BMW i3 Rex fuel filler door sticking

General Discussion
1

Hello.
We recently took a long-distance trip in our 2016 BMW i3 with the range extender (ReX). When we stopped to fill the petrol tank, we noticed the filler door was sticking. It works like this:

  • Once stopped at the pump, press the fuel door release inside the vehicle
  • Go outside, and press on the filler door multiple times until it finally pops open (this may take several minutes until it decides to open)
    • Fuel as normal…
    I am aware of the manual release inside the front cargo area, but haven’t tried that. Likewise, the spring/ejector inside the filler door seems to be working normally. I “exercised” it multiple times once the door opened.
    Any suggestions as to how to resolve this issue? It’s a bit disconcerting wondering whether we’ll be able to fuel the vehicle on long trips.
    Thank you for your consideration.
2

There is your answer.

However, thoroughly clean the hinges and any other moving parts on the fuel door, then lubricate all moving parts with a silicone spray. No guarantee, but might help.

This falls under the “what we’re they thinking of” category. Multiple steps just to open the fuel door! Both my vehicles, single step. One you pull open the other is a press then it pops open, insert the pump nozzle.

2 Likes
3

Carry a small plastic pry tool with you. If the door unlatches but just sticks, pry the door open with the tool.

4

The delay in the fuel door release is normal, pressure in the fuel tank must be released before the cap should be removed. Hybrid vehicles don’t operate the vapor purge system continuously like gasoline-only vehicles, hybrid engine cycle off/on frequently.

When refueling, press the fuel door button and remain in the vehicle, wait for the refueling ready message on the instrument cluster.

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5

There have been problems withe the pressure sensor in the fuel tank, they don’t show a fault to the driver. It would be worth getting the fault memory read by a dealer if it’s faulty and replaced it requires calibration , so may not be a non dealer repair?

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6

I am curious, I looked up reviews on your EV, as far as I could tell when the internal combustion engine starts running, the range is still under 200 miles.
I may have misinterpreted the information. If that range is true, you might consider a rental car for long trips.

7

This is certainly an interesting and weird feature. Discovering things like this is one reason I hang out here.

If this is the solution, it would appear that wig_thermos_06 hasn’t actually read the owner’s manual.

2 Likes
8

You can set the engine too keep the battery at a given state of charge, so as long as you put fuel in you can keep going, it needs be below 75% for the motor to run.