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      05-11-2019, 03:59 PM   #1
fbuzila
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2015 i8 AC issue

My 2015 i8 decided to break today: got a check engine light and no cold air on AC at all (not fun in Florida weather)
Managed to get home and called BMW road assistance; now let's see what dealership will say on Monday
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      05-11-2019, 06:02 PM   #2
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Broke my heart
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      05-12-2019, 07:05 PM   #3
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Broke my heart
Sad site...
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      05-13-2019, 06:42 PM   #4
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So it seems the AC compressor failed and ordered a new one
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      05-16-2019, 08:13 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by fbuzila View Post
So it seems the AC compressor failed and ordered a new one
and more updates today:

"Good morning, I wanted to give you an update on your vehicle. The technician has placed an order for additional parts from Germany after discussing the concern we are having with BMW's engineers. The parts are expected to arrive within about 10-15 business days. I know we had spoken about your up coming trip at the end of this month. I am hoping that the vehicle will be done before then but I will keep you in the loop as I have updates."
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      05-16-2019, 08:26 AM   #6
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Quote:
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fbuzila View Post
So it seems the AC compressor failed and ordered a new one
and more updates today:

"Good morning, I wanted to give you an update on your vehicle. The technician has placed an order for additional parts from Germany after discussing the concern we are having with BMW's engineers. The parts are expected to arrive within about 10-15 business days. I know we had spoken about your up coming trip at the end of this month. I am hoping that the vehicle will be done before then but I will keep you in the loop as I have updates."
....and they had better provide you with a vehicle to use if it's not ready ( I'm dreaming, I know)
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      05-16-2019, 08:48 AM   #7
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....and they had better provide you with a vehicle to use if it's not ready ( I'm dreaming, I know)
well, I actually have a second i8 I'm using (the broken one lease end is in June 30 and couldn't wait to get a new one

so this worked well for me, already called BMW and asked for lease credit for days when I don't have the car; they said to tell them when I get the vehicle back and they will "do something" about...now let's see what that means
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      05-20-2019, 07:15 AM   #8
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The “check engine” light has nothing to do with the air conditioner.
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      05-20-2019, 07:24 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by Coastal i8 View Post
The “check engine” light has nothing to do with the air conditioner.
Yep, you are right; they fixed the AC but the car is still in service waiting for other parts...
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      09-19-2020, 11:37 AM   #10
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I think no one posted Pats vid about this problem.
Btw. A friend has good contacts to a high BMW Swiss technician. He told my friend, that he heard of this problem, but never saw it here in Switzerland.

The vid from Pat:
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      09-20-2020, 09:12 AM   #11
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After watching Pat’s video it got me thinking about what type of car I might replace the i8 with. About the only thing that appeals to me might be a McLaren 720S.
After just a quick basic internet search for operating cost of a McLaren, I see that the cost of an oil change and service is $8,000. And that the expected annual operating cost is $30,000. Both of those figures seem excessive to me.... and of course I believe everything I read on the internet. But it does make the maintenance and ownership cost of my i8 a bargain. The same search criteria told me that an oil change and service on my i8 is $600. I spend around $60 because I do it myself.
Even if I get a $8,000 air conditioning bill 5 years from now I think I’ll still keep the i8.

Last edited by Coastali8; 09-20-2020 at 09:34 AM..
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      09-20-2020, 10:53 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Coastal i8 View Post
After watching Pat's video it got me thinking about what type of car I might replace the i8 with. About the only thing that appeals to me might be a McLaren 720S.
After just a quick basic internet search for operating cost of a McLaren, I see that the cost of an oil change and service is $8,000. And that the expected annual operating cost is $30,000. Both of those figures seem excessive to me.... and of course I believe everything I read on the internet. But it does make the maintenance and ownership cost of my i8 a bargain. The same search criteria told me that an oil change and service on my i8 is $600. I spend around $60 because I do it myself.
Even if I get a $8,000 air conditioning bill 5 years from now I think I'll still keep the i8.
Exactly what I think.
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      09-21-2020, 09:55 PM   #13
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I'm now leasing a 2019 i8 convertible and if M next will not happen I might keep it; I agree there are not a lot of alternatives at this price range and maintenance costs.
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      09-22-2020, 04:51 AM   #14
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Thanks for sharing the video.

I wish I had more data points. The folks who post about their i8's are a small subset of people who own i8's. Of those, there are a small subset who talk about the issues they've been experiencing. The compressor failure may not be common, but expensive, and that's why I felt I needed to post something.

Many people approach me at events saying the i8 is their dream car. I'd hate to see someone buy the car because they can afford the payments, but then not be able to drive it or even sell it, because of an AC compressor failure.

Regarding costs, someone in my comment thread mentioned they were in Puerto Rico and the AC just failed when he was driving it, shortly after he bought it. No noise or no indication of failure. He was quoted $8k at first, then a few days later said it would be $18k. That's the cost of a new low-option VW.

For a sports car, which is what BMW labels the i8, it will have high maintenance costs if you consider compressor replacement maintenance. If you compare it to a supercar, then it's justified. But, as a sports car, I can't say it's OK. And, considering Porsche has campaigns for defective items, why can't BMW do the same.

Consider the Porsche Cayman GT4 in a manual. People were losing 3rd gear due to a bad weld in the gear box. Porsche made good on it and you could bring your car in for a new transmission, even if you didn't have the problem, and that included cars out of warranty. If we get that kind of response from BMW, regarding a defective part that costs way more to replace on the i8 than any other sports car, I'd be happy.
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      09-22-2020, 05:22 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by patsgarageonline View Post
Thanks for sharing the video.

I wish I had more data points.
BMW sold 20,000 i8s, so I expect if it's widespread then it will become known. I also own an E92 M3, which have rod bearing issues. The number of cars affected is, as far as the m3post site can determine, about or less than 1%; but if a failure happens then it grenades the engine at a cost of $10-15K. Unlike here, there's a small cottage industry around making oversized bearings for better oil flow (although there have been a few main bearing failures).

I guess if enough i8s have this failure, then BMW will be forced to do something about it. But, as we saw with the M3 rod bearing failures, if the number of failures is low AND the time to failure is long (over 4-5 years), then BMW may sit on their corporate hands.

From what Pat described in his video about the part that's failing, it seems to be a matter of when, and not if; so perhaps BMW will move on this.

It would be a shame to have such a great car ruined by a small detail and not uncommon for manufacturers to sit back too. Remember the 996 Porsche 911 intermediate bearing shaft failure; the Ferrari F355 bronze valve guides or headers; or even the C63 corroding head bolts (although I think Benz eventually came to the party).

Anyway - keeping tabs on this thread to try to ascertain data points. I wonder if we will ever know?
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      09-24-2020, 06:19 PM   #16
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I have a 2014 with 17,100 miles. I wonder if the cars that are affected are higher mileage, driven hard/ constant launch control, specific model year and located in hot/warmer climate region. Are these the common denominators ? I live in the Bay Area, California with moderate climate condition all year round.

My i8 is out coverage and contemplating on purchasing an extended BMW dealership warranty. I got a quote and starts at $9,200 for 3 years/ 36,000 miles of coverage. A good or bad deal ?

Last edited by nuyockerinsf; 09-24-2020 at 07:37 PM..
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      09-25-2020, 11:29 AM   #17
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I live in Florida and I indeed used launch control several times on my older i8 that had the AC issues; but I never track it; it had around 18,000 miles when AC failed
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      10-13-2020, 09:52 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by patsgarageonline View Post
Thanks for sharing the video.

I wish I had more data points. The folks who post about their i8's are a small subset of people who own i8's. Of those, there are a small subset who talk about the issues they've been experiencing. The compressor failure may not be common, but expensive, and that's why I felt I needed to post something.

Many people approach me at events saying the i8 is their dream car. I'd hate to see someone buy the car because they can afford the payments, but then not be able to drive it or even sell it, because of an AC compressor failure.

Regarding costs, someone in my comment thread mentioned they were in Puerto Rico and the AC just failed when he was driving it, shortly after he bought it. No noise or no indication of failure. He was quoted $8k at first, then a few days later said it would be $18k. That's the cost of a new low-option VW.

For a sports car, which is what BMW labels the i8, it will have high maintenance costs if you consider compressor replacement maintenance. If you compare it to a supercar, then it's justified. But, as a sports car, I can't say it's OK. And, considering Porsche has campaigns for defective items, why can't BMW do the same.

Consider the Porsche Cayman GT4 in a manual. People were losing 3rd gear due to a bad weld in the gear box. Porsche made good on it and you could bring your car in for a new transmission, even if you didn't have the problem, and that included cars out of warranty. If we get that kind of response from BMW, regarding a defective part that costs way more to replace on the i8 than any other sports car, I'd be happy.
Hi Pat
My 2015 i8 makes exactly the same noise, as your i8 in our YouTube Video. Does your i8 still sound the same?
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      10-13-2020, 11:22 AM   #19
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This is mine :

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      10-15-2020, 10:40 AM   #20
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Quote:
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This is mine :

Yours sounds louder than mine.
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      10-30-2020, 12:52 PM   #21
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Pat & Nachbar,

does not sound good- what are you now doing?
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      10-31-2020, 12:13 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Be-em-we View Post
Pat & Nachbar,

does not sound good- what are you now doing?
My dealership could not replicate it. they filled up0.7 litre coolant fluid. so I picked my car up, drove home in electric mode, plugged it in and it ratteled again. So I will go in next week and show it them live.
At the moment bc cold weather, it only showes up, if the battery gets stressed and heated up enough AND plugged in right after. But when I sress it like mad (uphills in electric etc) and empty the battery. It will not show up, if I don't plug it in. The fan then also doesnt start.

Tbh, I'm curious what they will do and what it'll cost. I'm a very good customer. Bought lots of BMWs, connected lots of new customer, also my company I work for.
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