Everything That's Gone Wrong With Our used BMW i3 REx

[@brunoheggli2888]

The BMW I3 is a future classic!You getting a plasic carbon reinforced Body!I dont need a car but the I3 is so tempting i love everything about that car and would buy one from the last production year full loadet with the biggest Batterie!

[@thomaspackman9155]

I bought a 2014 i3 rex in 2017 with 48,000 miles for $18,000. Coded range extender, etc. right away. Now have 154,000 miles on it. Have replaced the 12v aux battery, oil changes, couple minor recalls and 'many, many' tires (15k max life) parts have broken (fuel flap emergency pull cord end, frunk release button, 12v sockets have stopped working in 3 places). Hatchback won't latch completely so the sensors show door always open, making upper taillights not illuminated (only small lower lights work in the bumper) and interior lights stay on also due to the sensors (until manually turned off). Obviously, with this many miles I use the rex engine almost daily. Overall the car has been dependable though....rides very skittishly on freeways. Have had it flatbed towed twice (once for tire blowout, and once when 'I' mistakenly added too much oil (hard to read dipstick) and it blew out all the oil from the popped oil filler cap and disabled the rex engine. Fine as soon as I added the correct amount of oil at the mechanic. I know it is a 'city' car but I have driven it very far (East coast of San Felipe, Baja Mexico from San Diego...where the oil mishap happened in the middle of nowhere).

[@thomaspackman9155]

...update: at 157,000 miles the EME module went out. Total 'brick'...won't engage in gear. $13,000 to fix (confirmed with both BMW and independent shop)_...Don't take the risk of buying a BMW i3 rex !!!

[@jeffharries]

@@thomaspackman9155 thanks for heads up!

[@lbrown7164]

Thank you for the insight

[@tedgray489]

I have a 2017 Rex that I love. I have the top trim level and every option that BMW has for an i3 plus the glass retractable roof which should make it the heaviest i3 made. Eucalyptus wood instrument panel trim is nice. It has averaged 4.8 miles per KWh over the life of the car since new. I coded it the day I bought it to do many more things beside starting the Rex, (side mirror folding on lock, AM radio now works, etc). I always use L2 or CCS charging. I have gotten as high as 5.5 miles per KWh around town if I stay below 50 mph. It is the only car I have had that the voice command works nearly flawlessly when giving directions to the GPS, it just connects to Google and finds the route. If not, I just scribble it on the touch controller. Audible books will Bluetooth from my phone. In my younger years I prepared and raced various sports car makes so I do know my way around a car. Just for fun I did a test to see what real world range a steady 65 mph freeway drive would give and was able to get 121 miles and still had 7% charge left which the Guess-O-Meter said was 9 miles of battery. I stopped before the Rex motor started up. After that I was confident enough to take a 257 mile trip that has only one CCS charger at the 141 mile mark from my starting point (my usual long trip car is a 2014 Volt). Only needed 1.85 gallons of gasoline besides the charge to 99% at the CCS station. The only service has been an oil change and top up the brake fluid at the one year service which was free. Good service at my BMW dealership. OBTW, evGo charging has been free also and still have another year to go on that. As soon as the new 40 KWh battery comes out I will get another i3. Places to charge are few and far between in the southwest.

[@FightnWin]

YES.. I'm waiting on that new battery upgrade before trading up for 2017/18. My 15 Terra world Rex is amazing thus far. I try and not use the extender but my daily commute requires 6-8mile completion on rex which isn't so bad right.. hhaha Continued success with your 17 man.

[@alinmustata]

So did you get the 42 kwh battery version? it isn't available with rex in Europe, so I was curios if you did get it or if it is an option for a battery swap from 33 to 42 kwh.

[@MarsKvaratskhelia]

I want one

[@konadude50]

Purchased a pre-owned 2016 REX i3 and the very first thing I did was to re-code it. I now get about 180 miles on a full tank / full charge.

[@doThatGWalk]

How did you recode it?

[@m1cajah]

@@doThatGWalk lookup Bimmercode. Software that re-configures US spec software on these (and other BMWs) to EU spec. Lots of options to choose from based on what I’ve seen online. TFL used it on theirs to up the usable fuel level to the Euro spec 2.4 gal (up from the US’ 1.9 gal).

[@kojoefante]

Good to know …

[@jjtinkler97]

Thanks Kate. We have had an out of warranty i3 a (2014) for a year now and it hasn't had any issues at all... We went for the BEV not rex and a fairly base model to reduce the number of things that might go wrong.

[@thatpersonsmusic]

Has it still stayed good?

[@aigarius]

If you *know* that you will need to use the REX for your drive - turn the REX on immediately at very start of the journey to slow down battery usage. Then you will get maximal benefit out of it and you will not get limited by energy during your trip. If you run out of REX fuel, you will still have a bunch of power in the battery to reach the next fuel station and then keep REXing on.

[@RichardButlerUK]

She made the point that US spec cars are different to European spec cars. In Europe, the driver is allowed to choose when the Rex runs. In the US, the tax rules for that class of car, is that it must be able to do more miles on Battery than on Petrol, and that the petrol engine only comes on as a last resort, which someone decided was when the battery is down to 6%. He does hint that the car might now have been tweaked to allow the driver to choose, but when it was new, it had to follow the dumb US regulations.

[@aigarius]

@@RichardButlerUK Yes, that is why most people re-code their US i3 to EU coding to get back those extra features.

[@FightnWin]

@@aigarius I'm in Surprise, Arizona. Where could I find someone local who could Code my i3?

[@djgate]

Try google for that.

[@ricosuave3083]

@@FightnWin Get the bimmercode app and vgate Wi-Fi dongle. You can code it easily

[@johanandersson3626]

I have had my 94Ah for 18 months an done 60000km without a single problem. No even a error message on the dash. And yes, It’s a REx

[@raven4k998]

mind giving an update on that?

[@AdrianMcDaid]

94ah rex way better can than the 60ah rex

[@o751106]

Just wait. You’ll get your drivetrain error soon enough.

[@AdrianMcDaid]

I owned a 2015 60ah REX i3 The Most unreliable car i have ever owned . I can beat you with the list of faults. But never left me stranded. Water ingress reversring camera Sestbelt sensor issue x2 Air con unit had be replaced Some reme unit do with the rex £1900 pounds plus VAT and labour. Rubber covers around front shocks Petrol tank sensor had be changed Petrol flap sensor had be changed. I was at BMW so much the girl knew my car reg. Every 4 weeks. Thankfully was under warranty . BMW agreed to extend my warrsnry by a year for free due to all the issue that i had. Sold the car once warranty was extended. The mad thing is I loved the car so much i bought another 94ah rex as my next car, under warranty of course . Do not own a i3 out of warranty .

[@peteglass3496]

That list is pretty consistent with the reports on the 2014/2015 cars to the i3 group I follow - you're pretty unlucky to get so many of them on one car! All the best with the 94ah which is looking better but few are over 2yrs yet.

[@FightnWin]

Sorry to hear your experiences.. I just purchased my pre owned 2015 terra world rex. She has 30k on but the 3rd day of having it, the engine light came on. I got it back from BMW 2 days later and so far so good. My deal is as long as it doesn't stop on me then I'm satisfied until 2019 i3 become available at CarMax, carvana and benz and Beemer..

[@simonreeves2017]

The secret to a reliable i3 is to avoid the REx version, and go easy on the options - keep it simple. The REx was added late in the design phase and under engineered as a result. The base car is reliable, some extras are not.

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

@John Edwards If I remember correctly, the reason the US version of the Rex doesn't natively allow the "hold state of charge" is because, according to the Department of Transportation, that disqualifies it from being a "fully electric vehicle" and more in the "hybrid" category, making it disqualified for certain government incentives etc. Luckily, it is pretty easy to add that ability to your REX if you want.

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

@John Edwards Well either way it's nice that the hold state of charge option can be activated on the US version if you know what to do (Google is your friend!)

[@danawilliams3657]

I recently picked up a 2015 BEV Terra. I purposely avoided the REX as I did not want that extra level of complexity. Purchased an extended warranty for the electricals as the cost can be high. I have had the air con module replaced as I noticed lights were flickering for the passenger side seat heater and one other light behaving odd. Taken care of under original warranty. No other issues so far, as a matter of fact I'm suprised by the projected range. It's winter here in Seattle and between 40-50 deg F and I have seen it projected as high as 78 miles + - . Couldn't be happier coming from a series of older Mercedes S class cars.

[@Staticclism]

Got mine (‘15 BEV) CPO in June with 9k miles on it for $15k. Just rolled over 17k miles yesterday, and we’ve been mostly quite pleased. I average about 65 miles per charge, regularly drive a 200-ish mile work trip with two half hour quick charge stops, and it’s cost us roughly $12/month in electricity costs. It’s been in service twice - once for an airbag fault and once because one of the rear door windows was rattling. I’d love more range but for 99% of my uses it has been phenomenal.

[@12alocin]

I have been trying to talk myself into buying an i3 since they came out, this video and comments have cured me.

[@crispincrunch2453]

This dose of reality is one of the only videos detailing i3 reliability. Getting a CPO i3 at 70-80% off the sticker price does not seem so appealing now. For some reason, I had hoped the i3 being EV would be immune or less prone to the German luxury car curse (made to last only until warranty 3-5 years) before stuff starts falling apart. Maybe maybe (hopefully) the 2017 and newer are less likely to have an annoying need for semi-regular parts failure repairs (electrical, sensors, etc).

[@kidlatazul]

I've owned a 2014 i3 ReX for 2.5 years and have around 16,000 miles on the odometer. (It was new when I bought it.) So far, knock on wood, I've had zero problems with it. I'm retired, and live near the city, so I usually don't drive it far at one time, usually under 30 miles in a day--that's the car's sweet spot and may explain my good luck with it. I'm perfectly happy with its GPS and audio systems. I have two complaints: it needs more range, plus faster charging; and those skinny tires wear out after about 15k miles, and they're not cheap to replace. Overall I love the car and intend to keep it forever.

[@chrisredfield3240]

I think i can get at least 50k out of a set of 205/60/16 continental tyres

[@_TrueDesire_]

David Jenkins activate the engine from time to time, a Swede needed to replace a sensor due to "rex error" that costed €660 :/

[@kidlatazul]

@@_TrueDesire_ Thanks for the suggestion! I rarely use the range extender. When it's been more than about 6 weeks the car will automatically flash a message on the display and inform me that the gas engine needs to run, but won't until the battery is below 75% charge. So I wait to plug it in until the gas motor has activated. I'm now trying to force it to run at least once a month.

[@kidlatazul]

@@chrisredfield3240 I believe it. How do I get them to fit on an i3? :-)

[@wobby1516]

David Jenkins great for him 👋 not much use for you though 😩 LOL

[@Funcentric]

You have a lemon unfortunately. The majority of other owners are fine with their i3's. Sorry to hear about your experience, but I don't think suggesting a warranty for your unusual circumstance is necessarily a good proposal for those looking to buy one. This is the most undervalued car of the past 5 years and still remains a steal for a 2017 for $18k-20k USD for a well optioned one with about 25-30k miles on it. If you search the forums, there isn't really anyone who has issues with these. Over 90% of owners have bought them second hand including myself. My 2016 is over 55k miles and I did have an issue with it not recognizing to charge. Bimmercode app's backup fixed it in my garage in seconds. There is one inherent design issue and that is that the 12v auxiliary battery requires the main high voltage battery to charge. So if the 12v is discharged which is also required to start the car, you're out of luck and the 12v needs to be replaced or charge outside the car. Luckily the replacement is quite easy. I've documented it with a couple videos for people to follow along and save $$.

[@spacegreycoralred]

Pay $130 get it coded to Europe spec......Certified Preowned only.... excellent 5 years from initial purchase, unlimited mileage warranty

[@JeanPierreWhite]

Kate said she had it coded.

[@doThatGWalk]

How do you recode this car?

[@chrishyde1216]

Really interesting review, thank you. I would aim for a bigger battery and avoid the REX, which would be fine for my needs. That would reduce the complexity and reliability issues. I borrowed an i3 for a day and loved it. BUT the remaining issues that you had really worries me and puts me off.

[@lancewex]

I think you have saved me! I have been wanting an i3 since first announced. I love the look. But I bought a new 2007 Mini Cooper, and it was nothing but problems. I sold it soon after the measly 3-year warranty ended. It was just so much trouble to own--so many trips to the dealer--and far too expensive to repair when the warranty expires. I have a 2014 Smart Fortwo electric that has been wonderful to own. You've made me realize I should stick with it. People always want to say these are problems with early year vehicles. But in 2007 the Mini was far from new, and mine was just constant with the problems. I loved to drive it, as I am sure I would the i3--when not in the shop for repairs. And I still own a 2011 Honda CR-Z (first year made!), and after 10 years and 100k miles, it has NEVER had a problem. BMW needs to get it together.

[@Detroit12boi]

I'm thinking of buying i3. So if I get 120wh battery I wouldn't need the Rex right ?

[@jcarcobaltss]

I'm so sorry you've had these problems. I think the i3 is a milestone vehicle in it's development and technology. Let us know at you decide! Especially with EV cars available from Hyundai and Kia!

[@adampoll4977]

Hear, Hear! for the in-car navigation comments. I'm so used to using Google Nav in my old, dumb, non-GPS equipped car I'm a little concerned how I will take to the nav in the i3 we are picking up tomorrow. It's a small thing though, all all newer car GPS suffer the same issues mainly.

[@lsh3rd]

It would be interesting to see if the rate of degradation leveled off over the next 10-20k miles. It seems many EVs will loose capacity at a greater rate initially and level off.

[@ofb1583]

Had mine for 4 years zero complaints( is that the kiss of death?). Love the car it, handles great, ti is totally silent unless the rex is running & the stereo has a great sound, through my phone or the radio. If you are struggling with the rex turn your brain on before entering the vehicle! know your journey, if you plan that half as well as your rants it would be absolutely plain sailing. My only planning issue is the car keeps nagging me about maintenance cycles because I never use the rex, we are apparently blessed with charging points in London. Just upgrade to a bigger battery or change cars, you are in need of easy streets.The kind of stress your inability to plan has evidently left you with, is not good for your health. Be well and take care, driving while stressed can be dangerous for the health of others as well, it doesn't aid decision making whilst in charge of a potentially lethal weapon!

[@gelisob]

I'm guessing your's is not in the US? I wonder if thats the case, that the US made i3's have (had?) somehow a lot more problems..

[@thomasjew]

This takes too long to get to the points I am interested in. I want to know about the issues. How about a bookmark to the interesting bits.

[@fecnc537]

Nailed it Tom. This person needs a brief on what viewers need. 'Get to the effin' point Ma'am/Sir !!

[@salipander6570]

It's a typical BMW: always go one step above the base model. It easily costs a lot extra, but that's how German brands operate. By the way, the newer series are really more reliable, but more expensive 2nd hand. Btw, a battery upgrade is stupidly expensive, more than $16.000 for the 42kWh pack, and only seems possible in Germany (not in the UK!).

[@BeX32210]

Sadly for a lot of i3 drivers, there is no battery upgrade for the 42kWh pack in Germany, and so there is also no price tag for this. Still, people discuss this topic on forums but by now everything is just a very wild guess.

[@wbachd1]

your comment gives me hope! hopefully the newer model is a lot better. I'm about to purchase a 2017 Rex - 7k miles on it. I hope I won't spend that much time at the dealership. thank you!

[@dgdw]

Worth noting for the dash .. we have a Mega as well but we were able to buy the wood dash piece from BMW and have the local dealership swap it on

[@crispincrunch2453]

How much was the total cost? Please, if you don't mind sharing. I have seen the part listed at almost $800 and who knows how much labor would be on top of that.

[@djscandela]

I just got the 2017 & traded my 14 which had the wood trim, would love to have the wood back for the newer model. Was wondering what the cost would be as well

[@mrdsn189]

Kate for me, this was your best video ever.

[@xchopp]

Seconded!

[@robertpryor7225]

I have a used 2015 i3, bought a warranty, had the DC charger replaced. Cable got stuck, there's a release by the rear passenger door. I hope I get lucky because it's a great car. Please battery, die before 100K miles so I can get one on warranty. No problems with my used Fiat E so far.

[@ecospider5]

The BMW i3 was one of the least reliable cars bmw has produced. The Chevy Bolt is the most reliable car they have ever produced. I think this shows the power of the simplicity of full electric cars using 2018 battery technology with proper cooling.

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

Exactly. A typical ICE has thousands of moving parts, while an EV has a fraction of that. Plus, with regenerative braking the brakes last far longer. No transmission, no hoses, no radiator, no pulleys, no spark plugs, etc.

[@petergorton9848]

@Eco, Would you care to cite some references for both claims? Big claims either way.

[@jakester142]

This comment hasn't aged well 😐

[@norwegianzound]

I travelled 220km last night in my REx at 120km per hour (about 75 mph) for about half the journey. Sure, I used the extender for about 70% of the journey but it did it fine. 120kph was no issue. I disagree about the handling, it skips and jumps constantly, is noisy, and a cross breez will knock it sideways. Solid build though.

[@refusoagaino6824]

I'm glad I watched this. I test drove a new one years ago and thought it was spectacular, but knowing BMW (German cars) I wondered if the expensive repairs went with it, hoping it's EV designation would be different. We've leased a Spark EV and Fiat 500e since without any maintenance trouble except for tires. A used Tesla has a warranty, back to those.

[@evingmadeez5008]

The front window getting frosted is my biggest problem Gonna buy a cordless hairdryer instead of turning on heater (need the miles)

[@drewsquickfix]

Good video really breaking down the issues with the i3. Might I suggest washing your hands before driving if your getting your steering wheel dirty instantly. If your the only one driving its your dirt lol. Although I know what you mean over time the rubber deteriorates and collects more dort. However if you use a harsh cleaner it can actually ruin any finish on the steering wheel. Try using GLASS CLEANER to wipe the steering wheel not disinfectant which melts plastic

[@dosmastrify]

Thanks for this, I was looking at a 2014 for only 5000. Hard to find any car that new for 5000. And now I know why.

[@dosmastrify]

13:00 so you're telling us it certainly is a BMW through and through

[@robertpryor7225]

Worst case scenario: previous almost never charged it, ran it on the Rex, especially if it was fleet vehicle. I worry that battery will be just over qualifying for replacement, you're stuck with under 60 miles range.

[@Kopfkirmes55]

Common misconceptions of the rex is that it always charge the battery, which it is not. Most of the power goes strait to the motor. The leftover ends up in the battery. Best scenario for the rex is run it on highway journeys. Therefore if you see one which run mostly on the rex then I would worry more about the puny 2 cylinder engine. Don't see the rex version as EV, but a plugin hybrid with a very big battery.

[@robertpryor7225]

Maybe you can research the title? Otherwise the best you can do is check state of the battery at purchase. LAPD had a fleet of 100 i3 that went almost unused, I would have liked to gotten one of those!

[@Kopfkirmes55]

@@robertpryor7225 This is the common operation setup of a serial hybrid. The ICE/generator can either charge the battery or supply power directly to the motor (or both). Since the software of the i3 does not offer a charge mode, electricity is generated on demand. The conclusion is obviously that an i3 running on rex only most likely see less battery degradation than running purely on electricity. That of course requires a proper handling of the SOC (not often run it to minimum limit or let it sit for a long period while charged to 100%). Early i3 rex models are available in Europe for less than 16k Euros with quite low mileage. Not too expensive for a plugin hybrid with the biggest battery on the market.

[@Lilmiket1000]

lmao omg! I feel so bad. I was going to buy this car... And I can feel and hear the disappointment in your voice. I can tell you loved it and had so much hope for it. I'm also very used to a flaky car here and there that I loved.

[@zapfanzapfan]

Well, good luck selling it after that review! ;-)

[@TheWineroute]

Thanks so much, I absolutely hate taking cars to mechanics. I3 off the list. Hoping the Bolt is better in the end.

[@michaelbuschmanable]

We love our bolt. Prior to it we were seriously considering I3, but in the end got a steal on the bolt that basically made it come out to same price as used I3: No Brainer! At this point I think the range on the bolt is ideal for city driving. Don't have to charge every day which allows us to charge at work for free. This has allowed us to put 5k miles on it without charging a single time at home. The I3 and older leaf would have not allowed us to do this. And the new leaf would only allow us to do this up to a point, but def not like the bolt has.

[@iro-huncarguy8367]

Wanna think twice. I put 45k miles in my i3 (94ah version with rex) and I had no problems. 🤣 She is complaining about the base trim, which is always not the best in any car. Like c'mon, this is rediculous 😒. Also battery degradation is on 0%. No battery capacity lost and I always rapid charge. I even made a trip from ireland to Hungary and back. That's over 3.5k miles as a round trip.

[@ldever3]

@@iro-huncarguy8367 I find base trims to have less problems. They have less fancy options that can break.

[@wobby1516]

Christopher Peppey Don’t Bolt it, Kona is better, much better.

[@wobby1516]

Peter Jakeways that’s a sad reflection on what is a trend setting car by a premium manufacturer. BMW also own the mini☹️ but it’s made in the UK🇬🇧 that’s why it’s so reliable 😇

[@herrporschex]

so what was wrong with your car?? I had no idea what you are saying.

[@Joe99]

thanks for your honest review. so what are people saying about tesla model 3 in terms of reliability? too early to tell at this point?

[@jaybenny7719]

The 60ah Rex. Is renowned for poor reliability. They really went into the “innovative” side of the i brand. The 94ah is much more reliable, the state of charge can be coded as you have done this does reduce the strain on the battery. Always remember with the i3. ABC Always Be Charging. Then the battery is 100% the cells start balancing. There is a wealth of information on the bmw i3 owners Uk group (Facebook). You are more than welcome to join and I’m sure it would add to the enjoyment of your ownership. There are LOTS of tricks to the i3.

[@Poepad]

I would have like to see a walk around first. Rest of video okay. Wish the prices would get down to 10K.

[@macgreiner]

Sorry to hear this. Have not had a single issue with our 2015 Rex.

[@trevorbromley-palmer]

Thanks Kate, a really honest video. I hope we see more of your content soon. Your i3 has certainly had a few issues it must be very disheartening. Beautiful scenery wherever you were driving though.

[@FG-oj5ws]

69 Impala bought new...still running. Thats the way to save the environment.

[@DanEdwards]

Ouch. I only know of one i3 owner, and I have not heard them mention any problems with the car. Hope you find a good replacement.

[@michaelbouley2294]

I have a 2011 Leaf and get near 65 miles to a charge. That is good for me. I have a 240 Volt 40 Amp charger in my garage that works to charge my Leaf over night.

[@AlfordLau]

Thank you for presenting the car in such a frank way and mild manner. I have been considering a used i3 and lately moving up the budget from a 2014 REX to a 2017 electric only. With this new info, I will gladly pass. I have owned BMWs and every time I felt trapped. I hated the un-disciplined self who always fell for the pretty stuff. I better let the practical me drive from now on.

[@ericapelz260]

I'm taking the warning to heart. I am looking at used EVs (I want an ID.4, but can't justify the price). A used i3 seemed like an affordable option. I can't drive the Bolt; the seats don't work for me, though the EUV is slightly better. I really think I may go for the 2018 Leaf.

[@transportevolved]

I watched this video long before I worked for TE, and I bought an i3 anyway. I *wish* I'd taken it to heart, as my car, as much as I loved it, was a reliability nightmare. - Winter

[@dosmastrify]

Wasn't a huge fan of when you hosted the news but I do really appreciate your review, Imho you do better without the script

[@MCSMIK]

Frankly the biggest problem for me with this car is comfort. Having driven it - I felt it’s the least comfortable car I’ve ever been in. I’m 195cm tall, maybe it’s got something to do with it. Loved the handling and the rest, but I couldn’t live with such an uncomfortable car every day

[@newbeginnings8566]

Smart lady in beautiful surroundings....

[@adriangpop]

Having owned two BMW vehicles, NEVER AGAIN! They are not a marque that oozes reliability. Where was that lake that you stopped at, it looked lovely?

[@wobby1516]

Not good, glad I’ve gone down the Hyundai Kona route. A couple of years ago I saw a report on various car manufacturers and the German cars were not at the top of the pile. It’s about time German cars had the same warranty that the Korean’s cars have, especially as German cars have premium prices.

[@nosoupforyou425]

Liked my '15 Rex so much that I replaced with a new one. And I would not buy any new/used vehicle without a warranty !

[@raven4k998]

she's wrong the charger that comes with the i3 pulls 12 amps 16 amps requires a 20 amp outlet and evse rated for 16 amps as it will burnout a 15 amp outlet in less then 24 hours of charging pulling 16 amps through it

[@markmilligan6616]

Since looking into getting an electric car I have frequently read or watched people deludedly saying that dealerships will die because electric cars are so simple and there is nothing to go wrong with them, and then I watch videos of horrendous wait times and fears over reliability. The simple truth is things go wrong, even in most modern ice vehicles the most common faults are electrical (but hey you'll conveniently ignore that) manufacturers will correct most of these problems once there is enough real world data to figure out the weak links in these systems. Clearly dealerships and service centres will be needed for some time to come, if you thought nk of the early days of the internal combustion engine and the things their owners had to cope with, these concerns are very first world problems, with an ICE vehicle you can find some garage around the block that would have a pretty good chance of rectifying multiple issues hopefully with electric vehicles in dependant agents will be given access to the technical data and the tooling and equipment to work on these eVs without being bound to the manufacturers infrastructure.

[@mattthecat779]

Kate have you given any consideration to doing some kind of owners panel video to highlight the fact these issues are increasingly more common on the early i3 models? I’m having a similar experience to you right now and would like to help others make smart purchases. Love the i3, it just spends way to much time being repaired.

[@vdivanov]

The disappointment is heart-breaking, BMW should be taking notes and stand behind their EV. Perhaps they are used to a substantial brand loyalty, but they should not for a second take their customers for granted.

[@jamesnelson5759]

Didn't you get a Nissan Leaf?! That was an improvement over this! Good luck with the car.

[@QALibrary]

I would say get a leaf over the BMW but just thinking about the leaf battery issues - if it was my money I get a Kia Soul EV also it comes with a 7yr/100,000 Mile Warranty here in the UK

[@hcivokiz]

QALibrary 100,000 could luck if you have a problem , had one at 35,000 and the fuckers did shit for me!

[@QALibrary]

Sorry to hear that ~ A lot of cab drivers in my area have brought a lot of Kia cars and they not had maniacal issues - the only thing they do not like is the wear and tear on the soft stuff ~ seats and seat belts and stuff like that is not as good as in other cars but bodywork and engines and gearboxes they are not getting issues with.

[@diesel1able]

You going on and on and it’s sooo hard to get the point of where you going with ..

[@toddschroeder8971]

UPDATE VIDEO???

[@Allride_]

The best i3 review I’ve seen. Thanks for the honesty

[@radiotec76]

Kate, thanks for the review! All those service repairs? Sounds like the same BMW I know and love. Oh, one off-topic question. Was that humongous cooling tower attached to a nuclear reactor? From Rick in the declining oil capitol and rising EV capitol of the world Houston, Texas.

[@pyoorkateable]

Good spot. Kinda. It's an unfinished nuclear power station which is now a business park. Ironically one where they store a lot of dieselgate VWs.

[@rchingyong]

Bmw should supply you with a current i3 for a year's review. These channels are where people get their product information nowadays. They've waited too long with the i4 already. How do they expect to survive in the electric age?

[@philw4625]

60Ah were recognised as not very reliable. Late 94Ah Rex much better as most problems ironed out. Moral of the story is don’t be too early an adopter?! Probably still better built than some of the ‘competition’?!

[@MichaelMeyer]

The degradation issues could be related to the constant L1 charging. It is my understanding that cell balancing routines only run after 100% charge on L2.

[@ulmi1988]

Michael Meyer not the case

[@CubbyTech]

It's really not that expensive to upgrade to what I call an 'entry Level 2' EVSE - They run about $200. Instead of charging at 1.4kW, you could charge at 3.8kW which would top you up in a few hours. I'm sad to see this i3 has had so many problems - maybe it's time to have that chat with BMW and see if they can get you a replacement? But now that you've taken care of the problems, maybe you'll be in the clear?

[@peterjamesroberts-thejolly2860]

Loved todays video Kate your looking relaxed doing them now... But what was with the odd camera angles?

[@kevfquinn]

Silence at the end is a touch, erm, dramatic :) I do have to say not all i3's have had the problems you've had; you do seem to have been particularly unlucky, although not alone by any means. In hindsight, the 2014/2015 vehicles being the first of a brand new line were always likely to have some design issues (e.g. those engine mounts...). It's no consolation, but my 2016 94Ah BEV has had no trouble at all; I absolutely love it of course. The more recent models, I believe from late 2017 (in the UK) the second round of 94Ah/33kWh vehicles ("LCi" and i3s), have the carplay stuff that was so desperately needed - they also have live over-the-air updates to the satnav via 4G, although it's still the same dated satnav system. On audio - I've the Harman Kardon system which is ok but as there's no sub-woofer it's way off what it would normally be. Many people think it's not really any better than the standard system as a result (I've not heard the normal one so can't compare). To anyone considering a second-hand vehicle though, particularly a REX - make sure you have a decent BMW dealer within reach, and get the BMW warranty extension if you can.

[@HarveyPayne]

I've met several people who were quite happy with their i3s. Perhaps yours is a lemon? Our current Bolt EV has been great, but it is a replacement for our first Bolt which had all kinds of issues. GM bought our lemon back and we got a new one. I don't know how one lemons a used car. It might be worth looking into.

[@clwydianuk]

Interesting. I just bought a 3y old Audi e-tron. (Grips seat rest). I had wondered about the rex encouraging people to charge at a lower charge level. Later A3 etrons have lost the battery charge mode (I bet that's because of emission calculations) but on a long journey that will also guarantee lower charge levels. Makes you think. Good vid thanks.

[@jonVegas76]

Can someone tell me if the i3 warranty is transferable if buying used? Thanks

[@marcelovarela8976]

Yes. I bought a used 2017 6 months ago, still under the bumper to bumper warr. The center display screen had issue, BMW replaced it at no charge and I even got a loaner car for the 4 days it was in the shop.

[@kyliefan7]

Kate thank you for this informative video! My boyfriend convinced me to never buy a used BMW after having many without a warranty...I’m getting a Bolt EV soon!

[@onyekaonyia8395]

Interesting experience you’ve had with the staff i3. We’ve owned a 2014 REX model for 4 years now (with over 40k miles). Up until the end of the 3rd year of ownership, we had no problems. 6 months past it’s warranty period, we started having issues with the high voltage electrical systems. At one point, the dealership was going to charge us over a thousand pounds (labor, parts and diagnostic costs). After much argument, seeing as the car was just out of warranty, they agreed to swallow the diagnostics and parts costs, bringing it down to just over 500 quid. We’ve eventually gone with a 3rd party extended warranty cover. A word to folk out there, if you want to keep an i3 past it’s warranty period, get an extended warranty cover. She’s an expensive mistress to keep the i3.

[@JeanPierreWhite]

You must have a lemon with all those problems. An extended warranty is a great thing for an EV, many of the components are super expensive if they go wrong.

[@tdoubt100]

Great Vid. Get the Moggy converted! And lets have a video of that. Thanks for an unbiased review. You had a Vauxhall Viva? You're older than you look.

[@spacegreycoralred]

And it scrubs the front tires off in no time...

[@kidlatazul]

Actually all 4 of them, after 12k-15k miles. It's my only major complaint about the car up to now. And they go for about $150 each from TireRack. It would be appreciated if someone would invent a high mileage tire for this car....

[@JeanPierreWhite]

@@kidlatazul EV's in general burn through tires. They are heavier and have great torque. Those two things added together result i rapid tire wear.

[@kidlatazul]

@@JeanPierreWhite I googled the i3's weight: 2965 - 3302 lbs. A Honda Civic is 2765 - 3010. So yeah, about 200-300 lbs heavier than a Civic, despite the aluminum and carbon fiber frame and body. Plus those i3 tires are so skinny. Plus the fact that I just love punching it from a stop sign....

[@Rhaman68]

Jean-Pierre White Well, 42,000 miles in 2011 Nissan Leaf and not too special tires that are OK with plenty of tread. Is it the car or the driver/local road combination? Thanks

[@CrissaKentavr]

I didn't pay for Sat Radio because it always dies out when I get on secondary highways. I-5? It works! (Well, except through the Rogue pass) 101 up the coast? Nope. Let alone my daily routes... A few trees and it doesn't work. We didn't get that tinny-sounding. Weird that the BMW one decoded poorly. The i3 is cute and I see a few of them around here in Santa Cruz.

[@thomaspowell3739]

Warranty or not, it is the time spent at dealerships, and normally the replacement car is an ICE car. Should have bought the Vauxhall ampera. ( much better )

[@mayspondmogul]

BMW responded were gonna need a Bigger battery!🤣

[@acvelo5963]

I appreciate the honesty of the review - can I ask if you would consider a newer used i3? I have the 2017 i3 (CPO) that has been nothing but a pleasure to drive.

[@nebeachbum]

Any update on the 2017 i3? Looking at getting one as 5 day a week drive to work car.

[@davidwebster2616]

So there is another video on KZbin explaining you get your I3 "hacked" to allow the hold mold. I would do this if I owned the car.

[@freddyrosenberg9288]

I wish they stopped calling it the range extender. It's a gasoline engine, yes, the same type of gasoline engine found or regular internal combustion cars. That means oil changes with filter, spark plugs, coolant, pumps, seals, gaskets emissions, etc, etc ,etc. WHY?

[@transportevolved]

I talked about why we ended up getting the REX i3 back when we bought it... Hth kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y2Wwh3Wda9l7gLM ^Kate

[@andrewbesold3872]

Thanks for the bluntly honest review. I think I’ll be looking at a used Volt or Leaf instead.

[@brocluno01]

Welcome to BMW ... My ICE Beemer was just about as reliable :( Beemers are hobby cars, not really daily drivers.

[@unclegeorge7845]

Happy, Happy, Happy.

[@williamerazo1685]

you got the base girl. mega and terra with tech is what you need

[@a88888888a]

You have to compare a 2014/2015 model with what was available at that moment in time. The 2017~2019 model is much better. Compare this to the 2014 leaf and you'll know what the winner is. Comparing a 2014 ev to a 2021 is light night vs day.

[@ChrispyNut]

Nice, a fast talker, only needed 1.5x rather than new usual 1.75x speed to not get bored. :D Useful information and perspective, pretty well delivered. Would like to see more reviews by this person, they didn't irritate me during this one (though I reserve the right to change my mind with repeated exposure ;) ). Cheers.

[@kkiwi54]

I couldn't decide between manly woman or girly man

[@ChrispyNut]

@@kkiwi54 - Buy more boxes!

[@AnthonySmith]

Good info!

[@Flipflop324]

I had a BMW MINI was not dreadfully unreliable, just enough that I lost confidence and going to the dealer was a major chore. I think BMW have lost the quality plot and we are seeing the results.

[@bassandtrebleclef]

Excellent overview of the i3. This is a city car ONLY and the REx version has significant problems. My experience with the REx is that I could smell the exhaust in the car. Unacceptable. The claimed range on the i3 REx was 90 miles. I got 63 miles out of it. Bottom line... this is not a good car.

[@TRYtoHELPyou]

great update. With the amount of cycles that tiny battery has done, 10 percent degradation is pretty good i would say. Get yourself a LVL 2 at home please! or better yet.... hop on over to Tesla dot com slash used.... The paperwork may be a nightmare and the car may break (ours already has but mobile service came out to fix quickly) but the range and what the company stands for/their mission. Worthy of a look.

[@bbbf09]

Re google maps and android integration in car. I found that a $10 phone mount on the dash means my phone can sit there next to main screen and bingo. p.s. Never heard of sirius radio? Is this a US thing?

[@eugenebarsky2528]

yeap, and their bitrate is horrible

[@mikek2218]

Thank you for an honest review and advice.

[@nothandmade9686]

Stop switching camera angles. The last few minutes were just difficult to watch. Premium brands with the exception of Lexus are renowned for poor reliability. They are made for the first lease holder and nothing else.

[@Poepad]

Rule of video, switch every 6 secs.

[@johnmack537]

Not 17+ minutes worth of information.

[@DraGon-cg6ge]

you wave your hands like Italians 🤣

[@JT-pt5tl]

Some people talk with their hands. Leave them alone.