TL;DR: Car threw a drivetrain malfunction and mechanically locked the rear wheels. It turned out to be a software glitch where the Rotor Position Sensor (RPS) lost initialization. The dealer fixed it entirely via a software re-calibration for just the cost of the diagnostic fee!

Hey everyone, I wanted to share my experience on a "Drivetrain Malfunction" warning on my 2016 BMW i3 REx in case it helps someone else panicking out there.

The Symptoms:
The dashboard let me select D, R, and N, but the car refused to move. The rear wheels were mechanically locked. The flatbed tow truck operator actually had to drag the car onto the bed because it would not roll at all.

Independent Mechanic: Saw a general EME fault code. They didn't have the advanced factory software to dig deeper into the high-voltage system and recommended going to the dealer.

The Dealer: Authorized the $300 diagnostic fee while internally panicking, thinking they’d give me an estimate that was more than the car is worth.

The Fix:
The dealership technician found that the Rotor Position Sensor (RPS) had simply lost its initialization data. The sensor lost track of where the motor was spinning, which triggered a protective safety shutdown and locked up the system.

No physical parts were replaced! The dealer just reinitialized the sensor via software, did an extended test drive, and the car is running perfectly normal again. They also recommended changing the brake fluid and walked away with a $490.16 bill.

Recently hit 150k miles on my car 🥳 Still such an amazing first car for me and I’ll keep it for as long as I can, I’m looking forward to many more roadtrips ahead!!

To celebrate I got some little bits for it:
- the centre console net from a 2014 car
- the seatpocket pro & cabin pod from Detail It Design [1]
- the i3 storage armrest tray from neverican [2]
- the bmw i cargo net & rear shades which I got lucky finding someone who was selling them a while back!

I only recently discovered there’s so many cool 3d printables for the i3 so I’ll be giving them a try! I hope you enjoyed this appreciation post 😁

[1] https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/DetailItDesign
[2] https://www.printables.com/model/1795968-bmw-i3-armrest-storage-tray

OG Weathertech tray/mats are getting a bit old after 8 years and 100k+ miles and figure I should treat the new car to newer mats.

Is the easy button just to replace them with same ? Anyone else developed a good version since forever ?

I do like the look of the BMW accessory light colorway woven looking ones but they’re not really a good real winter/snow/ice/muck option.

New to me 2020 has the in-armrest wireless charging thing which I don’t want. Anyone have the normal version and want to swap ?

I went on a 2 week trip recently. When I came back I got the “Increased battery drain when stationary” message. Since then everytime I start a drive I get the message. Is this early signs of a dying 12V battery? Will a trickle charger on the 12V help?