Tire Repair kit is optional on i3?

SDX · Dec 9, 2024

Hi,
Buying a used (of course) i3 from a BMW dealer in Sweden - and they say "this i3 is with-out a "Tire repair kit" option".
Sounds crazy to me that a tire repair kit can be an option on a car without a spare wheel??? But I have no arguments to say against the dealership.

Can someone confirm that their tire repair kit is visible on the "Optional equipment" list? thanks.

mojo · Dec 9, 2024

I suspect they are getting confused (or deliberately trying to confuse). My car came with "Option" S2VC = Tyre Repair Set, but that doesn't mean it was "optional". What they probably mean is that a previous owner has lost it.

EvanstonI3 · Dec 9, 2024

mojo said:
I suspect they are getting confused (or deliberately trying to confuse). My car came with "Option" S2VC = Tyre Repair Set, but that doesn't mean it was "optional". What they probably mean is that a previous owner has lost it.

or that the previous owner used it (it is one-time use) and it was not replaced.
It is just a can of goo that goes into a small 12v compressor that can inflate your tire and get you to a repair shop.

SDX · Dec 9, 2024

Thanks,
On the "Optional equipment" list of this i3 there is no S2VC Tire Repair Set - so I guess it is real, this car was sold with nothing to protect it from a flat tire - "just call roadside assistance and be useless".

I want it precisely for the 12V compressor, but I guess I am not getting any with this car...

EvanstonI3 · Dec 9, 2024

SDX said:
Can someone confirm that their tire repair kit is visible on the "Optional equipment" list? thanks.

In the USA, mine is visible on the “Monroney Sticker” that is required on all new cars, but also visible when using a VIN decoder site such as mdecoder dot com
2017 BEV

mojo · Dec 9, 2024

One other thing that I ~think~ I can recall: in some countries, some public service vehicles (e.g. police, fire support, medical) are bought with non-optional items removed from the specification as a cost-saving measure. IIRC ex-police vehicles in the UK would have been supplied without a "Tyre Repair Set" because police officers are not expected to do any repair work to their vehicle if it gets a puncture - they simply call for recovery and use another vehicle.

Snowie · Dec 10, 2024

Rather than paying through your nose for something from BMW, just get an inexpensive tire repair kit such as any of the ones from Slime or similar and you'd be all set. https://images.app.goo.gl/fGCdGgYBUJpbZQkD6

jfran2 · Dec 10, 2024

I searched and searched eBay for a replacement tire compressor for my used i3 with no luck until I finally figured out that the proper name for it is the "BMW Mobility Kit." Then I found dozens for sale. Still expensive, but much cheaper than going through the dealer.

tob1as · Dec 10, 2024

I recommend something like this, as the goop stuff really mucks everything up: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BY9RG2MN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
And get a portable compressor like this:
https://www.greenworkstools.com/col...ducts/40v-cordless-battery-inflator-tool-only
(I can recommend this one, as I own one for each of our cars - it plugs into a 12V socket, or you can order a rechargeable battery to go with). - I am sure there are many other options. Just make sure it isn't too "anemic" in terms of pressure output. I use mine to inflate the i3 tires regularly (extreme cold/warm weather her makes for a roller coaster of pressures

), and it works really well. It indicates pressure, you set desired pressure, and it auto shuts off when that pressure is reached.

mojo · Dec 10, 2024

tob1as said:
I recommend something like this, as the goop stuff really mucks everything up: <link to a puncture repair "plug kit">

Superficially that seems a good idea, until you account for the fact that 1. Many drivers would not easily be able to find a well-embeded puncture with the wheel on the car and 2. Many drivers are likely to find that they don't have the physical strength to remove the offending sharp object, ream out the hole to a suitable size and force the insert into the tyre to affect the repair.

None of this would be made any easier by the fact that the car is not supplied with a jack - so all of the above has to be done with the wheel in place, on the side of the road.

tob1as · Dec 10, 2024

mojo said:
Superficially that seems a good idea, until you account for the fact that 1. Many drivers would not easily be able to find a well-embeded puncture with the wheel on the car and 2. Many drivers are likely to find that they don't have the physical strength to remove the offending sharp object, ream out the hole to a suitable size and force the insert into the tyre to affect the repair.

None of this would be made any easier by the fact that the car is not supplied with a jack - so all of the above has to be done with the wheel in place, on the side of the road.

Fair enough. However, if the leak is hard to detect, it usually is slow enough where one can exit off the road to a safer parking area. Maybe keep goop as well and decide on a case by case basis? Also, there may be (physically stronger) help available, as long as one is carrying the tools. A jack isn't necessary in my experience, as one can move the car forward slowly to find the leak (If it is a larger leak, using the compressor add air and detect it that way, is also an option). This is all just based on the tire damage and leak type I have personally experienced over the decades. It usually has been easier than trying to replace the whole tire with a spare (I had to do that once on another car, and talk about physical strength requirements). YMMV (of course).

kd7iwp · Dec 10, 2024

mojo said:
Superficially that seems a good idea, until you account for the fact that 1. Many drivers would not easily be able to find a well-embeded puncture with the wheel on the car and 2. Many drivers are likely to find that they don't have the physical strength to remove the offending sharp object, ream out the hole to a suitable size and force the insert into the tyre to affect the repair.

None of this would be made any easier by the fact that the car is not supplied with a jack - so all of the above has to be done with the wheel in place, on the side of the road.

I did my first longer drive a week ago and brought along one of my summer wheels and stole the jack from my E46 since there isn't one here. I also keep a tire plug set in the car, but you're right, without a jack that presents more challenges. I think I'll go to a junk yard and get a jack from another BMW to keep in the frunk.

tob1as · Dec 10, 2024

kd7iwp said:
I did my first longer drive a week ago and brought along one of my summer wheels and stole the jack from my E46 since there isn't one here. I also keep a tire plug set in the car, but you're right, without a jack that presents more challenges. I think I'll go to a junk yard and get a jack from another BMW to keep in the frunk.

Make sure you get the jack adapter plate for the i3 lift points with it, so you don't crush the receiver plate frames.

mojo · Dec 10, 2024

tob1as said:
However, if the leak is hard to detect, it usually is slow enough where one can exit off the road to a safer parking area. Maybe keep goop as well and decide on a case by case basis? Also, there may be (physically stronger) help available, as long as one is carrying the tools.

Agreed - there are a lot more options than the situation I suggested, though I still have doubts about the amount of hand strength needed to use one of those plugging tools. I'm writing from a position of no experience - I've never actually tried to use one! But I've read a few reviews saying that they are not trivially easy to use.

Candece · Dec 11, 2024

Snowie said:
Rather than paying through your nose for something from BMW, just get an inexpensive tire repair kit such as any of the ones from Slime or similar and you'd be all set. https://images.app.goo.gl/fGCdGgYBUJpbZQkD6

I was always told to never use slime unless it is a REAL emergency. Very hard to get off the TPMS. Your better off just going to local tire shop. No need to go to dealership.

jreynaert · Dec 12, 2024

Snowie said:
Rather than paying through your nose for something from BMW, just get an inexpensive tire repair kit such as any of the ones from Slime or similar and you'd be all set. https://images.app.goo.gl/fGCdGgYBUJpbZQkD6

I keep a tire repair kit in all my cars.

Like this one on Amazon.

TILIBOTE Tire Repair Kit,46pcs Heavy Duty Tire Plug Kit, with Universal Tire Patch Kit to Plug Flats for Car/Motorcycle/Truck/Tractor/Trailer/RV/ATV https://a.co/d/1tEaOBI

bmwnomad · Dec 12, 2024

I would recommend a kit with a pair of pliers to remove the screw/nail from the tire. Also a small bottle of soapy water to find the puncture. Spray the tire with the soapy water and add air then look for the bubbles.

Mustrum Ridcully · Dec 12, 2024

You kids, today,

I recall having several flats that required my skills with a jack (Recall those killer bumper jacks that were standard on US-built cars in the fifties and sixties? They made the cheap scissor jack on my first used MG look good.) I was 6'3" and 195lbs back then and very fit, and I had to jump up and down on the jack handle to get the lugnuts off (and I bought a large X type of lug nut wrench at the first opportunity)
In the 1950s, you would not be surprised at having a flat or two a year per car you drove.

Oh, old man,

RANT MODE ON: Get those DAMN kids off my lawn. And why can't we hire them to wash and wax my car for a tiny fraction of what the local Detail outfit charges? And does anyone recall even seeing a detail company back then? RANT MODE OFF

kd7iwp · Dec 12, 2024

Mustrum Ridcully said:
You kids, today, I recall having several flats that required my skills with a jack (Recall those killer bumper jacks that were standard on US-built cars in the fifties and sixties? They made the cheap scissor jack on my first used MG look good.) I was 6'3" and 195lbs back then and very fit, and I had to jump up and down on the jack handle to get the lugnuts off (and I bought a large X type of lug nut wrench at the first opportunity)
In the 1950s, you would not be surprised at having a flat or two a year per car you drove.

My dad says that his dad would take the tread from old tires and put it around the new tires so that the new ones wouldn't wear out so quickly. I think this was in the 30's or so.

808Pants · 2024-12-21T16:51:57-0600

I was a fan of the *tube-cement-type* plug kits for many years (except for the tendency of the cement to dry out while you're not using them). Perhaps to address that, Slime more recently started selling a version that uses (of course) Slime as the lube/glue that you slather on the fiber plug. But you should have seen my jaw drop when I saw how mine performed, seconds after installation, and thereon - until I found someone who would put an inside patch on the tire.

like a drinking-straw was used to plug my tire.JPG

So I highly dis-recommend the non-volatile type that uses "Slime"

Tire Repair kit is optional on i3?

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