My BMW i3 Is An ELECTRICAL NIGHTMARE!

My 2015 BMW i3 just won't start. It's out of warranty. What on earth could be wrong with it? Am I doomed to spend thousands to get it running again? Sigh. Electrical...NIGHTMARE.

[@razvantudose26]

Your such a drama queen 😃 just change that bloody battery!!

[@DougsCars]

It’s done!

[@DougsCars]

@@LindyBreaksTheStigma That’s what the car calls it on the gauge screen.

[@Fze5656]

Lol I got that vibe and came to say the same.

[@markcuttler]

Bruhahaha! Indeed! Pant, pant, pant!

[@cyberwolf6843]

Lol was thinking the same I also have a i3

[@mamadouaziza2536]

All i3' that use 3G wifi service will cease to have navigation, connect drive services, no more app services, no more satellite radio, no more voice control, no bluetooth, no SOS, no more updates after February 2022.. These cars will be useless and can not be updated to 4G. BMW is blaming cellular services. BMW will not update these i3' to 4G.

[@DougsCars]

Yes I got the email about that. Kinda pissed!

[@ShafinMH]

Seriously!!! What about the 2019 model?

[@JessShanahan]

I think this is a common problem with EVs (actually all modern cars) even my Zoe that’s a few weeks old threw me a 12v battery error because it’d been sitting for a while. New battery should fix things on your i3, though.

[@DougsCars]

It absolutely did! I wasn’t 100% sure if that was the issue here, but it was. Good thing is, this video has almost paid for the battery. Despite all the complaints about it. Ha!

[@JessShanahan]

@@DougsCars Love this!!

[@DougsCars]

@@JessShanahan Not too many more subs before you too can clickbait your way to riches 😂

[@JessShanahan]

@@DougsCars Not far off on subs but watch time is waaaay off.

[@DougsCars]

@@JessShanahan I’ll have to replay the video then!

[@sofokles6]

The way you press buttons and pull hanleds 20 times each... you should check on it. As you said " this isnt good"

[@simonreeves2017]

12v lead acid batteries do not last for ever, most modern cars (electric and combustion) have many computer based systems that are very voltage sensitive and a compromised12v battery will severely impact the systems they control. Your older vehicles will have simple electrical systems that do not use cpu technology.

[@StalkedByLosers]

It sounds like you have some cheap Chinese 9v accessories connected. I can hear that chime everytime you turn the car on and off. I would not leave those plugged in. They are notorious for killing accessory batteries in normal cars, must not he any different for EV.

[@reginaldr7834]

You parked the i3 too close to the wagoneer. Now it has electrical cooties.

[@DougsCars]

I blame Wooderson!

[@DriveElectricRVA]

Ugh, same thing happened to me with my Nissan LEAF when it sat for a week without being driven. I haven't made that mistake again with my new Bolt! BTW, we'd love to have you do a walkaround of the i3 -- the good, the bad and the ugly -- for our Drive Electric RVA Live! series :)

[@DougsCars]

I’m still waiting on a side window repair that happened in December-the glass is apparently unobtainium…as soon as it can leave my garage, I’m in!

[@AliMackMechanical]

That's why am not keen on the I3 battery power. Looks a bit weird lol. It's not like you can give it a jump start.

[@DougsCars]

It was an experiment for a year that’s lasted three years haha

[@jonathanwebb8307]

You can and should give it a jump start if the 12v battery fails on a trip. Once its booted up properly it should take power from the drive battery and will run OK. If your at home, just put a new 12v battery in it. No different than an ICE car with the same problem.

[@janvanderlinde3039]

dombo !!!! first google and learn about you car every hybrid electric car have problems with there 12 volt battery if the go bad

[@karelp5358]

You receive the warning you should change the battery , probably 6 years old and not change the battery, and continue using everything until you have used up the battery completely. What a drama for God's sake!

[@subtitles1492]

poor car, having to deal with all the incompetence.

[@dopiaza2006]

There's something about people who open doors/handles with keys in their hands.

[@LyuLefterov]

I think there will be a follow up video to this, where you end up replacing the 12V. A lot of i3 owners have had to replace their 12V battery between the 3 and 5 year mark.

[@DougsCars]

It was on backorder after I figured out what was wrong. It’s installed now!

[@NO_OPEC_NO_PROBLEM]

Dick Doug did not do his homework on i3s. That is why it went bad, THEY ALL DO DOUCHEY DOUG.

[@LynxStarAuto]

@Commendatore The 12v battery. EV's are still like hybrids where they use a dual voltage system. The HV system powers the electric motor that turns the wheels, the LV battery powers everything else, because they are still standard cars at the end of the day.

[@clowntakestrash]

I have the original 12v battery from my 2013 and it just now showing issues, I put a battery tender on it and went back to 13v?

[@mike_t_007]

@@DougsCars How does it drive now? Any other issues after replacing the 12 Volt?

[@asboss63]

Just buy a new battery! Way over the top reaction....just buy a new compatible battery Doug, no car wizard just buy a new battery Doug and dry leaves aren’t gross 😂

[@QUiNTiNBANKS]

Lol

[@justartpaint]

😂🤣😂

[@SinbadCarey]

It sounds like you need a hug

[@DougsCars]

Awww thanks!

[@danm793]

Doug NO MORE COFFEE! This video could have been so much better if the drama was left out.

[@samuelvincentvella]

Desperate attempt to get people to watch your video playing on fears of electrical problems in an electric car. But please....

[@gregorylane1977]

I had the same problem, except the car was trying to charge the 12 battery and it got hot and smelled like eggs. I picked up an OEM battery from BMW for $230 cleared codes in Bimmer Link because the car was immobilized even with the new battery. Now I'm good to go. I also registered the battery with the car via Bimmer Link as well.

[@DougsCars]

Yep I used that app too!

[@pkh540]

Drama queen is about the kindest comment to leave.

[@whocares264]

just change your 12volt battery and take notice of the warning you sily girl

[@KukoekKekek]

😮 Bmwi3 Battery 12 volt 20ah cost 200 dollars is very expensive.....😮😮buy a motorcycle accu the same 12 volt 22 ah....and is very Cheap...😮 Bmwi3 dealer are Thief...😮😮

[@stephenparker832]

The 12v Battery is only 20 amp hour, Replace the 12v Battery every three to four years to save the problems happening, Buy from BMW costing £100. I've got a 2019 one with no problems but I'm fitting a new 12v Battery.

[@weaesq]

Count your blessings, it was just the 12 volt battery and is cheap and easy to replace on your own. You are lucky your EME, AC compressor, or auxiliary heater (which you probably don't have with the non-rex) has yet to fail. All BEVs and hybrids should be garaged to preserve their batteries from extreme cold and extreme heat.

[@David-by3im]

I have to agree with the others. I was hoping to find out something about the i3 I could avoid by watching your video. If you have a spare 12V anything laying around you can just alligator clip + and - and the car won't have all the issues from being unplugged from a dying 12V

[@ceylontea5877]

Lock the using keyfob and make sure all doors are locked and no light s lid up and charge your 12v battery every 3yrs will last 5 to 7 years.

[@willwong1234]

Yikes, I'm a newbie in electric cars and just got my 2014 i3 two months ago! Thanks for the tip and I'll take note of this when my 12V battery bites me in my rear end!

[@DougsCars]

It’s not a complete pain to do, but it *will* need doing.

[@dopiaza2006]

You should isolate the HV system before charging the 12v battery

[@timothyma8358]

I agree a drama queen...stop complaining as it starts to get annoying. These are well known issues so roll up your sleeves and change the 12 v battery.

[@DougsCars]

Sounds like somebody's got a case of the "Mondays."

[@MiguelBricaBrac]

I am always hesitant when trying new tech. I have a 2017 and with the reputation that BMW has as expensive to repair, I too would be a little dramatic.

[@DougsCars]

It was meant to be funny...guess I’m a good actor 🤣

[@Mabeylater293]

More like the owner is a nightmare. All this time talking and complaining and you could have already been done replacing the battery. I bet you’re a nightmare to live with too.

[@rp9674]

Oh, the humanity, what's to become of the children

[@rangie944]

So much stress it was palpable, even fear expecting the alarm to go off when opening the door. In summery BMW i3 no problems just needs a new battery. Advice: buy a new battery and sell it before you have a serious health episode.

[@DougsCars]

Ha it was meant to be humorous. Battery is long since replaced!

[@rhiantaylor3446]

"I think there is a problem with my 12v system and the battery is very low, what should I do ?" Use the electrical door locks to seal the car and completely flatten the 12v battery of course. You couldn't make it up !

[@tommac5411]

Why did you put the M logo on the display? Stop playing with the software.

[@LittleGreen_Dude]

The same thing happened with my Nissan Leaf replaced the battery and it was back to normal

[@F06M6]

that accessory battery likely has a bad cell, the battery charger won't pick up on that!

[@DougsCars]

Excellent point. New one ordered and should be all better by the weekend!

[@dashizl]

@@DougsCars Yes , and while still hooked up in the car the high voltage battery is trying to charge the 12v battery thus you are getting the message battery discharging. Also because the 12v battery is being charged by the high voltage battery your trickle charger is seeing the charging voltage and not the actual 12v battery voltage so it thinks it's almost 100% charged. If you tested the 12v battery while removed you would get a different result. Likely the standing voltage would be around 10.5 v indicating a bad cell.

[@elpatronzapata8418]

Look that you didn’t know anything about this car, nor tools😂😂

[@FranklySpeaking73]

Clickbait! This is so misleading. Just be honest about the content!

[@WilliamYoung-in5pp]

Car that's not a car and thay plastic sound not worthy of m badge

[@davelocktalk]

What a stupid place for bmw to put the battery!

[@DLVRYDRYVR]

I'm so freaked out right now

[@eto2352]

clickbait. how to loose subs and annoy people.

[@lochtlmao]

i just changed mine for $150. did it myself and found the battery at some store nearby. sucks that i could've stopped this from happening when i traveled but didn't think of it. will def move it next time.

[@DougsCars]

I ordered mine online but it was about that same price. Also got the app to code the car. Car’s gone now, but it was fine after the battery switch!

[@lochtlmao]

@@DougsCars thanks for the update! did you use bimmerlink?

[@DougsCars]

@@lochtlmao Yes, that’s the one! Seemed to work well.

[@lochtlmao]

@@DougsCars awesome. thanks!

[@DougsCars]

@@lochtlmao I think this video made me enough $ to buy the battery and the app. Even though people *really* hated it 🤣

[@apocalypse2941]

You stress me the duck out!

[@rotorblade9508]

It’s a small battery only 12Ah so it may work harder than a larger one would. I mean when there is something that needs the 12V source it may drain too much current so they don’t last that long. 5years is ok for a battery. The car has a dc-dc converter that charges the battery from the large pack. But idk when it decides to do it. If the 12V is dead you can charge it but small drain current will cause it to drain it in seconds and it may not provide enough current to do anyhing(like not even rollong the windows). But while the battery is being charged it can provide a higher current that can depend on the charger. For example the dead battery provides say 5Amps instead of 30Amps, for like 10secs. With a 5A charger it can do say 10A for 15s and then 5A continuously. But if the onboard dc/dc converter detects a bad batter maybe it won’t charge the battery anymore (it depends on how the designers thought of this problem and how they designed it) to not drain the big pack however yours was 95% so car was charging it. So I think the dc/dc converter simply charges it at low rate say 5Amps and your battery was capable of like 5A for 5sec so it would mean 10A for 5sec+ and then it drops to 5A continuously but you need for example 15A to operate the car. I would just buy a good brand new battery compatible and code it. A new battery can do 200A for a few secs, or like 24A for 1/2h. For example a varta 12Ah powersports it’s like $45 it’s similar idk if it fits you need to see the specs you have. I got one for my ups, and it came with the acid in plastic bottles so it wouldn’t drain while on the shelf

[@DougsCars]

The battery was around $145 and I paid for the app to code it (Carly couldn’t do it) so I spent about $175 total!

[@NordicBushcraftLight]

Its common for a 12v battery to keep a 12v charge, but when you put it under little hard use, it drops down to 9 or 10v....it means its worn out...this might be a little confusing, since you normally measure a battery while its not "in use", olny static in the driveway....such an old battery cannot be "revived" anymore and has to be replaced...

[@DougsCars]

Always seemed strange to me that a “normal” car battery is needed when the whole car is a battery.

[@atms001]

'I guess' either there was something wrong with your battery .( for . or the charger was giving off the wrong reading . but at 3 -4 years, its a litttle too soon .. so has to be a dud from the start., and still should be under warranty My i3 was even working on my i3 with less than 50% , before it died. and it was over 5yrs old

[@DougsCars]

It was a 2015, so I think I made this video fall of 2021, so it was probably EOL.

[@normundsberzins]

better buy a bicycle !

[@johnc1486]

I wonder if the fact that the battery is so small. The charger is probably calibrated more towards a normal full sized car battery. Thus possibly showing such a high charge percentage before you charged. We just bought a 2020 i3 Any recommended home charger? I was looking at the ChargePoint product as well the portable Schumacher 110/220 product

[@thayalansuntharalingam]

My prius does the same I charge 12v battery every 3yrs also make sure lock the doors with key fob overnight and all the door lights are off this ensures vehicles goes to sleep otherwise you will have lot of dead 12v.

[@Johnnyknox1234]

What a drama queen.

[@markzieg3593]

I don’t know how to say this in a kindly manner, so I won’t. Just change the 12v every 4-years and you’ll be fine. It’s called preventative maintenance.

[@DuyNguyen-lo2mm]

why does this car need 12 v battery when there is a floor full of batteries?

[@DougsCars]

A very good question…

[@paperdrop7602]

Runs the auxiliary.

[@mike_t_007]

12 Volt runs the computers, BECCM, Hybrid control systems (REX) and all the auxiliary electronics that are sensitive to high voltage electricity. The mail

[@rp9674]

Science. Activate the contactors which are like a relay to connect the drive battery, buffers and runs the accessories, especially when the car is turned off

[@LukasBlecha]

LOL. Just replace the battery.

[@DougsCars]

I did

[@amjaddawoud3825]

thank you my friend for helpfull video , i have wird proplems with my i3 , wen i release the accelerator pedal the car tack longs time to stop than normal ..... ..... and it keep moving slowly and does not full stop , what the problem ?

[@weaesq]

Most newer cars no longer have spares. That takes some getting used to when you have older cars with spares.

[@newbeginnings8566]

You should always use a battery tester not just a voltmeter.. It is important to see what the CCA is on and off load and for starting a vehicle... Some batteries may go up to 10 years others only 5 years.. For sure a lot of issues crop up due to dying batteries..

[@leocaballero6984]

My i3 had a bad battery and when I changed the bat I coded and registered the bat but the neutral is flashing but won’t go into park. Thoughts?

[@kc4cvh]

No, you are the nightmare, not the vehicle. Watching this was like having a tooth drilled.

[@DougsCars]

You’ll receive a bill for dental services shortly.

[@AJCallowayLive]

😂🤣😂

[@francoismorainville712]

15' minutes for a dead battery, whowww some guys has time to loose.

[@joelnrs]

Same issue with mine. I had a 2104 Rex model. 12 volt battery was bad. I replaced it with an aftermarket battery that was compatible. After replacing the battery the car would intermittently not accept level 2 charging. Took to BMW dealer and the outcome was due to installing a non OEM 12 volt battery it caused a cell imbalance in the high voltage battery pack and one of the high voltage cells needed to be replaced. High voltage battery was not covered under warranty due to non OEM 12 volt battery being the cause of the issue. I owned the car for 4 years and that was my experience with it.

[@DougsCars]

Yikes, a nightmare. I registered my battery after installation, hope that helped. I pretty much only charge at home as I’m almost never near any other chargers out in public.

[@chrischristopher9983]

i also have 2014 REX. CPO warranty covered flat bed pick up to dealer. $650 for new 12V battery and labor. car sat for 3 months since I stopped driving for work. It is unfortunate that the tiny 12V battery powers the modem/data connection to your smart phone. It's not smart when it can not tell you the status of a critical health check. Then when it is past the point of no return, it makes the car act crazy making anyone feel like a drama queen.Plus the way they designed the battery location, with my big hands I said forget it ... I won't attempt unlike my Toyota Prius.

[@Eatcrow]

Those small batteries are known to be rubbish, I contacted the manufacturers and they admitted as such, it’s AGM technology and the plates warp. Just buy a new small BmW battery from a 1 series and put it in. You will need to modify the tray but it will never go wrong again Oh, and the punchline? The batteries ? Made in America 🇺🇸💩 😩

[@DougsCars]

Interesting...I bought a battery that fits, and coded it using a phone app. Seems fine so far? It was about $150. We only got the 1 series as a 6 cylinder coupe, so that might be different...

[@jonathanwebb8307]

Its not a big deal :- random electrical issues = failed 12v battery. The Ampera / Chevy Volt is just the same. This is the most common problem with this sort of vehicle. Your lucky, yours failed at home. Mine failed at 8am in Belgium on a Sunday morning half way through a transcontinental trip. That needed a 3 hour wait and a man selling me the worlds most expensive 12v battery. My top tip: if the 12v battery is more than 2 years old, carry a power pack , and read the car instructions before using it. If the 12v battery is more than 4 years old, just change it anyway.

[@DougsCars]

Yes my attempt at humor wasn’t taken well by a lot of viewers! Sorry about your Belgian experience...I at least had time (and other vehicles present) to arrange a decently-priced replacement.

[@BKMaster6]

Can I ask how do you get the m screen on it

[@richarddib]

12V battery is cheap and easy to replace. Just replace it 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@DougsCars]

I did 🤷🏻

[@richarddib]

@@DougsCars I had the same issue with my i3 and also my Smart Fortwo EV. Both cars acted erratic when the 12V batteries were low.

[@DougsCars]

@@richarddib Still seems odd to me that they can’t just run all this equipment off of the actual battery pack.

[@richarddib]

@@DougsCars I thought the same thing. It surprised me that it had a 12V battery at all ...

[@DougsCars]

@@richarddib People really HATED this video, but I made enough $ off of it to pay for the 12V battery 🤣

[@shadowkiller008]

Quit pointing the camera at your feet when you are inside the car. Your toenail fungus made me gag.

[@DougsCars]

Gotta love 4k!

[@danscar5277]

Doug, just sell it if it’s an issue and start a new KZbin topic. You’re anxiety is nerving to watch.

[@DougsCars]

It was meant to be funny.

[@guntherfischer5356]

Are you too silly to buy a new battery????????

[@woolbury1]

This guy is a drama queen lol

[@elingrato2403]

Wow I got the same issue the only differences my battery is 6% charged I think is time for replacement thank you so much for sharing this video 🙏

[@DougsCars]

People don’t realize these have regular car batteries too!

[@elingrato2403]

@@DougsCars yes I know is hard to believe a little simple thing makes a big issue

[@BLecure]

Great car if it is under warranty……if you are out of warranty BMW has you by the balls…….extremely expensive to fix due to complex engineering with unreal labor charges. My whole i3 charging system went out just weeks after the warranty expired, dealership wanted over $12,000 to fix and they screwed it up on top of that……same thing happened a few weeks after repair………..just look how much labor is involved to change the 12v battery! Sell it while you can!!

[@DougsCars]

Oh that sounds awful. Mine’s a 2015 so the CPO warranty is long gone. I did replace this batter for under $200 including coding…what happened with yours?

[@BLecure]

@@DougsCars Mine was a 2014 BEV……EMC went out first which makes the car undriveable. Repair required the dealership to “take the whole car” apart to access the EMC (over 30 hours of labor). Wanted over $12k to fix but got them down to a crazy $9k+……..repair took forever since the mechanic screwed up other things in the drivetrain doing the repair…….a few weeks later, same thing happened again and they changed the whole battery pack……….after the second repair, I drove from the dealership to CarMax to trade it in……lost a lot of $$ on that car……terribly expensive service…..will never buy a BMW again.

[@DougsCars]

@@BLecure Ugh what a NIGHTMARE. Mine has had some minor issues with unlocking the charging handle, but otherwise has been fine. I only paid slightly more than what you were quoted to fix yours for the whole car! (CPO with 6k miles) My yard service broke the side window above the cargo area, which is pretty much unobtainium right now, so it’s been stuck in the garage for months. Since not long after I made this video! Driving a 12mpg/93 oct Land Rover since has not helped my wallet. I want the little panda back!

[@bosbcn]

How did you add the Molgo to the screen?

[@DougsCars]

You can do it with the Carly app!

[@midlifechrisis8164]

Unfortunately replacing the 12v on any modern BMW is kinda a nightmare and can’t really be done yourself. It has to be registered to the car and have auxiliary power the entire time.... super frustrating

[@DougsCars]

I was able to get a battery online and use an inexpensive app to accomplish all that...it wasn’t too bad.

[@midlifechrisis8164]

@@DougsCars oh awesome, good to know! I hadn’t finished the video yet but am still watching. I have an ‘18 i3 and live in AZ where 12 volts don’t live very long so I know that’s coming. Thanks for the response!

[@DougsCars]

@@midlifechrisis8164 Nah it’s not in the video...it was easy enough to do though.

[@paperdrop7602]

Ummm. No

[@marcohitsthatshittyee8850]

Where is the interruptor for the whole car??

[@DougsCars]

Sorry I’m not sure what you mean.

[@marcohitsthatshittyee8850]

@@DougsCars to remove ac compressor

[@DougsCars]

@@marcohitsthatshittyee8850 Oh I’m sorry, that I don’t know.

[@1bluemoondj]

Are you selling?

[@DougsCars]

Not yet. I’m toying with it though.

[@1bluemoondj]

@@DougsCars okay

[@houseonpleasantstreet9774]

A bit scary. But it's the future of cars

[@DougsCars]

Very true. And we’ll need to learn these things.

[@houseonpleasantstreet9774]

@@DougsCars oh yes we will

[@DougsCars]

House on Pleasant Street In three years of owning that car, that’s the first time I’ve wrenched on it.

[@houseonpleasantstreet9774]

@@DougsCars that's good. And a batt isn't so bad. What about the big battery? How long will that last until it needs replacing?

[@DougsCars]

House on Pleasant Street It only has 26,000 miles and the battery warranty is 8 years so hopefully a while!

[@smartman123]

bmw is piece of garbage 🗑

[@markpq2]

It just happened to me, I now realize they were planning this for dealer work. BMW - Ingenious engineering, foolish me thought it would last forever. I have a positive imagination.

[@DougsCars]

I was able to get an aftermarket battery and code it to the car with an app and it’s been fine since, despite the comments others have left here.

[@markpq2]

I tried the Ancel bm700 , it worked great, cleared many very scary errors: unable to charge, locked drive, I should have filmed it. All fine, registered new battery. Computers ~ not smart enough