BMW iX1 Windshield Heating System Issues & Fixes Needed

Hey there! I can relate, had a similar issue with my 2020 BMW iX3 last winter (I also owned an i4 before). I have some experience working with EVs, but I'm no expert. The symptoms you describe sound exactly like what I faced. Turned out my battery was heavily discharged, affecting multiple electrical systems including the heating. My trusted workshop diagnosed it quickly and had to do a full battery check and recharge. Cost me about 290 Euro, but it fixed both the windshield and rear window heating issues completely. Before I can give more specific advice, could you share: How old is your battery? Are you seeing any other electrical issues? What error messages are you getting exactly? This will help determine if you're dealing with the same problem I had.

Thanks for sharing your experience! My car just hit 165109 KM and had its last service about 2 months ago. The error message I'm getting says "Heating System Malfunction" in red on the display. Haven't noticed any other electrical issues so far, and the battery's health seems fine, still getting normal range and performance. The heating just suddenly stopped working yesterday during my drive. Honestly didn't think about the battery being the culprit since everything else works perfectly. I'll definitely mention this to my workshop when I take it in. Makes sense that it could be battery-related given it's an EV. Thanks for pointing that out!

Hey again! After reading your reply about the mileage and error message, I'm actually thinking this might be different from my battery issue. In my case, I had multiple electrical gremlins, but you're saying everything else works fine. Based on my experience with my iX3, and what you're describing, I'm now leaning towards a possible heating element failure. When my battery was the problem, I had fluctuating power issues across different systems. Your symptoms sound more isolated. Something else to consider, when my heating failed recently (different from my previous battery issue), it turned out to be a faulty connector behind the dashboard. The workshop found it during a diagnostic scan. Was a much cheaper fix than the battery situation I mentioned before. Since your car was serviced recently, maybe ask them to check if anything might have come loose during the service? Could save you some trouble. Would definitely push for a proper diagnostic scan first before they start replacing parts. Let us know what they find, always good to learn from each other's experiences with these EVs. They're great cars but can be tricky sometimes with electrical issues.

Thanks for the detailed follow-up! You've actually made me feel a bit better about the situation. I called my workshop and mentioned both possibilities, the battery connection and the potential loose connector from the recent service. They seemed particularly interested in the connector theory since everything else is working normally. Got an appointment scheduled for tomorrow morning. They'll do a full diagnostic scan first before jumping to conclusions. Really hoping it's just a loose connection from the service work, would definitely be the easiest and cheapest fix! I'll be sure to update this thread once I know what's actually causing the problem. It's great having experienced EV owners to bounce ideas off of. Thanks again for taking the time to share your knowledge, it's helped me approach this with a clearer head instead of just worrying about worst-case scenarios.