Hybrid Do's and Don't's

I'm not sure if this should be in the Repair section or, Tools and Techniques.

I have a customer with a 2010 BMW X6 50i (E72) V8-4.4L Turbo (N63) Hybrid. A couple years ago, he was rear-ended and had the car repaired with an insurance claim. Later, it was discovered that the "Partition Panels" were damaged, leading to the High-capacity battery, in the rear, to fail. Long story short, he has had it with the dealership and has brought it to me. I service all of his other vehicles and have earned his trust and confidence.

I have not, yet, had to service/repair the electric side of a hybrid. The purpose of this thread is to ask if anyone has any Do's or Don't's concerning hybrids. Anything I should be aware of before I get my hands in there. I will, of course, be doing my homework, tonight.

I've only ever had my hands into a Volt and Prii, so I have no idea if that translates to a BMW. :silly: I'm assuming there's a service disconnect plug somewhere? Yank it and lock it in your toolbox. That way no one can make the system live again without you. AND, when you get done fixing it and it can't figure out why it won't start, you'll remember where you put it! :lol:

Gloves, obviously. Salisbury is pretty well known and widely available.

What are the partition panels all about? :huh:

Another thing you want to do when working on Hybrids is to tape up any exposed connections to the HV side of the system with good electrical tape.

Oh, and don't stand in a puddle of water.

Tyler wrote: What are the partition panels all about? :huh:

I don't know,....yet. I'll get back to you. Something to do with water intrusion, though, I think.

Ro-longo wrote: Oh, and don't stand in a puddle of water.

Lol! Sage advise, right there. :woohoo:

This has some good, basic, info.

Nice video pole71.
Also check out John Kelly's YouTube channel 'WeberAuto'. A ton of videos on hybrid vehicles. Just as anything else a good basic understanding is a necessity to work on them. Most of the videos are Toyota but it applies to other brands of course. And safety is pretty important

www.youtube.com/user/WeberAuto

pole71 wrote: I don't know,....yet. I'll get back to you. Something to do with water intrusion, though, I think.

Please do! Mostly wondering if this is a common failure, or only related to the accident. Sounds miserable either way. :lol:

The owner has provided me with a history summary. It is attached for anyone interested. Also attached, are copies of dealer invoices.

It is considered accident related and the insurance claim is, still, open.

I was very upfront with this customer about knowing little, to nothing, about Hybrid system. It is sitting in my "extended-stay-bay" and is an "as I have time" (and learn) project.

Great thread idea. I've owned two volts and currently a hybrid Highlander and a Prius. Looking forward to having you repair one of them to learn. Not really.

Cat III or IV meter with matching leads.

Some basic safety tips from fluke here:

www.fluke.com/fluke/uses/comunidad/fluke...otive/hybridvehicles

Sent from my Moto E (4) Plus using Tapatalk

Sounds like BMW doesn't know what the heck is wrong with it. :silly: Good times!

Hi everybody
Electric Vehicles (EVs), Hybrids, Batteries (all Types), Solar charging etc are issues that as mechanics, automotive electricians etc we will need to, if we are going to remain relevant, both accept and embrace this awe-inspiring technology.
This does not mean we have to forget our love of internal combustion engines, the sound of that V8 pulsing or the whistling turbo, especially after a major overhaul.
Take the Tesla EV, it has a body, drive train (have you seen the size of those CV joints? Torque), incredible cooling system (batteries don't like heat), Brakes (Brembo), Suspension, many options, and yes to keep tyres and ride at peak efficiency a 4 wheel aligner for wheel alignments is a must. Steering, electronic Rack and Pinion, not to mention self-driving, autonomous driving etc. and the list goes on.
In Australia, in the last few years the Ford Taxi, which was very common for taxis has been replaced almost completely by the Toyota Camry Hybrid. It's rare to even see a Ford taxi these days.
At the Automotive training colleges in Australia we are teaching our Mechanics and Auto Electricians subjects relating to Hybrids and EVs,
subjects such as for eg, Depower and reinitialise hybrid electric vehicles. Now that's all fine for the newbies but what about us that are not at college? This is where there is a need for more training availability and I am hoping that great teachers and trainers such as Paul Danner, (Scanner Danner) will play a part in this fast-moving industry as he has helped so many of us get a handle on the complexities of the modern internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.
Thankyou Paul
Mike from Down Under