2015 i3 REX with 114k for $10,000

[bigbearballs]

I'm thinking about picking up this baby. I'm getting a weekend with it tomorrow. Besides checking the battery health in the secret menu, making sure the AC is running quietly, the 12 volt battery, and motor mounts, is there anything else I should check out? I've driven a leaf, model s, and volt so I'm very familiar with EV's, but my biggest worry is a huge repair bill on this guy. Any help is greatly appreciated....

https://www.bluebonnetmotors.net/us...plink&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=cars.com

 

[richs]

That's a great price, but only because there's a big question mark about how the 60 Ah battery holds up over time. And that's a lot of miles and a lot of recharge cycles.

At the least, I would fully charge the car, drive it until the REx kicks in, note the miles, and keep driving it on REx for a while. Some i3's have had issues with the REx, too, although I don't know how common they are.

Pretty much any problem with the AC, the REx, or the battery pack is going to cost thousands to fix. OTOH, if something does go wrong you can probably get a good chunk of your original $10k back by parting it out. Used parts for i3's are rare.

 

[Anonymous]

if something does go wrong you can probably get a good chunk of your original $10k back by parting it out. Used parts for i3's are rare.

Yup. Even 'under-performing' the battery packs are in demand as home solar system power storage, not to mention the other parts. Last one I know of that went for salvage, the salvage yard paid around $7K for it.

 

[JohnWasser]

At the least, I would fully charge the car, drive it until the REx kicks in, note the miles, and keep driving it on REx for a while.

Before depleting the battery to where the REx should start (about 6%) I would first make sure the REx starts and runs. You can do that any time the charge is under 75% and the fuel tank is not empty:

BMW i3 REx test mode

Get into the car and close the door.
Press the trunk release button
Press the Start/Stop button (BRAKE NOT PRESSED)
Press and hold the accelerator pedal.
Press and release the brake pedal.
Press and release the brake pedal again.
Press and hold the brake pedal.
Release the accelerator pedal.
Press the Start/Stop button.

The REx should start and run at low-idle.

If you press the accelerator pedal the REx switches to high idle.

The REx will stop in 20 minutes or when you press the Start/Stop button.

Be sure to get out of the car and re-close the trunk when you are done.

 

[bigbearballs]

I appreciate the replies. I have test driven the car and the battery was depleted so REX was engaged. I took it on the highway and it felt fine, very nimble with no problems. I'm getting it today for an extended test drive over the weekend and going to take it to my friend who works on BMW's. Do you think he'll be able to fully examine the REX for any problems or future problems.

 

[bigbearballs]

 

[Anonymous]

Do you think he'll be able to fully examine the REX for any problems or future problems.

Most REx problems are computer-module control or connection related so almost impossible to pre-determine. It's a 650 BMW Scooter engine that has been around since 2012 and pretty reliable. Maybe pick up the right oil and filter, to do an oil change and check for any metal shavings. Have him use an ODB reader and diagnostic software to pull any stored error codes.

 

[CanisLupus]

There has been a suggestion that you can use an OBD II scan tool to find out how many hours the REX has run . Maybe search REX hours .

 

[bigbearballs]

I charged it last night from empty and got 17.27 kwh. That's a healthy battery huh?

 

[eNate]

Hmmm... usable capacity is 18.8 kWh. Charging efficiency is about 85%, meaning 14.7 kWh was stored. That would indicate the battery has about 78% of its original capacity.