of update - I've done a few hundred miles in my car (BEV with heat pump) since it had the new 12V battery and terminals, as reported earlier in this thread. So far so good - despite the greenhouse-like interior with sunroof, the a/c definitely keeps the interior cool. The fan speed thing is confusing - it seems to start at whatever you set it then reduces once the desired temperature is reached. I have had it increase the speed again on its own (sun came out again :lol: ) but as noted below, I find I'm fiddling about with the fan setting to make the cabin comfortable.

sort it out BMW!

Next event I hope is the August software update. If Microsoft made cars, this is what it'd be like.

Back in love with it again though. I got to like the 320 loaner but it feels like a tank compared to the i3.

 

[stumbledotcom]

Just by way of update - I've done a few hundred miles in my car (BEV with heat pump) since it had the new 12V battery and terminals, as reported earlier in this thread. So far so good - despite the greenhouse-like interior with sunroof, the a/c definitely keeps the interior cool. The fan speed thing is confusing - it seems to start at whatever you set it then reduces once the desired temperature is reached. I have had it increase the speed again on its own (sun came out again :lol: ) but as noted below, I find I'm fiddling about with the fan setting to make the cabin comfortable.

sort it out BMW!

Sounds as if yours is working as designed. In Auto mode, the system manages air distribution, fan speed and temperature to cool or warm the interior to the temp you set. The fan switch controls the intensity; a single LED moves sequentially left to right to indicate the level. Setting intensity low (LED on far left) is the equivalent of turning down the volume. Air movement is subtle. It still will reach your set temperature just takes longer. Press the fan switch on the right and the single LED moves right, indicating a higher intensity. The system will use higher fan speeds to reach your designed temp then back off to maintain it. If you disengage the Auto program, you have manual control over air distribution and fan. Multiple LEDs light progressively to indicate the fan speed. Air flow will not reduce when the set temp is reached.

I've noticed the big windshield definitely causes a greenhouse effect when driving into the sun. The system measures and controls ambient air temperature so it doesn't always react fast enough to compensate for the heat you feel from direct sunlight.

 

[arlorose]

Dropped my car off and got a loaner this morning.

Seems they know about the issue and the temporary patch to hold people over until August, but don't know how long it'll take.

My car was also delivered with a paint chip and a pressure dent in the rear seat. They want to take care of that, so I suspect it'll be weeks before I see my car again. :-(

 

[DerfSdrawd]

And the air con has failed again...

I've spoken to the dealer and we're going to see if the software glitch can be reset via their computer in a 5min plug in and go session, in which case I'll live with it until the promised software fix is issued August.

The technician told me that mine is the only i3 they've seen with this issue so I suggested he reads this thread.

So I'm back in disappointed mode now.

 

[Muhv]

A / C is dead Way to go - BMW!

 

[erikpanda]

Hello all

I have had the airco issue popping about up a month ago, and went to the local dealership who did a temporary fix, which only lasted for 2 days. After several phone calls (during which I hinted to the software issue I read on the forum), they now finally came back to me today with the news that the BMW Distribution company (for Belgium/Luxemburg) has sent them a letter confirming that this would be a GENERAL ISSUE AFFECTING ALL i3 BEV W/ HEATPUMP produced before a certain date (not sure when exactly but mine was produced on April 16th). The software upgrade would only be available by end of Aug - which is really a shame given the summer period not being covered. I am posting this so any other folks that get airco issues would not waste time and effort with temporary fixes and can ask their dealers about the software update.

Question I have for the forum: does anyone know whether we are entitled to a replacement car from BMW, given that it is a serious issue and can also lead to overheating of the battery (which seems to use the aircon system at high temperatures)? I would think the least BMW can do to help out early i3 adopters is to give them a replacement car until the software issues is taken care of.

BTW - I thought I had read somewhere that the i3 could potentially get software updates over-the-air from the BMW servers? Is that just wishful thinking or anyone knows more about this?

Thanks for any reactions.

Erik

 

[MikeS]

Good info. I wonder if the posters on here that have had air con issue can confirm that their cars are BEVs with Heat Pumps?

 

[jadnashuanh]

You can update some of the entertainment software yourself...you download it to a USB drive, then plug it in, but I have not heard that they can reprogram the car over-the-air. In theory, it may be possible, and might happen eventually, but it could get messy if there were a glitch and then you'd be with a vehicle without any valid software in it! Having the radio not working or the integration of your phone would be inconvenient, but not a safety hazard.

 

[DerfSdrawd]

yes mine is a BEV with heat pump and the air con has failed for the third time now. I have been offered replacement cars each time but being Britain, the weather is on my side and I prefer not to have to spend 20p+ per mile instead of 3p! I'm therefore waiting, Microsoft-like, for the promised August software update.