BMW i3 Window Winder Motor Replacement Parts

The BMW i3 was produced as a single generation running from 2013 onwards, with a facelift arriving in 2017, so the key question is whether a motor from before or after that 2017 facelift will cross over to your car. The door shell design can change at a facelift, which means a motor from a pre-2017 i3 may not correctly fit a post-2017 car or vice versa. Name the exact year boundary when speaking to the breaker and ask them to check the motor against your specific registration before buying.

Yes, side absolutely matters — the nearside (NS, passenger left) and offside (OS, driver right) motors are handed and are not interchangeable with each other. Always specify NS or OS when getting a quote from the breaker, and double-check this matches your door before the part is dispatched.

The BMW i3 is a four-door body style featuring rear coach doors rather than a conventional five-door layout, so all examples share the same door configuration. Because the door count is consistent across the range, you don't need to worry about a three-door versus five-door mismatch, but you still need to specify the correct side (NS or OS) and whether the motor is for a front or rear door.

Trim and powertrain variants — including the Range Extender — do not affect window winder motor fitment, as the motors are determined by the door and body structure rather than what's under the floor. You can expect cosmetic differences between trim levels such as interior finish, but the motor itself should be the same for the same door position on the same generation. Confirm the generation and door side with the breaker against your registration to be sure.

This question spans the 2017 facelift boundary, which is exactly where fitment can become uncertain — pre-facelift motors (up to 2016) and post-facelift motors (2017 onwards) may differ if the door internals were revised at that point. We can't state with confidence that these will interchange, so route this specific cross-generation question to the breaker and ask them to verify compatibility against both registrations before committing to the purchase.

No — colour is purely cosmetic and has no bearing on window winder motor fitment whatsoever. The motor sits inside the door frame and is selected by generation, door position, and side (NS or OS), so a motor from a differently coloured i3 of the same generation will fit just as well.