[UNivek]

Wanted to share this story that I hope is 'one-off', and is likely the cost of being the early adopter!!!

Problem with the car that led to the dealership visit: Early May I noticed the AC wasn't working, which by itself wasn't a big deal, but in the i3, the AC system also cools the battery, so it is considered a must fix!

Why it has been in the dealership for over a month: They diagnosed the car needed a part to fix the issue, but the part was in backorder. Dealership waited 3 weeks for the part to arrive. But after receiving the part, dealership determined they needed 'another part' - which is also back ordered. Estimate is another 2 weeks wait.

Loaner vehicle? Dealer gave me a 2017 330xi loaner (brand new pretty much with 3K km) but it is dull and boring, not to mention - reminds me how much gasoline costs! I had an E90 M3 prior to the i3 for reference.

Needless to say this is getting very frustrating and I have zero confidence in the dealership repairing it after this 2nd part arrives in another two weeks. Have reached out to BMW Canada and they said there is nothing they can do as the dealer 'would know' to reach out to BMW Canada for assistance. - which BTW, they finally did after the part they waited 3 weeks for didn't solve it.

I will update this thread as I get more updates.

[timekpr1]

I definitely hope my AC does not go out!

[lilmacarony]

What are they replacing? The whole HVAC System and the heat pump?

[-c-]

Early on within the first year the AC pump failed and they replaced it right away and have never had a problem since. They said it was even a new part number probably a design change.

Like you said when you buy a first year you got to deal with the issues that come up.

But the back order really sucks but it happens, I had a 135is that had a part that needed replacement for the dual clutch transmission and it took over 6 weeks to get! Wasn't happy but the dealer took good care of me and gave me a 535i loaner to play with

[MalibuBimmer]

Under California's Lemon Law BMW would have to buy back or replace the vehicle. Does Ontario (or the national government) have a comparable Lemon Law or are Canadians left to the mercy of the automobile manufacturers?

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by UNivek

Early May I noticed the AC wasn't working [...] They diagnosed the car needed a part to fix the issue, but the part was in backorder. [...] Dealer gave me a 2017 330xi loaner (brand new pretty much with 3K km) but it is dull and boring.

First of all, sorry to hear about your troubles.
My MY'14 must have spent ~2 months at the dealer for various repairs and recalls.
On the bright side, I saved a tone of miles from my lease, and got to sample multiple loaners (you can ask for a new one if you get bored with the current one). This time of the year I would ask for a convertible !

Originally Posted by UNivek

Needless to say this is getting very frustrating and I have zero confidence in the dealership repairing it after this 2nd part arrives in another two weeks.

Lets not be over-dramatic hear.
If you really have 0 confidence in dealer's ability to repair, you would have demanded the car back and tried to repair it elsewhere.

As it is, you are annoyed and disappointed, and have every right to be.
Realistically, however, you have no choice but to either wait for the current dealer to repair the AC, or take your car to another dealer.

i3's are still somewhat rare, and very few dealers know how to work on them.

Originally Posted by MalibuBimmer

Under California's Lemon Law BMW would have to buy back or replace the vehicle. Does Ontario (or the national government) have a comparable Lemon Law or are Canadians left to the mercy of the automobile manufacturers?

Unless Cali had changed its Lemon law, dealers gets 2-3 attempts to repair life threatening defects, and "reasonable number of attempts" for other defects.
Time to repair is not really limited, as it has many loopholes to extend the time beyond the initial 30 days.

a

[UNivek]

Got the car back exactly 7 weeks after dropping it off!

Here is the list of findings and parts for others to reference. (so you can hopefully have a quicker turn around than me)