[Maybei8]

Dear All,

I'm on the hunt for a used i8 and wondered if there are any issues I should be looking out for? Any known faults or weaknesses I should check/have checked?

Thanks

[i8_2018]

I sugget you get one with warranty left. Please note if you testdrive the car it will feel slow if the battery is empty.

[Maybei8]

Originally Posted by i8_2018

I sugget you get one with warranty left. Please note if you testdrive the car it will feel slow if the battery is empty.

Thanks for the tip about the battery.

I'm looking for a car with warranty, but:
a. eventually it'll run out
b. there are always items that are not covered

Hence I'm wondering if there are any know weaknesses or faults that have emerged. They've been on the roads for four years now so I would imagine there's enough experience out there

[NGR]

Originally Posted by Maybei8

Thanks for the tip about the battery.

I'm looking for a car with warranty, but:
a. eventually it'll run out
b. there are always items that are not covered

Hence I'm wondering if there are any know weaknesses or faults that have emerged. They've been on the roads for four years now so I would imagine there's enough experience out there

You should be able to extend the original warranty (some regions may not be possible), costs around 1000-1500 USD depending on mileage and excess chosen, it covers pretty much everything that is likely to give you a large cost - and in my opinion crucial to have as you will struggle to sell the vehicle without it!

The main battery has a separate manufacturer warranty of 8 years and 100k miles I believe - one of your main worries is covered there.


Main weaknesses that I've heard of and have been covered on here (probably worth creating a sticky?):
-Tyre wear is bad on OEM rubber
-Quiet clicking noises can be heard with the windows down - no known fix (but also not a problem)
-Random electrical chassis failure warnings (multiple causes, not sure if there's a common root cause?)
-Random re-boots of Nav and entertainment systems (new 12v battery in my case)
-Fuel tank filler not opening, can be random occurrence so check the dash says ready to refuel after pressing the button (needs a pressure sensor, likely already done under warranty, it's a big job but you can get around it with the override cable)
-Engine seems reliable and low cost to service, not heard any reports of serious problems
-I've heard of at least one electric motor needing replacement (big money, warranty will cover it)
-Charge cable not disconnecting (check you can connect/charge/disconnect)
-Vermin eating through cables/wiring looms (yep - someone on here had that!)
-Windscreens can be weak, check carefully for cracks - expensive to replace
-Battery range is nowhere near 25 miles. If fully charged, realistically expect 16 at best, it doesn't mean battery problems, just real-world range.
-Gas engine not turning off at a standstill (as it should do except in rare circumstances). I think this is rare and likely a software fix (recent recall bulletin). Check the gas engine stops when in comfort mode and still in Drive
-Doors creaking appears to happen, listen when going over bumps at reasonable speeds. Usually can be adjusted out.
-Doors not always opening fully - gas struts gone bad, warranty fix.

For such a complicated car, not bad at all really - not sure how many high-milers are out there though, I'm on 20k so far. If buying without a warranty, you're brave. Either way, read up about the car, familiarize with all the quirks and check everything before buying.

People will hopefully add other issues to this thread, but knowing what is a common problem and therefore a weakness rather than a one-off is the hard bit!

[Maybei8]

Thanks a lot for the detailed list, much appreciated.

[ericsi]

they just replaced a leaky turbo under warranty on my car. Apparently more common than people tend to think.

Car has been fantastic for the past 3 years otherwise.

[JasH]

Originally Posted by Maybei8

Thanks a lot for the detailed list, much appreciated.

Just to clarify, NGR's list may look scary but bear in mind each car will only have a couple of those items - not all of them. And some have only been known to occur on a single example i8

I think the most common fault is the fuel filler. I had that too. Fixed successfully by dealer under warranty.

i8 extended warranty was £954 for me. A bargain IMHO.

You must buy a car with this, or the original 3 year warranty. I believe you cannot extend the warranty on an i8 that is now out of warranty.

[Maybei8]

Originally Posted by JasH

Just to clarify, NGR's list may look scary but bear in mind each car will only have a couple of those items - not all of them. And some have only been known to occur on a single example i8

I think the most common fault is the fuel filler. I had that too. Fixed successfully by dealer under warranty.

i8 extended warranty was £954 for me. A bargain IMHO.

You must buy a car with this, or the original 3 year warranty. I believe you cannot extend the warranty on an i8 that is now out of warranty.

I definitely will buy with warranty. However my experience here in Zurich with Porsche is that:
a. they try to claim plenty of things are excluded from warranty
b. getting an appointment for a repair takes 2-3 weeks
c. courtesy cars are tough to come by

Hopefully BMW are better although somehow I doubt it. The prevailing attitude here seems to be that it is your privilege to do business with them, and not vice versa

[NGR]

That sucks, hopefully BMW are better than Porsche.

If you check the list above (plus any others that people can add) at least you know your car is fault-free when you buy it. As JasH said, no single car will have all issues and some are very rare - only BMW really know the statistics. I have had a few of the issues on the list but haven't been stranded at the side of the road - so far.

If you get one that's a few years old, it has hopefully had any issues found and rectified. The fuel filler problem I believe is one of the most common issues but also one you can live with while waiting for an appointment (there's an override cable and you shouldn't need much gas anyway! )

Let us know how you get on

[Maybei8]

Originally Posted by NGR

That sucks, hopefully BMW are better than Porsche.

If you check the list above (plus any others that people can add) at least you know your car is fault-free when you buy it. As JasH said, no single car will have all issues and some are very rare - only BMW really know the statistics. I have had a few of the issues on the list but haven't been stranded at the side of the road - so far.

If you get one that's a few years old, it has hopefully had any issues found and rectified. The fuel filler problem I believe is one of the most common issues but also one you can live with while waiting for an appointment (there's an override cable and you shouldn't need much gas anyway! )

Let us know how you get on

Thanks, I'll certainly keep you all posted.
The current challenge is finding an i8 in the colour I like, white (most seem to be grey or black here), and trying not to get financially raped when part-ex'ing my 997 C4S! So far I've had a very generous offer of 20% less than market value!!

On a separate note, not a single one of my petrol-head friends approves of this decision. 'Why on earth would you trade in a 911 for that?!', 'sounds like a massive downgrade', 'it looks like a concept car, and not in a good way', 'buy a proper car like an R8'....

I was genuinely surprised how little love there seems to be out there for the i8.

[NGR]

Originally Posted by Maybei8

Thanks, I'll certainly keep you all posted.
The current challenge is finding an i8 in the colour I like, white (most seem to be grey or black here), and trying not to get financially raped when part-ex'ing my 997 C4S! So far I've had a very generous offer of 20% less than market value!!

On a separate note, not a single one of my petrol-head friends approves of this decision. 'Why on earth would you trade in a 911 for that?!', 'sounds like a massive downgrade', 'it looks like a concept car, and not in a good way', 'buy a proper car like an R8'....

I was genuinely surprised how little love there seems to be out there for the i8.

Some people don't get it, most owners do though And, trust me you will get more attention in an i8!

I think it's not far away that most European cities will restrict access to large engined cars and diesels, the i8 will be the quickest thing on the road while R8s and Porsches are left in the garage.

[Maybei8]

The only small reservations I have is the increased attention (it'll be a daily driver for me), and question marks over the eventual resale value (I won't lease). My 911 grabs no attention in this town (I wouldn't mind a little more), and residuals are predictable.

I was surprised by the rather neanderthal mentality of my mates. I love a raw sports car as much as the next man, but dismissing hybrid technology as somehow being unauthentic or even experimental seems outdated to me.

What's even more strange is Tesla's don't seem to suffer with this. While plenty think the quality is suspect, and maybe it's too soon/scary to go fully electric, there seems to be more love out there for them.

[Maybei8]

I have an update for you. BMW dealer number two just offered me 40% less than market value! Just gets better and better.....

[NGR]

Originally Posted by Maybei8

I have an update for you. BMW dealer number two just offered me 40% less than market value! Just gets better and better.....

Ouch!
Do you have an option to sell the 997 privately? I know it can be hard with a high value car.

[Maybei8]

Ouch indeed!
I have the time to sell privately, but my German is pretty poor so I'm a bit concerned how I'd communicate with prospective buyers. I'd also have to figure out what the rules are here; I could well imagine there's a book of regulations I need to abide by!
I could stomach a 10% hit in exchange for the ease of a part-ex, but 40% or even 20% is a joke. I actually told the dealer who offered the 40% reduction that if I could buy a 997.2 for that money, I'd buy another one!

[NGR]

Originally Posted by Maybei8

Ouch indeed!
I have the time to sell privately, but my German is pretty poor so I'm a bit concerned how I'd communicate with prospective buyers. I'd also have to figure out what the rules are here; I could well imagine there's a book of regulations I need to abide by!
I could stomach a 10% hit in exchange for the ease of a part-ex, but 40% or even 20% is a joke. I actually told the dealer who offered the 40% reduction that if I could buy a 997.2 for that money, I'd buy another one!

Agree on the numbers, 40% is just plain silly but dealers are in it for the money though, stiff you on the trade-in and stiff you on the sale - someone has to pay for the fancy dealerships and "free" coffee plus high value motors might be sitting around in the inventory for months, that hurts them so they're just covering themselves against worse-case. Unfortunately it hurts.

[Maybei8]

It's even worse here believe it or not.

Dealers expect you to make an appointment before you come, discounting used cars is virtually impossible (but not so with new), then they hit you with a 'preparation' charge of at least 450 but often more. When I was looking at a fully electric car I question what this charge actually covered. 'Delivery and fuel' I was told. I said 'well it's an EV so there's no fuel, but I guess you at least deliver the car to my house'. 'No sir, you'll have to pick it up' was the response!!

Negotiation or questioning costs is just not the done thing here. Dealers get away with absolute murder and the locals are too polite/embarrassed to say anything.

My BMW X1 told me it needed front brakes. I popped into the local BMW dealer to ask how much before I booked it in. The guy looked absolutely shocked and was visibly angered by this question! 'I don't know....I mean it could be the pads only or the discs and pads' he said. 'OK, give me the price for each option' I replied. He literally disappeared into the back room for nearly 20 minutes, fuming with annoyance at having to answer such a question. A local would have called in advance, booked an appointment, then dropped the car in. Once the work is done they would pick it up, STILL not ask the cost, return home, then receive an bill in the post weeks later (as much as 6 weeks later when you've half forgotten what you had done'.

My Swiss colleague was not at all phased when he received a 1200 bill for a standard service on his 2.0 diesel VW Passat, some 5 weeks after the work was done. Crazy!

[drlonline]

Originally Posted by Maybei8

Thanks, I'll certainly keep you all posted.
The current challenge is finding an i8 in the colour I like, white (most seem to be grey or black here), and trying not to get financially raped when part-ex'ing my 997 C4S! So far I've had a very generous offer of 20% less than market value!!

On a separate note, not a single one of my petrol-head friends approves of this decision. 'Why on earth would you trade in a 911 for that?!', 'sounds like a massive downgrade', 'it looks like a concept car, and not in a good way', 'buy a proper car like an R8'....

I was genuinely surprised how little love there seems to be out there for the i8.

Well, if it makes you feel any better (and it should), for every i8 hater out there, there are at least 350 million lovers here in the U.S. of which I happen to be one. Now, just so I'm not accused of spreading #FakeNews, I should disclose a few #Facts: There are currently 324 million people living in the US, though that number is always changing as various officials in our executive branch (with their lawyers) and assorted porn stars (also with their lawyers) come and go. So, you may wonder, how it is possible to have a higher number of i8 lovers than there are people living here? Here's the thing. One of the reasons why America is so #GreatAgain is that we are no longer constrained by such things as scientific facts, logical reasoning, or simple arithmetic. Our progressive leadership has shown us that trite concepts like honesty, integrity and physics have no place in our society. Furthermore, if you limeys (no matter that you're Swiss) don't like what we're doing to our planet, you can just go walk off the edge of it and leave .

Thanks for putting up with my rant. My doctor says that it is best for me to express myself freely as a coping mechanism to deal with i8 delivery anxiety . It's just 3 weeks, 1 day, 2 hours, and 11 minutes (approximately) until I take delivery of my 2019 i8 coupe. I can make it, I can make it, I can ............

[Maybei8]

Originally Posted by drlonline

Well, if it makes you feel any better (and it should), for every i8 hater out there, there are at least 350 million lovers here in the U.S. of which I happen to be one. Now, just so I'm not accused of spreading #FakeNews, I should disclose a few #Facts: There are currently 324 million people living in the US, though that number is always changing as various officials in our executive branch (with their lawyers) and assorted porn stars (also with their lawyers) come and go. So, you may wonder, how it is possible to have a higher number of i8 lovers than there are people living here? Here's the thing. One of the reasons why America is so #GreatAgain is that we are no longer constrained by such things as scientific facts, logical reasoning, or simple arithmetic. Our progressive leadership has shown us that trite concepts like honesty, integrity and physics have no place in our society. Furthermore, if you limeys (no matter that you're Swiss) don't like what we're doing to our planet, you can just go walk off the edge of it and leave .

Thanks for putting up with my rant. My doctor says that it is best for me to express myself freely as a coping mechanism to deal with i8 delivery anxiety . It's just 3 weeks, 1 day, 2 hours, and 11 minutes (approximately) until I take delivery of my 2019 i8 coupe. I can make it, I can make it, I can ............

Excellent post!

[JasH]

Originally Posted by drlonline

One of the reasons why America is so #GreatAgain is that we are no longer constrained by such things as scientific facts, logical reasoning, or simple arithmetic. Our progressive leadership has shown us that trite concepts like honesty, integrity and physics have no place in our society.

Funny , but sadly 100% true

[drlonline]

Originally Posted by JasH

Funny , but sadly 100% true

Yep, sad but true. I am doing what I can to change that, though. Feel free to check out my Twitter feed if you want to read some of my musings on this subject: @drlonline8. I'm a firm believer that the keyboard is mightier than the AK-15 and that satire trumps (pardon the pun) sarcasm every time.