Someone else searching for an 2021 i3 S fully loaded with the all the options that were offered BMW as a part of “ their last year’ program.

[Mustrum Ridcully]

I've been on the lookout for an i3 "shop manual" since 2014 but have found nothing except BMW's i3 Technical Training manuals which help but aren't shop manuals (i.e., no instructions for diagnosing or fixing problems).

Well, I have been running my (admittedly somewhat weakened by advancing age) Google-fu skills on this problem for only a few weeks since I was introduced to the i3 by a mechanic friend in February. I told him that my search would enable me to remain independent as long as my health allowed. I showed him how easy it is to fold my 6'4 230lb (well, that is my target weight, 16st 6lb or193 cm and 104Kilofor the rest of the world) frame in and out of my MINI. I told him about my winter's search for an electric replacement to lease. He took me to the back of the shop where there were a pair of panda white .i3 shop trucks, as he called them, and that changed my search focus and brought me to this forum to further my education.

In 2004, the BMW new MINI was still new, and not a huge number had been sold, yet Bentley saw fit to publish a proper shop manual. I have read that the total number of BMW i3s sold exceeded 250,000, and they are moving into the realm of being owned by many folks who like to do their own wrenching.
I would greatly appreciate it if anyone could provide a link to those i3 Technical Training manuals. Your assistance would be invaluable in my quest for a comprehensive i3 shop manual. Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[Mustrum Ridcully]

When you post up pictures of the new i3 you just bought, I'll try make sure that you have access to the repair manual.

Thanks in advance.
My hunt goes on for a 2021 BMW i3 Sport BEV Tera World (possibly Giga World, if the wool blend fabric between the leather, is not torn or stained I do like the brighter look it provides, but the full-leather seats in my 20-year-old, MINI are fine )
Candidates are found, but for this one, https://www.bmwusa.com/certified-preowned-search/detail/WBY8P6C0XM7J16492, I would have to repaint or wrap it. I don't have any info on what that would cost. Someone I know near Boston had his Tesla wrapped in a flat pinkish red, which looks 'not nice' to me. He says the wrap cost him over $5000, perhaps the panels all being popped off as shown In thisWisely video,

 

[alohart]

I would greatly appreciate it if anyone could provide a link to those i3 Technical Training manuals.

All if the i3 Training Manuals in the format of your choice are available here.

 

[Mustrum Ridcully]

It seemed to me that 2 options in the 2021 MY are hard to find together, and they are the sunroof with the HK audio. I found many certified lease returns with either the sunroof and standard audio, or HK audio and no sunroof,

It took me from March to July to find a car with GIGA trim and both options; most of the ones with both options had a dark DEKA interior, which I found very odd, and the seats of many cars looked soiled in the photos.
and in the end, I had to settle for All Black which is my least favorite car color.
Now, we are working on getting it shipped to Maine from the Washington DC area.

 

[tongsli]

It took me from March to July to find a car with GIGA trim and both options; most of the ones with both options had a dark DEKA interior, which I found very odd, and the seats of many cars looked soiled in the photos.
and in the end, I had to settle for All Black which is my least favorite car color.
Now, we are working on getting it shipped to Maine from the Washington DC area.

Congrats on your vehicle. I love the fact that there is no Carbon Fibre Roof and it has a heat pump supposedly, it doesn't really make that much difference but I would take one in two seconds. I also love the HK radio and your interior. Does the LODGE have the LED lights on the door handles and inside as well?

If I were to do the same, I would find someone to wrap the vehicle instead of painting.

Can you please post pics when you can?

Lito

 

[Mustrum Ridcully]

I will be glad to post a few snapshots when it gets shipped to me in a week or so. The broker I asked to do this said if I could be a little flexible on the shipping date, he thought he could get me a better rate.

 

[dilon777]

When I signed up with IQ Autos, they were still sourcing i3s despite the warranty issue. They explained that while some vehicles were out of warranty, they offered extended warranties and thorough inspections to ensure quality. For a '21 i3 coming off lease, you might try other dealers specializing in EVs or check with IQ Autos again, as their inventory and policies may have changed.

 

[alohart]

When I signed up with IQ Autos, they were still sourcing i3s despite the warranty issue. They explained that while some vehicles were out of warranty, they offered extended warranties and thorough inspections to ensure quality. For a '21 i3 coming off lease, you might try other dealers specializing in EVs or check with IQ Autos again, as their inventory and policies may have changed.

After being unable to find a 2019 non-S Giga BEV with the Tech Package on the West Coast after a year of searching, I signed up with IQautos in 2022. They found my ideal i3 at a Riverside, CA, auction house just before they would be shipping it to their dealership in Marietta, GA, for prepping and listing. They sold it to me "as is" which included 4 new tires and a scratched right front wheel. Neither IQautos nor I had inspected it in person. They set a fair price and arranged trucking 60 miles to the Long Beach terminal of a company whose ships serve Honolulu. The released CA title arrived before my car, so I was able to register it in Hawaiʻi on the day I picked it up. The only negative was that a smoker had leased or owned it.

Fast forward to 2024 when I decided that I wanted to buy a final-year (U.S.) 2021 non-S Giga BEV with the Tech Package but hadn't been able to find one. So I again signed up with IQautos. Unlike in 2019 when they informed me of a couple of other suitable i3's, I never heard anything from IQautos. My feeling is that they had moved on from i3's which makes some sense. I don't actually know what the current situation is with IQautos, but they didn't help me find a suitable i3. To be fair, there are probably far fewer 2021 non-S Giga BEV's with the Tech Package compared with the 2019 model, so maybe they hadn't found anything.

 

[Mustrum Ridcully]

Fast forward to 2024 when I decided that I wanted to buy a final-year (U.S.) 2021 non-S Giga BEV with the Tech Package but hadn't been able to find one. So I again signed up with IQAutos. Unlike in 2019 when they informed me of a couple of other suitable i3's, I never heard anything from IQAutos. My feeling is that they had moved on from i3's which makes some sense. I don't actually know what the current situation is with IQAutos, but they didn't help me find a suitable i3. To be fair, there are probably far fewer 2021 non-S Giga BEV with the Tech Package compared with the 2019 model, so maybe they hadn't found anything.

I thought you might fine this funny
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1865318862...Z52S4W&hash=item2b6e2ab4a9:g:V~wAAOSwZB1mgxX7

 

[alohart]

Well, I never thought to search eBay for a used i3. Oh, well…

At first blush, the $28K asking price seems tragically funny for a 2021 Deka World i3 without the Tech Package, H/K entertainment system, moonroof, heat pump, or any options at all except for the very nice Galvanic Gold Metallic paint. However, the Kelley Blue Book (KBB) typical dealer listing price for this i3 is $29,303, so maybe San Francisco used car prices are higher than those in San Diego where the KBB typical dealer listing price for our 2021 Galvanic Gold Metallic Giga World i3 with the Tech Package, new rear tires, and only 8,674 miles was $28,844 on 6 June.

I told IQautos that a 2021 Giga World i3, the Tech Package, and any color but Fluid Black were my requirements, so they shouldn't have contacted me about this i3. I should probably tell IQautos that I've found my i3 (they've probably forgotten me ).

 

[tongsli]

I've been keeping an eye out and it's high but I've found some other even higher prices than that one

 

[Mustrum Ridcully]

And it had a small (business? nav screen); perhaps it was one of the Covid parts shortage cars? Why in the world they offered the two different types of centre screens baffles me. The production cost differential on the finished car as it rolled off the line, even in 2014, must have been minuscule. I have never studied marketing, and I recall reading somewhere that BMW took a significant loss on every i3 sold during the early years of production due to its innovative design and production. I would love to see the books on the whole production run. Add to that bath that BMW leasing is taking on i3 cars coming off of lease. It would be interesting to look over the books on the project's entire life, including design, testing, development, production and sales. I expect in a few years some clever MBA will get access and write a fascinating paper.


During my search from March to earlier this month, I looked at hundreds of i3 and i3s listings for 2019 to 2021 year cars for sale in the US, and it was amazing how often these bizarrely optioned cars would turn up. The Deka World trim package, in particular, with its easily stained (and, from the photos, hard-to-clean fabric seats, surprised me when it was seen with almost every other option on offer. The small screen was also seen on many Tera and Giga World trims which emoved them from consideration. Those were some of the strangest. I recall one 2020 Tera World i3 in red that had virtually nothing beyond the things included with that trim. How do cars like that get produced?

 

[eNate]

During my search from March to earlier this month, I looked at hundreds of i3 and i3s listings for 2019 to 2021 year cars for sale in the US, and it was amazing how often these bizarrely optioned cars would turn up. The Deka World trim package, in particular, with its easily stained (and, from the photos, hard-to-clean fabric seats, surprised me when it was seen with almost every other option on offer. The small screen was also seen on many Tera and Giga World trims which emoved them from consideration.

That's why my Covid i3 find was so baffling and surprising!

It's August 2021, I've been poking around for over a month, the i3 program is coming to an end and the US order books had just closed for good. A bunch of options are simply not available. Tech package and HK audio are scarce — I'll find one but without the other — and the few west coast dealers with one in transit are asking $5k markups.

So I X-out of Car Gurus and plug in Cars.com or Auto Trader and I practically trip over my gem: a fully-optioned Mega that is only missing leather seats and wood trim, and two LED lights in the rear interior door handle pockets. It's even got the 20" wheels I don't want. I'm positive if that dealer advertised it on Car Gurus it would have been snatched up months ago, or if it was on the west coast it would have a hefty price adjustment appended to the sticker.

But for this car, the dealer is actually willing to entertain negotiating just to move it. It has been sitting on their floor since February! I mean, yeah it's in Texas, but come on! OMG, pinch me.

So like I wrote earlier, they're out there, but they're few in numbers and I'll bet their scarcity makes them more likely to be keepers.

 

[Mustrum Ridcully]

Wokeby Trunk Extension | Duosida 16A L1 EVSE
SeaSucker Monkey Bar Roof Rack.

I think I know. what what the wokeby trunk extension and since I have a 21 i3 S BEV I guess I could get one once my wallet recovers from the shipping charge... The thing to keep the weather out of the frunk seems more practical. (has BMW ever come clean on how this remaind unfixed for the whole production run:?) However at €118 plus shipping something that bulky to Maine from Germany it will be near $200. or more. Has anyone tried thick foam sealing tape or some other way of keeping the weather out of the frunk.
The roof rack is obvious but what is a Duosida 16A L1 EVSE?.

 

[eNate]

Oops I need to change that, it's been replaced with a Zencar L1 / L2 16 amp unit with adjustable amperage and delay start. I use it almost daily charging at work. It makes for a personally economical commute when my employer is paying for my electricity!

The Duosida now resides in the ID.4.

And the trunk extrusion is a great addition to the i3 is you have any knick-knacks that you carry regularly like straps, cords, tools, etc.

 

[alohart]

I think I know. what what the wokeby trunk extension and since I have a 21 i3 S BEV I guess I could get one once my wallet recovers from the shipping charge... The thing to keep the weather out of the frunk seems more practical. (has BMW ever come clean on how this remaind unfixed for the whole production run:?) However at €118 plus shipping something that bulky to Maine from Germany it will be near $200. or more. Has anyone tried thick foam sealing tape or some other way of keeping the weather out of the frunk.

For what it's worth, when I placed a Wokeby order in October, 2022, shipping for both the trunk extension and frunk sealing was the same, very reasonable 62€ as shipping either separately. And that was to Honolulu, about twice as far from Germany as Maine.

I use the frunk extension regularly to conceal items from the prying eyes of those who would break glass to steal these items. Unfortunately, this is a significant threat in Honolulu where tourists tend to leave valuables exposed in parked rental cars.

There is a theory that BMW didn't seal the frunk so that an Occasional Use Cable used to charge in rainy weather could be stored in the frunk where it could dry when fresh air circulated through the frunk. I'm not a believer in that theory, but that's all I got.

My frunk sealing has kept the slip-on seat covers that I store in the frunk and install after hiking, swimming, or doing something dirty/sweaty, dry.

 

[Gonville]

The production cost differential on the finished car as it rolled off the line, even in 2014, must have been minuscule. I have never studied marketing, and I recall reading somewhere that BMW took a significant loss on every i3 sold during the early years of production due to its innovative design and production.

Ok so I get to edit now……

I think that the 4 different types of interior were a way to differentiate a price band in the EV with the same size motor and same size battery in 2013/2014. Couldn’t charge for 2000/2500/3000/3500cc. So the 2 screens sizes reflected what happened in the 3 series just that most folks didn’t choose ‘Business’. Of course you are absolutely right and in 2017 with the LCI they fixed this by making it standard with the bigger screen higher resolution Pro Nav with the update to Idrive6 as well. World events changed the final run (probably they didn’t intend to go so far and more folks ordered the Pro?) so they resorted to the parts bin of Business Nav. Why they did that? Was the run on big screens finished ? Did someone find a supply of small screens? Did no one order business nav in 2013-2017?, did the manufacture get canned in Ukraine? Who knows.

On the cost…I read that over the whole run (excluding the development and research - which goes on into other lines - and the factory which is re-used for Mini) they did make profits per item. Just if you take all that into account maybe not. Needs the PhD report.

 

[Mustrum Ridcully]

Ok so I get to edit now……

I think that the 4 different types of interior were a way to differentiate a price band in the EV with the same size motor and same size battery in 2013/2014. Couldn’t charge for 2000/2500/3000/3500cc. So the 2 screens sizes reflected what happened in the 3 series just that most folks didn’t choose ‘Business’. Of course you are absolutely right and in 2017 with the LCI they fixed this by making it standard with the bigger screen higher resolution Pro Nav with the update to Idrive6 as well. World events changed the final run (probably they didn’t intend to go so far and more folks ordered the Pro?) so they resorted to the parts bin of Business Nav. Why they did that? Was the run on big screens finished? Did someone find a supply of small screens? Did no one order business nav in 2013-2017?, did the manufacture get canned in Ukraine? Who knows.

On the cost…I read that over the whole run (excluding the development and research - which goes on into other lines - and the factory which is re-used for Mini) they did make profits per item. Just if you take all that into account maybe not. Needs the PhD report.

That all makes a lot of sense. what I did not understand was tthat BMW failed to recall those vehicles with the small screen and other items that were shorted due to the Covid chip supply chain problems..and fit the missing parts. The goodwill that such a stance would have far exceeded any costs that were incurred. There are YouTube videos on fitting a large screen on i3 cars for less than €100 using Chinese parts.

 

[alohart]

That all makes a lot of sense. what I did not understand was tthat BMW failed to recall those vehicles with the small screen and other items that were shorted due to the Covid chip supply chain problems..and fit the missing parts. The goodwill that such a stance would have far exceeded any costs that were incurred. There are YouTube videos on fitting a large screen on i3 cars for less than €100 using Chinese parts.

In U.S. i3's, the small screen has always been installed on i3's without the Tech Package which include many (most?) i3's. So there would be no reason for BMW to retrofit the wider screen on U.S. i3's without the Tech Package.

 

[Mustrum Ridcully]

I did see a lot of i3s cars in deka dark trim with no tech package and some i3 cars that were just described as base with no options. But I aw done with this base Bev cars with just one option such as the moon roof or auto parking These seemed to me to be strange choices in the order forms.