BMW i8 is amazing trash

[BarkingGhostar]

For $147K you can buy a BMW i8. She's purdy.


But I was watching a couple of Youtubers where they managed to buy a problem car and it turned out the crank case and head, both Aluminum, were warped and that the cost to replace was, well, $10K. At first one would think $10K for a new engine ain't bad for a car costing $147K and I would be right there with you but then I realized that is $10K for a crankcase and head, bare bones, for a 3-cylinder motor.

So, being that you rarely can find a BMW 3-cylinder motor from an i8 available from anyone, and I think that $10K price was for a used one, I wonder how much safety BMW actually put into protecting this sports car from self-destruction. And being that it seems that wrecked one didn't have battery issues, or even battery cooling issues, I found it curious that the engine failure, deliberate or not, was due to lack of cooling.

 

[AdamK47]

It's a status car.

 

[herm0016]

its nearly the same engine in the minis as well, the head is cast in a different process to make it stronger, and different cams, but that's about it.

 

[pauldun170]

For $147K you can buy a BMW i8. She's purdy.
View attachment 38651

But I was watching a couple of Youtubers where they managed to buy a problem car and it turned out the crank case and head, both Aluminum, were warped and that the cost to replace was, well, $10K. At first one would think $10K for a new engine ain't bad for a car costing $147K and I would be right there with you but then I realized that is $10K for a crankcase and head, bare bones, for a 3-cylinder motor.

So, being that you rarely can find a BMW 3-cylinder motor from an i8 available from anyone, and I think that $10K price was for a used one, I wonder how much safety BMW actually put into protecting this sports car from self-destruction. And being that it seems that wrecked one didn't have battery issues, or even battery cooling issues, I found it curious that the engine failure, deliberate or not, was due to lack of cooling.

Links? Details?
At least put the link to the "youtubers"

 

[herm0016]

samcrac

 

[Jimzz]

its nearly the same engine in the minis as well, the head is cast in a different process to make it stronger, and different cams, but that's about it.

Does not seem to have worked. The OP is right, there are a LOT of examples of these cars warping the heads and blowing head gaskets. I think they are getting around 240hp out of that 3cyl. Seems it can't handle that, at least long term. But its a BMW, so thats par for the course.


BMW even sells a thicker head gasket so you can shave the head. That way they can "fix" it under warranty and by the time the next one blows you have to buy a new engine out of warranty.

 

[VirtualLarry]

You can, apparently, put an RTX 3080 mining rig in the trunk and run it off of the battery pack. (*Google this, someone did it.)

RTX 3080 Mining Rig in a BMW’s Trunk Meant ‘Just to Annoy Gamers’

Would a 'driver' update make it go faster?

www.tomshardware.com

 

[crashtech]

Put an LS in it.

 

[herm0016]

Put an LS in it.

next project on rich rebuilds? he is putting an LS in a tesla, just to bring out the trolls. ha.

 

[crashtech]

Or go the other way by stuffing it as full of mining GPUs as possible and becoming an itinerant seeker of free charging stations with which to mine cryptocurrency.

 

[Ajay]

BMW i8 models draw their revolutionary power from a 141 hp synchronous electric motor located in the front of the vehicle, under the hood.

Uhm, wow, that sounds just awesome in a $150K auto. Plus a 1.5L Twin turbo - boring. What is the point of a fuel efficient sports car? Euro regs?

 

[crashtech]

I thought it was pretty ingrained in the culture of the EU generally and Germany specifically that ostentatious displays of carbon burning are to be avoided if you don't want to seen as a barbarian.

 

[Torn Mind]

Don't worry, the wealthy don't mind parting with cars or money, especially to save the environment.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I thought it was pretty ingrained in the culture of the EU generally and Germany specifically that ostentatious displays of carbon burning are to be avoided if you don't want to seen as a barbarian.

Well they take that whole global warming thing seriously over there. Here in Murica we stick our heads in the sand and make it a political thing so as to avoid actually doing something about it.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

I've been following this one in which the guy contacts another guy who has the same issue.

 

[Ajay]

Well they take that whole global warming thing seriously over there. Here in Murica we stick our heads in the sand and make it a political thing so as to avoid actually doing something about it.

Fairy tales! /s

 

[pauldun170]

Since I'm not into sports, this sort of stuff is some of the useless trivia that fills the gap.
Might need to start scrapbooking this stuff.

(resists urge to search for BMW I8 service manual)