BMW I4 Heater Is Not Working

Your vehicle’s heater is important in keeping you and your passengers comfortable while driving. Although this may be a minor or major inconvenience based on your region, a heater not working can be a symptom of a failing engine cooling system. An overheating engine can lead to extensive and expensive repairs such as a head gasket replacement or in severe instances, replacement of the entire engine. To prevent such damage to your powertrain, it is best to treat this symptom as an important warning sign and have your vehicle diagnosed as soon as possible.

The BMW i4 heating system circulates hot coolant from the engine through the heater core. As the interior’s heating relies on the engine’s cooling system, checking the level of your coolant is the easiest place to start as a low coolant level may prevent coolant from reaching the heater core, and dirty coolant may be a sign of a clogged cooling system. When checking the coolant level, it is critical that you let the car’s engine cool down completely before any work on your BMW i4 heater begins. Do not open the coolant cap when the engine is still warm. Doing so can cause hot coolant and steam to explode towards you from the cooling system and result in significant injuries. If coolant leaks onto the ground, avoid direct contact and clean it safely as it is a toxic substance. If your coolant level is low, add coolant and see if any change is made to the amount of heat coming from the heater. If your coolant is dirty, or if adding coolant to the specified minimum level does not fix your heater, or if there are other issues like the vent fans not working, it would be best to have your cooling system and heater diagnosed at a RepairPal Certified service location.

A technician will diagnose your BMW i4 heater using the symptoms you report as a starting point. Because your BMW i4 heater is a complex mechanism that uses an electric fan to blow air through a heater core that is heated by the engine coolant, the problem could be electrical, mechanical, coolant-related, or a combination of these systems. To assure that the technician can make repairs safely, the car will be allowed to cool down completely before the technician begins work, so that there is no danger of burns from the hot coolant.