Why a BMW i3?

[Erik Rooze]

I have been a BMW driver for many years and would love to own an i3. Living on a small island, range is not important. Would like to learn more about battery life.

 

[alohart]

All U.S. i3's were sold with an 8 yr/80k mi warranty against battery pack defects and an 8 yr/100k mi warranty against their battery packs losing more than 30% of their new usable capacity. Warranties in other markets might vary. Very few i3's have had their battery packs replaced due to defects. Some 2014-2016 i3's have had their battery packs replaced due to excessive usable capacity loss. The battery cells in 2017 and later i3's seem to be much more resistant to excessive capacity loss, so owners of 2017 and later i3's really needn't worry about the useful lives of their battery packs.

 

[eNate]

I have been a BMW driver for many years and would love to own an i3. Living on a small island, range is not important. Would like to learn more about battery life.

My first read of your post is your asking about range?

If so, I had similar concerns. I really became interested in owning an EV when the eNiro first appeared with 250 miles of range. I didn't like how the Niro drove, but found the i3 as a fun and affordable car I could buy as a low-risk test.

Analysis of a years worth of my driving data on Google maps revealed that I rarely drive over 100 miles in a day, and chargers are plentiful in my area, so I should be able to easily survive with a 135- mile 2017 model.

Given that I voluntarily limit my charge, my effective range would be cut to around 95 miles, but that doesn't ever prevent me from topping off and driving the full pack.

Because I prefer to charge on 120 volts for free at work, I normally plug in every day, simply because skipping a day can create a charging deficit that I can't recover in one 8 hour session. As a fallback I have a level two charging option at home that can top me off in a matter of hours, but free is free so I continue to endure that slight imposition of slow charging at work.

After a few years I traded my 2017 for its successor model with improved range, but my day to day experience and routine hasn't much differed with that extra battery.

 

[dawes1b]

Oakland, CALI I3 guy
. I want to buy a i3, 2019 -2021 if electric only or 2017-2021 if equiped with REX.
My concerns
1. Tires are hard riding, poor handling, rear spins and they wear out in 10,000 mi. Im attempting to replace with rims with 18 dia , 15 mm of + offset or even possibly - offset so I need not use spacers, and obviously cent of 66.7 mm or greater
2. Regular REX use shakes the electric motor and batteries beneath and adds heat to both. Electric motor mount go, maintenance is difficult and $$$
3. I live in San Diego with 2 million undesirables waiting to steel or smash and grab car. I live IN APT and would like to leave to charge on SDGE 24 cent/KWH rates from 1200 AM to 2 - PM. APT chargers are 57 cent/KWHR
4. Sound system in standard is weak, how is Harmon Kardon (owned by Samsung).
5. Any maintenance issue?
6. we are both in Gavins state

 

[EvanstonI3]

I would personally not recommend buying one if you did not have access to charging at home. For me, this is the biggest benefit.
I’ve also had “several” other BMWs over the years, including an Isetta, and this car is way more fun to drive around town.

 

[eNate]

Oakland, CALI I3 guy
. I want to buy a i3, 2019 -2021 if electric only or 2017-2021 if equiped with REX.
My concerns
1. Tires are hard riding, poor handling, rear spins and they wear out in 10,000 mi. Im attempting to replace with rims with 18 dia , 15 mm of + offset or even possibly - offset so I need not use spacers, and obviously cent of 66.7 mm or greater
2. Regular REX use shakes the electric motor and batteries beneath and adds heat to both. Electric motor mount go, maintenance is difficult and $$$
3. I live in San Diego with 2 million undesirables waiting to steel or smash and grab car. I live IN APT and would like to leave to charge on SDGE 24 cent/KWH rates from 1200 AM to 2 - PM. APT chargers are 57 cent/KWHR
4. Sound system in standard is weak, how is Harmon Kardon (owned by Samsung).
5. Any maintenance issue?
6. we are both in Gavins state

So you're looking to buy or based on question #1 you already own? The i3 features a stiff-riding suspension and there's no getting around that -- it's a characteristic of the car. If you want something with more ride compliance, I suggest testing other vehicles. In fact I'm enjoy the ride of this car and its "go cart" handling, but you're right, it's hard riding. No denying that. The 19s definitely are more compliant than the 20s. If you can find an 18" setup that fits I'd be curious to note the difference.

I can't comment on the REX; mine have both been BEVs. My 2017 would do 135 miles and my 2021 is good for around 180-185.

As for #3, I suggest you tone down your rhetoric because none of us are here for that, and not what this forum is about. I agree with @EvanstonI3 that living without a home charging setup is tough but with a 57¢ option and an average i3 efficiency of 4.0 to 4.5 miles per kWh, is the extra cost worth the trade-off of the inconvenience of off-site parking and irregular hours? For what it's worth I park on the street in Oakland and have a level 2 charging cord I can run across the sidewalk, but actually take advantage of my employer's willingness to let me plug in to a 120 volt outlet and charge on their dime. This is less convenient than home charging, but certainly worth the cost savings.

The HK sound is solid but not inspiring. Both of my i3s have had the HK option so I can't offer a comparison to the base speaker setup.

My 2017 had a parking pawl go bad which caused the car to be stuck in park / immobile, but was fixed under the CPO warranty. It also had an intermittent no-cabin heat fault that BMW appeared to resolve with a software update; the fault recurred once after the update but that was it. My 2021 had corrupt software off of the showroom floor requiring a 3-day dealership stay to reload, and then a year in suffered a prematurely failed 12 volt battery. My driver seat heater just died but that's in a seat I transferred over from my '21, so it's probably got 80,000 miles worth of sitting in it; the repair is DIY-able.

As for #6, again, nobody is here for that mess. It's "our" state. No need to introduce politics into a car conversation, regardless of your intent.

 

[dawes1b]

thanks for your reply. Will behave politically.

I will have a backup Audi gas car, that I'm restoring from totaled state.
Also charging at 57C/KWH
or $0.13/mile
is cheaper than pumping $5.00+ gal premium fuel into Audi A4 turbo w 28 mpg (especially when LA refineries close) about $.18/mi and theoretically by 2035 less pollution and green-house gases.
I want to buy used EV before $4,000 fed rebate goes. Can get loaded almost new i3, electric for $22K - $4K, and MW i3 values are plummeting, worse than other EVs. 2017-2018 I3s are about $12K after taxes, and I would not worry leaving it over nite. I should amend my non-PC share before that auto theft and break-ins are an equal opportunity profession in San Diego and the amount of hit-an-run accidents is so bad the police no longer report, as in my case. Thus, my fear of $20,000+ I3. However I pain to customize softy 18 inch wheels which will handle better and last longer than stock and stereo, so why waste on a $12,000 7-year-old car.

 

[Tilly]

dawes1b:
I have a 2019 i3 for sale in Orange County.

Beautiful 2019 BMW i3 in excellent condition.
Price: $19,500
Mileage: 28,300 miles
Condition: Excellent

Features:

• New Tires (worth $1,000)
• Less than 5000 miles a year
• One Owner
• No Accidents
• Always Garage Kept

• harman/kardon Premium System
• Tech and Driving Assist Package with universal garage door opener, LED headlights with cornering, auto high beams, ACC , active drive assist, Navigation, and Advanced RTTI)

• Deka Trim (Blue/Gray Cloth Interior)

https://www.mybmwi3.com/threads/2019-bmw-i3-28-300-miles-new-tires.19371/

Well-maintained and in almost perfect condition, this car rides beautifully.



WBY8P2C50K7E84314

 

[dead h2]

Selling EVs privately is tough right now. Normally I would buy your car knowing your a smart caring owner, but the $4,000 dealer only fed rebate tips scale sorry?
Can I convince you to keep?

my soon to buy i3 Mega, will have 235 45 28 tires & rims, redone fender wells, self istalled self power speaker stereo and front air dam. Hmm cost $5000. I should therefore buy 2021 now $23,000 at BMW Dealer If I wait until January I might get for $21500 - $4000 tax rebate, so total $22500. Yes a 2021 Tesla 3 standard with eternal LiFePo batteries make more sense... Maybe you could keep yours and copy mine if I get er done.

 

[eNate]

the $4,000 dealer only fed rebate tips scale

Use KeySavvy.

I know two people personally and am aware of many more on the i3 and ID.4 forums who successfully collected the $4,000 IRS credit using this service.

 

[Tilly]

Selling EVs privately is tough right now. Normally I would buy your car knowing your a smart caring owner, but the $4,000 dealer only fed rebate tips scale sorry?
Can I convince you to keep?

my soon to buy i3 Mega, will have 235 45 28 tires & rims, redone fender wells, self istalled self power speaker stereo and front air dam. Hmm cost $5000. I should therefore buy 2021 now $23,000 at BMW Dealer If I wait until January I might get for $21500 - $4000 tax rebate, so total $22500. Yes a 2021 Tesla 3 standard with eternal LiFePo batteries make more sense... Maybe you could keep yours and copy mine if I get er done.

I would love to keep my i3, but I need a larger car. KeySavvy would be a great way to get the $4000 rebate.

 

[dead h2]

I would love to keep my i3, but I need a larger car. KeySavvy would be a great way to get the $4000 rebate.

I think I have a 18 inch wheel with 235 45 18 Yokohama tire combo that "may" work. Yes the rear fender will be dared out and spacer needed. I "think" BMW x3 18 inch OEM wheels might fit. I will try to fetch a pair from a S California salvage yard or Ebay...I hope to find another tire than V rated ($$$) Yokahamas, Comments?