Used BMW i3: £3k of Repairs (including MOTOR MOUNTS) & Still NOT Perfect

[@sixer48]

Been taking cars apart for 30 years this was the best maintenance video I’ve watched in a long time!

[@rickvoit7310]

Gosh do you know anyone in the States who approaches your level of expertise in the i3?! What a service you offer to we i3 drivers.

[@ksnax]

The plastic driver side motor mount is the primary cause of more catastrophic problems when it breaks. It is well worth inspecting very closely for hairline cracks across the top, and or replacing.

[@312maxon]

Re the odd behavior of the RF window regulator, I've encountered this behavior in E36-E46 cars. I vaguely recall there was a Ferrite or magnet glued to the motor shaft which had come loose. The mechanism, motor and controller all worked fine, but without a signal from the hall sensor, this is the failure mode. I suppose the old regulator could have been revived with a bit of cleaning + super glue or epoxy securing the loose magnet, but not economically for the customer.

[@AdamC66]

I’m not even an i3 owner but Wisely videos are really watchable and interesting. If I end up with one it’ll be because of you guys. Thanks

[@harrycummings6501]

Me too….

[@shivercanada]

You guys are awesome. Whoever bought this car is very lucky!

[@boomerang2]

Martin - your videos and accompanying narrative are so uncluttered and concise. Great work! Thanks for the upload.

[@kwenger7088]

Thanks for the best i3 content on KZbin!

[@simonreeves2017]

The series of videos from Wisely are excellent. My i3 is my first bought new car (42kWh Sept 2019). Previously I have bought cars that have depreciated and maintained them my self as much as possible. These videos give me confidence to tackle future issues with my i3 going forward as it’s radical design and technology seemed initially intimidating to a traditional home mechanic. Well done Wisely!

[@andreash.6841]

Thank you for your interesting videos - I own an i3s and absolutely love it. Im planning to keep it for a long time so it is great to learn about some repair procedures. Keep put the great work - I subscribed to your channel.

[@OffRoadToad76]

Great cars. Worrying amount of faults as they age.

[@joeb4294]

Amazing work - I expect that a BMW dealer would have charged three times as much for all of this.

[@doomsday9973]

Easily !

[@Dggb2345]

3k for the mounts.

[@spankeyfish]

That high beam unit repair is just like one I had to do on my BMW F650CS tail light. They vibrate so much that it snaps one or both of the mounting ears off (mine had after ~6k miles) so I got a new one and reinforced it with epoxy putty. 30k miles later it's still fine.

[@rogerhudson2814]

Good work at a very good price, a really good i3 specialist is better than a large BMW main dealership.

[@iandonkin6762]

Another excellent and informative video. These are great to watch for anyone considering an i3 and wanting to understand common maintenance tasks. Thanks for sharing 👍

[@steveemmerson4954]

I love these videos which detail the maintenance and repair aspect of the i3. Looking forward to the future service videos. Thank you 👌

[@samgratis6407]

That’s a lot of work. Fair play for doing your best to keep the costs in line with the customer’s wishes! As the wasted space under BEV boot floors was mentioned, a search for ‘BMW i3 Trunk Extension’ brings up a German company making something exactly for this. They claim an extra 35 litres of storage volume (I have no affiliation with them). Thanks for the excellent video which will surely give others confidence to tackle some of these jobs.

[@joandrage4442]

This makes me appreciate how skilful motor mechanics are.

[@newbeginnings8566]

Very, very well filmed and of course fixed to a high standard.. Still £3000 on older used car, even if cheaper than a franchise dealer, is still a whopping price to swallow! What mileage and age was it? Is this a normal wear and tear bill?

[@stevemain9582]

ive loved this video..honestly would i do anything myself NO!..but i would certainly bring my car to you for servicing and repairs.. well done

[@andyherd5606]

Great and interesting video guys 👍🏻 Wish I knew to disconnect the 12V battery before removing the seats, my safety battery terminal blew as a result but I managed to replace the positive terminal and a portion of the cable using a genuine repair kit then clear the error. In a previous video you mentioned a way of repairing the notorious HVAC blinking LED’s, maybe a good idea for the next one? Keep up the good work

[@Italicbard]

We have had exactly the issue of a sheared top mount bolt occur whilst in the garage that you mention at around 18:35 - they have quoted £5,500 to repair it!

[@pcr8918]

Hope you can get to London

[@Eatcrow]

Meticulous work👍🏻 the reason the customer wanted the high beam repair is because BMW have decided to rip everybody off by charging £336 for that silly little fog light, back in the day they used to be £60 but there are now supply problems with them

[@beforebefore]

Thanks very much for making this kind of an "instructional" video. I'm just about ready to replace the drive motor on my 2015 BEV (due to a bad/noisy output motor bearing), and all of the motor mount replacement info helps. I still wish you could have done this kind of a video when you replaced the motor in that i3 a while back... I'll obviously need info on dropping the entire drive unit... unless you have determined that may not be required.

[@richardwallinger1683]

great video . I was thinking of buying an I3 but after seeing your video I am having second thoughts .

[@wiselyauto]

We love them. They just have to be maintained and prepared properly because trying to solve years of accumulated problems in one go can get pretty difficult.

[@rebootninja8036]

at 11:13 - can you tell us what the socket size is for these bolts? I'll be replacing mine within the next month and will need to obtain the correct socket to remove these.

[@SKraus-pb1ii]

Love your Videos! Thanks a lot.

[@mannienicholas3693]

That high beam repair was amazing 🤩 Also the motor mount repair as well.

[@AngelosPalaiopanos]

Great video, very detailed, well worth watching especially for someone that wants to buy an i3 especially an old example.Would be great if you would give also a ball park price of your estimation for doing those jobs on a dealership as well.

[@richardpiper4828]

You have to wonder how thoroughly the direct buy sites inspect car’s that they are buying. I guess it is quite easy to do a cosmetic examination but they cannot have the expertise to really understand what they need to look for on a specialist vehicle like the i3. How many used car dealers overlook non obvious problems to avoid cutting their margin? If a car is cheap there is usually a reason for why it is.

[@SkippyPB.]

wish we had honest techs like you here in the US

[@andreyd8116]

Excellent video and great attention to detail on all the repairs. Thank you.

[@westhavenor9513]

You guys do excellent work! I don't think it would be easy to find that level of quality having repairs done in the States, especially for under $4,000.

[@peterfrost696]

Nice to watch somebody who knows the vehicle

[@deanemorgan7384]

Fascinating, its clear that you are specialists with the BMW i3. One question, for the motor mounts you mention BMW rectified it in both software and hardware, would you know roughly when they updated this?

[@pachinger]

Not 100% sure, but I've read that they changed that with the LCI (facelift). Should have been around 2017 and can be visible with new LED headlights in the bottom.

[@greiganderson81]

Great video as always Mark. I’m interested to know what age this i3 was and when some of the manufacturers design changes took place. I have a 2015 i3 Rex atm and love it.

[@peteglass3496]

This was manufactured 2014/03 [12Volt battery 2014/04] 16:32 so probably registered mid-summer, it's done 130,000miles - not bad at all. There was a recall on the motor mounts and bolts, this one seems to have escaped. Sorry, I don't know the date of any changes but it was certainly a topic of conversation in 2017; possibly worth checking yours.

[@greiganderson81]

Great to hear, will check it out. Mine is running around 60k miles so good to hear they are going well on past 120k. What’s the largest miles number you have heard of / seen from the 2013 models?

[@richardguo1892]

Great work, as a previous i3 owner, the motor mounts was one of the biggest concerns throughout my ownership, IMO, they are just poorly designed, especially eariler MY with the weaker bolts and plastic mounts, no secondary fail safe on a suspended engine mount design is kind of crazy...

[@jonathantaylor1998]

That was an absolutely fascinating video to watch, Martin - your colleagues, Arthur and Dan sure know the ins and outs of the i3, don't they...!! WOW...! It's one of my 'regrets' that I never really bothered to learn about auto mechanics - could've saved myself a fortune over the years...!! 🤣

[@justice4g]

it seems you could extend the life of the old style mount by inserting something to reduce the gap between mount and bracket.

[@craigchamberlain]

Really good video - thanks for sharing. Do you guys ever get i3 cars with really rough sounding aircon noises coming from the rear of the car when started? My wife's i3 BEV has been sounding very noisy for a few months now and I'm not sure if it needs an aircon recharge or some sort of coolant top up, or maybe a new compressor. Hopefully not the latter! It's an early 2017 i3 BEV with about 72k miles. I just replaced the front strut gaiters and top mounts today which has made it much quieter and smoother when turning the steering. The original mounts were a real mess with corrosion, and the gators were just shredded. Thanks for what you do - if we ever decide to update our i3 to a newer model, I think you are the only dealer we would want to buy from. We love our i3 and can't imagine being without it.

[@Humuku]

Thanks. I had my REX engine mounting screw brake, resulting in the dropping of the REX engine damaging the EME.

[@wiselyauto]

Sorry to hear that. 😢 Hopefully all sorted now.

[@Humuku]

It happened while being on vacation in Italy. The car spent 3 month there to get it all sorted out.

[@tomyeplcharger]

Hello Do you know which year the motor mounts design changed ?

[@944buy]

Good stuff man! Thank you! Cheers!

[@volkhen0]

13:31 would it be possible to enlarge the thread? Drill it and tap it to new size?

[@trick700]

Loving your videos. We live near Solihull, when are you guys opening a branch here?…I’m already looking for a suitable railway arch! 👋👍😎

[@gap9992]

Really enjoyed watching this. I am looking for a small EV and a recent i3 is on my shortlist. It's good to know that Wisely are able to do professional work without the BMW dealer prices !

[@andrewyu7403]

Wow! you guys should setup shop in Melbourne, Australia

[@SoerenToerholm-xt7sm]

Thanks great video, which tools do you use when removing the plastic motor mount bracket, and is it possible to fit a torque wrench in there?

[@alexbarrett9506]

Where can I get this done in Canada?

[@peterlipovsky8214]

Is there a list of parts for motor mount?

[@the1beard]

Hi Do you sell the Engine mount parts ? Thanks

[@MrShaneSunshine]

Did the car go to St. Maartin? I saw one there just like that! Just one!

[@BRZ666]

Hello, thanks for your beautiful Channel ! I am the owner of a 2014 i3, and my plastic motor mount just failed 😢 It broke the CV by falling on it, so, thanks to your Channel, I managed to order New parts to replace them. Unfortunately I can't reach the bottom screw of the motor mount, could you give me some advice please ? Thanks a lot

[@JP-ri1wf]

Great Video, So does the 94ah i3's have these upgrades installed from BMW already or is it only on the 120ah ones? Also, is the 94ah and 120ah i3's better built or just have a bigger battery? Thank you

[@mateuszkonkel7983]

Hi Guys! Great video but 1 question, what is the jointing torque for motors mounts bolts- 165NM or 96NM? Thx!

[@cromekunal]

Great video. I had a question. I’m thinking of buying one of these i3’s. 2016. I can appreciate the battery will degrade which is fine I only do 20miles a day. My question is I’m planning to keep the car for a while. So how long do the batteries last? Ie battery health about say 70%. 10-15 years? I know it’s a tough question.

[@simonreeves2017]

Hi Martin, second comment from me on this excellent video. Quick question about the damper gaiters- are there after-market options available that are more durable than the rubbish ones BMW fitted at the factory?

[@florianbarras]

I used to own a Lexus CT200h and had zero issues for the 8 years I've had it. Being interested in buying a used I3, I wondered looking at the video if it is as reliable as the previous car I owned? Does this kind of expansive repair is a common thing among I3 (especially interested in the 94Ah I3)? Thanks

[@12alocin]

That's what I was wondering.

[@peteglass3496]

I had a Lexus IS300 until it's 15th birthday [it was SORNed this year on its 20th birthday...] and so you make a challanging comparison as Lexus is as good as the most reliable brand on the planet! My sister got through 3 or was it 4 CT200h's until her latest UX300h (the EV version is stupidly poor). Anyway a lot of the work here was bits and pieces accumulated unfixed over time, much just wear and tear. The gaiters is a known item and did well to do 8yrs, as did the 12V battery considering it's gone 130,000miles! Seat condition will be related to mileage too. The motor mounts and the mount bolts were supposed to be fixed on a recall and I expect this one escaped. I'm sure by the time of the 94Ah [mid 2016] this was redesigned. Before buying a 60Ah this would be a definite item to check before purchase. The window mechanism was an interesting one; a channel called 'BigCliveDotCom' did a teardown video of a failed Tesla complete sealed headlamp unit - a full £1300 replacement for a single minor component on a small circuit board inside corroding in the wet - unrepairable.

[@BaldyBriand]

You won't get anything more reliable than a Lexus..... I wouldn't touch anything German, especially anything over 3 yrs old.... overated scrap.... they put plastic arms in to hold a motor mount🙄🙄 wow that should show you, cutting back and saving money where they can...

[@alb9472]

Think much of the trouble is with the first years models, i have a 94 rex and there are very little problems(same km as this one)

[@justice4g]

how much harder is it with the REX?

[@therealCelticViking]

Can you do a video on squeaky top mounts please? Love your i3 videos they saved us a lot of hassle.

[@wiselyauto]

Can add it to our (long) list of upcoming i3 content. 😅

[@subevo35]

Excellent content.really enjoyed.

[@melcragg7814]

Fabulous video. Thanks

[@zcar4me]

Even with the upgraded mounts, I'd buy polyurethane inserts and a beefier lower mount if they were available.

[@YTesting]

Superb video

[@truelove8719]

I also own a 2016 REX model. It's got an issue very recently that a winding sound is coming from the gearbox. Will it be cover under warranty if not how much this can cost me😢

[@benbaselet2026]

No bugs under the tail light glass? Lucky you :) If you have tricks on how to remove them I bet many i3 owners would be interested.

[@pachinger]

I'm looking into buying an used i3 and unsure about getting a LCI model or if a

[@hauntedhomevideo]

Fantastic work👊

[@mundoracer]

Can you do an i3 video on suspension alignment? Options for best handling? Best range? Also, is caster adjustable and if so, does that help the car feel more planted at highway speeds?

[@consep666]

Do you know of an i3 repair shop similar to yours in southern California?

[@mareklimanowski687]

Nice job 💪

[@glennfeldt_74]

How common are these faults?🇸🇪

[@wiselyauto]

Most of these issues were damage, not faults. So as long as a car is well taken care of and had its recalls done, you should not get to see such a massive repair bill. (Even better to have a car under warranty if you don't want to stress about it.)

[@syncrosimon]

Would you recommend the i3 for a coastal Scottish area? Lots of salt used in the winter.

[@wiselyauto]

It's about as good as it gets with an aluminium rolling chassis, carbon fibre passenger cell, and all exterior panels made from thermoplastic.

[@garymaitland8258]

Hi verygood can you tell me your alloly wheel refurbishment company

[@makezings]

How reboot iDrive please?

[@orangerecords_studio]

IN what year did they change the motor mounts, to stronger ones ?.I dont want to end uop with a "repair" priject !;)

[@orangerecords_studio]

I mean , seriously , this is NOT a car for winter Norway !

[@abrahamhernandez5396]

Gracias Exelente trabajo 😁

[@andrewdrouin]

Concise video, as usual - please tell us what year this i3 is, tnx.

[@backwoodsbungalow9674]

At 17:20 2014 ☮️

[@karlkiernan6863]

On the top of the suspension where it corrodes paint it with Duralac.

[@dopiaza2006]

That's a lot of wasted space under the engine cover with no range extender engine. I'd be filling the with extra batteries...somehow! Looks like it would be better for weight distribution too to have something heavy in there.

[@maxthe15]

Hello there i have a question. are the rear damper gaiters the same to replace as the front ones? are they more complicated to replace?

[@wiselyauto]

Rear gaiters are a bit different and luckily don't suffer from the same wear issues, so unless they are actually torn you shouldn't have to worry about them.

[@aldra744]

Hi Wisley, I am interested in wooden trims to change in my i3, is it possible to get it from you?

[@wiselyauto]

Unfortunately we do not reply have any in stock. eBay is your best bet.

[@RedBatteryHead]

Surprised to see so much detailed failures on that car. I thought they would be higher quality.

[@wiselyauto]

Most are not "failures" but damage accumulated from years of use (without getting rectified along the way).

[@scott8919]

I love these i3s but I have to admit it is not a good choice just because it was meant to be a technological showcase more than a reliable commuter.

[@atms001]

Wisely comes as someone who are passionate about what they do , and as well as being i3 specialists, it is highly unlikely that even BMW dealers ( whose technicians are more general in their training,) who will just follow 'Standard Procedures and skills ' , and to maximise profits , can do better because they cannot provide a more personal and honest workmanship.

[@wiselyauto]

Thanks for the kind words. 🙏

[@antonymcneillis]

Hi Martin, Do you know the charge curve for the 2022 i3?

[@wiselyauto]

We would assume it to be the same as the other 120Ah battery versions. Have not tested it, but here is how those versions perform: support.fastned.nl/hc/article_attachments/5468946979613/BMW_i3_charge_curve.png

[@antonymcneillis]

@@wiselyauto 🙏

[@rtarouca]

Consider working with Portugal. 😉

[@elingrato2403]

Were you guys located?

[@wiselyauto]

Bermondsey, SE London

[@mnztr1]

so the 12V on this car lasted 9 years wow .

[@ravss4594]

It’s an absolute no to machine polish without having the body properly prepared first (clay bar and shampoo)

[@adm924s]

"...if you're looking for an i3". ...what, after watching this, !? I'd be prepared for such costs on a Ferrari but not a second hand £10k car. Poor quality parts backed up by high parts costs, who wants a third of the cost of their car in bills, it's a lottery with simply a reliable car to win ! :S

[@bjoernlubetzki]

What did the former owner do to the car. They are pretty reliable. Yes, the auxiliary batttery wears out and isn't cheap (when done by BW). But the dashboard mat and the hole in the front protective cover?? Yes it's only mesh but what the fuck! How can you get this to break? And what did the former owner do to the wheels? Did he clean his curb with the side of his rims? I got it. The former owner went to a Demolition Derby, with the i3!

[@gdmonks1959]

I’d be really worried about that corrosion at the top of the shock absorbers, that should be cleaned away on both surfaces and treated with an etching primer and repainted that’s really weakening the material

[@aleccraig7954]

It would be cheaper for me to ship my car to Wisely to do the motor mounts than to have my dealer do it in California :(

[@tumininuadebambo]

Hi. I enjoy watching your videos. I'm looking for an affordable EV to use in Africa. I have to buy and ship but there is no service personnel here. Can you help source good one and do all proper service before shipping? We drive left side. For future service, I think I can follow your video. Thank you for response. I plan to spend £10-12k for purchase and services, possible?

[@dukeallen432]

Never a buy a BMW especially preowned.

[@shhs1791]

MOTOR MOUNTS !! ?? Where did you buy the parts... it's no problem for me to change them... even I like to work around the car.. If I can't find the parts I will modify it myself... It's a pure mistake of engineers from BMW.. AND VERY DANGEROUS

[@wiselyauto]

We get the vast majority of our parts from BMW. If you wish to do the same, just contact the parts department at your local BMW main dealer.

[@grammymusicOFFICIAL]

probably a factory faulty car , bad luck . theres tons of the same cars running around and they dont even complain.

[@NickConteSC]

I want to move close to your repair shop and the ones by me are ripoffs!

[@GeorgeStar]

Thank you for reminding me why I'll never buy a BMW. Expensive parts, exotic materials, unique expensive tires, very few shops are competent at servicing these total money pits.