Brake Dust and Time to Charge indicator

[Deutsch100]

Hi i3 peeps.

Question...is anyone else surprised how much brake dust the i3 generates? I mean, it is nowhere near as bad as a "regular" car or suv, but I've had two X5s and three 7 Series with Regenerative Brakes and weeks of daily driving and there was little to no brake dust. I do one pedal driving almost exclusively in my '19 i3, so I'm just surprised how dusty the wheels get.

Also, I've read several people complain that their i3 does not say when the car will be done charging, and mine does this. The minute I plug the charger in, my main instrument cluster shows battery status and charge completion time. I plugged my car in tonight at 6:30pm and it showed 12:33am for charge completion. Is this a model year thing?

 

[jadnashuanh]

If you have a departure time set, the display shows that, otherwise, at least on mine, it shows when it expects to complete the charge. If you have a low-cost time window set, I don't know what it shows since I've never tried that (not available where I live).

 

[SkepTeach]

Do you think the "brake" dust (or whatever it is, road grime?) is just more visible since you have the black wheels? I had one version of the silverish 19" wheels on my '17 i3 and never noticed the rims getting dirty, but I opted for the black on the i3s I ordered and now I'm a wondering if that will be a bigger factor. Didn't even think about it when I was speccing the car out, just thought the black wheels looked great on a red car.

 

[Deutsch100]

The black wheels might actually play a role is seeing "brake dust" or road grime. I actually thought of that, after I posted I agree, the black 20" wheels look amazing on the i3S and I am really happy I got them. It is worth having to clean the wheels once a week....and there is still much less dust on them compared to a non-electric car or a car w/o Regen. brakes.

My three 7 Series and 2 X5s with Regen. brakes did not have fully black wheels, although the X5s had two tone wheels.

 

[CanisLupus]

Could it be that when the friction brakes are applied there is rust being rubbed off of the rotors due to the limited amount of use .

 

[SkepTeach]

Did you have an i3 prior to getting your i3s? If so, is there an appreciable difference in how it drives and feels on the road? Mine should be at my dealer in the next couple of weeks and I'm really looking forward to seeing how it compared to the i3 I had previously. I always thought that car was hilariously fast from a stop (hence going through two sets of rear tires in my 3 year lease!), so I can't wait to see how the "s" version is.

Oh, to your other question, my '17 always told me the expected time to charging completion as soon as I plugged it in. Maybe that was an earlier year model thing?

 

[Deutsch100]

This is my first i3.

My only experience with "electric" was our 2017 X5 40e & 2017 740e. Both drove wonderfully, but we hated the 4 cyl. gas engine and the battery gave maybe about 10 miles of electric driving...a total joke. Most of the time we drove around in a $70,000 X5 with a crappy sounding 4 cylinder engine or a $100,000 7 Series with a crappy sounding 4 cyl. engine. The i3S is better than both those cars. LOVE my i3S.

Before I bought my i3S, I was ordering a Model 3...but I could not get past no Satellite radio offered in the Model 3 and you had to enter the Climate menu on the giant screen and use your fingers to pinch and pull on the screen to ADJUST the hvac vents. All whilst driving. SO dangerous and needlessly complicated. Also the comfort access system on the i3 is much easier and simpler than Tesla. They have too much "to learn" and get used to. The i3 feels and drives like a BMW!

 

[gt1]

I agree- Tesla's absurd drive to move most of the controls to the touch screen is one of the biggest turn offs, at least for me.

 

[Deutsch100]

Yup gt1. The hvac is easier in the Model S or X, but they are much more expensive than the Model 3. Model 3 drove great, but I felt like I was sitting as low as in my Porsche 911S. i3 seating position is awesome!

 

[alohart]

Question...is anyone else surprised how much brake dust the i3 generates? I mean, it is nowhere near as bad as a "regular" car or suv, but I've had two X5s and three 7 Series with Regenerative Brakes and weeks of daily driving and there was little to no brake dust. I do one pedal driving almost exclusively in my '19 i3, so I'm just surprised how dusty the wheels get.

I'm surprised that your i3 creates any noticeable brake pad dust (frequently black). Are you certain that the dust you're seeing isn't rust dust from the lightly used brake rotors (red-brown)? Behind the spokes of the wheels of our 2014 i3 is a noticeable layer of rust dust but no noticeable brake pad dust.

 

[Fisher99]

Same as alohart. I have virtually zero brake dust accumulation on my wheels. I mean really, not at all. Unlike my wife's 535i xDrive, which accumulates noticeable brake dust. Or my Ram/Cummins HD which accumulates a LOT of brake dust.

 

[vreihen]

I'm with @Fisher99. My Ram/Cummins front rims are covered with baked-on rusty brake dust, but my i3 rims are 100% spotless.

I was driving my i3 slowly during the later afternoon today and thought about this thread when I noticed the sun brightly reflecting off the spokes on my rims and being visible in broad daylight on the ground as the wheels turned! Haven't been to a car wash in a month now, and the wheels are still clean enough to make bright reflections.....

 

[jadnashuanh]

I'm not positive, but I think the time to charge display doesn't come on until I lock my car, then, it doesn't stay on forever.

 

[Deutsch100]

I do think if it is brake dust or rust from rotors or road grime and dirt...it just probably shows more on my high gloss black 20" wheels.

Compared to a non-regenerative braking car/suv, my i3 has little brake dust, but I am just surprised that my wheels do not stay as clean as I expected them too.

The chrome BMW wheels I had on my 750i ActiveHybrid and on our 740e, X5 40e and even X5 35d stayed clean for weeks.

In regards to charging...with my car unlocked in our garage, when I plug the car into the BMW wall charger, the instrument cluster shows battery life and time of charging completion.

 

[SkepTeach]

"Before I bought my i3S, I was ordering a Model 3...but I could not get past no Satellite radio offered in the Model 3 and you had to enter the Climate menu on the giant screen and use your fingers to pinch and pull on the screen to ADJUST the hvac vents. All whilst driving. SO dangerous and needlessly complicated. Also the comfort access system on the i3 is much easier and simpler than Tesla. They have too much "to learn" and get used to. The i3 feels and drives like a BMW!"

We are all in on EVs and currently have a Bolt, Model 3 Standard Range+, and a Volt. The M3 replaced the i3 we used to have, and the Volt is soon to be replaced with the i3s I ordered.

We've only had the M3 for a few weeks now, but I have to admit, I am super impressed with that car. It feels a lot more like a "normal" car than an EV like the Bolt or i3, yet it also reminds me of the BMW sedans and coupes I used to drive with its road feel. It does sit very low like someone else mentioned, so ingress and egress is slightly more cumbersome. I was not really sold on the all-encompassing center screen, but in the few times my partner has allowed me to drive the car, I have found it to be pretty easy to use. At night, the instinctual glance behind the wheel for speed or other info can be a little startling when you notice nothing but a void of darkness is staring back at you. I can totally agree with the argument about it being distracting, but that's what autopilot is for right?? haha

Honestly, I'm glad the i3s will be my DD. The M3 is a blast to drive in its own right, but I think the i3 makes a better DD experience.

 

[Deutsch100]

Agree Skepteach!

The Model 3 sits almost as low as my Porsche 911S, and while I am not old...I'm not 18 anymore and getting in and out of super low cars is not as fun as it used to be, LOL.

The big center screen on the Model 3 was better than I thought it would be, but the needing to access a Climate menu to move the air direction on the vents is hands down the stupidest, most dangerous and pointless "feature" I have ever seen in a car. And yeah...for almost $50,000, I want satellite radio

The Model 3 is great, but I for sure love the i3 more

 

[Deutsch100]

I know I have not personally responded to each response, but I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who has taken the time to reply and comment on my post.