Rex repairs

[VicsLondon]

I've owned my second hand i3 rex for 18 months and need some advice on getting it serviced and repaired.

A drivetrain fault light came on last week and the rex stopped working so took it to the BMW dealership. They charged me £500 to update the software so they could diagnose the fault and then another £2000 to replace the crankshaft sensor. I was totally shocked by the bill! Most of the cost was labour as they had to remove the entire engine to replace the sensor and it took them 9 hours. I called several independent garages, including a BMW specialist, and they all said they couldn't do work on it as it's a hybrid.

So I'd love advice on two things:
1. How to find an independent garage that can maintain my car (I'm in East London, UK)?
2. Whether every fault is going to be this expensive to fix i.e. does the design of the i3 mean that you have to basically take apart the entire car to fix anything?

Thanks all!

 

[Arm]

Have you tried Wisely Automotive? You might ask them and see if they do any repairs or recommend someone.

 

[VicsLondon]

Thanks Arm. I'll give them a try.

 

[JeChe]

Hi I have an i3 Rex 2014 since last week unable to charge It seems like the charger is not being recognised by the car it started gradually and sometimes by changing the setting from immediate charge to off peak charge made a difference but now it has stopped working completely , I tried all different types of chargers and also went to the BMW garage and they couldn't charge it either , there next available drop off would be in 3 weeks for further diagnostics. It does not make a sound anymore when the charge is plugged in , there was usually a sound that the plug engages, it flashes white LED for a few seconds then after approx 10 seconds the red light flashes regardless of any setting such as immediate charge , maxed reduced etc

Is there an independent garage anywhere around Stratford Upon Avon or Birmingham or Oxford that would know anything about how to diagnose I3 Rex problems ?

 

[mojo]

Possibly your best bet would be to look up your nearest Hevra-registered independent here:

https://www.hevra.org.uk/