BMW iX1: Dead Infotainment System & Control Issues

Hey there! I have some experience working on EVs, though I'm not an expert. I had a similar issue with my 2020 BMW i4 (also had an iX3 before). The symptoms were nearly identical, black screen, no sound, dead iDrive. My workshop initially suspected CAN-BUS issues and charged me 235 Euro for diagnostics and "bus repair," but that wasn't actually the problem. Turned out the main control module just needed a hard reset and software update. The dealer reprogrammed it under warranty, and it's been working perfectly since then. Before I can suggest more specifics, could you share: Have you tried disconnecting the battery for 15 minutes? Are there any other electrical issues? Has the car received all its latest software updates? Let me know these details and I can share more about what worked in my case.

Thanks for sharing your experience! My iX1 just had its latest service at 154404 KM, and I haven't tried disconnecting the battery yet, that's a good suggestion. No other electrical issues that I've noticed, but I'm not totally sure about the software updates. I'll definitely try the battery disconnect trick first. Did you have to reconfigure anything after the reset was done? Just want to make sure I don't mess up any important settings. Really helpful to know about the CAN-BUS diagnosis being a false lead in your case. Will keep that in mind when I take it to the workshop.

Hey again! Yes, I remember my case well. After the battery disconnect trick on my i4, I did have to reconfigure a few things, mainly just the clock, radio presets, and seat memory positions. Nothing too complicated though. When I did the battery disconnect, I made sure to wait the full 15 minutes before reconnecting, anything less didn't seem to do the trick. If I recall correctly, the system took about 30 seconds to fully boot up after reconnecting the battery. Just a heads up, if the battery reset doesn't work, don't let them charge you for extensive CAN-BUS diagnostics right away like they did with me. Push for them to check the control module programming first. My dealer eventually admitted that these systems sometimes just need a proper reset and update. Also, since your car has similar mileage to what mine had when this happened, it's likely the same issue. The tech who finally fixed mine mentioned they'd seen this a few times in our models around the 150,000 km mark. Let me know how the battery disconnect goes, curious to see if it works for you like it did for me!

Thanks so much for all the detailed advice! I really appreciate you walking me through your experience. I'll definitely try the battery disconnect method tomorrow morning. Good to know about reconfiguring the basics afterward, I'll make sure to note down my seat and radio settings beforehand. That's really interesting about the 150,000 km pattern too. Makes me feel better knowing this isn't some unusual isolated issue. If the battery reset doesn't work, I'll follow your advice about requesting the control module check first before letting them dive into expensive CAN-BUS diagnostics. I'll update this thread after I try the reset. Thanks again for taking the time to help out, it's been super helpful having someone who's been through the same thing! Hopefully, it'll be as straightforward a fix as yours was.