I'm a newbie.

[trumpetdoug]

Hello all,

Just picked up my used 2017 i3 REX yesterday (2/17/2020) 22,000 miles

I'm loving it, and oddly scared to death at the same time. Just hoping the car will hold together as well as my last car. (Prius)

Looking for someone in the Chicagoland area to bend their ear about stuff on this car. I'm located in Arlington Heights. Any takers?

Doug - out


PS If not I'm sure I can learn enough here on this great site.

 

[JohnKelly]

If you are on facebook there are a couple of i3 pages that are well worth perusing. Check out the files section.

 

[trumpetdoug]

If you are on facebook there are a couple of i3 pages that are well worth perusing. Check out the files section.

I am on FB, and will check them out. THANKS!!!!

Doug - out

 

[i3BLUE]

Be wary of the Facebook groups. There is a lot of whining and talk of "coding" your car to defeat the intent of BMW and it's EV functions. There is some good info out there, but just be careful with the information.

 

[Deutsch100]

Be wary of the Facebook groups. There is a lot of whining and talk of "coding" your car to defeat the intent of BMW and it's EV functions. There is some good info out there, but just be careful with the information.

I am a member of the largest Facebook i3 group, and there is not much whining The help and advice and knowledge has been pretty amazing actually, and I do not think there is any more push to code REX on Facebook than on this page.

It seems most who have REX on this site and on Facebook, have coded the REX. I was terrified to do it on my 2019 i3, but finally took the plunge on my 2020 i3 and I could not be happier.

We must not forget, The USA is one of the only regions in the world, where one cannot use REX when desired. Coding REX is not doing something scandalous or shocking....it is actually just using REX as BMW intended from day 1

 

[Anonymous]

We must not forget, The USA is one of the only regions in the world, where one cannot use REX when desired. Coding REX is not doing something scandalous or shocking....it is actually just using REX as BMW intended from day 1

Exactly! Calling it 'coding' is a bit misleading. Coding implies changing/re-writing/hacking existing control software outside of its design parameters. All Apps like the Bimmerlink App do is open access to existing settings/controls in the car's idrive menu that are hidden for one reason or another or for specific markets,. Like access to start the REx on demand, which is hidden in USA cars to meet the California Air Resources Board (CARB) regulation for an auxiliary power unit . This classification made the i3 REx eligible for California's green sticker that identifies the vehicles allowed to be operated by a single occupant in California's high-occupancy vehicle lanes, and allows the i3 with range extender to be eligible for a US$2,500 Clean Vehicle Rebate.

 

[Deutsch100]

We must not forget, The USA is one of the only regions in the world, where one cannot use REX when desired. Coding REX is not doing something scandalous or shocking....it is actually just using REX as BMW intended from day 1

Exactly! Calling it 'coding' is a bit misleading. Coding implies changing/re-writing/hacking existing control software outside of its design parameters. All Apps like the Bimmerlink App do is open access to existing settings/controls in the car's idrive menu that are hidden for one reason or another or for specific markets,. Like access to start the REx on demand, which is hidden in USA cars to meet the California Air Resources Board (CARB) regulation for an auxiliary power unit . This classification made the i3 REx eligible for California's green sticker that identifies the vehicles allowed to be operated by a single occupant in California's high-occupancy vehicle lanes, and allows the i3 with range extender to be eligible for a US$2,500 Clean Vehicle Rebate.

Thanks MKH. Great explanation about REX and CARB I am so happy I accessed REX I Used my VEEPEAK OBD tool and the Bimmerlink APP to access control of my REX, and it took only a few mins...although I probably spent an hour watching Youtube videos on how to and building up courage!!

 

[BL5]

FB i3 groups seem to want to add aux fuel tank in the frunk and swap 60aH batteries to 120aH. Some useful stuff there.

When it comes to coding, it’s the only way to go for long trips. In 2020 I bought two i3s, and would never made it home without coding (and 300 fuel stops for 2.1g) LOL. For under $40k I now have two very useful loaded CPO i3s.

My 2015 went from Arkansas to WA, with 2.4g coding + REx I drove 70% REx / 30% EV.
My 2017 went from Texas to WA, drove 70% EV / 30% REx.

Without YouTube and BimmerCode & 2.0g emergency fuel tank these trips would of been miserable.

 

[Deutsch100]

FB i3 groups seem to want to add aux fuel tank in the frunk and swap 60aH batteries to 120aH. Some useful stuff there.

When it comes to coding, it’s the only way to go for long trips. In 2020 I bought two i3s, and would never made it home without coding (and 300 fuel stops for 2.1g) LOL. For under $40k I now have two very useful loaded CPO i3s.

My 2015 went from Arkansas to WA, with 2.4g coding + REx I drove 70% REx / 30% EV.
My 2017 went from Texas to WA, drove 70% EV / 30% REx.

Without YouTube and BimmerCode & 2.0g emergency fuel tank these trips would of been miserable.

300 fuel stops, LOL!!

Yes...Youtube, Bimmerlink and my Veepeak OBD tool....accessing REX (aka coding) is a must and I am so happy I did it. It also 100% eliminates any thinking about "did my REX run, is it ok, is the oil getting old, is the fuel getting old, are the injectors gummy?"

 

[Timjohn]

My thoughts on Facebook groups...if you have questions the World Wide group is the place to go. All my inquiries from this group was answered within minutes of posting. This discussion group is rather slow and ponderous and I had to wait for days if not a week before I received a response to any of my inquiries. Don't shy away from informed world wide i3 owners.

 

[alohart]

My thoughts on Facebook groups...if you have questions the World Wide group is the place to go. All my inquiries from this group was answered within minutes of posting. This discussion group is rather slow and ponderous and I had to wait for days if not a week before I received a response to any of my inquiries. Don't shy away from informed world wide i3 owners.

Of course, anyone using Facebook should realize that Facebook will attempt to track your Website viewing and collect as much of your personal information as it can. So one trades privacy for whatever Facebook has to offer.

Facebook's worldwide i3 group has a pretty low signal to noise ratio with many threads about how pretty my i3 is, I saw an i3 at such and such place; was that you?, and the same problem repeated over and over, probably because finding previous discussions can be difficult with all threads dumped into a single group regardless of the topic. I much prefer this forum.

 

[Spamouflage]

Be wary of the Facebook groups. There is a lot of whining and talk of "coding" your car to defeat the intent of BMW and it's EV functions. There is some good info out there, but just be careful with the information.

I am a member of the largest Facebook i3 group, and there is not much whining The help and advice and knowledge has been pretty amazing actually, and I do not think there is any more push to code REX on Facebook than on this page.

It seems most who have REX on this site and on Facebook, have coded the REX. I was terrified to do it on my 2019 i3, but finally took the plunge on my 2020 i3 and I could not be happier.

We must not forget, The USA is one of the only regions in the world, where one cannot use REX when desired. Coding REX is not doing something scandalous or shocking....it is actually just using REX as BMW intended from day 1

Would that void the warranty? I’m leasing my 2020 i3S REX. Thanks

 

[Deutsch100]

Be wary of the Facebook groups. There is a lot of whining and talk of "coding" your car to defeat the intent of BMW and it's EV functions. There is some good info out there, but just be careful with the information.

I am a member of the largest Facebook i3 group, and there is not much whining The help and advice and knowledge has been pretty amazing actually, and I do not think there is any more push to code REX on Facebook than on this page.

It seems most who have REX on this site and on Facebook, have coded the REX. I was terrified to do it on my 2019 i3, but finally took the plunge on my 2020 i3 and I could not be happier.

We must not forget, The USA is one of the only regions in the world, where one cannot use REX when desired. Coding REX is not doing something scandalous or shocking....it is actually just using REX as BMW intended from day 1

Would that void the warranty? I’m leasing my 2020 i3S REX. Thanks

I sure hope not, since I lease my 2020 i3S REX The consensus is that most dealers do not even know that REX Hold State of Charge has been activated, since it is active by default in all other markets. On the other hand, there apparently have been a few posts saying their BMW dealer tried to deny coverage on certain repairs. I cannot confirm this. You could also just de-activate REX Hold State of Charge. As easily as you activate it/"code it", you can turn it off. I will just take my chance and if/when I need Service I will just keep it activated.