New BMW Rex i3 Owner (3 Days) Questions For The Owners :)

[Californiagrade]

Hi Everyone,

I've had my i3 Rex for three days now and I absolutely love it! However, I have a few issues I'd like to see if anyone else has had something similar -

1) Last night my bmw charged from 9 PM PST - 7 AM PST (10 Hours) and I only was at about 85% Charged when I started up my BMW i3. Is this normal?

2) FM Radio Reception - Really really bad especially on the 405 Freeway, some stations aren't even audible some are OK

3) Using gas - I don't ever see myself using gas unless I go on a roadtrip or something to San Diego, so is it OK that the gas sits in the tank for a month or two at a time without being used or could this be bad for my i3?

Thank you for the feedback everyone.

 

[Sparky]

1. Go into settings and make sure you select maximum charge rate. Default from the dealer is low.
2. I think there is a setting for enabling HD radio reception, might be confusing my cars.
3.. Even if you don't use the Rex, every 6 weeks or so, it will fire up in maintenance mode for a few minutes.

 

[RExingIT]

Hi Everyone,

I've had my i3 Rex for three days now and I absolutely love it! However, I have a few issues I'd like to see if anyone else has had something similar -

1) Last night my bmw charged from 9 PM PST - 7 AM PST (10 Hours) and I only was at about 85% Charged when I started up my BMW i3. Is this normal?

2) FM Radio Reception - Really really bad especially on the 405 Freeway, some stations aren't even audible some are OK

3) Using gas - I don't ever see myself using gas unless I go on a roadtrip or something to San Diego, so is it OK that the gas sits in the tank for a month or two at a time without being used or could this be bad for my i3?

Thank you for the feedback everyone.

1. I'm assuming you're charging with the OUC (Occasional Use charger) that came with the vehicle. If your battery is completely dead, it will take atleast 20 hrs to fully charge. You can also change the amount of amperage the charger will draw. This can be as high as 12 amps so make sure the circuit you're charging off of doesn't have many other items on it (like a microwave). The charging level is displayed when you shut the car off (Max, Reduced, or low) and can be changed with the Idrive system. The OUC is rated for up to 12 amps.

2. I'm guessing these are stations that you've not had problems recieveing before? This might need a look at by the dealer. Take a video if you can.

3. The car will automatically run the REx engine when it needs to. It's generally every couple of months or so. Please note that it can only run the REx when the battery is at 75% or below so you may get an error when it's trying to do so, but it can't because the battery isn't at a low enough level.

I'm enclosing here a link to the Youtube BMW i3 owners manuals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEpKa2cGYd4&list=PLMD7Os_LicsI5K1lJfYfCFwqrc495HlIW

I hope this can help

 

[Californiagrade]

1. Go into settings and make sure you select maximum charge rate. Default from the dealer is low.
2. I think there is a setting for enabling HD radio reception, might be confusing my cars.
3.. Even if you don't use the Rex, every 6 weeks or so, it will fire up in maintenance mode for a few minutes.

It's on MAX I just checked thank you

2. I will look for this setting

3. Thanks!

 

[Californiagrade]

Hi Everyone,

I've had my i3 Rex for three days now and I absolutely love it! However, I have a few issues I'd like to see if anyone else has had something similar -

1) Last night my bmw charged from 9 PM PST - 7 AM PST (10 Hours) and I only was at about 85% Charged when I started up my BMW i3. Is this normal?

2) FM Radio Reception - Really really bad especially on the 405 Freeway, some stations aren't even audible some are OK

3) Using gas - I don't ever see myself using gas unless I go on a roadtrip or something to San Diego, so is it OK that the gas sits in the tank for a month or two at a time without being used or could this be bad for my i3?

Thank you for the feedback everyone.

1. I'm assuming you're charging with the OUC (Occasional Use charger) that came with the vehicle. If your battery is completely dead, it will take atleast 20 hrs to fully charge. You can also change the amount of amperage the charger will draw. This can be as high as 12 amps so make sure the circuit you're charging off of doesn't have many other items on it (like a microwave). The charging level is displayed when you shut the car off (Max, Reduced, or low) and can be changed with the Idrive system. The OUC is rated for up to 12 amps.

2. I'm guessing these are stations that you've not had problems recieveing before? This might need a look at by the dealer. Take a video if you can.

3. The car will automatically run the REx engine when it needs to. It's generally every couple of months or so. Please note that it can only run the REx when the battery is at 75% or below so you may get an error when it's trying to do so, but it can't because the battery isn't at a low enough level.

I'm enclosing here a link to the Youtube BMW i3 owners manuals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEpKa2cGYd4&list=PLMD7Os_LicsI5K1lJfYfCFwqrc495HlIW

I hope this can help

Thanks man!

It's a socket in my garage with 4 plugins - maybe its not drawing enough power? How would I get this checked out? The settings on my charging in my i3 is maximum

 

[timf]

As far as #2 goes, I find my car has exceptional radio reception and is able to pick up far more distant stations than previous car radios. If you have trouble picking up local stations I would certainly have it looked at, and as mentioned make sure you enable HD Radio as it is turned off by default.

 

[Californiagrade]

As far as #2 goes, I find my car has exceptional radio reception and is able to pick up far more distant stations than previous car radios. If you have trouble picking up local stations I would certainly have it looked at, and as mentioned make sure you enable HD Radio as it is turned off by default.

where is this option located?

 

[Californiagrade]

As far as #2 goes, I find my car has exceptional radio reception and is able to pick up far more distant stations than previous car radios. If you have trouble picking up local stations I would certainly have it looked at, and as mentioned make sure you enable HD Radio as it is turned off by default.

so I checked and HD radio is ON - I guess it's time to call BMW service : /

 

[justanotherdrunk]

The result of L1 (occasional use) charging on maximum with the regular, crappy wiring in my regular 1950's Tract home

I now use the reduced charge setting with no further problem

Be careful


:shock:

 

[jadnashuanh]

The only reason a receptacle would fail like shown above is if it is defective or the screws were not tight. An old one, where the spring tension on the slots is low or there is some corrosion (say you live near the ocean) are the main reasons why you might overheat the thing. They are designed to provide their stated current, and the i3 does not even reach its maximum value. IF it fails, it's not a problem with the EVSE, it's the receptacle. Note that the wire is installed backwards around the screw...it is designed to be installed with the loop clockwise...installed as shown, it tends to make the wire push out, resulting in a less than ideal connection. Anything that affects the connection can add resistance, and that means heat, which ends up in failure.

 

[alohart]

It's a socket in my garage with 4 plugins - maybe its not drawing enough power? How would I get this checked out?

You could plug a Kill A Watt into the outlet that you use to charge, plug your occasional use cable into the Kill A Watt, read the circuit's voltage on the Kill A Watt, and start your charging session. If the charge level of your battery pack is less than ~80%, the car's charger should request the maximum current (12 amps). I suspect that the Kill A Watt will report 12 amps, but if your charging circuit has some high resistance connections, the charging voltage could be somewhat less than it was before charging started. If the current is more than 5% lower, your charging circuit might have some high resistance connections that could heat up dangerously during charging. But a voltage drop could also be explained by the electricity feed of your house being insufficient when your house is drawing lots of current.

As was mentioned, even if your circuit is able to deliver 12 amps at 120 volts, a charge from near empty to full can take ~20 hours, so what you've experienced is likely normal.

If you buy a Kill A Watt, it's not a good idea to keep it connected during an entire charging session because you'd be nearing its rated maximum current which has caused some Kill A Watt's to overheat.