Info on maintenance and some advice needed

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Solafide

Member
Joined
Mar 2, 2018
Messages
7
I have been wanting to get an i3 for a long time, and I found a good deal on a 2017 Rex.

I did some checking today and the closest dealership that is certified to service the i3 is 5 hours away!

I did a little more research and calling and found out that my local dealership is working towards certification (however long that will take).

So a question for all of you:

Approximately how often would I need to take the car in for service? I drive about 24,000 km (15,000 miles) a year. I would expect to use the range extender infrequently.

And if any of you could give a little advice/experience;

Has your i3 been reliable enough that you would take the risk of having to go so far away to get service done? Do you think I would be crazy to go ahead with this?

My obvious hope is that my local dealership would begin servicing the i3 but there is no guarantee that they will.


Any info advice you can give would be very much appreciated!
 
2014 i3 REx here. I'd wait. My car has been in the shop twice in the past 3 months for CEL and drive train errors. I've also read that some of the 2017s are having problems. I'd wait.
 
Thanks for the information.

I have been given confirmation that my local dealership is on track to be certified by the end of the year.

Still could be a pain if I had issues this year.

Was your car drivable when you had these issues or did you have to have it towed?
 
That's a good, important question. Yes, it was driveable. In fact, it was perfectly fine. I'm a little worried that the sensors are too sensitive. I imagine a little German fellow under the boot, wearing lederhosen, overreacting to everything. I'm planning to keep the car, and would like to find an app that will allow me to turn the warning lights off.
 
It is a tough decision for me. I can get the 2017 i3 loaded for ten thousand less than a base Bolt. It is a demonstrator, but I would have full warrantee etc. I live in Canada in a province that has no EV incentives - so this is an amazing price for me to be able to get.

That said, I want this to be a good experience not a headache constantly losing a days work to go to a dealership several hours away.

I'm leaning towards taking the risk.
 
If the car has not had issues, and the i3's generally have been pretty reliable, and, you like it, I'd probably go for it. Make sure that it has had all of the open recalls applied to it. I don't know how you'd check in Canada. In the USA, you can check a government website. Also, verify that there are no open service campaigns (voluntary updates to address an issue or add a feature).

The REx will automatically turn on (only if your state of charge is less than 75%) periodically to ensure it can, to lubricate things, and to test itself (about every 6-weeks?). Otherwise, the way many people use it, it would never turn on because people don't stress the batteries.

In the USA, the 2017 MY, the larger battery was initially optional...you'd want to verify which battery pack it has. Parts of Canada can get pretty cold, and that larger battery pack is useful. Unlike the BEV version, the REx does not have a heat pump, so every watt you use for heating comes out of the battery...the BEV's heat pump can get as many as 3+ watts of heat for each one expended...it does make a difference when it's cold.

In my case, I didn't need the REx, don't miss it, and like the lower maintenance costs associated with it. They're not huge, but the BEV doesn't have a radiator for the thing, oil, filter, or muffler and other things associated with an ICE. If you don't need the range, it's something to think about as the REx is also heavier by around 300#, so it's slightly slower, and wear on the rear tires is likely to be worse. Regardless, if you need it, it's a neat, well integrated item.
 
jadnashuanh said:
In the USA, you can check a government website. .

What is this website? I found nhtsa.gov, but that lists no recalls for my i3.

Also, OP ought to ask for a printout of all the service records for the vehicle.
 
Thank you guys for all the great information!

I have told the dealership that I will need a print out of all service, that all annual service must be done (oil change) and that all recalls/voluntary service must be done before I take possession of the car.

I was able to find the recalls for the 2017 rex here:
http://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/Saf-Sec-Sur...g&mk=2341&md=I3&fy=2017&ty=2018&ft=&ls=0&sy=0


jadnashuanh, I would rather the BEV but quick chargers are just starting to be installed in my province, so in the first year or two I will occasionally need the extra range. Also, it is the larger battery pack - 2017 rex only comes with the larger pack.
 
The i3 is still quite a niche car.

It requires a specific dealership to service the car, and a specific auto shop to repair the car for damages.

I would avoid this car for now, until your dealership is fully certified.

Even if they are, as you mentioned, they are 5 hours away?

Another concern is you don't have a well established charging network in your area yet.

Perhaps owning an EV is not a suitable option at this time?
 
I would avoid this car for now, until your dealership is fully certified.

Even if they are, as you mentioned, they are 5 hours away?

My closest dealership that is certified is 5 hours away, the closest dealership to me that will be certified by the end of the year is 1 hour away.

As long as all I have to deal with is regular maintenance/minor issues this would not be a problem for me. If it had major mechanical issues it would be a real pain until my local dealer is certified.

Another concern is you don't have a well established charging network in your area yet.

Perhaps owning an EV is not a suitable option at this time?

Actually in my province, instead of giving rebates they have put money into fast chargers. By Spring there will be a fast chargers (50kwh) every 75-100km on the major highways throughout the province!! (There are currently more chargers in the province than their are electric cars!!)

My big concern is having major ongoing mechanical issues that would keep me having to go to the dealership 5 hours away on a regular basis.


From what I can gather from reading through this forum and others, most of the bugs have been worked out and so the odds of me running into serious issue in the first year with a 2017 are quite low. Is this your take on the current situation as well??
 
I have a 2017 REX.

Have had great service with it.

I would buy another one, in a heartbeat.
 
I have owned my BEV since 2015, and have not run into any mechanical issues. *knock on wood*

Do you drive on the highways often? I was referring to a charging network within the city. It's nice to be able to get a quick charge around town while having dinner, buying groceries, or working out at the local gym.

In my city (Vancouver, BC), I have now having trouble finding open charging spots around town. There are sooooo many EVs on the roads now, especially Tesla's. Vancouver does have quite a good charging network already, but it's now playing catch up to demands.

Times have changed...
 
I have a 2017 REX.

Have had great service with it.

I would buy another one, in a heartbeat.

Good to hear. I'm hoping for the same experience!

Do you drive on the highways often?

I can only think of 5 or 6 times in the last year that I would have needed to use a quick charger if I had had the i3. Most of my driving is local (my wife and I will still have a gas car as well).

I was referring to a charging network within the city. It's nice to be able to get a quick charge around town while having dinner, buying groceries, or working out at the local gym.

That infristructure is quite limited. In the city closest to me there is only one charger that I might realistically use (by a grocery store and a Staples). It is a quick charger.

I will have a 30 amp charger at home and I work from my home office about 60% of the time. The lack of level 2 chargers in my area shouldn't negatively effect me.
 
Hi

I have had my I3BEV since 2014 and now driven 80,000 miles in it. It has had some updates when in the garage (only done when passing and not essential). I have had one incident where the car refused to start and had no power after a full charge. I called BMW assistance and within an hour a toe-truck picked up the car. About 20 minutes after that BMW had dropped off a loan can which I kept until they returned my car the following week.

I have to say - the experience of both the car and the BMW after care service in the UK has been very impressive.

The range display is pretty rubbish. However, after a while you accept that its not that accurate and get to know the car and its range based on your driving.

Would I buy another one? Absolutely...

Regards
David
 
Consumer Reports have just published their annual auto issue and the owner reliability numbers have shown a steady improvement. There wasn't enough data reported yet for the 2017 model, but the 2016 model is much better than average in every single category except the drive system, which was just better than average. Only a couple of Toyotas are that good for 2016. Beats the Teslas by a mile. I just purchased a 2017 and am impressed with the quality of finish. I live on Vancouver Island and am 3 hours including ferry from authorized service, but I have no concerns and hopefully it will stay that way.
 
Thanks for all the replies. It is good to hear that the reliability has been steadily improving for the i3.

Here is an update on things - it looks like I might not be getting the i3 after all. There have been several red flags for me that have made me conclude that maybe I should hold off. Here are the issues - you can tell me if I am foolish for not proceeding.

Issue 1. The dealership that I would have to go to for service is in the US 5 hours away. I would have to pay out of pocket for all work done, and then send my receipt to the dealership in Ontario and then wait for them to reimburse me. No one at the dealership could show me in writing that this is the procedure, and no one (salesman, service manager, etc.) would send me an email with this procedure in writing. On top of this, the service manager told me that I would have to have the service done within 100km or so of when I get the notification to do the oil change, break flush etc. or they wouldn't reimburse me! The dealership I would be going to is over 300km away ! I would have to time things pretty well:) this doesn't sound right to me.

Issue 2. I have been waiting for a week now for the dealership to email me the papers to sign so we can finalize the deal. I email or called at least once a day to ask them to send them and every time I was told I would have them right away - But still nothing. I have never experienced this when trying to but a car. Usually they are trying to pressure you to sign, in this case they say everything is ready but they wont hit "send"??

I don't mind being patient, but if they are this slack about getting me paperwork so that I can give them money, how are they going to be when I am trying to get reimbursed for service/work done in the US?? This is just making me very unsettled. It could be an ongoing headache.

Issue 3. Because of all the time waiting for the contract to be sent to me, I got in touch with my local dealer's service department. I was told by the person I talked to that they had been looking into being certified, but it was not a priority for them because of the lack of demand in this area. This means that I could be dealing with issues 1 and 2 above for a long time!


I want the car. It is a great deal, but these three issues have made me put on the breaks.

I'm very conflicted - I really want the car, but cars can be a headache at the best of times, it seems I might just be asking for frustration?? Any advice is appreciated:)
 
Benagami said:
jadnashuanh said:
In the USA, you can check a government website. .

What is this website? I found nhtsa.gov, but that lists no recalls for my i3.

Also, OP ought to ask for a printout of all the service records for the vehicle.

There's a difference between a service campaign and a recall. The NHTSA website will only show recalls, not service campaigns. The dealership should be able to read the VIN and tell you if there are any open service campaigns.
 
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