Cat S from remapping? BMW i8

Cat S from remapping? BMW i8

Author
Discussion

Vanq66

Original Poster:

11 posts

79 months

Tuesday 11th February
quotequote all
Hi all

Question please - guy is selling an i8, its listed as Cat S. He says its from remapping (to 3.9 0-60). Can't see anything online which implies this would make it a Cat S but its not really my area.

Also how does remapping / body kits effect insurance?

I've watched a load of videos on the i8 - but any real world experience welcome. Some questions I have - doors in car parks, running costs, relability

Thanks

MitchT

16,583 posts

221 months

Tuesday 11th February
quotequote all
Cat S is an insurance write-off due to structural damage. Remapping won't make a car Cat S unless it made it so powerful that he crashed because he couldn't handle the power. Stick the reg number into Car Vertical/Vcheck/etc. and run a report.

Also, conventional views on reliability, running costs, etc. will be irelevant if it's remapped. And... bodykit on an i8, seriously?

Sounds like a car that would make any sensible person do their best Usain Bolt impression. Is there an Autotrader, etc. link you can share?

Vanq66

Original Poster:

11 posts

79 months

Vanq66

Original Poster:

11 posts

79 months

Tuesday 11th February
quotequote all
Conventional views, were as much for I'm not sure this is the "one" but I am interested in the model.

MitchT

16,583 posts

221 months

Tuesday 11th February
quotequote all
Had a quick look on Autotrader and found that before you posted the link. Knew straight away it was the one you were talking about.

Cat S is an insurance write-off. Looks hideous. Seller is a cocksure fantasist. Find a straight, unmolested one.

MitchT

16,583 posts

221 months

Tuesday 11th February
quotequote all
Also, the reg on that car now is FM14HER.

Vanq66

Original Poster:

11 posts

79 months

Tuesday 11th February
quotequote all
Yeah I found the reg from a search. It was a nice price for the milage, but didn't feel right hence checking here. Wanted to make sure it wasn't a standard thing. Thanks Mitch

Welcome any views on i8's in general from people.

MitchT

16,583 posts

221 months

Hoofy

78,275 posts

294 months

Tuesday 11th February
quotequote all
Vanq66 said:
I can see why he's selling it!

skyebear

791 posts

18 months

Wednesday 12th February
quotequote all
That's not a crap body kit, that's a crap body kit:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2025011781...

Regarding things to look for... Air con should be nice and cold as the same system cools the battery; no knocks or rattles from the compressor.

There's a hidden menu to see battery health without resorting to external diagnostic tools. Ideally with a full charge, put ignition in Accessories mode, long press the trip reset button bottom left of instrument display and hold it past the service reset indicators until a menu appears.

Short press the same button to cycle to Unlock. Long press until it asks you for a code which is the sum of the last five numbers in VIN. Some sources say last six numbers so try that if previous code doesn't work. Repeatedly press button until you get to that number then long press to access the hidden options.

Short press to cycle to Tank then long press to access. Cycle down to see battery figures with one, Battery Kapa max, showing a number in kWh. On the early models with a 7.1 kWh battery the max usable when new was 5.2kWh as BMW limit the charge to prolong life. You can calculate current health by deviation from this figure.

Pat's Garage Online on YouTube is a useful resource for common problems, repairs and mods for the i8.

Vanq66

Original Poster:

11 posts

79 months

Wednesday 12th February
quotequote all
Very helpful, thanks for that tip!

Dannbodge

2,262 posts

133 months

Wednesday 12th February
quotequote all
Few red flags for me

Not sure how you get Cat S from a software change.

"peer pressure from wife". No that's just pressure, she's not a peer she's your wife.

Why would you quote the 0-60 for the remap headline figure. You'd quote power and torque increase surely.

E-bmw

10,650 posts

164 months

Wednesday 12th February
quotequote all
Dannbodge said:
Not sure how you get Cat S from a software change.
The answer is, you don't.

A Category S car is a vehicle that has sustained structural damage but can be repaired and returned to the road. The "S" stands for "structural".

Many red flags, walk away.

iain123

59 posts

116 months

Wednesday 12th February
quotequote all
Yep i8 defo doesn't need a body kit as its rare enough or mapped for that matter. Most i8 private sellers on AT are waaaayyy off with their pricing, making them more expensive that dealers. I traded in my 2015 70Kmile for £21.5K and the dealer listed it at £27K. A cat S with 50Kmiles is £24K private sale if not lower....

Buy with a warranty at least for the first year as most trade in with issues which are not always immediately apparent. (which are tricky to fix as your usually lumbered with main dealer wage costs)

Its the only car I've had where I replaced it with the same but newer model. Lovely cars. (total 7 years ownership Faults :door locks, AC compressor but consumables : brakes, shocks and drives shafts can be expensive) Be more worried by the high stressed 3 pot and whether its been cold started at speed rather than the battery - left to itself the i8 will first start the ICE at 40mph under load. (like most hybrids) (Oh and another reason to avoid mapping - lets make a stressed 3 pot more stressed!)

Edited by iain123 on Wednesday 12th February 09:51

bennno

13,416 posts

281 months

Wednesday 12th February
quotequote all

Vendor is telling porkies.

Cat S means structural damage. I8 has a 'CRP' carbon reinforced plastic chassis, so tread very carefully.

Who knows what damage that wrap disguises?

Vanq66

Original Poster:

11 posts

79 months

Wednesday 12th February
quotequote all
Any owners understand the warranty situation? I understand there is a manufacture warranty then an extended option after yearly. If a car isn't on this presumably it can't be added to the BMW one? Which would potentially make buying an approved used better?

skyebear

791 posts

18 months

Wednesday 12th February
quotequote all
https://its-juice-2.foleon.com/bmw-group/bmw-insur...

"If the warranty on your new or Approved Used BMW is coming to an end, has expired, or you’ve never had warranty cover, BMW Insured Warranty can help to protect you against the unexpected cost of repairs and replacement parts."

Even under the Comprehensive tier some of the exclusions are laughable.

If a car is outside the BMW network and has no current warranty you should contact Insured Warranty for a quote and any conditions they may apply.

The i8 has two warranties: the high voltage battery which runs for 8 years from when car first registered; the manufacturer warranty followed by Approved Used if applicable. The AU covers everything except the HV battery and any wear/tear items. The HV battery can't be extended and the Insured Warranty excludes it.

So it's possible to have an i8 where only the battery is covered, or where the car but not battery is, or where everything is covered, or nothing is. Clear?! biglaugh

My criteria for buying one recently was an Approved Used Car, less than 8 years old so everything was covered.




Vanq66

Original Poster:

11 posts

79 months

Wednesday 12th February
quotequote all
skyebear said:
https://its-juice-2.foleon.com/bmw-group/bmw-insur...

"If the warranty on your new or Approved Used BMW is coming to an end, has expired, or you’ve never had warranty cover, BMW Insured Warranty can help to protect you against the unexpected cost of repairs and replacement parts."

Even under the Comprehensive tier some of the exclusions are laughable.

If a car is outside the BMW network and has no current warranty you should contact Insured Warranty for a quote and any conditions they may apply.

The i8 has two warranties: the high voltage battery which runs for 8 years from when car first registered; the manufacturer warranty followed by Approved Used if applicable. The AU covers everything except the HV battery and any wear/tear items. The HV battery can't be extended and the Insured Warranty excludes it.

So it's possible to have an i8 where only the battery is covered, or where the car but not battery is, or where everything is covered, or nothing is. Clear?! biglaugh

My criteria for buying one recently was an Approved Used Car, less than 8 years old so everything was covered.
Thanks, yeah I couldn't really work out from that if "never had a warranty" included cars purchased outside of the BMW network.

Approved Used for you being BMW direct right?

thanks

skyebear

791 posts

18 months

Wednesday 12th February
quotequote all
Vanq66 said:
Thanks, yeah I couldn't really work out from that if "never had a warranty" included cars purchased outside of the BMW network.

Approved Used for you being BMW direct right?

thanks
I read it as written and assumed that so long as there's evidence the car was serviced according to BMW's schedule they'd cover it. They might charge accordingly... I did a quote out of curiosity for mine and it was £1750 for 12 months for comprehensive.

Yes, my approved used was from a BMW dealer.

Dannbodge

2,262 posts

133 months

Wednesday 12th February
quotequote all
E-bmw said:
The answer is, you don't.

A Category S car is a vehicle that has sustained structural damage but can be repaired and returned to the road. The "S" stands for "structural".

Many red flags, walk away.
Yeah I'm aware what CAT S means