BMW i3 Sunblind Stuck, Solutions and Repair Guide

Hey there! I've got some experience with cars (not a pro, but I've dealt with my share of issues). I actually had a similar problem with my 2019 BMW i4 Hybrid last year. The sunblind motor just gave up completely, super annoying! Took it to my regular workshop, and they confirmed the motor was toast. Honestly, there wasn't much to try DIY-wise since it's all electronic. They had to replace the entire motor unit, which set me back about 330 Euro. The whole thing took about half a day to fix, but it's been working perfectly since then. Just to help better, could you tell us: Have you noticed any weird noises before it got stuck? Is your sunblind stuck open or closed? Did you get any warning messages on your dashboard? BTW, seen similar issues with other BMWs, including the i3. Usually, it's either the motor or the control module that's the culprit.

My car's got 13127 KM on the clock and had its last service about two months ago. Had the exact same issue you mentioned, no warning sounds or messages before it happened, just completely stuck in the closed position. I ended up taking it to the dealer since it was still under warranty. They replaced both the motor and the control module because apparently there was some kind of electrical short that fried both components. They also mentioned it's becoming a bit of a known issue with our model year. The repair took about 4-5 hours but since it was warranty work, didn't cost me anything. Just a heads up though, if you're out of warranty, I heard the parts alone can run pretty expensive, not counting labor.

Hey again! Wow, thanks for sharing those details about your repair experience. It's crazy how similar our issues were! In my case, the dealership initially just replaced the motor, but guess what? The problem came back after about a month. Turned out I had the same electrical short issue you mentioned, had to go back and get both the motor and control module replaced too. You're absolutely right about the cost, I was just lucky my extended warranty covered it the second time around. The service advisor actually showed me the parts bill, and it would've been a real wallet-killer without coverage. Think it was something like 800-900 Euro for both components, plus labor. The good news is, since they replaced both parts, it's been working flawlessly for over a year now. Sounds like they've figured out this is a common failure point in these models. Makes me wonder if BMW made any changes in the newer production runs to prevent this from happening. By the way, did they also update your car's software when they did the repair? My dealer mentioned it was part of the fix protocol, but I'm curious if that's standard practice now.

Thanks for that follow-up! Yeah, they did update the software during the repair, said it was part of the standard procedure now. Actually makes a lot of sense what you mentioned about your second repair. The technician who worked on my car specifically told me they always replace both components together now because they've seen so many cases where fixing just one led to future issues. Really glad I posted here, it's super helpful knowing this wasn't just a unusual problem with my car. Kind of wish BMW had done a recall or something since it seems so common. Guess I'll keep an eye on it even after the fix, especially since you mentioned yours has been good for a year now. The whole experience definitely has me thinking about getting extended warranty coverage when my current one runs out. I'll update this thread if anything changes, but fingers crossed it stays fixed like yours did. Thanks again for sharing your experience, really helped put my mind at ease about the whole situation!