[DDave]

New to this forum and need assistance please regarding used i8. Need honest runnings cost for owning i8. Running cost of maintenance after warranty expires. Please answer questions below:

1. Cost for oil changes after warranty is expired.

2. Cost of 30,000 mile schedule (inspection 1) service after expired warranty.

3. Cost of 60,000 mile scheduled (inspection 2) service after expired warranty ( I believe this includes spark plugs to be changed)

4. Insurance cost on i8 in USA

5. Common issues with vehicle and cost to fix it

6. Drivetrain causing issues and cost to fix

7. Drivetrain malfunction causing car to power off by itself while driving on road and not turning back On. How did you resolve it and cost?

8. Can you purchase extended warranty? If yes, when can you purchase (before 36,000 mile warranty expires). Cost and warranty info (miles and years)

9. How many cycles can the i8 battery be charged? How long is the life of the battery?10 years, 20 years..etc

10. Cost of replacing a bad battery? Do you have to replace all batteries or can you just replace the cells that are bad? Cost of battery and replacement.


Please include any other information in regards to running costs of owning an i8.
This will really assist in making my decision on what year i8 to purchase, with or without warranty.

[MalibuBimmer]

I don't think most i8 owners have answers to any of your questions, except insurance, and that would be specific to each driver, his coverage and the state he's in.

Call your local dealer.

But as Commodore Vanderbilt once said about boats - "If you have to ask how much, you probably can't afford it."

[JasH]

And all i8 cars are still under warranty, so repairs have been free.

I am sure you can find service costs locally in USA.

[Maanpur]

I8 is still under warranty so I don't think anyone has paid for oil changes yet. You may want to contact your local BMW dealer service department to get accurate info about most of your questions.

[SteveB_UK]

Originally Posted by Maanpur

I8 is still under warranty so I don't think anyone has paid for oil changes yet. You may want to contact your local BMW dealer service department to get accurate info about most of your questions.

As posted on the other thread where you asked similar:

First service on my car at 22k was £395 which is extremely reasonable given the type of car, mileage between services and it being a main dealer service in an 18 month old car!

The header tank was a warranty fix on mine.

My advice if considering an older car with expired warranty is to buy BMWs extended one at £800-£1200 per year depending on excess.

When added to cost of servicing it's still quite a cheap car to run for one of it's original cost.

[luxechong]

I'm in the market for preowned i8, so this is what i know..

1. Cost for oil changes after the warranty is expired. - $108 for oil change only

8. Can you purchase extended warranty? YES
- BMW will offer you factory extended warranty only if you are the 2nd owner of i8 including dealerships who buy it to resell.
- I8 still have factory 4 yr/50k warranty
- If you are the 3rd owner of above, then You still can buy an extended warranty from BMW financing department but will not be from BMW.
- add 3 yr/75K for 2014 i8 Gold Package - $7900

if the i8 you are looking at still has factory warranty, then take the vin # to service adviser and ask for Extended Service Maintenance Quote.

Exp. I'm looking at 2014 with 30K, service started 11/2014 so BMW can sell me a up to 3 yr maintenance for $2900. Now till Dec 31, 2014 BMW is offering $750 off for 3 yr program.

[Jo-Sta07]

This is an absurd first post imho

[luxechong]

PS.. I8 only required oil change on every 10k miles

[luxechong]

Originally Posted by Jo-Sta07

This is an absurd first post imho

Sir, I understand but we have to start from somewhere beside GOOGLE..

[DDave]

Thanks for all the responses. You guys have being very helpful!

[NGR]

Some i8s are no longer under original warranty. In the UK at least you can extend the warranty no matter how many owners as long as there hasn't been a gap or you buy it from an official dealer.

The traction battery I believe has a separate 8year 100k mile warranty, it's replacement will depend on charge retention compared to new etc... A total failure I would expect to be replaced without question.

Outside of the 8 year/100k period - no idea. However Renault charge around $6000 for a Zoe battery (much higher capacity than the i8s). I would expect at least a few thousand for an i8 battery and it is apparently accessible from underneath. The knackered unit will likely still have residual value as it's very unlikely all cells will have failed.

Does anyone know of an i8 having a battery replaced? In theory with advances in cell density, you could probably double the capacity and still fit in the gap, would make a nice upgrade and show some commitment from BMW to customers who spent 100k+ on a prototype car!

[ericsi]

My i8 cost me zero in the 2.5 years i had it from new. Zilch.

The depreciation is the killer. I have not sold it yet though.. aha!

In fact i had the carbon fibre interior retro fitted at my dealer. This cost £1.7k.

[Sophisto]

Originally Posted by NGR

...
O
utside of the 8 year/100k period - no idea. However Renault charge around $6000 for a Zoe battery (much higher capacity than the i8s). I would expect at least a few thousand for an i8 battery and it is apparently accessible from underneath. The knackered unit will likely still have residual value as it's very unlikely all cells will have failed.

...

Each of the 6 High-Voltage battery modules can be replaced seperately. Current price for a single cell module (BMW part no. 61 27 8 610 459) is 628,73 Euro. (approx. 740 US$). So it adds up to 4,500 US$ for the batteries.
I don't know what a dealer will put on top for replacement itself, but I could imagine a total of 6-7,000.

Modules will be changed under warranty if their capacity runs below 75% within the 8 year period.

[jcpca356]

extended warranty in the US is stupid. who's gonna drive it to 75k miles in 3 additional years. just stupid pricing grid.

[ChiTownM]

Originally Posted by jcpca356

extended warranty in the US is stupid. who's gonna drive it to 75k miles in 3 additional years. just stupid pricing grid.

What he said.

So far, this car has been the cheapest car to run but the initial cost of ownership and the following depreciation is definitely high. This is thanks to BMW Go to market screwing up by flooding the market. Heck, they fucked up the M4 GTS too, and many other ones, especially their limited Marketing models.

[NGR]

Originally Posted by Sophisto

Each of the 6 High-Voltage battery modules can be replaced seperately. Current price for a single cell module (BMW part no. 61 27 8 610 459) is 628,73 Euro. (approx. 740 US$). So it adds up to 4,500 US$ for the batteries.
I don't know what a dealer will put on top for replacement itself, but I could imagine a total of 6-7,000.

Modules will be changed under warranty if their capacity runs below 75% within the 8 year period.

Ouch! That sounds a lot for a small cap battery. Any idea if BMW will do an entire new unit and use your old one for recycling into other vehicles (with some cashback obviously)? Is it easier to swap an entire battery pack or are the cells easy to split up and replace?

I remember getting £100 knocked off an alternator because they sent the old one for refurb - the new one was close to £1000 fitted though

[DDave]

Can you continue to drive vehicle with bad gas tank sensor or do you have to replace it? I head that is a costly repair without warranty,

[NGR]

Originally Posted by DDave

Can you continue to drive vehicle with bad gas tank sensor or do you have to replace it? I head that is a costly repair without warranty,

There are a few threads about the gas tank sensor - is your problem where you can't open the flap to get the fuel cap off?

If so, general opinion is that it's not really a problem although you will need to manually override the flap when refueling.

Talking to my service department, the system has a stainless steel tank and pressure could build up in the tank meaning the fuel cap could come off with some force when you refuel - hence the sensor and computer check before allowing you to get to the cap.

Personally I would have it fixed but I don't believe it's really a problem - just bear in mind possible pressure build up when taking the fuel cap off, maybe manually release every half tank as well if you don't fill up often.

You're right about the cost, the repair will be expensive (tank out, bleed coolant etc. etc.), mine was done under warranty, I'd be surprised if it wasn't $1000 to $2000.

[DDave]

Thanks for the input. Did anyone have issues with “drive train malfunction” and car would not start? Having this issue but out of warranty. Curious how to troubleshoot and costs to fix...

[DDave]

Car has 47000 miles, so 36000 mile warranty expired. Will the transmission warranty cover this?

[emmfive]

Originally Posted by DDave

Car has 47000 miles, so 36000 mile warranty expired. Will the transmission warranty cover this?

This doesn't make sense - the warranty is 4 years/50k miles. If you're at 47k miles then you're under on mileage, and since the first US i8s were delivered in late 2014, you're under 4 years.

Unless you're not in the US?

[vance]

He’s probably thinking of the 36,000 mile maintenance instead of the warranty