Air compressor noise

rastaman777 · 07-02-2022, 06:38 PM

Hello all,

Considering buying my 2020 i8 coupe at lease end.
My big concern is this whole air compressor issue.
This is my second i8, my first was a 2016 that never made of these concerning sounds while charging.
This i8 however, has been consistently making a weird sound when charging. I have attached an audio file of the sound.

For the last 2.5 years, it would reliably make that sound.
The last 2-3 months however, I have been unable to get the sound to come back. Now, it is completely silent.
I'm assuming that maybe I'm not getting the battery hot enough to require the cooling system to turn on? It's strange, as I'll come back from a 3 hour road trip, using exclusively the battery for the last 20 miles, which previously has always resulted in the fans/cooling system to turn on when plugged in.

So, I guess there's two questions:
1. Is this suspicious for a faulty compressor?
2. Why can I not reproduce the sign sound anymore?

I have spoken with the dealer. They are aware of this issue, and have had this problem on a hybrid SUV - I can't recall which model.

The mechanic suggested perhaps a faulty fan on my i8, since at present there is no sound at all, but would have expected to throw a code if the fan was out.

Thanks for the help!

Nachbar · 07-02-2022, 11:28 PM

Can't find your sound file.
Mine makes this noise since over a year. Or maybe I should say, I recognize it since then. I showed it the dealer, who told me, it's normal compressor sound. The highest swiss technician for extraordinary problems, here in Switzerland told me (actually my friend), that there hasn't been such a failure here in Switzerland. He was sure, because such cases has to be managed by him.

Mine is a 2015 and noises quite a bit.
Reproduce: drive it hard for 5mins in electric mode. Then plug it in to charge. Then the compressor starts.

Hope this helps.

Nachbar · 07-02-2022, 11:34 PM

Found my Video: https://youtube.com/shorts/kzBl1Wa9NLw?feature=share

rastaman777 · 07-03-2022, 06:12 PM

https://youtube.com/shorts/Gqf1dQZIU00?feature=share

Link to recording of my charging noise.

rastaman777 · 07-03-2022, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nachbar

Can't find your sound file.
Mine makes this noise since over a year. Or maybe I should say, I recognize it since then. I showed it the dealer, who told me, it's normal compressor sound. The highest swiss technician for extraordinary problems, here in Switzerland told me (actually my friend), that there hasn't been such a failure here in Switzerland. He was sure, because such cases has to be managed by him.

Mine is a 2015 and noises quite a bit.
Reproduce: drive it hard for 5mins in electric mode. Then plug it in to charge. Then the compressor starts.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the reply.

I listened to your video, and it does sound quite similar to the sound mine is making as well. It's definitely great to hear that this could be something normal.
Tomorrow (or maybe tonight) I'll take it out for a spin, and see if I can make that noise return.

I did finally figure out how to post my little audio/video clip...thanks also for the idea to use YT shorts!

Nachbar · 07-03-2022, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rastaman777

https://youtube.com/shorts/Gqf1dQZIU00?feature=share

Link to recording of my charging noise.

Yes, that sounds the same as mine and „healthy". There's no metallic rattle. Just normal compressor sound.

mwhfgjvcg · 07-04-2022, 04:43 AM

I had same sound on my 2014. Issue related to low AC liquid level. I still had AC compressor changed afterwards to avoid future metal issue as was one of the first generations.

mws · 07-13-2022, 12:01 AM

Rastaman, if you have a 2020, I am 99% sure your compressor will not fail like the first gen ones did.

If you look in this forum I have some posts about it, and look on realoem.com and look up the i8 A/C compressor you will see that it has several part numbers and they stop updating it sometime around 2018 or 2019 (when they stopped failing). This also occurred on early i3s. Also check Pat's Garage Online on YouTube for the i8 A/C compressor video.

Same goes for the rear shocks (and maybe the fronts)? I have a 2014. The rear shocks failed at 2800 miles (yes, that low) and there's a couple part numbers for them, until they found one that does not fail.

rastaman777 · 07-27-2022, 07:17 PM

I was at the dealer the other day for an oil change and spark plug change. I played my recording for the i8 guy there and his good news was that he doesn't think it's the air compressor.

He told me he had that issue with a new hybrid x5, where all the a/c lines had to be changed, but he hasn't had an i8 with that issue.
He said the sound the other car had was much different than what my car is doing.

But..he said the sound didn't sound normal to him.
Once the driving season is over here...early November...I'll drop the car off for them to dig into this.

Thanks for all the replies everyone!

07-02-2022, 06:38 PM	#1
rastaman777 Lieutenant 70 Rep 449 Posts Drives: 2020 i8 coupe,2019x5,2019 740i Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: NY iTrader: (0)	Air compressor noise Hello all, Considering buying my 2020 i8 coupe at lease end. My big concern is this whole air compressor issue. This is my second i8, my first was a 2016 that never made of these concerning sounds while charging. This i8 however, has been consistently making a weird sound when charging. I have attached an audio file of the sound. For the last 2.5 years, it would reliably make that sound. The last 2-3 months however, I have been unable to get the sound to come back. Now, it is completely silent. I'm assuming that maybe I'm not getting the battery hot enough to require the cooling system to turn on? It's strange, as I'll come back from a 3 hour road trip, using exclusively the battery for the last 20 miles, which previously has always resulted in the fans/cooling system to turn on when plugged in. So, I guess there's two questions: 1. Is this suspicious for a faulty compressor? 2. Why can I not reproduce the sign sound anymore? I have spoken with the dealer. They are aware of this issue, and have had this problem on a hybrid SUV - I can't recall which model. The mechanic suggested perhaps a faulty fan on my i8, since at present there is no sound at all, but would have expected to throw a code if the fan was out. Thanks for the help!
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07-02-2022, 11:28 PM	#2
Nachbar Captain 8024 Rep 671 Posts Drives: i8 Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Switzerland iTrader: (0)	Can't find your sound file. Mine makes this noise since over a year. Or maybe I should say, I recognize it since then. I showed it the dealer, who told me, it's normal compressor sound. The highest swiss technician for extraordinary problems, here in Switzerland told me (actually my friend), that there hasn't been such a failure here in Switzerland. He was sure, because such cases has to be managed by him. Mine is a 2015 and noises quite a bit. Reproduce: drive it hard for 5mins in electric mode. Then plug it in to charge. Then the compressor starts. Hope this helps.
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07-02-2022, 11:34 PM	#3
Nachbar Captain 8024 Rep 671 Posts Drives: i8 Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Switzerland iTrader: (0)	Found my Video: https://youtube.com/shorts/kzBl1Wa9NLw?feature=share
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07-03-2022, 06:12 PM	#4
rastaman777 Lieutenant 70 Rep 449 Posts Drives: 2020 i8 coupe,2019x5,2019 740i Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: NY iTrader: (0)	i8 charging nosie https://youtube.com/shorts/Gqf1dQZIU00?feature=share Link to recording of my charging noise.
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07-04-2022, 04:43 AM	#7
mwhfgjvcg New Member 2 Rep 12 Posts Drives: I8 Join Date: Oct 2021 Location: Switzerland iTrader: (0)	I had same sound on my 2014. Issue related to low AC liquid level. I still had AC compressor changed afterwards to avoid future metal issue as was one of the first generations.
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07-13-2022, 12:01 AM	#8
mws Private First Class 24 Rep 172 Posts Drives: i8, X5M, M760i Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Gilroy, CA iTrader: (0)	Rastaman, if you have a 2020, I am 99% sure your compressor will not fail like the first gen ones did. If you look in this forum I have some posts about it, and look on realoem.com and look up the i8 A/C compressor you will see that it has several part numbers and they stop updating it sometime around 2018 or 2019 (when they stopped failing). This also occurred on early i3s. Also check Pat's Garage Online on YouTube for the i8 A/C compressor video. Same goes for the rear shocks (and maybe the fronts)? I have a 2014. The rear shocks failed at 2800 miles (yes, that low) and there's a couple part numbers for them, until they found one that does not fail.
	Appreciate 1 rastaman77770.00 Quote

07-27-2022, 07:17 PM	#9
rastaman777 Lieutenant 70 Rep 449 Posts Drives: 2020 i8 coupe,2019x5,2019 740i Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: NY iTrader: (0)	I was at the dealer the other day for an oil change and spark plug change. I played my recording for the i8 guy there and his good news was that he doesn't think it's the air compressor. He told me he had that issue with a new hybrid x5, where all the a/c lines had to be changed, but he hasn't had an i8 with that issue. He said the sound the other car had was much different than what my car is doing. But..he said the sound didn't sound normal to him. Once the driving season is over here...early November...I'll drop the car off for them to dig into this. Thanks for all the replies everyone!
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