Second Hand BMW i3 Heater Matrix

No — the BMW i3 is a fully electric vehicle (or, in the case of the range-extender variant, has only a very small petrol generator that does not power a conventional coolant-based heating system), so it does not use a traditional heater matrix at all. Instead, the i3 uses an electric heat pump or electric resistive heating element to warm the cabin, neither of which involves a heater matrix. If you are looking for a part related to the cabin heating system, you likely need the heat pump assembly, the electric heater booster element, or associated components — confirm exactly what has failed with your garage and then describe that part to the breaker.

Because the i3 has no internal combustion engine coolant circuit feeding the cabin, there is no heater matrix; cabin heat comes from an electric heat pump (fitted to most i3s) or an electric PTC (positive temperature coefficient) resistive heater element. If your heating has stopped working, the fault is most likely in the heat pump compressor, the PTC heater unit, the blower motor, or associated control modules rather than anything resembling a heater matrix. Describe the exact symptom and the part number from your failed component to the breaker so they can source the correct electric heating part.

It is very unlikely this is a genuine BMW i3 part, since no variant of the i3 — including the range-extender (Rex) model — uses a coolant-fed heater matrix in the conventional sense. It is possible the listing is mislabelled, relates to a different BMW model, or refers to a cooling component associated with the Rex's small petrol generator rather than a cabin heater matrix. We would strongly recommend querying the part number directly with the breaker and cross-referencing against your car's registration before purchasing anything.

On the i3, cabin heating is delivered electrically, so the components to investigate are the heat pump assembly, the PTC electric heater booster, the blower motor and resistor, or the climate control module — not a heater matrix. A diagnostic scan will usually point to the faulty component and give you a part number to quote when approaching a breaker. Once you have that part number, breakers who specialise in EV or BMW i-series dismantling will be best placed to source the correct used part.

Yes, generation matters for electric heating components on the i3: the original generation ran from 2013 to the facelift in 2017, with the updated model continuing to 2022, and there were changes to the heat pump system and associated components across that period. Whether a part from a pre-2017 car will interchange with a post-2017 car is something you should confirm with the breaker against your exact registration and the part number from your vehicle. Trim level (for example, Lodge, Suite, or Loft interior specifications) is unlikely to affect heating system components, though it may affect interior trim pieces around the vents.