Software update

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Possibly. There was an October 2019 update that addressed an intermittent power steering issue.
 
Possibly. There was an October 2019 update that addressed an intermittent power steering issue.
Yes, search for "SIB 32 11 19 STEERING ASSISTANCE SPORADIC REDUCTION: EPS SOFTWARE UPDATE EXT LTD WTY COVERAGE". The general warranty has been extended to 10 years/120k miles to fix this electric power steering bug. If the integration level of your i3 is higher than or equal to I001-17-11-500 and lower than I001-20-03-520, it would qualify for this warranty system software update at no cost. Just complain to a BMW dealer about an intermittent loss of power steering. Otherwise, you'd have to pay a BMW dealer to upgrade the system software. This system software update would also fix a problem with the telematics module: SIB 84 09 22 SERVICE ACTION: PROGRAMMING THE TELEMATICS CONTROL UNIT - 3G SUNSET.
 
Yes, search for "SIB 32 11 19 STEERING ASSISTANCE SPORADIC REDUCTION: EPS SOFTWARE UPDATE EXT LTD WTY COVERAGE". The general warranty has been extended to 10 years/120k miles to fix this electric power steering bug. If the integration level of your i3 is higher than or equal to I001-17-11-500 and lower than I001-20-03-520, it would qualify for this warranty system software update at no cost. Just complain to a BMW dealer about an intermittent loss of power steering. Otherwise, you'd have to pay a BMW dealer to upgrade the system software. This system software update would also fix a problem with the telematics module: SIB 84 09 22 SERVICE ACTION: PROGRAMMING THE TELEMATICS CONTROL UNIT - 3G SUNSET.
Wow thanks save me a fortune in dealership fees 🙂 next stop my nearest bmw dealership.
I'll let you know how I get on
 
Yes, search for "SIB 32 11 19 STEERING ASSISTANCE SPORADIC REDUCTION: EPS SOFTWARE UPDATE EXT LTD WTY COVERAGE". The general warranty has been extended to 10 years/120k miles to fix this electric power steering bug. If the integration level of your i3 is higher than or equal to I001-17-11-500 and lower than I001-20-03-520, it would qualify for this warranty system software update at no cost. Just complain to a BMW dealer about an intermittent loss of power steering. Otherwise, you'd have to pay a BMW dealer to upgrade the system software. This system software update would also fix a problem with the telematics module: SIB 84 09 22 SERVICE ACTION: PROGRAMMING THE TELEMATICS CONTROL UNIT - 3G SUNSET.
How can I check to see if my 2017 is in that range?
 
How can I check to see if my 2017 is in that range?
The only way I know without having to have any special equipment other than a USB flash drive is to back up your driver profile to a USB flash drive using an iDrive command in the "Driver Profiles" section. Then mount the USB flash drive's file system on a computer and navigate from the "BMWiData" folder to the "MobileProfile" folder. Open the "<name>.mpd" file in a text editor. The value of the "i-step" tag is the integration level. In our 2021 i3 manufactured on 19 March 2021, the integration level is I001-22-11-550 (November, 2022):

<i-step>I001-22-11-550</i-step>

This indicates that the system software has been updated at least once because the original system software was likely the November, 2020, or March, 2021, version. BMW issued i3 system software updates in March, July, and November of each year.
 
Yes, I had both updates performed. The power steering glitch is a little scary if it happens to you. But note that you will lose any codes you have added, i.e.: activate ReX at any SOC, use full gas tank capacity, etc. I had to have mine re-coded, though my coder has a lifetime warranty, so no charge for that.
 
I have a 2017 rex. And 2x after first getting in the car, it felt like I was on a train track. Or my tires were in ruts. The first time I actually thought it was the road. I was running errands and was in and out of the car. By the time I parked and got back in it was back to normal. The second time was about a week before reading this post. I just thought it was tires or a suspension issue, and that it went away, felt around, visually checked front end and kept a mental note. Reading this is what made me question the post to see if I could be included in the update. Is there a way to check with bmw to see if it was done? I will check and see if I have a USB drive and do as you instructed.
 
I've never experienced it myself, but according to posts on other forums, you can upset the power steering temporarily by turning the wheel (or applying pressure to the wheel) while the car is powering on. I'm just guessing, but it seems likely that there is a self-calibration process that happens during startup of the steering control system.

I know it's not much of a consolation if your car suffers from the problem, but the point is that, if correct, it means that the effect will not suddenly occur while you are driving along. It should (if what others have reported) be the same from startup to switching the car off, and it should reset to normal when you next start the car.
 
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