Things I Dislike About My i3

[3pete]

You should never use windex are car windows. They have coatings on them that the windex will destroy.

I've never heard that. Do you have some documentation?

It depends who you believe.
- Says it causes streaks and will damage tinted windows:
http://lpautoglassorlando.com/blog/...ducts-that-lead-to-an-auto-windshield-repair/

+ Says it is safe for all factory windows but may damage aftermarket tinting. Also, points out that laminated glass is glass on the exterior surface.
https://www.liveabout.com/is-windex-bad-for-your-windshield-3975507

- Says it streaks, fogs, and is bad for tint
https://glassdoctor.com/blog/fact-or-fiction-use-window-cleaner-to-clean-auto-glass

- Windex says their ammonia free cleaner is safe for all types of car windows.
https://www.windex.com/en-us/inspiration/more-about-windex/faq


Getting back to the topic of the thread:
-I'll echo the buffetting on highway with windows open as my biggest gripe (that's a good sign this is my biggest complaint). Rear windows that vent or if they could do a roll-down tailgate like the 4-runner that would be fantastic in my mind.
-No spare tire. I know this is fairly common now but that doesn't mean I'm ok with the trend.
-High beam lights on earlier models are laughably bad
-No heated steering wheel.
-Connected Drive's unreliability
-Lack of car's ability to show present charge rate (currently annoying mostly because it could even be added with a software update)
-Charge cable lock behavior; should mimic Tesla or LEAF's behavior

Another pet peeve is that I have not figured out what turns the outside heated mirrors on yet.

Apparently the i3 turns the outside heated mirrors on... when it feels like it. :lol:
https://www.mybmwi3.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3400

 

[Obioban]

Car windows all have film on them, so they don't shatter in crashes-- tinted or not.

I think dealers and car detailers use car glass cleaning products

AFAIK windshields and some windows have internal film between the layers of glass, you can't damage it with Windex. Other windows are tempered glass and will shatter into cubes on impact.

Only very high end cars have double pane glass. The i3 does not. There's not layers to put it between.

 

[vreihen]

Another pet peeve is that I have not figured out what turns the outside heated mirrors on yet.

Apparently the i3 turns the outside heated mirrors on... when it feels like it. :lol:
https://www.mybmwi3.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3400

Comfort mode, d'oh!!!

Looks like I'll need to change my driving habits and enable full power and the touchy go-pedal to keep the mirrors clear in low-traction winter conditions..... :roll:

 

[alohart]

Only very high end cars have double pane glass. The i3 does not. There's not layers to put it between.

U.S. regulations require safety glass in all vehicle windshields including that of the i3. Safety glass is 2 glass panes bonded together with a sticky plastic film between the panes. This film holds broken glass shards together which reduces the likelihood of glass cut injuries when the windshield breaks. A broken windshield looks very different from any other broken vehicle window which is typically tempered glass that shatters into many small but not particularly sharp pieces that don't stick together.

Double-pane glass isn't the same as safety glass. Double-pane glass is generally considered to be 2 panes of glass separated by an insulating air gap. As you write, heavier and thicker double-pane glass is typically a feature of more expensive vehicles.

 

[alohart]

Comfort mode, d'oh!!!

Looks like I'll need to change my driving habits and enable full power and the touchy go-pedal to keep the mirrors clear in low-traction winter conditions..... :roll:

Maybe try decoupling climate control from Eco Pro mode using a checkbox in iDrive. I know that doing so enables full climate control power (i.e., the same power as in Comfort mode) while in Eco Pro mode. Maybe automatic side mirror heating would work in Eco Pro mode when climate control is decoupled.

 

[electronchaser]

I can add a few things.
There is absolutely zero data available to the driver. I mean you've got a huge display. They could have dedicated one page to analytics. And I dont mean their stupid star grading system which is rubbish.

Proper data. How much power did you collect on your last plug up. How much power have you used through the day, over the week. Sometimes I feel like BMW made the data and interface for a 2nd grader.

There's all that screen real estate and I have to click through stuff to get my SOC, rounded to the nearest half %.
Then there's the font size, lack of ability to adjust it. and that split screen idiocy.
What's the point of putting the map on the right side when you cant see enough of it to use it. And the interface is laggy. Compared to my other BMWs with the idrive v6 units.
Also the cruise control, It can def use more refinement. Its a bit too torquey in comfort mode, and takes too long to catch lead car in eco mode. actually left disappointed with the ACC. The one on my 330e works much better. in electric only mode as well....

my biggest dislike is what BMW did. Now having owned and driving one on the daily, I can totally see where BMW made the perfect car, and then wrecked aspects of it to not eat away at sales of their ICE models.
Otherwise, this thing is bulleyes.
Plus after so many years of development and testing, what's keeping them from giving the wheelbase a 7inch stretch, and making a 2series sized carbon fiber/alum full electric.

 

[gt1]

Car windows all have film on them, so they don't shatter in crashes-- tinted or not.

I think dealers and car detailers use car glass cleaning products

AFAIK windshields and some windows have internal film between the layers of glass, you can't damage it with Windex. Other windows are tempered glass and will shatter into cubes on impact.

Only very high end cars have double pane glass. The i3 does not. There's not layers to put it between.

Laminated, not double pane. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laminated_glass

 

[joni3s]

-No heated steering wheel.
-Lack of car's ability to show present charge rate (currently annoying mostly because it could even be added with a software update)
-Charge cable lock behavior; should mimic Tesla or LEAF's behavior

* definitely notice lack of heated steering wheel
* would love the current charge rate to be visible, i'm glad some some apps will show it

* i'd love the car/app to ping the user with an 80% charge alert.

* i feel like I've noticed when charging the screen shows when it'll be fully charged OR a time of next preconditioning/acclimatization, tbh i don't know whats's going on there and haven't paid enough attention to recognize whats up. Anyone know?

* whats the charge cable lock behavior? latest idrive allows for unlock at 100% or keep locked regardless.

 

[Fisher99]

The current monsoon downpour has brought to mind one more nit-picky dislike: The curved shape of the DC fast charge port plug cover creates a little puddle of water directly beneath the main charge port. Doesn't seem like a big deal, but always seems to splash a bit of water on my when I disconnect the 240v charging cord.

Actually, has anybody come up with a decent way to cover the charge plug when charging? A few weeks ago we had rain when I plugged in at night and by morning it was below freezing so I had ice built up around the charging port and cord. Had to get my heat gun out to unfreeze things so that I could unplug the cord. Thinking I might try a zip lock bag with a hole in the bottom. Slide the cord through the hole and then tighten the zip lock as much as possible around where the cord plugs into the car.

 

[vreihen]

Actually, has anybody come up with a decent way to cover the charge plug when charging?

http://bmwi3.blogspot.com/2016/02/bmw-i3-life-hack-charge-port-snow-cover.html

I bought the faucet cover, but haven't cut it up yet.....

 

[Fisher99]

Cool! Thanks for sharing that link. I kind of like the clean look of the cardboard better than the faucet cover. I think you could mitigate the "soaked cardboard" issue by spraying it with an oil based paint. Or maybe even using the spray waterproofing product that is available for coats, pants, etc. But the faucet cover does provide more coverage for the plug and release button, so maybe that's better in the long run.

I now know what my weekend project is going to be...

 

[vreihen]

If you're thinking the cardboard route, I'd use Coroplast:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Coroplast-24-in-x-36-in-Twin-wall-Plastic-Sheet-COR-2436/202090128

There should be an ample supply of scrap Coroplast on the side of the road in most areas following every political primary or election.....

 

[3pete]

-No heated steering wheel.
-Lack of car's ability to show present charge rate (currently annoying mostly because it could even be added with a software update)
-Charge cable lock behavior; should mimic Tesla or LEAF's behavior

* whats the charge cable lock behavior? latest idrive allows for unlock at 100% or keep locked regardless.

I want the ability to set Unlock/Lock/Auto. If I'm just topping off in a public place it'd be nice to let someone who actually needs the electricity unplug my car without me having to leave the doors unlocked too.

I have a 2014 which (as far as I know) doesn't even have the option to change a setting to "stay locked" after it's done charging.

The LEAF has the Unlock, Lock, Auto functionality that I think should be an industry standard https://youtu.be/KQPHJMPChv8?t=50. I believe Tesla allows the car to remember different desired behaviors based on the location of the car which I guess is nice but sortof overkill too.

 

[Fisher99]

If you're thinking the cardboard route, I'd use Coroplast:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Coroplast-24-in-x-36-in-Twin-wall-Plastic-Sheet-COR-2436/202090128

There should be an ample supply of scrap Coroplast on the side of the road in most areas following every political primary or election.....

I bought the plastic faucet cover because I realized that the release button on my TurboCord would be sitting out in the rain if I went with the cardboard option. Turns out that the TurboCord handle is much longer than the one on the cord in the link you sent, so I had to completely cut out the back of the cover (the part where he installed a cabinet knob/handle). It seems to work, but doesn't sit quite as nicely as the one in the picture. And I'm going to have to figure out a way to secure it from wind, since with the back fully cut out, the cover hangs down on both sides of the cord handle so a rubber band doesn't even contact with the handle. That's fairly minor though and should be easily solved but I ran out of time. I'll take another look at it this weekend. So, after putting the cover in place I'm a bit skeptical that it will be completely rain proof but I should know soon as we've got some rain predicted over the next couple of days. Worst case it should be much better than nothing though.

 

[jackobyte]

Yes, had I known the car was made of glass I certainly would not have bought, I guess they decided to offset the carbon fibre. I had a minor touch with another car whilst backing and the whole thing shattered, barely if any mark on the other vehicle. What clown would make a car body of glass? Really dissapointed with BMW hardware and service. Took it in for a service and after trouble light started coming on, took it back and they charged me to diagnose and finally said no mea culpa. On pushing they admitted (not in writing) that there were so many signals over so many wires in the car that spurious trouble lights were coming on. Can you believe that? it might even be true but didn't want to do the fix as they would have to keep the car for a week while they traced it. Personally I think those mechanics dont have the electric nous. They said that often BMW is nice and pays for all the fixing but not in my case until it happens more often. You know at times like this and amongst all the other shortcoming of this heinkel 162 one is forced to utter: NO WONDER THEY LOST THE WAR. Never again will a BMW monstrosity darken my driveway. Steer Clear to avoid your worst fears come true.

 

[Anonymous]

had I known the car was made of glass I certainly would not have bought

Glass tailgate - repairs covered by the car insurance policy, same as a steel tailgate would be.

On pushing they admitted (not in writing) that there were so many signals over so many wires in the car that spurious trouble lights were coming on. Can you believe that? it might even be true but didn't want to do the fix as they would have to keep the car for a week while they traced it. Personally I think those mechanics dont have the electric nous.

I'd agree - they don't have an EV trained mechanic or a shop that cares - find another Dealership. Troubleshooting the error codes in the i3 is pretty much a no brainer, they hook the car up to the BMW diagnostic computer, and it spits out a test plan for the tech to follow, to determine the fault.

 

[alohart]

Yes, had I known the car was made of glass I certainly would not have bought, I guess they decided to offset the carbon fibre.

The hatch is the only body panel that is glass. All other body panels are thermoplastic which is lighter than steel or aluminum, doesn't corrode, and doesn't dent. However, it would crack when hit hard enough to seriously dent a metal panel.

I had a minor touch with another car whilst backing and the whole thing shattered, barely if any mark on the other vehicle. What clown would make a car body of glass?

I suppose the poor choice of a glass hatch panel was made for purely cosmetic reasons to create a seamless surface over the taillights. Glass is considerably heavier than thermoplastic. Tempered glass doesn't break as easily as non-tempered glass, but when impacted, particularly by a sharp point, shatters into many small but not dangerously sharp pieces. All window glass except the windshield is tempered glass. At the very least, BMW should have made the glass panel a replaceable part.

 

[Fisher99]

Thought of one more thing to add to my short list. I wish BMW would let you initiate pre-conditioning of the battery whenever you want. Currently you have to set it for a minimum of 3 hours before you want to leave. Since I don't have a routine daily schedule this is a bit problematic for me. Wish I could use the remote app to start battery pre-conditioning whenever I want, just like I can currently initiate the "Climatize" function. That way I could at least partially pre-condition the battery, say, an hour (or even 30 minutes) prior to leaving the house. Every little bit should help with "cold weather range degradation" in the colder temps.

I guess I can technically do that, as I think about it more. For example, I could use the app to set a departure time 3 hours from the current time and if I leave an hour later, at least I will have gotten an hour's worth of pre-conditioning. Not as straightforward as a button selection in the app for this purpose, but should work.

 

[jadnashuanh]

The battery heater is a 1Kw device...the battery pack weighs a fair amount. 3-hours is likely needed when it's cold out. If it's much warmer, it may not make much difference whether you used it or not.

Depending on the ambient temperature, the car might determine that it doesn't need to start warming the batteries until maybe the last hour or so, so you may get nothing if you leave early.

 

[Fisher99]

The battery heater is a 1Kw device...the battery pack weighs a fair amount. 3-hours is likely needed when it's cold out. If it's much warmer, it may not make much difference whether you used it or not.

Depending on the ambient temperature, the car might determine that it doesn't need to start warming the batteries until maybe the last hour or so, so you may get nothing if you leave early.

I hate it when my car outsmarts me when I'm trying to outsmart it...