BMW i8 Electric Seat Control Failure, Solutions Needed

Hey! I had a similar issue with my 2013 BMW i3 last year. I'm a DIY enthusiast with some experience working on hybrid vehicles. The symptoms were exactly like yours, totally dead seat controls. Initially thought it was a fuse, but my trusted workshop discovered it was actually a loose connection in the main wiring harness under the seat. Some cables had worked themselves loose over time. The fix wasn't too complex, they repinned the connector and secured it properly. Cost me 95 Euro for the repair. Before I give you more specific advice, could you tell me if you've checked the fuse box or noticed any other electrical issues? Also, does this happen on both driver and passenger seats? This info would help determine if you're dealing with the same problem I had. If you own a BMW i8, I recommend getting it checked by a certified hybrid specialist, these cars have complex electrical systems that need proper expertise.

Thanks for sharing your experience! Mine's at 156306 KM and had its last service three months ago. I've checked both seats and yep, it's happening on both sides. No other electrical issues that I've noticed, and I went through all the fuses, they're perfectly fine. It's definitely frustrating because the seats are completely frozen in position. I actually heard a faint clicking sound before they stopped working completely, but didn't think much of it at the time. Maybe that was a warning sign? Your wiring harness issue sounds quite similar to what I might be dealing with. Good to know it wasn't a major repair in your case. I'll get it checked out by my specialist next week. Just wanted to see if anyone else had encountered this before taking it in.

Hey again! Thanks for providing those extra details about your i8. When you mentioned that clicking sound, it immediately reminded me of what happened with my i3 before the complete failure. In my case, that clicking was actually the early warning sign of the wiring connection starting to fail. Since you've already checked the fuses (which was my first DIY attempt too), and it's affecting both seats, I'm even more convinced it's similar to what I experienced. The high mileage on your i8 (156306 KM) could definitely contribute to wire connections working loose over time, that's exactly what happened in my case. Just a heads up though, while the repair on my i3 was relatively straightforward, the i8's seat wiring setup might be a bit different. My mechanic mentioned that the i8 has a more complex wiring architecture. But the good news is that if it is just a connection issue like mine was, it shouldn't be a hugely expensive fix. One thing I learned from my experience, after the repair, my workshop added some extra securing clips to prevent the wiring from working loose again. Might be worth asking your specialist about doing something similar as a preventive measure. Keep us posted on what they find!

Thanks so much for all the detailed info! That's really helpful to know about the clicking sound being a warning sign, wish I'd paid more attention to it when it first started. I actually just called my specialist and managed to get an appointment for next Tuesday. I'll definitely mention your experience with the wiring harness and ask about those extra securing clips, sounds like a smart preventive measure. The fact that your repair wasn't too expensive is really encouraging. I was worried I might be looking at replacing the entire seat control module or something equally costly. Fingers crossed it's just a loose connection like yours was. Interesting point about the i8's more complex wiring setup, makes sense given all the extra features. I'll update this thread once I get it sorted. Thanks again for sharing your experience, it's really helped me feel less worried about the whole situation!