[hemi steve]

I'm considering purchasing a used I8 before I do I need some information from actual I8 owners. So what about I8 reliability? It's been my experience that if you judge a car based on problems reported on forums like this you would come away with a bad opinion. This forum seems to be the same in that regard. I've also read elsewhere that BMW's in general have reliability issues. I've never owned one so I have no idea if that's true...I simply read it on the internet so it must be true...lol.

Anyway,

1. I'd like to hear both sides of the reliability question from actual experience, not hearsay.

2. From what I read here it seems like maintenance and repairs need to be done at a BMW dealer as there are very few independent shops qualified to work on I8's. Is this true?

3. I also read here that repairs take a long time often driven by having to source replacement parts from Germany. I read that even 12v batteries are frequently ordered from Germany. Is this generally true in your experience?

4. Owning a Lamborghini I know about expensive parts I do not have an extended warranty and have had zero problems with the car. I read here from some owners that it would be foolish to own an I8 without a warranty. in general, what do you guys do about the warranty issue? I've also read here that buying an extended warranty is ts. . $5 to $6k for a year. At the same time I read the UK guys saying an extended warranty is maybe 1000 pounds. Huge difference, so what's up with this??

Thanks

Steve

[Leto1701]

You want to buy a used model? Well I can't speak to that myself having the 2019 roadster which is 1) a reasonably different car and 2) not out there for long. As a member in the German i8 Club I spoke to many owners on our last meeting. Most had no serious issues, many the one with the fuel tank not opening. Pretty good for a car that is this complex and also not standard for BMW. However one guy has still serious trouble with the drive train and overheating. Might be an issue with the central controller which is very expensive to replace, especially if you are not sure it fixes the intermittent issue.

So my impression here is:

A) Pretty reliable for such an exotic car in BMWs lineup
B) Very few people with experience
C) Most likely the further away from Germany the worse it gets with expertise, parts, response times
D) If you have an issue it can be very expensive

Hence I guess the warranty recommendations. I decided against an old i8 because of the battery size but also because of ironed out issues from the first release in the "facelift". Hopefully not in exchange for new ones ;-)

[mptpa]

Originally Posted by Leto1701

You want to buy a used model? Well I can't speak to that myself having the 2019 roadster which is 1) a reasonably different car and 2) not out there for long. As a member in the German i8 Club I spoke to many owners on our last meeting. Most had no serious issues, many the one with the fuel tank not opening. Pretty good for a car that is this complex and also not standard for BMW. However one guy has still serious trouble with the drive train and overheating. Might be an issue with the central controller which is very expensive to replace, especially if you are not sure it fixes the intermittent issue.

So my impression here is:

A) Pretty reliable for such an exotic car in BMWs lineup
B) Very few people with experience
C) Most likely the further away from Germany the worse it gets with expertise, parts, response times
D) If you have an issue it can be very expensive

Hence I guess the warranty recommendations. I decided against an old i8 because of the battery size but also because of ironed out issues from the first release in the "facelift". Hopefully not in exchange for new ones ;-)

I say it is quite reliable. I had a 2016 coupe and now have a 2019 roadster. But I am looking to change if someone is interested. It is copper with light grey interior (171k msrp) and has 1800 miles. Lease transfer??

[JasH]

Fuel pressure sensor will always fail in time. Weak design. Search the forum for more.

Expensive to fix, but not actually something that stops you driving the car.

[SurreySid]

Mine has been very reliable, nothing major to report. My i3 has been bulletproof too. So go ahead and buy one with confidence 👍🏼

[hemi steve]

SurreySid
What year is your car , how long have you had it, how many miles have you put on it and do you have a warranty?

Steve

[zorgzx]

I'd say not very reliable.

I think the problem is the techs don't know it, and dont know how to read the outputs of the car in diagnosis. The actual car doesen't seem terrible, just a bit below your average beemer, wich is nowadays getting quite bad.

Mine's a 2014 with 80kkm, it's been in the shop a lot for minor stuff, like fuel pressure sender, struts, wipers, and software. oh and the petrol motor blew up.
it wasn't horribly expensive to replace from memory something like 10K ish.

But if you're worried about the reliability i'd get a warranty. I'd say expect the same as your lambo, but with better gas milage.

[Chickenmusket]

I bought a used one in July last year its a 2015 , still has BMW warranty until March this year. no problems until November when i got the Drive train cannot restart error. Car is still at the dealer waiting for 4 of the high voltage battery modules. Should be completed next week. If your getting an old try to get warranty. The electric portion of the hybrid system electric motor, electronics and high voltage batteries are covered for 8 yrs, 100k miles from BMW. I agree getting parts could be a hassle, but I still love the car.

[hemi steve]

I appreciate the responses with real life experiences. The more I read about these cars, it seem like you really need a warranty.
Chickenmusket:
am I correct that your '15 warranty is a CPO? If so, what do you plan to do when that expires after one year?

Steve

[wanesso]

30,000 miles and no significant issues; just the gas door cable replaced. Love this car.

[deanhalter]

My wife daily drives her i8; it's a 2014. We bought it a year ago with ~5K and have roughly doubled the miles with no real issues.

Had a coolant low warning at a few points - the fluid was in range so likely a sensor. Not had it return in a few months.

We didn't go with a warranty.

[zorgzx]

The thing is the depreciation has been so violent, that even major surgery would amply be covevred by the essentially identical 14 car vs a 16+ with warranty. I for one dont regret getting a non warranty 14, and replacing the engine, it's still well within a 16 cars price.

[lockescow]

I'm starting to look into i8 as my first BMW within the next 9 months, and it seems 2016 are starting to bottom out at ~60k. I'm also wondering about reliability. I'm fairly new to this forum, this being my very first post and all. From the posts on here, it seems 2014-2016 falls into the early dev phase with nice amount of issues. Would I do better going for 2017+? Or would a late 2016 be just as good, considering that previous owner would have taken all the steps in repairing what's needed by now?

[Nachbar]

I'm driving my 2015 i8 here in Switzerland mainly in the wintertime and on cold, or bad weather days. I drive it a lot, do groceries, kids to Kindergarten, for work commute and so on. I absolutely love it. Wayyy more than all the M-Cars, and even GT3 I owned before.

[zorgzx]

Originally Posted by lockescow

I'm starting to look into i8 as my first BMW within the next 9 months, and it seems 2016 are starting to bottom out at ~60k. I'm also wondering about reliability. I'm fairly new to this forum, this being my very first post and all. From the posts on here, it seems 2014-2016 falls into the early dev phase with nice amount of issues. Would I do better going for 2017+? Or would a late 2016 be just as good, considering that previous owner would have taken all the steps in repairing what's needed by now?

Theres very few technical updates reg reliability that is changed. On the new cars the battery is a bit bigger and the middle gen cars hae some minor tweaks. But as you have spotted the older cars are dirt cheap.

I'd only choose between a car with or without warranty, regardless of age. The deadly complex hybrid system is actually warranted for 8 years.

[jcpca356]

get a warranty if you're worried about repairs. in fact i'd discourage you from the car since all us really had the first 5 year experience at max. it's only from here on that long term reliability issues begin to pop up