[MalibuBimmer]

Went to a friend's house to watch the UCLA-Oregon State game yesterday and used my portable charger. I went out to move the car after it had charged and the charger would not come out of the charging port. And the car wouldn't move as the wheels lock when the charger is in (and whether it is plugged in to an electric outlet or not).

So I called BMW Assist. I was told to remove the cover of the larger access hole in the driver's door sill and pull the blue button. That would release the lock on the charger. Nope. I pulled it and it eventually came off!

So BMW called a tow truck for me. With locked front and back wheels the guy hooked up a contraption that went under the back of the car and grabbed the back wheels and jacked them up. He rolled a different contraption under the front wheels, set it up and then jacked up the front wheels as well on a device that had its own wheels.

As he jacked it up I heard a "click." The neighbor across the street, who has a Volt, said "let me try to get the plug out. And it came out easily. It was as if the locked wheels being "released" somehow released the plug as well.

The tow truck driver lowered the car and took off all the devices, but he followed me in to the dealer where I dropped off the car.

(Earlier in the day I had charged the car at a public charging station and getting the plug out then was also problematic.)

I'll report on what I find out. Has anyone else had the charging unit stuck in the car?

[MKSixer]

Originally Posted by MalibuBimmer

Went to a friend's house to watch the UCLA-Oregon State game yesterday and used my portable charger. I went out to move the car after it had charged and the charger would not come out of the charging port. And the car wouldn't move as the wheels lock when the charger is in (and whether it is plugged in to an electric outlet or not).

So I called BMW Assist. I was told to remove the cover of the larger access hole in the driver's door sill and pull the blue button. That would release the lock on the charger. Nope. I pulled it and it eventually came off!

So BMW called a tow truck for me. With locked front and back wheels the guy hooked up a contraption that went under the back of the car and grabbed the back wheels and jacked them up. He rolled a different contraption under the front wheels, set it up and then jacked up the front wheels as well on a device that had its own wheels.

As he jacked it up I heard a "click." The neighbor across the street, who has a Volt, said "let me try to get the plug out. And it came out easily. It was as if the locked wheels being "released" somehow released the plug as well.

The tow truck driver lowered the car and took off all the devices, but he followed me in to the dealer where I dropped off the car.

(Earlier in the day I had charged the car at a public charging station and getting the plug out then was also problematic.)

I'll report on what I find out. Has anyone else had the charging unit stuck in the car?

I'm glad it worked out satisfactorily. The only time I've had difficulty was when I inadvertently locked the car with the charger in and tried to remove it without unlocking the vehicle.

The fact that you used a public charger earlier is interesting. Is there a possibility that it some affected the port physically?

Have you experienced any other anomalies regarding charging?

Thanks-mk

[MalibuBimmer]

I've used the public charger a lot. It's at the GM-Kythera building in Westlake Village. Never had a problem with it -- or the charging port -- before. I've also used my portable charger numerous times in the past without difficulty.

[YWGT3]

Sorry to hear about the lockup. Glad to know it happened at your friend's place rather than the airport or somewhere less convenient.

Haven't had any problems with the home level 2 unit nor with the available public chargers thus far.

Look forward to hearing about your findings.

[MKSixer]

Originally Posted by MalibuBimmer

I've used the public charger a lot. It's at the GM-Kythera building in Westlake Village. Never had a problem with it -- or the charging port -- before. I've also used my portable charger numerous times in the past without difficulty.

Thanks.

I am interested to see if this will occur again or if it is a complete anomaly. I use the public charger at Whole Foods and the temp charger daily.

Cheers-mk

[Aye-eight]

Originally Posted by MalibuBimmer

Went to a friend's house to watch the UCLA-Oregon State game yesterday and used my portable charger. I went out to move the car after it had charged and the charger would not come out of the charging port. And the car wouldn't move as the wheels lock when the charger is in (and whether it is plugged in to an electric outlet or not).

So I called BMW Assist. I was told to remove the cover of the larger access hole in the driver's door sill and pull the blue button. That would release the lock on the charger. Nope. I pulled it and it eventually came off!

So BMW called a tow truck for me. With locked front and back wheels the guy hooked up a contraption that went under the back of the car and grabbed the back wheels and jacked them up. He rolled a different contraption under the front wheels, set it up and then jacked up the front wheels as well on a device that had its own wheels.

As he jacked it up I heard a "click." The neighbor across the street, who has a Volt, said "let me try to get the plug out. And it came out easily. It was as if the locked wheels being "released" somehow released the plug as well.

The tow truck driver lowered the car and took off all the devices, but he followed me in to the dealer where I dropped off the car.

(Earlier in the day I had charged the car at a public charging station and getting the plug out then was also problematic.)

I'll report on what I find out. Has anyone else had the charging unit stuck in the car?

Wow. Firstly, sorry for your troubles. Secondly, I had no idea the wheels lock up when you're plugged in. Is this really because there's a plug in the socket, or is it indirect, i.e.: you're in "P" so the wheels are locked, and you can't get out of "P" because your're plugged in? I use the mobile charger every night at home and various public chargers during the day. I'd really like to hear what they find.

[MalibuBimmer]

I spoke to my SA last night. He said there definitely was a problem with the female part of the electric plug and that was being replaced. He hoped the new part would arrive today. He also said there was something else more important BMW wanted checked. He said it was "SEM" but didn't know more than that.

Does anybody have any ideas?

[MalibuBimmer]

Latest news:

BMW has ordered many parts to replace. Some are small covers, the emergency button to pull open the charger door or release the charger unit, etc., but BMW is also replacing the charger socket and, most importantly, the systems electronic management module.

The fact that they're being aggressive leads me to speculate that the SEM module has also been a problem for my i8's brothers.

[Aye-eight]

Originally Posted by MalibuBimmer

The fact that they're being aggressive leads me to seculate that the SEM module has also been a problem for my i8's brothers.

Hmm, either that, or they know that if A fails, B must be the culprit. I hope for the latter, otherwaise many of us may be looking at service appointments soon.

When I scheduled my tire change, there was no work of any other work being mandated by the factory.

[MKSixer]

Originally Posted by MalibuBimmer

Latest news:

BMW has ordered many parts to replace. Some are small covers, the emergency button to pull open the charger door or release the charger unit, etc., but BMW is also replacing the charger socket and, most importantly, the systems electronic management module.

The fact that they're being aggressive leads me to seculate that the SEM module has also been a problem for my i8's brothers.

Progress, it seems, which is good news.

How many miles do you have on the vehicle?

Thanks-mk

[MalibuBimmer]

Originally Posted by MKSixer

Progress, it seems, which is good news.

How many miles do you have on the vehicle?

Thanks-mk

5394 miles, including 2.5 miles just put on by the dealer.

[MKSixer]

Originally Posted by MalibuBimmer

5394 miles, including 2.5 miles just put on by the dealer.

Thanks.
I am safely past that point. (j/k) I have done a few long trips and have recently crossed 10,000 miles. (In 3.5 months.)

[MalibuBimmer]

I met with the i mechanic this afternoon. In order to get to the SEM module, the entire battery has to be removed. The module is on the front. It's about the size of 3 iPhones. (I had thought I'd read that the battery can't be removed.) Here are some photos. The battery consists of 6 units, each slightly smaller than a standard automobile battery.

In addition to changing the SEM module, I need a new charger receptacle which is supposedly being flown in from Germany. I'm counting the days.

The last photo is the car from underneath with the battery removed. (The SEM module is being replaced because it threw a code saying it was malfunctioning. It apparently deals with the charging of the battery.)

[MKSixer]

Thanks for the update.

It is never fun to see one's toy laid open this way. I was aghast when I saw the M6 in a million pieces.

These photo's are very interesting and show that the car is much less complicated than we have been led to believe. My main question is why this unit is placed in such an inaccessible location? This is similar in placement to the electronic control module for the SMG in my M6...placed absolutely in the worse place for service. While I am certain that manufacturing is easier with these placements, for long-term use a better placement would be more wise.

Best Regards-mk

[MalibuBimmer]

Most eye opening to me was that the battery can be accessed and replaced. So BMW will be able to upgrade the battery when technology changes. And possibly put in a bigger electric motor.

As for the car being completely apart, this was done at the same workstation where my 650i Gran Coupe engine was removed and replaced. As you say, MK, this did not look as complicated.

[MKSixer]

Originally Posted by MalibuBimmer

Most eye opening to me was that the battery can be accessed and replaced. So BMW will be able to upgrade the battery when technology changes. And possibly put in a bigger electric motor.

As for the car being completely apart, this was done at the same workstation where my 650i Gran Coupe engine was removed and replaced. As you say, MK, this did not look as complicated.

Great points on future upgrades. It would make sense to provide a bit of headroom for the development of the platform...especially on the power side. I leased this one in hopes that future iterations will be a bit more powerful.

Cheers-mk

[StuM]

Unfortunate event for you, but really interesting findings and exposure of some of the inner workings of our i8's. Hope it all comes together well. Sounds like BMW has gotten after this fairly quickly and aggressively.
Noe....the rest of us will hold our breath just a little, every time we go to unplug our cars!
Good luck.

[Aye-eight]

Originally Posted by MalibuBimmer

I had thought I'd read that the battery can't be removed.

For BMWs sake, I'd hope it can be removed. They guarantee it for 8 years. If something happened to the battery during that time and it couldn't be removed, that would mean the entire car is scrap.

[jhbi8]

Originally Posted by Aye-eight

For BMWs sake, I'd hope it can be removed. They guarantee it for 8 years. If something happened to the battery during that time and it couldn't be removed, that would mean the entire car is scrap.

Car and Driver review noted it was removeable for service last year:

http://blog.caranddriver.com/all-abo...entire-design/

[ChiTownM]

I never saw the article, so thanks for sharing.It makes me more comfortable for its long term ownership.

[hytek]

It's all that downhill driving.

[MalibuBimmer]

Originally Posted by hytek

It's all that downhill driving.

That's exactly what I was thinking.

I just got the car back. The receptacle is on order and, supposedly, it won't lock. But I'm charging it now, and it locks. I was able to get the plug out before. We'll see what happens in a couple of hours.

Oh, and I lost all the coding. No AM radio, no temperature with tire pressure, no windows and rear view mirrors closing with the key.