[YWGT3]

Checked with BMW service advisor about early oil change. Response was - If I plan on an oil and Filter change before the 10K service and if the purpose is to ensure the removal of suspended particulates resulting from production and/or engine break-in process, I might as well consider changing it at the 1,200 mile mark . The oil and filter change is estimated to run approximately $100.00.

[AndyDubbya]

Mine's booked in for next week for that very thing.

[YWGT3]

Originally Posted by AndyDubbya

Mine's booked in for next week for that very thing.

Will probably do the same when I hit 1,900 Km.

[YWGT3]

Given the size of the relatively compact gas engine, any idea how many quarts of oil does it use?

[YWGT3]

Originally Posted by Idleup

My recommendation is that you warn the engine up when backing out of your garage - just a quick push of the throttle in reverse or neutral will engage; "warm up mode" which will last a few minutes. The worst thing you can do is drive it in electric mode then stomp the throttle and the engine goes wide-open with no oil circulated and dead cold (wrong expansion) not the best thing for any engine especially one that is not broke in yet!

Enjoy!

At first, could not replicate what you were referring to. Specifically, couldn't get the engine engaged by the quick throttle push while shifting the gear selector into reverse. However, was finally able to initiate sports mode in reverse during my morning start up. This was achieved by shutting off the i8 in sports mode beforehand.

[JasH]

Originally Posted by yw

If any i8 owner has their car in for service, chances are you will receive a survey which will include customer feedback/suggestions for the vehicle. This feedback may be helpful to encourage BMW to modify and update the software for the graphic readouts and informational display for the i8. I would appreciate it if you could include the following:
Instrument Cluster
1) Oil temp gauge
2) Narrower and sharper power band indicators for engine and traveling speed.
3) Larger and clearer readouts
Heads up display
1) Gear selection ( per JasH's suggestions in one of the i8 threads)
2) RPM indicator

Any other suggestions to this idea would be most welcomed.

No reason to wait for the service. You can email feedback to them at any time, at least in Europe.

[YWGT3]

Originally Posted by JasH

No reason to wait for the service. You can email feedback to them at any time, at least in Europe.

Excellent point JasH. On that note, It would be great if everyone would submit their written comments along with the above mentioned request (itemized list of software upgrades to the i8's instrument cluster and heads up display) to BMW.

[YWGT3]

Originally Posted by Idleup

The worst thing you can do is drive it in electric mode then stomp the throttle and the engine goes wide-open with no oil circulated and dead cold (wrong expansion) not the best thing for any engine especially one that is not broke in yet!

Enjoy!

Spoke with a friend who's a car enthusiast and weekend mechanic (his hobby is rebuilding cars and engines) regarding Idleup's comment. He concurs with Idleup and has also advised me to start the i8 off in sports mode to get the engine oil circulated and warmed up since it will minimize any undue wear. Specifically, If the oil is cold and the rings as well as other moving parts have yet to be fully lubricated, they will tend to overheat which may cause unnecessary and premature wear. Throttling down in e-mode and having the turbochargers kick in on a cold engine, in his opinion, would exacerbate the problem even further than it would in a normally aspirated engine. Since the i8 does not have an oil temp. gauge, he suggested that I'd run it in sports mode for at least 15 minutes before electing to go in e-mode. By doing so, it will allow the engine's temperature to even out and its parts to become fully lubricated. More importantly, for the anti wear additives within oil to become fully activated in the event the engine abruptly kicks in when it's needed.

He also left me with an invaluable tip, which some of you may already be aware of. For i8s, hybrids and any gas engine cars, never let the gas tank drop below a quarter tank. Reason being is that gasoline acts not only as a fuel but also as a coolant for the electric fuel pump. Insufficient gas within the fuel tank will lead to degenerative performance and premature wear and subsequent fuel pump failure due to overheating.

[YWGT3]

Originally Posted by yw

Spoke with a friend who's a car enthusiast and weekend mechanic (his hobby is rebuilding cars and engines) regarding Idleup's comment. He concurs with Idleup and has also advised me to start the i8 off in sports mode to get the engine oil circulated and warmed up since it will minimize any undue wear. Specifically, If the oil is cold and the rings as well as other moving parts have yet to be fully lubricated, they will tend to overheat which may cause unnecessary and premature wear. Throttling down in e-mode and having the turbochargers kick in on a cold engine, in his opinion, would exacerbate the problem even further than it would in a normally aspirated engine. Since the i8 does not have an oil temp. gauge, he suggested that I'd run it in sports mode for at least 15 minutes before electing to go in e-mode. By doing so, it will allow the engine's temperature to even out and its parts to become fully lubricated. More importantly, for the anti wear additives within oil to become fully activated in the event the engine abruptly kicks in when it's needed.

He also left me with an invaluable tip, which some of you may already be aware of. For i8s, hybrids and any gas engine cars, never let the gas tank drop below a quarter tank. Reason being is that gasoline acts not only as a fuel but also as a coolant for the electric fuel pump. Insufficient gas within the fuel tank will lead to degenerative performance and premature wear and subsequent fuel pump failure due to overheating.

Got flack trying to post the well intended tip (1/4 gas tank ) in the general forum section. The source of the aforementioned information, including suggestions for driving in sports mode, came from an ex-fleet manager that rebuilds and collects BMW 2002s tiis as a hobby.

[ChiTownM]

Just drive it and have fun. I agree that an engine temp gauge would help but it is though to manage when the engine will kick in anyways. I didn't buy this car to be in sport mode only, I use a mix of driving styles......I want efficiency sometimes and then I want to drive it like I stole it other times.

[Louv]

Originally Posted by ChiTownM

Just drive it and have fun. I agree that an engine temp gauge would help but it is though to manage when the engine will kick in anyways. I didn't buy this car to be in sport mode only, I use a mix of driving styles......I want efficiency sometimes and then I want to drive it like I stole it other times.

Gotta agree here. BMW built it this way. If they felt it needed protection (from us), they could have built that in. They didn't. They know what they are doing. They know what we will do. So go have fun. If you wanted to drive Boring, you probably would have chosen a different car.

Side note: Because I'm a data nerd, I'll be sending oil samples to Blackstone Labs with each oil change. Just to see if anything interesting happens. I did my first (unscheduled) oil change after break-in, at about 1500 miles. The data from that should be back in a week or so.

[Epirali]

Originally Posted by Louv

Gotta agree here. BMW built it this way. If they felt it needed protection (from us), they could have built that in. They didn't. They know what they are doing. They know what we will do. So go have fun. If you wanted to drive Boring, you probably would have chosen a different car.

Side note: Because I'm a data nerd, I'll be sending oil samples to Blackstone Labs with each oil change. Just to see if anything interesting happens. I did my first (unscheduled) oil change after break-in, at about 1500 miles. The data from that should be back in a week or so.

Well I am not sure I believe in the "they built it that way." I think a lot of cars will tell you about warming up, but if you insist they will go the maximum. Doesn't mean its a good idea. I just went with the manual information: 6 minutes in sport before launch control. I assume 6 minutes is a good number for basic warmup.

I bow my head to you for your "data nerd" methods. Please please post your lab results!

P.S. Every time I see this thread title I first read "Breaking the i8" which I find disturbing...

[Louv]

Originally Posted by Epirali

Well I am not sure I believe in the "they built it that way." I think a lot of cars will tell you about warming up, but if you insist they will go the maximum. Doesn't mean its a good idea. I just went with the manual information: 6 minutes in sport before launch control. I assume 6 minutes is a good number for basic warmup.

I bow my head to you for your "data nerd" methods. Please please post your lab results!

P.S. Every time I see this thread title I first read "Breaking the i8" which I find disturbing...

Agreed, I'm not going to drive it like I stole it when it's stone cold. And before a launch control run (which I haven't done yet), I'd certainly follow the 9 minute warm up. (nine? six? whatever... a warmup)

I love my M5 and Z4 M Coupe's "gradual, climbing redline" on the tachometer based on engine oil temperature (or was it radiator temp?) We should ask the programmers in i8-land to implement that feature in Sport Mode.

[JasH]

Louv, a sports car should show both oil and water temperatures. Disappointingly the i8 shows neither

I am sure BMW could add it to the display if they wanted to, as the car is certain to have these sensors.

[Louv]

Originally Posted by JasH

Louv, a sports car should show both oil and water temperatures. Disappointingly the i8 shows neither

I am sure BMW could add it to the display if they wanted to, as the car is certain to have these sensors.

I agree. I'd love to know ALL the information. But this isn't—strictly speaking—a sports car.

I've been reading up on the car, and there are temperature sensors all over the car. Especially in the battery and controller electronics. I'd love to know that data also (because the car will reduce power if the electronics overheat).

[YWGT3]

Originally Posted by Louv

I agree. I'd love to know ALL the information. But this isn't—strictly speaking—a sports car.

I've been reading up on the car, and there are temperature sensors all over the car. Especially in the battery and controller electronics. I'd love to know that data also (because the car will reduce power if the electronics overheat).

I agree that the i8's hybrid nature does bring into question whether it can be deemed a sports car. It's hard to imagine a sports car possessing diametrically opposed personalities being eco/carbon-conscious and fuel sipping all the while delivering barn storming sports car performance. Speaking of which, I've found the i8, with its 215/245 tyre option, to be quicker and nimbler than quite a few sports cars I've driven. But getting back to the strict definition of sports cars, I think the i8 along with the: Porsche 918, LaFerrari and McLaren P1, while all being hybrids, are redefining the meaning of a sports car. The issue , as JasH has raised, is that all the aforementioned hybrid sports cars include both oil and water temp. gauges within their instrument clusters - EXCEPT for the i8! Perhaps therein lies the contrast in pricing within the mentioned running field.

[YWGT3]

Driving the i8 has made the ho-hum everyday commute, weekend drive and short jaunt for errands a real pleasure. However, I've just experienced a second issue with the instrument cluster (readouts have gone blank this time) while performing oil and filter change after breaking-in the engine. Adding to this aggravation, while performing the diagnostics for this issue along with a post breaking-in oil change, the service technician happened to notice that one of the turbos was leaking oil and needs to be replaced.

Beginning to wonder if I've spoken to soon about the Ferrari and Lamborghini being more temperamental than the i8.

[Baron UK]

Ouch.. Still love it..

[YWGT3]

Originally Posted by Baron UK

Ouch.. Still love it..

Turbo replaced, still waiting for BMW - Germany to sort out the cluster issue.

As frustrating as it may seem, frankly there's no other vehicle quite like the i8 to even contemplate the idea of finding a replacement for it. Meanwhile, begrudgingly awaiting for its return.

[YWGT3]

Originally Posted by Epirali

P.S. Every time I see this thread title I first read "Breaking the i8" which I find disturbing...

Regarding your P.S., you have a point there. Decided to change the title to remove any uncomfortable imagery or connotation.

[Epirali]

Originally Posted by yw

Regarding your P.S., you have a point there. Decided to change the title to remove any uncomfortable imagery or connotation.

Well unfortunately with your glitches it probably is a good idea anyway!

[YWGT3]

Originally Posted by Epirali

Well unfortunately with your glitches it probably is a good idea anyway!

It's now been 19 days that my i8 has been held at the service center dealing with the cluster issue. Still no word from BMWi engineering towards preventing the instrument cluster from wonking out.

Talk about withdrawal symptoms!