Annoying Things I Hate After 3 Weeks With My New i3 ReX

[GiefHammer]

I too cannot stand the fact that the AC doesnt stay OFF when I turn the car on. Super inefficient considering AC and HEAT eats up charge, very annoying when I didn't turn it on in the first place. If I want it on I'll turn it on myself thank you very much.

 

[jadnashuanh]

I too cannot stand the fact that the AC doesnt stay OFF when I turn the car on. Super inefficient considering AC and HEAT eats up charge, very annoying when I didn't turn it on in the first place. If I want it on I'll turn it on myself thank you very much.

There are sensors that look for the windows fogging up, and even in EcoPro+ mode, it will turn the a/c on to demist them. Now, it won't stay on unless the windows stay fogged up.

FWIW, BMW engineers have said that above 30mph, using the a/c is more energy efficient than driving with the windows down because of the increased drag and turbulence.

 

[mindmachine]

I too cannot stand the fact that the AC doesnt stay OFF when I turn the car on. Super inefficient considering AC and HEAT eats up charge, very annoying when I didn't turn it on in the first place. If I want it on I'll turn it on myself thank you very much.

+1 and : jadnashuanh: I don't give a hoot about whether it is more efficient or not, that is not the point, if i want it on I want that decision to be mine!

 

[jadnashuanh]

The car was designed to try to achieve maximum energy efficiency...as a result, it does certain things, and throws safety in there as a consideration as well. Do you put your headlight switch in AUTO, or do you turn them on and off yourself? My first new car didn't cancel the turn signals...you had to turn them off yourself. Most people like the enhancements. Bet you'd prefer a manual transmission (or at least a big honking lever) to mechanically switch into park, drive, or reverse. Probably prefer that the car could roll backwards when stopped without using the brakes...the thing is an appliance designed to get from point A to point B. AT least the i3 is a lot more fun getting there than most.

 

[wjsi327]

I agree with a number of your points. I've only had an i3 for a 4 day extended test drive, but i saw some of those same things. One thing (your point #6) that the iGenius showed me however, is that when you close the door, you can lock the door by running your thumb or finger along the ridges on the door handle. To unlock, you just reach your fingers around the door handle. If the key fob is on you, you don't have to touch it at all.

Maybe this is only a Giga thing, as that's what I had.

Jeff

It's the same with my 2018 Rex and now my 2021 i3. As long as the fob is in my pocket all doors unlock automatically.

 

[wjsi327]

Perhaps I wasn't clear. My i3 does indeed remember the thermostat setting (i.e. 76 degrees). But the only way to shut off the HVAC completely is to set the fan speed to zero. This is what the car doesn't remember. No matter how many times you set the fan speed to zero, turning the car off and then back on turns the HVAC system back on. So if the weather is nice (requiring neither AC nor heat) or you simply prefer driving around with the windows down and do not want AC or heat putting a load on the battery, you must set the fan speed to zero every single time you turn the car on.

This is exacerbated by another poor choice (or bug) in the software, the one which switches the car off when you get out, even if the driver hasn't explicitly turned the car off. So, for example, when you turn the car on in the garage, you must set the fan to zero to turn off the HVAC. Then you drive 50 meters to the mailbox on your way out, and when you get out to check your mailbox the car turns itself off. So you must then AGAIN start the car and must AGAIN set the fan to zero.

It's not the type of bug that we C++ programmers would call "a showstopper" but when combined with all of the other similar software defects, it gets old pretty fast. It would no doubt be less so if I lived in a place like Minneapolis or Winnipeg, where 6 months might pass between days when you'd want to drive with the windows down. But living in a place where the weather is just about perfect 350+ days a year, it's something that must be dealt with literally every time you get into the car, and this is the only car BMW (or probably anybody else) makes with this type of software defect.

I'm driving the 2021 i3 that I originally leased and now own, and I don't see the issue with the car turning “off” when I stop to get the mail out of my mailbox, etc. I'll pay closer attention to that today.

 

[Badgersbits]

I have my air con off permanently and the ventilation in Auto. The car seems to take car of itself very well in that mode in a British winter, rarely steaming up. One thing I love is that the instrument dimming is dependent upon the light levels, and not whether the lights are on, which results in dimmed instrumentation in rain. And the auto lights are a lot more intelligent than many drivers, switching on at the right time and when the wipers are on. All in all it’s a pretty smart car. One thing though, can the door mirrors be set to auto demist?

 

[tliet]

The forum is kind of slow, and the original topic starter has probably 2 new cars since as it's from 10 years ago. BMW has perfected the i3 since as most of the issues that were described have been solved or changed, or can be changed using coding. The turning off when getting out of the car has not been changed however,

 

[808Pants]

The forum is kind of slow, and the original topic starter has probably 2 new cars since as it's from 10 years ago. BMW has perfected the i3 since as most of the issues that were described have been solved or changed, or can be changed using coding. The turning off when getting out of the car has not been changed however,

If you want your i3 to auto-assist you in a John Cleese impression, try this: when you find your low-tire-pressure alert goes off, mark that rear non-driver tire where the screw/nail/imaginary puncture is. You will need it rotated just so, in order to have straight-on access, to plug it with one of those absolutely-dependable fiber plugs. SO:
Back up to where you estimate you're about there.
Get out, run around to the opposite side and squat down to verify the puncture is accessible.
Determine that you need to adjust your position by 2.5 inches.
Return to driver's seat, and select "F".
Realize that you need to "START" first.
Do that.
Then realize you can't do that with door still open.
"START" (while ignoring the seatbelt warning) and inch forward or backward to get it just right.
Rinse, lather, repeat.

(In fairness, I suppose if I had a civilized somewhat-flat paved parking space, I might (might...) be able to push the car backwards or forwards to adjust...but no, there just isn't any way to let an i3 roll without a driver in the seat, is there? So much for the old "it rolled into the lake" claim, I guess.)

 

[Oldsparks]

If you want your i3 to auto-assist you in a John Cleese impression, try this: when you find your low-tire-pressure alert goes off, mark that rear non-driver tire where the screw/nail/imaginary puncture is. You will need it rotated just so, in order to have straight-on access, to plug it with one of those absolutely-dependable fiber plugs. SO:
Back up to where you estimate you're about there.
Get out, run around to the opposite side and squat down to verify the puncture is accessible.
Determine that you need to adjust your position by 2.5 inches.
Return to driver's seat, and select "F".
Realize that you need to "START" first.
Do that.
Then realize you can't do that with door still open.
"START" (while ignoring the seatbelt warning) and inch forward or backward to get it just right.
Rinse, lather, repeat.

(In fairness, I suppose if I had a civilized somewhat-flat paved parking space, I might (might...) be able to push the car backwards or forwards to adjust...but no, there just isn't any way to let an i3 roll without a driver in the seat, is there? So much for the old "it rolled into the lake" claim, I guess.)

Well said

 

[RhodyDave]

The drive train on this car is an engineering tour de force, but the software and usability is just atrocious. Here are ten things I hate so far (Note - some of these have been previously mentioned by others in other threads):

1. Climate control won't stay off. Every time I turn the car on, I have to turn the climate control off AGAIN.

To all of you BMW engineering geniuses out there: I LIVE IN HAWAII. The weather is perfect about 350 days a year. No need for A/C or heat 99.9% of the time...in my house OR my car.

2. Entertainment system doesn't retain its settings when the car is turned off. Every time I turn the car on, I have to re-select which input I want to listen to, and turn the volume up from zero.

3. Can't disable the auto door locks. Whenever I drive the car, everything locks. However, when I stop and turn the car off, the hatch doesn't UNLOCK. So EVERY SINGLE TIME I need to open the hatch, I have to first unlock it with my key fob.

4. Every time I get out of the car, the car turns itself off.....even if I'm just stopping at the mailbox. When I get back in, I have to hit the POWER ON switch again. Even if I leave my key inside the car, even if I engage the parking brake, EVERY TIME I GET OUT OF THE CAR IT TURNS ITSELF OFF.

5. Seat belt warning comes on immediately when the car is turned on. The only way to avoid getting the seatbelt warning is to fasten your seatbelt before you turn the car on. There should be an option to turn the annoying seatbelt warning off competely. Short of that, there should be an option to suppress the seatbelt warning below 5 mph.

Look, BMW, you are not my Grandmother. I will fasten my seatbelt in good time - after I've adjusted the radio, put on my sunglasses, tucked away my briefcase, etc. And I'd prefer to do those things while NOT strapped in.

6. No key proximity sensor? Even cheap-*** rental cars with RF keys unlock themselves when you step up to the door. This $50,000 BMW does not. You have to fish the key out of your pocket to unlock the doors. Then you've got to fish it out again to lock when you walk away.

Disgraceful programming and dumb, dumb, dumb.

7. No button on the key fob for the hatch (see #3 above). The "frunk" is utterly useless unless you're stashing, say, a can of tennis balls. ALMOST ANYTHING (even a small bag of groceries) must be stored in the hatch. But when you go to retrieve the groceries, THE HATCH IS LOCKED (see #3 above).

8. THE FRONT SEATS SUCK.The last time I sat in a seat as uncomfortable as the seats in my i3, I was sitting in Economy Class on an American Airlines flight. That's THE WORST of THE WORST. What, did you guys use a 55-gallon drum cut in half lengthwise as your modeling buck? The entire seat is CONCAVE. There is no lumbar support whatsoever. One's shoulders are swallowed into the concave upper portion. Look, I travel extensively in my work, I rent cars about 15-18 weeks a year. The i3's seats are, without a doubt, the worst car seats I've encountered in at least 10 years.

So now - after paying almost $50,000 for this car - I must fork over another $4000 to get some decent front seats installed?

9. There is a design defect in the cardboard piece that covers the rear floor just in back of the rear seats. Every time I fold the rear seats down, the entire piece pops out. I must shove it back down into its crack THE ENTIRE WIDTH OF THE CAR, every time - EVERY TIME - I fold the rear seats down.

10. The charge-remaining display is a joke. 4 bars, that's all? I'm an engineer with a Master's degree. Give me some viewing options (such as kWh remaining?)

I, too, disagree with a number of your points. But I love my i3! Of course, I got it used, off lease. A 2018 in late 2020, with less than 9000 miles, for 1/2 original sticker. I was a beneficiary of the car's extreme unpopularity.

To address your points:
#1 & 5 can be fixed by "coding". Try "CodeMyCar" or "BimmerCode." #6 - I have never had to take the key out of my pocket! The doors open and lock with simple hand gestures, as long as the key's nearby, i.e.: in my pocket. Hatch also opens if key is in my pocket. Read the Owner's Manual! #7 - Yup, pretty useless, although I keep my "granny charger" 125 VAC gizmo there, and the (useless?) inflator and flask of "sealant". Plus a few other unsightly items. Recently been intrigued with folks parking 6-8 gal. of 93 octane gas in there. Not me! They're crazy! #9 - Can't comment, hasn't happened to me. #10 - The display also works for me. Happy to know the estimated range. What would I do with kWh? BTW, I am en electrical engineer, with a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering and I love my i3! Thanks for the compliment re drive train! I have a REx and I love that, too. Miine's been coded so I can activate it whenever I want. Too bad, CARB! I wish the tank was bigger, but no way I'm loading gasoline into the frunk!