This channel has focused on the ownership experience of the following daily driven and maintained vehicles: BMW i8, Acura NSX, Porsche Cayman GT4, Porsche Cayman S, Ford Explorer Sport Trac, Subaru Crosstrek, Volkswagen Jetta, Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro, Hyundai Ionic 6, as well as guest vehicles. Pat Freeman, from Maryland, learned how to enjoy and maintain cars from his late father. By going into debt to finance a 1978 Corvette at the age of 19, he quickly learned how expensive it was to own and operate a complex sports car. Fast forward to the present, where he spends as little as possible by doing DIY projects and sharing them online. Pat is always eager to share his knowledge about cars.
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The skill to do it (building a driveway, a planned one) right the first time, is what I've got right here. Almost sad thinking "It's a very large space to have such an error."😷
It’s interesting to see that a BMW specialist like Pat drives an Acura! After watching several other mechanics work thru problems with late model Beemers I don’t see why anyone wants to buy them.
Dealer is telling me I have a rear shock leak!! Gonna show me when I go pick the i8 up. What options do I have cause the bmw dealer quoting crazy prices...
Hi Pat. I had my i8 for a decade now . I took my car to the dealership for a fuel pump replace that was cover under warranty . They fix it and said that I had a coolant leak which I never had . They didn’t address the issue firm the beginning . I honestly believe that the mechanic did something while he was replacing it. It doesn’t make any sense . My car did not show any indication that I had a coolant leak. My car never leak period . What would u do. In that situation . They were trying to charged the warranty but they didn’t go for it. The pricier they were trying to charge was a little over $1,600. I will address the issue with the supervisor . If they are not willing to compensate me for lost time & the error . I’ll purchase the the hose and have it fix elsewhere . Thank you for your time . Let me know what you think .
@@PatsGarageOnlineonce you remove the shield there were to hose , little coolant pipe . Supply pipe & return pipe needed to be replace, along with the coolant bracket, hose clamp ..
@@hogehoge5947 that's a common failure. Requires drain and vacuum bleed as part of the process. It only drips enough to have fluid evaporate while it's sitting on top of the panel. If an air bubble gets in, it could overheat the engine. It's good they caught this. Many drivers didn't have any fluid on the garage floor and had the engine overheat without warning. Seriously, consider yourself lucky.
Excellent video and very helpful. I am intending to replace my auto transmission fluid as my F56 Mini has now reached 60k, so want the transmission to have clean oil and hopefully alleviate any future issues the box might have as it gets older. I just need to order the drain plug tools before doing the job. I purchased Castrol transmax Z ATF fluid for my replacement. Castrol make several versions and this one was recommended on their site for BMW transmissions. It's a shame modern cars don't use the old methods of a dipstick for the transmission level, so simple and it worked, although filling did take ages through the dipstick tube on some cars. I did note how you have placed axle stands under your quickjack system. I have the same quckjack system and do exactly the same with mine, for peace of mind. 🙂 Brilliant lifting jack.
Ummm, 2nd Gen NSX’s are $40-50k more than i8’s. You can buy a lot of repairs (or a whole 2nd parts car) to assuage your anxiety or pay for ‘what ifs/maybe’s’
@@sustainablescott you're right. However, when it comes to planning a long trip, and I've done 6+ hour drives to destination with my i8, I don't want to factor in renting a whole other car to replace a broken down i8.
Awesome work, Pat. I would flip those quick jacks though from what I've heard they need to be flipped around for mid engine cars. Either way it seems to work for you though!
Hi Pat, this has nothing to do with this post. I found a fix for the i8 clicking noise from bmw. It fix was unheard of almost everywhere I asked. I have it in my email if you want me to send it to you and you can share it.
Are you ok with a shock that isn’t OEM? If you drive the car hard it could cause it to handle differently. Hard back road/track driving or top speed events. I personally would’ve just ponied up the money and put an OE one in there.
@@PatsGarageOnline I reverse my quick jack to lift my R8 and my 992. You want to put the label on the QJ under the majority of the weight of the vehicle. Hope that makes sense.
@@Tothefloor will do. I never had any issues with my i8, 987.1 or NSX this way. But the R8 and Huracan center of gravity is definitely farther back. I lifted an R8 for a friend and it was teetering. Huracan did the same.
Nice to see you got your dream car Pat 👍 Tip when working near those ceramic disks as 5k plus if catch them or drop your spanner! Wrap/protect with something soft 👌
I just checked the description and the link is still there and active. Here it is again, for your convenience: www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=2Z21-EUR---I12-BMW+i-i8&diagId=03_4936 You'll want to search the part numbers online to find vendors that still sell this.
@@PatsGarageOnline Thanks for the quick reply. Any plans to add the Precision Turbos? I'm contemplating my own build so Its good to see the videos. Appreciate it. Considering the sport downpipes and turbos/k-tuner myself (havent seen a single review on them).
@@madisonscorner2180 I've sold the NSX but I wouldn't upgrade the turbos. The car is plenty fast the way it was built. And there won't be a lot of spare engines around if something happens.
@@madisonscorner2180 I sold the NSX this spring along with my Porsche GT4 and just bought a 2018 Lamborghini Huracan Performante last week. It's a dream car and a car I just wanted to have to scratch that itch.
Overall, what would you say about the cost of ownership of the i8? I've been considering one, but Ive heard "it's a money pit don't go near it" and "it's perfectly reliable if you keep it well maintained".
@@jonathanelliott1338 always keep it maintained. But maintenance alone won't fix the AC Compressor from grenading and sending shrapnel down the battery cooling lines, a broken EME that powers the electric motor or an overheated engine that fails without warning. If all 3 fail with no warning, your car will be on a lift for months and you'll be out 40k. Some people don't have these problems. But in my opinion, no i8 should have these problems. The engineers didn't design these parts right. Some fail, some don't, it's a roll of the dice. I would rather drive something with a common problem that costs 1k to fix than have to sit on 10k waiting for a major i8 failure
@@PatsGarageOnline Thanks for the response! Does preventative maintenance, ie previous replacement of the compressor, create a stable environment or does the car always run the risk of something you mentioned happening?
@@jonathanelliott1338 early replacement can prevent a problem. The AC compressor isn't too expensive to replace preventatively. The other parts, not so much
@@PatsGarageOnline Awesome, thanks for that; huge help. Suppose on the off chance someone finds the other parts you mentioned and a tech to install them, mitigating costs somewhat, do they still run the risk of exploding later? Ie is this a fundamental issue with design, that even new components can explode at any time, or is it an age thing?
BMW corporate YOU SUCK, for doing this !!! Pat, your videos have been great for me learning about my super low mileage 2015 i8, I just acquired. It has onlt 2K miles on it, and has been in a garage most of it's life, plugged in to a level 2 charger. I love driving this thing. I hope BMW gets their pants sued off for doing this. Sorry to see you sold your 8.
