2014 BMW I3

AC Compressor for the car battery system failed. There was a check engine light that was on steady, but not flashing. The electric range in the car reduced by 20 to 30% as a result of this fault. It was brought into the BMW dealership for inspection and they determined that was a short in the AC compressor and that the whole AC compressor system would need to be replaced; compressor, lines and radiatorx2 (battery radiator also needed). This was because this typical failure causes metal filings to enter the cooling system and it's not recommended to flush it out. There were no prior warnings or noise leading up to the problem. I'm concerned that there is a high risk that further driving the vehicle or charging it could cause a battery failure and cause it to catch on fire since there is no cooling. Normally a flashing engine light means to stop driving immediately, but there was no flashing light only a steady light. The BWM system check menu reported no issue with the car! The repair bill for this is about $8,400 and is rediculous. This seems to be a common problem when you start searching for it. Seems to also happen to the BMW i8 which shares the same compressor. Note that there are several revisions to the ac compressor part number which seems to suggest that they had to keep changing the part as production went on but did not notify affected cars that they could have a serious problem. This shouldn't be happening at 77k miles.

THE I3 REQUIRES FUNCTIONAL HV BATTERY COOLING TO OPERATE PROPERLY AND SAFELY. THE CAR USES A HEAT PUMP SYSTEM TO CONDITION THE HV BATTERIES. ON MY CAR, THE A/C SYSTEM (BATTERY CONDITIONING) FAILED WITH NO MESSAGE OR WARNING TO THE DRIVER. WHEN I TOOK THE CAR TO A DEALERSHIP, I WAS GIVEN A QUOTE FOR $24,038.21 TO FIX THE CAR. THE INVOICE ALSO STATES "NOTE: VEHICLE UNSAFE TO DRIVE." HOW I DISCOVERED THIS PROBLEM THIS VEHICLE IS AN EARLY I3 WITH THE FAST-CHARGE SYSTEM INCLUDED. IN JULY, 2018, THE FAST-CHARGE FAILED TO WORK. I TRIED SEVERAL CHARGERS AND THEY ALL FAILED TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE VEHICLE. WHILE THIS WAS IRRITATING, I DID NOT TAKE THE CAR FOR SERVICE BECAUSE FAST-CHARGING IS NOT A REQUIREMENT TO DRIVE THE CAR AND I DON'T USE IT OFTEN. I AM SPECULATING THAT THE A/C SYSTEM BEGAN TO FAIL AT THIS TIME, BUT I WAS GIVEN NO WARNING OR MESSAGE. IN THE FALL OF 2018, THE CAR BEGAN MAKING A MUCH LOUDER MOTOR NOISE DURING PRE-CONDITIONING IN MY GARAGE. WHEN I TOOK THE CAR FOR SERVICE IN FEB., 2019, A BMW DEALERSHIP COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM (THE PROBLEM HAPPENED EVERY DAY DURING PRE-CONDITIONING AND DRIVING). IN APRIL, 2019, I TURNED ON THE A/C AND DISCOVERED THE CABIN A/C DID NOT WORK. I TOOK THE CAR TO A DIFFERENT DEALERSHIP. THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A/C VALVE FAULTS, GRAY METALLIC DEBRIS, INSUFFICIENT REFRIGERANT (877G VS. REQUIRED 970G), AND ZERO (VS. REQUIRED 300G) REFRIGERANT OIL. ACCORDING TO BMW LITERATURE ( BMW TECHNICAL TRAINING, HEATING AND A/C SYSTEMS, P.43), "THESE QUANTITIES ARE CRUCIAL TO THE OPERATION OF THE SYSTEM........" THIS QUOTE REFERS TO THE QUANTITY OF REFRIGERANT IN THE SYSTEM OF THE BEV OR REX. I HAVE ATTACHED THE INVOICE FROM BMW-ROCHESTER HILLS ON JUNE 1 WITH THE DIAGNOSTIC INFORMATION AND THE QUOTATION FOR REPAIRING THE SYSTEM. THE TRAINING MANUAL IS A LARGE FILE. I CAN SEND IT AS REQUIRED.

AFTER A RECENT SOFTWARE UPDATE, THE COMPUTER IS UNABLE TO INDICATE THE ACCURATE STATE OF CHARGE, CAUSING UNEXPECTED POWER LOSS. MY RANGE EXTENDER WAS NOT ABLE TO ENGAGE BEFORE POWER LOSS, AND THE CAR INDICATED 50+ MILES OF RANGE REMAINING. I WAS DRIVING ON A FREEWAY WHEN THE POWER LOSS OCCURRED, WHICH TOOK ME FROM 65 MPH TO A DEAD STOP IN A MANNER OF SECONDS. *TR