Accidental Tech Podcast678: Mentoring a Box of Numbers
https://atp.fm/678
More on the impact of AI coding, and the Jony Ive-designed Ferrari interior.
Mike Pfeifer@atpfm @caseyliss hey, BMW tech here (I’m pretty sure we talked before about BMWs when you had the E90). If you have any questions about the i4, I’ll get answers for you.
Casey Liss@MikePfeifer ah yes!
Basically, my only question is, am I signing myself up for N55 levels of pain if I get one of these? 🥴
@caseyliss I mean, as you know, there are no guarantees in life. That said, the i4 has been pretty solid for the most part. We sell a lot of them here in the Tampa area, and we are a fairly busy dealer. By far the most we see them for is tires and any recalls (usually software). We do get some “my car doesn’t charge” type complaints but that seems to be almost always the charging equipment and not the car. Some people have trouble with the phone connection, which is usually not the cars fault.
@caseyliss I have repaired exactly one i4 HV battery which was a control module issue, and repaired one rear drive unit which was a sensor issue. Neither were complete replacements. The G series cars have been fairly solid in general. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask.
@caseyliss they do eat tires, as all decently powered EVs do.
@MikePfeifer I hear that. If I go this route, I’m fucked lol
Tangentially related: if you’re willing to share, what car do you see as the most unreliable? What one is the biggest pain to work on?
@caseyliss in BMW world? It would have to be the V8s. They have gotten better, for sure, but I wouldn’t own one if it was given to me for free. I have never liked any engine with N in the designation, but the V8s have been trouble from day one. The G cars with B engines are decent, with a few things to know about there - mostly cooling system stuff. Gen5 (current) EVs have all been fairly solid. Will see how the Gen6 goes (iX3, new i3).
@MikePfeifer I hear you about the V8s, but by GOD I loved Marco’s F10.
And when I one day hit the lottery, I’m getting an E39 M5.
@caseyliss oh yeah, the S engines were better, especially the newer ones but not great to work on - or cheap! And the old M62 variants (including S62 in the E39 M5) were solid, it’s just those N V8s (N62, N63). I think they just get way too hot and they are way over complicated in the most German ways possible.