New i3 Owner

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tman66

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 2, 2018
Messages
56
Location
Guelph, ON, Canada
Hello everyone, long time BMW owner, but i3 newbie.

I've been lurking and researching the i3 for quite some time now. Finally pulled the trigger on a 2014 i3 BEV model with all the options yesterday and picking it up on Tuesday. I only needed a 10 min 'test drive' and fell in love with it immediately. I live 2.2km from work so this seemed to be a no-brainer considering my fiance drives a 3 Series xDrive wagon that I can use for longer trips.

First order of business is coding. I've coded E90's in the past using a VM setup on my Mac so I shouldn't have too much trouble using the BimmerCode app and Bluetooth dongle. Looks like there are quite a few 'options' I can enable. ;)

Availability and pricing here in Ontario, Canada is not as good as the USA so I had to wait awhile and then 'pounce'. I was lucky enough to get it from a BMW dealer so fingers crossed it works out.

Anyway, just wanted to drop a note and say HI. I used to be very active when the E90 came out on E90post dot com so let's see what happens here. Tuesday can not come quick enough. lol.

(sorry for the double posting)
 
With your use pattern, it should be a perfect car for you. Enjoy! You'll quickly get spoiled by the preconditioning, so if you don't already have the app, get it, and make sure that the dealership transfers the account to you. They should be able to start on that now so it should be transferred when you pick it up.

Depending on where you live, you will probably need winter tires for it, so you might want to discuss adding that to the deal if it isn't already part of it. The BMW OEM winter tire is a Bridgestone. The only other one that fits the car is from Nokian, their R2, and they may have another one as well.
 
I got my BMW i3 in the last 2 weeks. The BMW Connected app would not work until I have gone to the website url]https://connecteddrive.bmwusa.com[/url] and registered. I had to call them (1-888-333-6118) to complete the process as my car was, obviously, registered to the previous owner. All they needed was prove of insurance and the temporary registration. I emailed those two into the email address they gave me and within 24 hours I was up and running. I called in again to complete the process and setup myself as the owner for all the subscriptions they had on it.. mine is a 2015 so all the subs were paid up until Oct 2019.

Then I was able to get into the Connected app and setup the pre-condition and charging.. which is much easier with the app than in the car.

Now I just need to find someone in Utah who has the BimmerCode app as I'm not throwing $35 at it yet for access.. seems as though the previous owner had it and made some changes from the default already.
 
Canadian and US customers may differ in the exact procedure, but your dealer should be able to guide you. They use different servers and are independent subsidiaries.
 
I just picked up my '14 i3 within the past couple weeks as well. The previous owner had both 19s and 20s, with snow tires fitted on to the 19s, and that sealed the deal for me, as I got both sets of wheels. It also had the options I wanted, minus the backup camera.

Slypig, I live in NSL and use a BMW Ethernet cable along with E-SYS, it does the same thing, though not quite as user friendly.

I never had to call BMW, I just received an authentication code through the iDrive system, one thing I am wondering about is getting my address registered with BMW U.S.A. so I can get recall/service bulletin mailings. One thing that surprises me is that your subscription is only active until 2019, did the previous owner of my car elect for an extended subscription or something? The iDrive system tells me my subscription is valid until 2024...


I have a few more questions regarding my i3 that I'd like to address at some point in the near future. That being said, this car has far exceeded my expectations- the only thing that has yet to be seen is how it will deal with driving up and down a snow-covered steep (13% grade) road.

As I have read this forum quite a bit prior to purchasing my i3, I'd like to thank all the people who answered many of my questions.
 
Parts of my driveway probably exceeds that slope...the i3 with winter tires seems to go fine in snow...now, ice is a different matter. The Nokian R2 may work better for that, but I've not worn out my Bridgestones yet and haven't tried them. The R2 has literal crystals mixed into the tread compound that act like mini studs. I bought a set for my other car, but (luckily) haven't needed to mount them or experience snow (yet!).
 
That's comforting. I have the Blizzaks, but would really like to try Nokian R2, though I'll wait till my Blizzaks are worn out. One thing I found interesting is that Nokian now has an R3 snow tire.

My level 2 EVSE should arrive today (I got an OpenEVSE unit), I was really lucky as there was already a NEMA 14-50 in the garage from the house's previous owner.
 
New Hampshire gets its share of snow. But, I'm retired, so often, going out is optional. WHen I've gone out in the snow, only once have I had an issue. It was a steep ramp out of a parking lot and I needed to stop as there was traffic. It was more ice than just snow, and I had to back up. Other than that, they've been pretty good. As to the Nokians, yes, they updated to R3 model early this year and actually, that's what I have waiting for me at the tire dealer's for at least another few weeks when it cools off enough to consider swapping. But, that's on my GT which also has X-drive, so should be like a tank in the nasty weather. That one gets used on longer trips that aren't always optional, so is more critical to me - higher speeds, longer distances, varying weather. ONly once or twice have I noted the stability control engaging in the winter. Well, I did play around in a snowy parking lot once...the logic kept the acceleration to a snails pace, but the wheels didn't spin and I did keep moving. It was weird since I tried just flooring it, and it just poked along, limiting the torque to keep contact without spinning.

Given a choice, I'd opt for the Nokians, but they may end up about 10% or so more expensive. I bought my wheels and winter tire set at the dealer when I bought the car and negotiated a good price for them as part of the sales contract. They were less expensive than buying them anywhere else. Now that I have the wheels, assuming I have the i3 when they need to be replaced, I'm going to go with the Nokians, assuming my experience with them on my other car goes as expected.

If you're going to buy them from the dealer, check that against what you can get elsewhere. Canadians have a cost benefit since they don't need the TPMS that's part of the US i3 implementation, at least as far as I know. If you have rubber valve stems, you don't have TPMS. FWIW, using BMW parts list prices, a bare wheel that comes in the winter package costs a bunch more than it does with a tire, TPMS, mounted and balanced! At least it did when I bought mine. So, if you damaged a wheel, it's cheaper to just buy a new tire mounted!
 
jadnashuanh said:
New Hampshire gets its share of snow. But, I'm retired, so often, going out is optional. WHen I've gone out in the snow, only once have I had an issue. It was a steep ramp out of a parking lot and I needed to stop as there was traffic. It was more ice than just snow, and I had to back up. Other than that, they've been pretty good. As to the Nokians, yes, they updated to R3 model early this year and actually, that's what I have waiting for me at the tire dealer's for at least another few weeks when it cools off enough to consider swapping. But, that's on my GT which also has X-drive, so should be like a tank in the nasty weather. That one gets used on longer trips that aren't always optional, so is more critical to me - higher speeds, longer distances, varying weather. ONly once or twice have I noted the stability control engaging in the winter. Well, I did play around in a snowy parking lot once...the logic kept the acceleration to a snails pace, but the wheels didn't spin and I did keep moving. It was weird since I tried just flooring it, and it just poked along, limiting the torque to keep contact without spinning.

Given a choice, I'd opt for the Nokians, but they may end up about 10% or so more expensive. I bought my wheels and winter tire set at the dealer when I bought the car and negotiated a good price for them as part of the sales contract. They were less expensive than buying them anywhere else. Now that I have the wheels, assuming I have the i3 when they need to be replaced, I'm going to go with the Nokians, assuming my experience with them on my other car goes as expected.

If you're going to buy them from the dealer, check that against what you can get elsewhere. Canadians have a cost benefit since they don't need the TPMS that's part of the US i3 implementation, at least as far as I know. If you have rubber valve stems, you don't have TPMS. FWIW, using BMW parts list prices, a bare wheel that comes in the winter package costs a bunch more than it does with a tire, TPMS, mounted and balanced! At least it did when I bought mine. So, if you damaged a wheel, it's cheaper to just buy a new tire mounted!

Thanks for the info. All I can find so far is a tire/wheel combo from Tire Rack and of course a set from BMW. The TR price when factoring in the current USD to CDN exchange rate will probably be a couple of hundred less than the $2,900 + 13% HST tax from BMW. The BMW set includes style 428 rims in black with the LM-500 winter tires. I've reached out to my sales rep to see what he can do. I can't find all-season rubber for the 20" rims :(.
 
That is correct, the only tires available in the 20-inch size are the EP500 summer tires. This was a major consideration for me when buying the car. It seems like even to this day there's a debate going on whether 20s or 19s are better. Since I am still a new owner, I haven't driven my car with the 19s + snow tires mounted yet, so it will be interesting to see how handling and ride quality is after the switch.

Because of this reason, it makes owning the car with 20s difficult in colder environments. Today it was below freezing when I drove, and while it is dry as a desert here, the handling felt a bit more "un-planted" than expected. That being said, I'm not switching over to my winter tires yet, as I'm still expecting a few 70F days to come.
 
The OEM set here is backordered, but the price is a LOT less than your dealer is charging. https://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/i3_winter_tire/

There are other places to find them. It sounds like your dealer is pricing things as parts verses the package price. When I bought mine, checking the price of a bare wheel was a lot more than the winter tire already mounted direct. But, BMW Canada is a different company. You can check the part numbers though... from that link.

FWIW, the BMW wheels are forged, and as a result, a bit lighter for the same strength.
 
jadnashuanh said:
The OEM set here is backordered, but the price is a LOT less than your dealer is charging. https://www.contractorsdirect.com/TR14FR-Raimondi-Trowel?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhoKT4NeJ3gIVw7fACh16CQTVEAAYASAAEgL7tvD_BwE

There are other places to find them. It sounds like your dealer is pricing things as parts verses the package price. When I bought mine, checking the price of a bare wheel was a lot more than the winter tire already mounted direct. But, BMW Canada is a different company. You can check the part numbers though... from that link.

FWIW, the BMW wheels are forged, and as a result, a bit lighter for the same strength.

Thanks for the info although that link is for a trowel? :D
 
TheMK said:
One thing that surprises me is that your subscription is only active until 2019, did the previous owner of my car elect for an extended subscription or something? The iDrive system tells me my subscription is valid until 2024....

I've not looked at my iDrive system I assume that is the system that allows all of the other services to connect to the car.

I have a bunch of different subscriptions on my car. When I login to the ConnecteDrive website under >store I see that I have subs
- BMW Assist eCall
- BMW TeleService
- Remote Services
- eMobility Services

Those expire next October.

I think the only services I care about right now are the eMobility which allows me to set the charging times from the phone but I can do that from the car and the Remote services which I think allows me to unlock, lock see charge status etc.

the ones I don't have, and don't care to have are;
- Advanced Real-Time Traffic Information ($70)
- ConnectedDrive Services ($100)
 
Ok. So. I picked up the i3 yesterday. I have to think of a nick name for it now. :) Here's my story from yesterday...

Since the dealer was 100km away I knew I had to stop to DC Fast Charge along the way. I had already pre-installed ChargePoint, Plugshare and Flo apps and created accounts etc. I asked the CA to make sure the i3 was at 100% and of course it wasn't. It was only showing 90km at 93%. I think i3 has range degradation from the original max range of 130km when new?

Anyway, so I had enough to me to the primary charging location (Flo), just barely. The Flo network Level 3 DC Fast Charger wouldn't work. So onto the backup charging location 16km away (ChargePoint). I get there with 11km left. Phew or so I thought. As luck would have and to make a long story short (calling ChargePoint, BMW etc etc) and almost losing my $h1t I was able to charge via Level 2 but not Level 3. Had lunch with my fiance while we waited much longer than we wanted to.

So new plan. Charge just enough to get to another Level 3 charger closer to home (Public Library). Looked online and called them and they said it was working (Greenlots) ? With another 11km to spare, we get there and low and behold Level 3 charing works. Yay!!! 15 or so mins and up to 75% and I'm on my way home.

Wow, talk about trial by fire range anxiety! Charged at home using level 1 overnight and plugged in at work to top up today. It was showing 108km max range this morning. Not bad but I was hoping for around 120km. Oh well.

And oh, I love the i3 already. It's very smooth in operation in an almost 'gliding' like way although it's unmistakably a BMW. The heated seats are typical BMW which is fantastic. The driving position is brilliant. I'm doing a whole bunch of coding tonight and am thinking of getting NAV updates via non-BMW online sources ;)

Sorry for the long post but I just had to share. Not exactly how I planned the day to go but it turned out well. lol.
 
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