Buying a 2013 made BMW tera model made for Japanese market

[DRK002]

Hi everyone,
I’m planning to buy a used BMW i3 BEV which I test drove today. The menu 01.03 VIN indicates that VIN is VV02657, which when entered into online VIN decoder shows that its production date is 6th December 2013. (https://www.mdecoder.com/decode/VV02657)

The menu 13.08 Batt.Kapa.max Reads 19.7kWh, however at the beginning of test drive, the GOM showed three full cubes out of four (75%) battery and available range of 85km. Extrapolation based on this suggests that the range at 100% will be 113km (70.8miles) which base on what I have read about the i3 battery pack is on the low side and also contradicts the 19.7kWh showed in 13.08 Batt.Kapa.max. What did I miss here?

Also should mention that I live in the western province of tropical Sri Lanka where usual temperature these days is 28-31 celcius (82-88 Fahrenheit) but I feel that this temperature is unlikely to have a major impact on battery capacity and efficiency.

Is it wrong to extrapolate from GOM range as i just tried?

I m also wondering whether it'd be unwise to go for a vehicle with 2013 production date. I have read about problems of KLE and motor mounts in some of the early models, but is there a way to check whether these issues had been rectified in the vehicle? Would a professional diagnostic scan via OBD port be able to find out answers to these?

Also should mention the fact that CPO vehicles are not available where I live as the authorized BMW dealer only brings down the REX version whereas a number of 2014 and 2015 BEVs used in UK and Japan are imported and used alongside the REX version in local roads. So there is no 8year warranty for battery pack that you all enjoy. This particular vehicle has been used in Japan and imported to my country by a non-agent third party

Appreciate your comments/ thoughts on this
Thank you all very much!

 

[alohart]

The menu 13.08 Batt.Kapa.max Reads 19.7kWh, however at the beginning of test drive, the GOM showed three full cubes out of four (75%) battery and available range of 85km. Extrapolation based on this suggests that the range at 100% will be 113km (70.8miles) which base on what I have read about the i3 battery pack is on the low side and also contradicts the 19.7kWh showed in 13.08 Batt.Kapa.max. What did I miss here?

The range estimate is based on several factors including how the car was driven during the past ~30 km. If you don't know under what conditions this car has been driven recently, the range estimate could be quite inaccurate.

Also, the Batt. Kapa. max value is an estimate about which even less is known than the range estimate. The Batt. Kapa. max readings in our 2014 BEV suddenly jumped to ~20 kWh after a system software update, so maybe the i3 you're looking at has had a recent software update. Nevertheless, a high Batt. Kapa. max value is certainly better than a low value.

Also should mention that I live in the western province of tropical Sri Lanka where usual temperature these days is 28-31 celcius (82-88 Fahrenheit) but I feel that this temperature is unlikely to have a major impact on battery capacity and efficiency.

Our BEV is in a similar climate in Hawaii. This is an ideal climate for EV's because no temperature extremes occur.

Is it wrong to extrapolate from GOM range as i just tried?

It's not wrong, but it likely won't be accurate until you've established your driving style and travel over routes with similar speeds and terrain. I can divide my usual Batt. Kapa. max value by my typical efficiency in kWh/100 km to get my estimated range which is pretty accurate.

I m also wondering whether it'd be unwise to go for a vehicle with 2013 production date. I have read about problems of KLE and motor mounts in some of the early models, but is there a way to check whether these issues had been rectified in the vehicle? Would a professional diagnostic scan via OBD port be able to find out answers to these?

Most early problems other than the defective KLE and poorly-designed motor mount bolt were related to the REx system. An OBD scan wouldn't reveal whether these updates have been performed. It might be possible for your local BMW dealer to search this i3's maintenance history using its VIN, but maybe BMW's databases are market-specific such that the maintenance history of a Japanese i3 would not be accessible. I would want these updates performed before buying a used i3.

So there is no 8year warranty for battery pack that you all enjoy.

[/quote]
The battery pack seems to be one of the more reliable components. I worry far more about the reliability of expensive electronic modules.

 

[DRK002]

Thank you very much for the detailed and elaborate reply
It is good to hear that the vehicle is performing well in Hawaii. I guess you most probably have rooftop solar as one-third of all Hawaiians. Your state is a case study for electricity sector utility regulations

 

[alohart]

I guess you most probably have rooftop solar as one-third of all Hawaiians. Your state is a case study for electricity sector utility regulations

I live in an apartment that doesn't have rooftop solar as do many in Hawaii. I doubt that ⅓ of the Hawaiian population has rooftop solar.

I'm not sure what the results of a case study of Hawaii's electricity utility regulations would conclude because the private electrical power company is blocking the installation of more grid-tied rooftop solar over fears of power grid destabilization (or more likely, their fear of reduced profits). But that's a discussion for a different forum …