Top 15 Useful BMW i3 Hidden Features

[@SimpleCarGuy]

Installed a 48amp EV Charging Station for my i3. Check it out here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZ3ZfIyqlpKSqac

[@Rick_Retired]

The i3 is a virtual playground of features that nearly broke my mind when I bought my 2017 BEV in Jan/21. And still, I didn't know about that hidden key! At age 75 now It is my forever car. Thanks for the tutorial of little known perks lol.

[@pclayton5063]

I'm 73 and considering an i3 for in town use which is our primary vehicle use. However, I'm not much interested in all the doodads and just want to know the basics like how good is the AC/heat, change the radio stations, use the windows, wipers, and how to plug it in. I'm 6'6" and not sure if I'll fit comfortably in one. I think my wife would be using it the most and she easily gets flustered if AC/heat doesn't happen immediately. How fast does it heat and cool? Is there a better year to own as far as being sorted out? Usually early models you want to avoid.

[@NetoGod]

@@pclayton5063I’m receiving a ‘14 Giga BEV - I’ll make a note to respond here if you’re still interested in hearing how the AC performs

[@dave20thmay]

I bought the BEV i3 when I was 75. It was my first car, as I'd always ridden motorcycles for my commute to Heathrow as an aircraft engineer and for a covered vehicle I had several Reliant three-wheelers the last of which I owned for 47 years. My Stormtrooper is my forever car. Best Dave

[@MsCuba1980]

OMG, I love your video! You taught me things I didn’t know my car had! My BMW i3 Extended Ranger. I love ❤my car!

[@giulianadonnelly3966]

Buying a used 2014 i3. Loved this. I’d appreciate any hints on extended range and maximizing electric performance

[@TedNesper]

Hey - great videos!! I have a 2018 i3 and love it. I really do miss the remote/iPhone communicative capabilities which were lost when things went from 3G to 5G networks. Do you have any alternatives or suggestions, any other apps that will allow my iPhone to communicate with my car?

[@markwadman68]

Thank you. I have a 2015 REX and love it. I learned a few new tricks from your video.

[@noelnicholls1894]

On the range extender of a 2015. If you drive 60 miles on the freeway. Then have a five hour gap. Can you leave the range extender on to charge it for the return trip?

[@SimpleCarGuy]

No, you cannot. The Range Extender will turn off as soon as you open the door or turn off the car.

[@noelnicholls1894]

@@SimpleCarGuy Thanks, not a dealbreaker, but a shame that’s not a feature. I guess the liability is too great.

[@oui.monsieur]

Unlocking the engine for a normal i3 so it gets the power of a i3s since it's the same engine 😎😎😎😎😎

[@Kevski692000]

I can see a lot of effort has been put into all your videos; not only the filming but the additional graphics for the chapters. I need this for quick access as my memory ain't up to scratch. Talking of which - a few scratches need removing from your i3. Please show us how to do that. Thanx Carguy.....

[@rp9674]

That emissions mode is a winner, first time I heard of it

[@OVER-bENGINEERED]

When you entered the hidden menu, does that display the current battery health, example like the level of battery wear? Yours showed 16kwH and they came with 18.2, 27.2 and 37.9kWh batteries so that's why I thought this might be showing battery health. Thanks for the videos on this neat car!

[@bimmerfan6538]

Great video, straight to the point and fun to watch! Learned some new ones

[@peterlachina6185]

Wow, great video. I have a 2017 Rex and love the advise on the last tip to charge the 12 volt by planning a departure time. I was wondering if you go into into it a bit more indepth in another video or would you consider discussing this further. I wanted to know especially in the winter what I can do if I am away for more the couple of months. Your tip was kinda too short to fully understand. Thanks so much!

[@SimpleCarGuy]

Hi Peter! In theory, this works perfectly, but in practice it may not be very helpful over a very long time. I would say it's ideal for when you are leaving the car for a month or so. The reason being that the car will only pre-condition itself for the first week (or first set date) and then unless someone opens the door, it will not do it again even if it's on a repeat schedule. So, if I was leaving for 2 months, I would set a departure time 4 weeks in, which will turn the car on, charge the battery, warm up the batteries etc. That should be no issue to have the 12v sit idle for 1 month. Sorry for the late response and thank you for watching.

[@abitofaviation]

2014 i3 here. 169000km. Amazing car 🎉

[@joncecelia2520]

Buying a 2017 i3 Rex next weekend. Where in IL are you located?

[@kosasin1182]

Awesome video! Can you do a video on how to maintenance? Like oil change, refill coolant and etc. Thanks for the video!

[@007noah]

Would you recommend paying extra for a warranty? I watch another video of yours and my 12v battery went out.

[@SimpleCarGuy]

I’ve never paid for extra warranty, but I also do most of the work myself. I don’t think it would cover stuff like the 12v battery anyway.

[@rp9674]

I had a dash panel and DC fast charger repaired under warranty, hard to say if it was worth it but I would guess yes, dealer warranty, not that aftermarket garbage

[@jennifermcrayde3294]

We are looking to replace our Prius within the next year or two. I love the i3 and wondering what year model is the best to get? Also, would anyone recommend the IONIQ 5 instead? Thank you!

[@lesp315]

Get a 2005.

[@duaneopczynski2384]

i am considering an i3 and your video is getting me closer to buy one.

[@SimpleCarGuy]

Do it! It's a very fun car if you like something a little more unique.

[@MAZENBIRA]

That’s a good information for me as new user

[@JustinKumar-bo9np]

How do u switch from EV to petrol

[@briandavidofficial]

Dang! This is great. About to program my "hold state of charge" to a number button! And the charger cap spot 😂 Never noticed that

[@Suprasian]

Have you found a way to keep the AC working while in park? Phoenix, AZ is too hot to check the mail or do a grocery curbside pickup when park is needed.

[@SimpleCarGuy]

Unfortunately, no.

[@Suprasian]

@@SimpleCarGuy nooooooooo, ugh this is such a deal breaker as we wanted to get one

[@peterlachina6185]

I am alittle disappointed you didnt respond to my earlier comment. i spoke with a BMW service managers and BMW Genius and they say leaving the charge cable connected to the car for 4 weeks is not recommended. I would like to ask your opinion and hope you dont leave me hanging. Could i not connect a trickle charger to take care of the 12 volt battery this way? i would appreciate a response. thanks

[@SimpleCarGuy]

Hi Peter, sorry I missed your comment, sometimes I get overwhelmed with questions and forget to go back! I have answered your question in the previous comment. I'm not sure why BMW service says it's not recommended to leave the cable plugged in as the manual for BMW i3 specifically states that it should be left plugged in when in long term storage. If you aren't comfortable with that, yes, a 12 v trickle charger will definitely take care of the 12 volt battery while you are away. Hope that helps!

[@ashneelprasad5625]

Just bought one 18' rex.. super new to this ev , how do you access range extender options.. to hold charge , customize , etc? Heard about a hack to unlock features.. ? Can you do this yourself?

[@lyndonthan4350]

Great Video. The information you present is concise. Thanks.

[@rcpmac]

Thanks for the video. I have been researching buying a used EV and I have seen a number of sources state that long term storage should NOT be at a high state of charge. Best is 35% especially in warm temps. This is the opinion of from people who should know the ins and outs of the system. If you think otherwise please respond.

[@MrSakolphan]

To be clear we don't do emission testing on the extended range motor in Oregon but only pay for the new tags?

[@Customisbetter2]

Totally awesome

[@EugeneTolmachev]

Maybe it's a market/model year thing, but I was under impression i3 does not have tire pressure monitor. It detects "flat tire" by monitoring relative rotation of each wheel.

[@larumpole]

Yes. Please more detail on Sport mode.

[@wxbrooks]

The roll mode is interesting!

[@tocor71]

Thanks.... from Portugal

[@MrSakolphan]

Turns signal also turn off by itself after a turn too!

[@Customisbetter2]

Totally awesome

[@lesp315]

This was very useful. Even Russian accent sounds good.

[@nezarnuaimat]

Great efforts

[@davids1681]

Great tips...couple more I was hoping for: 1) why does my passenger wing-mirror SOMETIMES automatically swing down low when I'm backing up? I did that once when I first got the car, in order to better see a wall I wanted to snug up against, but don't like it since that one time...seems like it's haunted with that attempt. (I'm using the same fob each time, so don't think it's a preference based on fob) 2) is there some way to crack the windows down an inch using the remote, to keep interior temps from boiling while parked? Doing this manually is crazy-making...

[@davids1681]

I shoulda google number (1): apparently if you switch the mirror-adjuster selector to your passenger mirror, it kills this...(it's automatic, but only engages when you've got switch slid to the driver's side)

[@TheCheesenChips]

Which horrible human keyed your i3 😢

[@protekgtppf2399]

You forgot to say the year model of this car

[@Fbi_2023]

could this be a nice first car? ( not for road-trips)

[@unL33T]

Sorry to see someone keyed your vehicle.

[@jerilindo3666]

Brilliant information thanks 🙏🏽

[@KUKI_de]

Nice video!🔥

[@chez.esther]

😮…………🤦🏻‍♀️

[@fabianfuchs8857]

You ANGEL

[@dukeallen432]

Where’s the spare tire? Dipstick for engine? Simple mechanical handbrake. So electric gadgets instead of car things. For transportation. Rant over cheers.

[@abitofaviation]

There is a dipstick in this one

[@cydneyyt]

dude go watch something else then if you're gonna be a negative nancy. the parking break is a switch you pull up. jesus

[@edva7040]

as i can see you got keyed? ;((

[@SimpleCarGuy]

Yeah, the car doesn't look great at the moment with all of the paint issues, BUT I have ordered some paint for the hood (it has clear coat peeling) and I'm thinking of wrapping the car in vinyl, I'll try it on the hood first and if I'm not completely hopeless, I will try to do the rest of the car over a weekend or two.

[@67daltonknox]

The most useful i3 feature is falling off a cliff depreciation.

[@Hellsnight]

I upgraded to a model 3 long range and wow is a dream car compared to to the i3

[@SimpleCarGuy]

I believe it! Very different price point on the used market though.

[@dukeallen432]

Why? Why hidden features? Idiotic. This isn’t something to brag about. One feature that may not be know of BMW is you’ll become familiar with coffee maker at BMW dealer.

[@nitramluap]

Literally all in the manual...

[@SimpleCarGuy]

Correct, but most people don't use a manual or looking for some fun facts about the car in 10 minutes rather than a few hours of reading the manual.. Some of my cars didn't even come with a manual. It's all in a spirit of fun. Thanks for watching!

[@benbaselet2026]

Apparently there are dozens of hidden features in every car then. How they are hidden while still fully covererd by the user's manual however... uhm. Yeah.

[@plonkster]

The manual is built into the iDrive system though, so it's not like I can sit in my living room and read the manual, which is something I always do with new cars. So this was one of the first cars where I didn't read the manual :-)

[@benbaselet2026]

@@plonkster I have a paper one in my 2019 and it's also available on the app and website. Never even looked for it in the console thingy.

[@plonkster]

@@benbaselet2026 Interesting. We have a 2015 and it came without a manual. I thought BMW did that on purpose to save some trees, given that they went to extremes to make this car as neutral as possible, including powering the factory with wind power 🙂 Maybe it differs by market. Maybe they went back to a paper manual later. Or maybe the previous owner "lost" the manual, it happens often enough. Who knows.

[@benbaselet2026]

@@plonkster Probably differs by market. This is Finland.

[@Pseudoscience-is-a-scam]

The wheel adjustments were the opposite for me. For around a year, I thought my steering wheel was only telescopic.

[@cherimorello853]

Did you figure this out? I just sat in a 2017 and it only moved in and out and not up and down.

[@Pseudoscience-is-a-scam]

@@cherimorello853 yeah. I did figure it out by accidentally bumping it while adjusting it 😂

[@pistonburner6448]

Please don't reproduce.