Drama continues...

[RJBarry]

Got my i3 REX three weeks ago. As I reported last week, after owning it for 36 hours it went into the shop and stayed there for 11 days. I then had it for 6 more days, and the engine light came back on. I made an appointment to take it back in the next day (Tuesday). The light stayed on all day Monday, but the car seemed to drive fine. I plugged the car in at 6pm on Monday when I got home. I have it set to charge after Midnight and to be ready at 7:00am. For the 6 days I had the car, this was sufficient for it to be 100% charged by morning.

However, at 7:00am I could hear something in the garage. I went out and I swear that the gas engine was going... it was a loud puttering sound. The windows were half way down. I had left the car off with the windows up. The car was only 60% charged. Weirder still, the engine light was now off.

Anyway, I dropped the car off at the dealership for the second time in the three weeks since I purchased the car. They kept it overnight since they are waiting for some official direction from BMW corporate I guess, so I still don't have a diagnoses. Hopefully it isn't as major as the last time.

 

[Zzzoom3]

What dealer is this Steve Thomas? Rusnak?

 

[Stevei3]

I went out and I swear that the gas engine was going... it was a loud puttering sound.

Hi,

are you sure it wasn't the aircon pump you heard trying to pre-chill your car (because you 'told' the car to be charged and prepared by 7) ? The AC compressor can sound surprisingly loud when it starts. It sounds a bit like a muted 1-cylinder ourboard motor when bringing the AC system 'under pressure' (in lack of better phrasing).

Regatds, Steven

 

[jadnashuanh]

Yes, the cooling system, at least from outside, sort of sounds like an engine puttering along. I'd be more worried about the windows being down! Were the doors unlocked as well (assuming they started locked)?

 

[Tummy]

Keep documentation of everything in preparation for your lemon law case.

 

[RJBarry]

What dealer is this Steve Thomas? Rusnak?

Bob Smith

 

[RJBarry]

I went out and I swear that the gas engine was going... it was a loud puttering sound.

Hi,

are you sure it wasn't the aircon pump you heard trying to pre-chill your car (because you 'told' the car to be charged and prepared by 7) ? The AC compressor can sound surprisingly loud when it starts. It sounds a bit like a muted 1-cylinder ourboard motor when bringing the AC system 'under pressure' (in lack of better phrasing).

Regatds, Steven

No I am not sure LOL! That is probably it, with the exception that I didn't think I asked it to precondition. I will chalk this up to having accidentally requested the precondition since that makes the most sense.

 

[RJBarry]

Keep documentation of everything in preparation for your lemon law case.

Yep, already thought about that. Sigh.

Got a little more news, BMW corporate has finally got back to them. Now we are replacing some sort of pressure sensor. Part isn't due in until tomorrow, we'll see if I get the car back or not.

 

[jadnashuanh]

I do not own a REx, but the fuel system in the REx runs with it pressurized...that implies an air pump. If the fuel cap wasn't tight, or there's an air leak, the pump could end up running for awhile - a compressor could be noisy...I've not had an opportunity to listen the the i3's.

 

[jackt]

The aircon compressor sounds a little like a puttering engine - I have noticed that in enclosed or not brilliantly ventilated areas the air-con will fire-up when charging presumably to cool battery.

Doesn't explain the windows...

 

[cityprof]

My experience with the BMW i3:

I was very excited to get this car. Got it at New Century BMW in Alhambra. Paid a premium because was told it was a hot item.

The engine light went the very day I took it home (June 13, 2014.) Took it into the shop the next day and it was in the shop for four days for a software readjustment. Got an X3 loaner so no complaints.

Drove the car for 10 days putting it through its paces and was very pleased with it in every way.

Then decided to take a trip from LA to Palm Springs (Have the extender). Got to the Redlands hill and the car lost power. The generator did not kick in at 3% of battery life as was told it would do so that batteries would continue to be charged. Climbing the hill, the car started to lose power but the generator kicked in at 0%. After barely making it to the top of the hill at 30 miles an hour and big wheelers whizzing around us, we picked up power and zoomed into Palm Springs. Charged it. Engine light came on. Took it to the Palm Springs Dealer and they took the car. They couldn't give us a loaner because we were from out of town. Told us to use trip interruption insurance and get back to LA on that.

We didn't get a rental car with trip interruption insurance as I also drive a Porsche Panamera and decided to continue driving that instead of selling it. Good thing. The BMW i3 is still in the Palm Springs shop. They had to fly in parts from Germany and a mechanic from there or somewhere else. Still couldn't be fixed. The California lemon law kicked in and BMW is now in the process of buying back the BMW i3. I talked to head of service at PS BMW and my impression is the car can't be fixed. They don't know what to do with it. Also, he said batteries on all i3 vehicles tend to overheat if the car sits in the sun for a lengthy period of time. This should be the ideal car for Palm Springs, but not with the i3's current battery pack.

I've long been a BMW customer, but my buy out doesn't cover all of my driving costs since the car was in the shop. BMW won't pay for my insurance on the i3 even though it's been in the shop for close to 50/60 days. BMW won't reimburse any other driving costs beyond the trip interruption insurance which is $1000. Porsche's trip interruption insurance maxes out at $2500.

I will never buy another BMW. EVER. I strongly suggest everyone think twice about getting this car. If you do, make sure it breaks down where the dealer will give you another BMW loner to give them added pressure to fix the car in a timely way. If you are traveling and are within 150 miles of your home dealership, get it trucked back there so you can get the BMW loaner. AAA offers 100 mile towing. Get that as opposed to having it towed to the nearest BMW dealership.

I have just placed an order for a Porsche Macan. The base price of that car is $49,500 and building it out so it looks great and feels comfortable took andother $8,000. This is only a few thousand more than the cost of the i3. Having driven a Porsche Panamera, I have experienced few problems. When it broke down in Las Vegas, I was well taken care of compared to my experience with the i3 breakdown in Palm springs.

Did I say that I will never buy another BMW (even though I liked my 328i and had few problems with it. (Well I had a rubber seal problem around the doors) and BMW North America wouldn't cover that replacement under their warranty until I pulled some strings with a dealership in Montreal, of all places. My best friend there has owned 10 BMWs and he got the Montreal dealership to fix the problem at no cost under the warranty. Since then I've been a VIP at my BMW dealership.

BMW, and probably all dealerships, do target certain individuals for VIP treatment.

Did I say that I'm done with BMW. Go Porsche. Porsche gets more respect. And you can get a Porsche that fits your needs in the same price range as the BMW 5 series and above.

As for going green with an electric vehicle. I want to. Maybe a TESLA.

 

[Zzzoom3]

What dealer is this Steve Thomas? Rusnak?

Bob Smith

I'm picking up my BEV from them tomorrow. Maybe I'll see you there. Was Ross your CA?

 

[kevinb61]

My experience with the BMW i3:

I was very excited to get this car. Got it at New Century BMW in Alhambra. Paid a premium because was told it was a hot item.

The engine light went the very day I took it home (June 13, 2014.) Took it into the shop the next day and it was in the shop for four days for a software readjustment. Got an X3 loaner so no complaints.

Drove the car for 10 days putting it through its paces and was very pleased with it in every way.

Then decided to take a trip from LA to Palm Springs (Have the extender). Got to the Redlands hill and the car lost power. The generator did not kick in at 3% of battery life as was told it would do so that batteries would continue to be charged. Climbing the hill, the car started to lose power but the generator kicked in at 0%. After barely making it to the top of the hill at 30 miles an hour and big wheelers whizzing around us, we picked up power and zoomed into Palm Springs. Charged it. Engine light came on. Took it to the Palm Springs Dealer and they took the car. They couldn't give us a loaner because we were from out of town. Told us to use trip interruption insurance and get back to LA on that.

We didn't get a rental car with trip interruption insurance as I also drive a Porsche Panamera and decided to continue driving that instead of selling it. Good thing. The BMW i3 is still in the Palm Springs shop. They had to fly in parts from Germany and a mechanic from there or somewhere else. Still couldn't be fixed. The California lemon law kicked in and BMW is now in the process of buying back the BMW i3. I talked to head of service at PS BMW and my impression is the car can't be fixed. They don't know what to do with it. Also, he said batteries on all i3 vehicles tend to overheat if the car sits in the sun for a lengthy period of time. This should be the ideal car for Palm Springs, but not with the i3's current battery pack.

I've long been a BMW customer, but my buy out doesn't cover all of my driving costs since the car was in the shop. BMW won't pay for my insurance on the i3 even though it's been in the shop for close to 50/60 days. BMW won't reimburse any other driving costs beyond the trip interruption insurance which is $1000. Porsche's trip interruption insurance maxes out at $2500.

I will never buy another BMW. EVER. I strongly suggest everyone think twice about getting this car. If you do, make sure it breaks down where the dealer will give you another BMW loner to give them added pressure to fix the car in a timely way. If you are traveling and are within 150 miles of your home dealership, get it trucked back there so you can get the BMW loaner. AAA offers 100 mile towing. Get that as opposed to having it towed to the nearest BMW dealership.

I have just placed an order for a Porsche Macan. The base price of that car is $49,500 and building it out so it looks great and feels comfortable took andother $8,000. This is only a few thousand more than the cost of the i3. Having driven a Porsche Panamera, I have experienced few problems. When it broke down in Las Vegas, I was well taken care of compared to my experience with the i3 breakdown in Palm springs.

Did I say that I will never buy another BMW (even though I liked my 328i and had few problems with it. (Well I had a rubber seal problem around the doors) and BMW North America wouldn't cover that replacement under their warranty until I pulled some strings with a dealership in Montreal, of all places. My best friend there has owned 10 BMWs and he got the Montreal dealership to fix the problem at no cost under the warranty. Since then I've been a VIP at my BMW dealership.

BMW, and probably all dealerships, do target certain individuals for VIP treatment.

Did I say that I'm done with BMW. Go Porsche. Porsche gets more respect. And you can get a Porsche that fits your needs in the same price range as the BMW 5 series and above.

As for going green with an electric vehicle. I want to. Maybe a TESLA.

Goodbye! Good Luck! LOVE my i3, and all my current/previous BMWs. Considering what a departure this car is from previous ICE cars (and even most BEVs), I expect there will be some problems (they don't call it "bleeding edge" for nothing). So far 2000mi on my i3 BEV and no problems.
Have owned everything from Chevy Cavalier to Mercedes SL55 AMG. Would never even consider a Porsche...each to their own.

And I would seriously reconsider the Tesla idea if you are worrying about reliability.

 

[Zzzoom3]

The engine light went the very day I took it home (June 13, 2014.) Took it into the shop the next day and it was in the shop for four days for a software readjustment. Got an X3 loaner so no complaints.

Drove the car for 10 days putting it through its paces and was very pleased with it in every way.

Then decided to take a trip from LA to Palm Springs (Have the extender). Got to the Redlands hill and the car lost power. The generator did not kick in at 3% of battery life as was told it would do so that batteries would continue to be charged. Climbing the hill, the car started to lose power but the generator kicked in at 0%. After barely making it to the top of the hill at 30 miles an hour and big wheelers whizzing around us, we picked up power and zoomed into Palm Springs. Charged it. Engine light came on. Took it to the Palm Springs Dealer and they took the car. They couldn't give us a loaner because we were from out of town. Told us to use trip interruption insurance and get back to LA on that.

I'm sorry you had such problems. You're the unfortunate victim and I'm very surprised you weren't treated better. Were you civil with them? Did you happen to call your home dealer to see if they could intervene in your behalf?

More and more people are reporting issues when they go on a road trip with their REX cars. That's not a knock on REX cars, it's just that BEV folks wouldn't typically entertain such a long trip because they know it will be challenging to continually stop for a charge. Neither version is really a road trip car. It's a city car which is not a mindset we are used to in the U.S. when it comes to cars.

 

[Stevei3]

As for going green with an electric vehicle. I want to. Maybe a TESLA.

Hi,
what a bummer story (again), but sorry, I can't resist: good luck, if you go the Tesla-road.
The i3 will never be everyone's friend I guess.

One thing about REx though: the engine actually *does* start at the designated point, but on a 'cold' start it takes a couple of minutes to get up to speed, for obvious reasons. This means that the charge *will* drop below the hold-point initially.
Oh, and one more thing: our i3 and our dealership are behaving themselves quite well, and we're racking up quite a milage...

Regards, Steven

 

[noakey]

I do not own a REx, but the fuel system in the REx runs with it pressurized...that implies an air pump. If the fuel cap wasn't tight, or there's an air leak, the pump could end up running for awhile - a compressor could be noisy...I've not had an opportunity to listen the the i3's.

I guess that as the Rex motor is a motorcycle engine, the fuel tank would normally be above the motor letting gravity feed the engine. . But in the Rex the tank is below the level of the motor so needs pumping. . And in the i3 solution, pressurised. ?

 

[Stevei3]

And in the i3 solution, pressurised. ?

Hi Neil,

it's not because of the motorcycle engine but because of the need to prevent leaking carbs they use a pressurized system, one would guess, like on the Volt:
http://green.autoblog.com/2011/03/18/chevy-volts-sealed-gas-tank-brought-automakers-carb-together/

Regards, Steven

 

[noakey]

And in the i3 solution, pressurised. ?

Hi Neil,

it's not because of the motorcycle engine but because of the need to prevent leaking carbs they use a pressurized system, one would guess, like on the Volt:
http://green.autoblog.com/2011/03/18/chevy-volts-sealed-gas-tank-brought-automakers-carb-together/

Regards, Steven

Hi steven, thank you for this link.. These vehicles have so much thought go into every detail...

 

[jadnashuanh]

Climbing a long, steep grade at speed will use more power than the REx can produce, meaning that your SOC will continue to decrease until that load is diminished and it can start to replenish the batteries. The hassle in the NA market is the choice they made to not let you manually turn it on early, where it could be mainly boosting your charge, rather than trying to barely keep up, if at all. After all, 34Hp isn't all that much, and then, you lose some of it when converting to electricity and waste a bunch in heat. A 34Hp motor will NOT propel a nearly 3K pound load up a long hill very fast! The only way to maintain, is to have enough battery capacity left in reserve. It is what it is, but it will take awhile for many people to realize. I think it's a great car, but my needs only pointed me to the BEV...I could see no worthwhile benefit for me to the REx. As a result, I may end up using my ICE more than some, but in the first nearly 2-months, the only time I've needed my ICE was when I dropped the i3 off for the software update. I'll be using it this weekend to drive to the airport, since I couldn't be assured of being able to plug it in so I could get home again. A REx would have provided that cushion, but the ICE isn't bad on a run like that, and provides a huge amount of flexibility.

Bottom line...if your SOC drops low enough, and you have a significant load on the vehicle (speed, accessories, slope), you essentially end up with a 34Hp car...it will not go fast uphill! That brick wall comes up at 1.9% SOC on the REx. You really don't want to ever get there! You will be disappointed.