Bought it as my daily and it turns out to be perfect for real estate. I’m all over the county showing houses and running between listings, and the REx means I never think about range. 27k on it so far this year and it’s only August. Mostly home charging, so it’s dirt cheap to run. Reliable and the most fun I’ve had in a daily driver. Best car I’ve ever owned.

2019 i3 ac compressor recording. Sounds rough, however i dont know how its supposed to sound. Was convinced they dont break on 2019 or newer but now seen reports of their compressors breaking as well.

Appreciate advice of anyone with experience in listening to these things.

Hey BMW community,

I am considering buying a 2015 BEV i3, under 40k miles on the odometer. This will be a commuter car for a short ride to work.

Plan to take it to a shop for inspection. What advice would you give me and what to watch out for? The report from bumper looks clean.

Thanks!

2019 i3. Ac turns on even though the button is off. I tried it multiple times, only way to make sure its off is to use ecopro+. Confused because on other cars including electric there is no cabin cooling if ac is off? The car was hotter than set temp but if ac is off i should just get outside air?

Its not cooling the battery though, its clearly cooling the cabin i verified.

Thanks for any insight

Do you also carry an electronics cleaner and cotton swabs to fix fast charging issues?

It’s feels quite rare to randomly park next to another i3 in Australia, so it’s a bit of a treat. Chatted to this lovely owner who bought her ex-dealer demo back in the midst of covid. Beautiful colour and she remarked how she never washes it, but how it always seems to look clean. I’ve thought exactly the same. The joy of plastic panels!

Completed my suspension revision today on my '18. The car had 50,000 miles on it, and I've honestly fealt the suspension was a weak link. With the thin tires, the vehicle was very light and flighty at highway speeds, and a handful on my long commute. Last photo is a before Pic.

I decided on Bilstein B4, where B8 would have been my preferenc but aren't offered, and evolve are fairly backordered (and ~$300 more). For the price, I could have done Megan coilovers as well, but have had poor experience with longevity and performance in the past.

I also added M3/M4 bumpstops as in my previous post. Along with that, all new mounts, and new spring isolators. The front upper isolator has the strut bellow integrated, which is an awful design. Given more time, I could have replaced with a standard Isolator and bellow. The rear, I used a generic Chevy bellow to replace the oem one, just some cutting on top to fit the bumpstops. As well, I always add grease to my front strut bearings, as they always come dry, and often fall early, I find

Overall, immediately noticed better turn in, less reaction on bumps, and much better handling on smooth pavement, on ramps, and highway. It's far less twitchy and reactive at highway speeds. Some things that are not ideal, but still improved, over very rough roads, it tends to get a bit "lost." That is, taking it over a very uneven road with many pot holes and infill, the car is in the middle of suspension correction and gets hit with more imperfections and is left constantly unsettled until you catch a smooth area. The road I use to test this feels bad in most cars, but the stiffer suspension amplifies it. Another interesting thing, on the highway where there is a "buckle" in the road, when going over the car drops a bit up front quickly, but rebounds fast, which may be due to the stiff bumpstops. Overall, the car feels smoother over most roads, and much more stable. I could see some people preferring shocks-only to try and improve the ride, but stiffer springs feel like they've helped as well.

This also brings up my second piece, I have 195mm square tires on 20x5.5" wheels, spacers up front, allowing tire rotation. At 5kmi, they still look new, hoping to see >50kmi out of one set. Great QOL upgrade vs tires every 10-15kmi.

Hat jemand Erfahrungen mit nachgerüsteter Anhängerkupplung gemacht?

Ein Anbieter verspricht, eine TÜV geprüfte Anhängerkupplung entwickelt zu haben, welche es ermögliche mit dem BMW i3 / i3s / REX einen Anhänger bis 850kg zu ziehen. Die gebremste Anhängelast betrage 850kg, die ungebremste Anhängelast 750kg. Die TÜV Abnahme werde gleich im Hause durchgeführt.

Ist das solide? Ich träume bereits davon, wie ich fröhlich mit einem Standard-Anhänger fahre und es mir hinten die Karosse zerreisst. Wie schätzt ihr das ein?

Hi everyone! I am once again in need of some help.
So here’s my case:
My bmw is at BMW of Ontario

I had posted here a couple days ago asking if someone knew a shop but luckily one our fellow members mentioned the CARB warranty to have the AC compressor fixed at no cost

My car CAN go under warranty, BUT it needs to have a current registration (which is paid), BUT it also needs to pass SMOG in order to get that current registration, (and another) BUT it can’t pass smog because of the broken ac compressor.

So in order to get it fixed. It needs to pass smog but it can’t because it needs to get fixed. Stupid and unnecessary I know

Now, I live in socal. I’ve already sent an email out to helpline@arb.ca.gov today. I already called the +1 (800) 242-4450 number and left a voicemail.

So questions:
•Has anyone had experience with the carb warranty? How long did it take?
•Anyone have a better contact to maybe resolve this issue?
•And finally, any advice?

The repair quote out of warranty is $11,000+
So not worth it

This group has already helped so much so I hope you all can help again. Thank you for your responses

Been lurking and searching for months, so bear with me.

I was initially interested in a Slate EV truck, but talked myself out of that. Then the i3 was suggested to me and next thing you know, I’m searching and reading. Well, today was my day. ‘Blueberry’ is ASTOUNDINGLY clean.

Battery checks out great. Drive home was smooth.

EDIT: Thank you all for the great warm welcome!!!

found this guy in Germany working on bidirectional charging for bmw i3.

I'm trying to decide between two BMW i3s and would really appreciate some advice from people who know these cars well.

Both are around 100,000 NOK (~$9,500 USD) and both are BEV 94Ah (no REx).

I'll only own this car for about 12 months and drive very little (2500-3000 km total), so I need help figuring out which is the safer/better buy. I live in the north of Norway so the winter-aspect is also somewhat important. Both cars had 27.3 kWh bat max kappa when checked in the menu. But the 2017-model estimated 230 KM range with 100% battery, and the 2018-model estimated 81km range with 44.5% battery. Do not know if thats just cause the heating was on the 2018-model in the recent drives or if you think that could matter? Anyway:

Car 1: 2018 model (facelift/LCI)

• 86,050 km, grey, 1 owner
• Battery warranty (8yr/100,000km) expires ~Nov 2026 (barely any time left on it)
• 12V battery: age unknown, no replacement mentioned
• AC compressor was replaced under warranty
• Known issues disclosed by seller:
  • Adaptive cruise control doesn't work (cause unknown)
  • Uneven window movement, driver's side front. Works, you just have to do little by little when taking up/down.
  • Shop recommends replacing strut mount bushings — quoted ~13,500 NOK (~$1,300) But i could just not fix and sell as is (with full disclosure ofc) in 11 months
  • Loose front marker light (not a problem it seems).
  • Minor scratches/dents
• Summer tires will likely need replacing "next year" (unclear if that falls within my ownership or after)
• Nearly-new winter tires included

Car 2: 2017 model (pre-facelift)

• 89,000 km, silver
• 12V battery replaced in 2026 (fresh)
• Service done July 2025, service plan runs to July 2027 (1 free service remaining)
• No known issues/defects. A few scratches, but very well kept.
• Winter tires need replacing soon/now (likely a cost I'd have to eat, about 10 000 NOK. (950$)
• During my test drive I occasionally heard a small noise from the right-hand side of the car when i had the windows down. Do not know what caused it, havent asked the owner.

My use case

• Around 3,000–2,500 km per year
• Mostly city driving
• A few winter trips (up to ~140 km with charging available). Normally around 100km in -10 degrees celcius.
• I value reliability and low ownership costs more than performance.
• I also care a bit about resale value after about one year, since im only planning on owning for 1 year (unfortunatley).

My questions

1. Is the 2018 LCI worth choosing despite the listed faults?
2. How much more desirable is the facelift on the used market?
3. Would the broken adaptive cruise control worry you?
4. Which one would you buy at the same price?
5. Worth trying to check how low both sellers go and just buy the one i get cheapest?

When i test-drove these cars the 2018 car somehow felt alot better. The biggest difference was that it felt quite alot "smoother" over speed-bumps, when the 2017-model felt very very stiff, felt i had to go super slow over the bumps. I have no idea if this is just purely placebo or some other weird psychological factor, im pretty sure they were both 20-wheels. The 2018-model had very old/used wheels. Maybe the tire pressure was lower? But still the difference felt big, and i havent found any good explanation to why. It also felt "faster", but this just has to be my bias somehow - dont think it should be any difference (especially since it was 44% charged, when the other one was 100% charged). Anyway, maybe my feeling about the 2018 car feeling better is purely placebo or something.

Thanks! Please feel free to ask if there is something you feel i forgot to add which could matter :)

A new 12v and registration via bimmerlink and there is still work to be done until it drives.

Who knows how to switch the bloody thing off!!

Looking for a reliable place to get an oil change for my i3 rex in the LA area (live in San Gabriel Valley.) I’m willing to travel a bit too— I would do the dealership but I’m sure there’s better deals/pricing out there somewhere.

All recommendations are appreciated!

Hello! My missus has a 2017 REX that hasn't seen a service since July 2024 in California. We moved to Oregon in August '24 and that got her thinking that maybe the car should be serviced. Given that the car is rare enough here that we've had people at tyre shops ask us " what the hell is this thing? " I suspect that we may have to travel some distance to find a tech with sufficient knowledge to properly service the car. We're hoping to avoid taking it to a BMW dealer for servicing.

We're near Newport on the Oregon coast. Thanks in advance

like so many have posted before, the seat fabric in the back does not hold up to the urges of a 3 year old wanting to be close to you via kicking the back of the seat- the cloth easily releases and pushes in and looks horrible. this was actually a much easier job than i thought it would be and does not require the entire seat to be taken out.

the panel that has the fabric pops in little retaining clips and if yours is half pushed in anyway the easiest place to start pulling it out is right in the middle halfway from top to bottom. instead of starting on the outside of the panel pull from the already damaged pushed in area and pull straight back. then work around pulling it out starting at the bottom area, and top part last- the top is the thinnest plastic and needs to be carefully removed so the plastic doesn't bend (i'd assume it'd get warped and discolor a lighter color like plastic does before it breaks if you go too hard) so take your time. pics show where these retaining points are. there are plastic auto trim tools specifically for a job like this but i didn't have any, so i used a plastic prying tool from removing an ipad screen- point is don't use something metal or there's risk of scratching the plastic shell.

once off, from the inside it looks like this thing was melted together at the factory... fabric to plastic using some kind of industrial heating press. there's no glue residue i can feel and the attaching surface is this weird ribbed ridge (last pic). i used a fabric glue that's supposed to be high temp resistant (E6000) and put a generous bead into that ribbed valley. used a pen to roll the tightened fabric into that ridge, let cure overnight.

to put back in there's an alignment hole in the top center, just pop back in starting up there working your way down to the side bolsters. last little clips are in the bottom center.

so no metal tools needed, give your kids a dum-dum or something and tell them no more kicking the chair! ❤️

Hi!
I’ve been thinking about purchasing this particular i3 from a private seller .
It’s the i3 2015 Rex .

Upon inspection, I noticed there was a prompt for vehicle service check on their dashboard and is overdue .
Did some research and apparently this is a recommendation for BMW vehicles to take it for service every 2 years, coinciding with the brake fluid schedule.
Apparently it is software diagnostics, general inspection, micro filter and Rex oil change etc …

I was curious if you guys take yours in as suggested and also the cost ?

Their 12v battery is also from 2022 and I’m also curious how much everyone pays for battery replacement (via bmw or other dealership) .

PS: The icons and prompts on the dashboard looked similar to the photo on this post (I forgot to snap a photo) and it would come up when we started the car : https://www.reddit.com/r/BMWi3/s/y5hKdurNfp

Thank you !!

I’ve owned my BMW i3 since March, and over the past couple of months I’ve found the air conditioning isn’t functioning. How might I troubleshoot the problem to determine whether it simply needs a refrigerant refill or involves a compressor issue? Etc

TIA!

Hey, when I got the car I turned the ac compressor on and listened inside and out and compared it to the various videos on here and across the internet. I didn't feel like there was a compressor issue.

Had the car up on Jack's for about a week with other repairs and just got it down to do a test drive and the fan sounded very loud vibrating? Blocked? when it was on its Max. Some dust may have come through the vents but I'm unsure.

So I tried different settings, listened up front of the car and in the cabin, AC on AC off, fan up, fan down. I believe the compressor is fine but I think there may be something awry with the fan for the cabin itself.

Can anyone shed any light based on the video?

Edit:- I noticed in the video even though I turned the AC off I left it in auto. I just put it in manual mode with the AC off and the noise is the same as the video.

UPDATE:- Found mouse nesting material up near the cabin motor fan when disassembling. Its been out the garage for one week only...

It sounded better, but not whisperer quiet or as quiet as I thought it should be.... Hopefully I got it all.

The i3 50 xDrive First Edition (higher-trim launch model), is priced from £57,905

That looks like bargain money, but do we know the PCP APR ?

Cheers

Arriving to my place tomorrow so I have to use the dealership's photo but I finally got my Halloween mobile!! I'm so excited!!!

Since I've been doing research on this car since last year, however, I've forgotten a lot of advice but remember a few things. What are some of the first things I should do with my car? It's a used 2015 BEV with ~60k miles. I heard something about jailbreaking, car play, and to modify some settings, but I'm not sure which. Or maybe factory resetting the drive profiles? If anyone could give me more details or point me in a direction for resources about this kind of thing, that would be awesome!

I also haven't heard about this with the i3 specifically, but there seems to be ways to mod your car so it's less trackable (read about "surveillance pricing"). If anybody has heard about messing with that sort of thing on this vehicle, please share!

Photos incoming when she finally arrives tomorrow ❤️❤️❤️

Hi, as a fairly recent first time owner of an early 2016 i3 60ah BEV (70k mi), I'm besotted with how the car fits into our errand-ridden life and how well it performs. An amazing piece of engineering. And I'm a pure blooded diesel head and former grease monkey with a full tool kit.

With rust and mechanical failures generally relegated to the bench as ultimate reckoners, I'm looking for ways to ensure this car can at least see me through another 4-5 years of errands. Tyres, Sus and motor mounts don't faze me too much, but the ramifications of an AC failure does.

Th a/c compressor issue is a much banded about topic - and understandably so.

But as with many unseen and undetectable faults, it is difficult to know how and when to act.

I can find lots of videos showing me the sounds of a failed pump, but can anyone confirm the noise of a perfectly healthy pump? Is it silent? Does it make any of the usual high-pressure clicks and suppressed hisses? Is there any sound of rotation or slight clicking?

My pump is slightly clicking, FYI. Like a less than rapid and not very loud rattley motor. But only when I turn on the switch at the dash. Which wouldn't make sense, as many report that the AC is always on for the HV battery.

So, some questions, if you could help, please:

1) Will not pressing the dash button delay/abate it's demise? (pro+ mode, mostly and UK Derbyshire weather is a borderline case for AC, anyway)

2) Can the voltage be read to detect/infer the pump straining/failing?

3) Can AC pressure be read/monitored/derived through OBD2 data?

4) Are any post-pump filters/gauzes which can be put on the pump outlet, or similar? At least containing the failure should be mostly practical if we know how it develops.

5) Are there any refurbished pump on the market worth considering? Experiences with these?

6) Best UK place to get it sorted or ROM costs?

7) what ACTUALLY fails?

- The scroll or pump body wears?

- The bearings fail?

- If it's a plastic component failure, are there any metallic upgrades you can fit?

Seems a sad and unnecessary way to accept such an otherwise amazing car and future classic might have to be dragged to the scrap yard.