Annoying Things I Hate After 3 Weeks With My New i3 ReX

[TMSsilent]

The drive train on this car is an engineering tour de force, but the software and usability is just atrocious. Here are ten things I hate so far (Note - some of these have been previously mentioned by others in other threads):

1. Climate control won't stay off. Every time I turn the car on, I have to turn the climate control off AGAIN.

To all of you BMW engineering geniuses out there: I LIVE IN HAWAII. The weather is perfect about 350 days a year. No need for A/C or heat 99.9% of the time...in my house OR my car.

2. Entertainment system doesn't retain its settings when the car is turned off. Every time I turn the car on, I have to re-select which input I want to listen to, and turn the volume up from zero.

3. Can't disable the auto door locks. Whenever I drive the car, everything locks. However, when I stop and turn the car off, the hatch doesn't UNLOCK. So EVERY SINGLE TIME I need to open the hatch, I have to first unlock it with my key fob.

4. Every time I get out of the car, the car turns itself off.....even if I'm just stopping at the mailbox. When I get back in, I have to hit the POWER ON switch again. Even if I leave my key inside the car, even if I engage the parking brake, EVERY TIME I GET OUT OF THE CAR IT TURNS ITSELF OFF.

5. Seat belt warning comes on immediately when the car is turned on. The only way to avoid getting the seatbelt warning is to fasten your seatbelt before you turn the car on. There should be an option to turn the annoying seatbelt warning off competely. Short of that, there should be an option to suppress the seatbelt warning below 5 mph.

Look, BMW, you are not my Grandmother. I will fasten my seatbelt in good time - after I've adjusted the radio, put on my sunglasses, tucked away my briefcase, etc. And I'd prefer to do those things while NOT strapped in.

6. No key proximity sensor? Even cheap-ass rental cars with RF keys unlock themselves when you step up to the door. This $50,000 BMW does not. You have to fish the key out of your pocket to unlock the doors. Then you've got to fish it out again to lock when you walk away.

Disgraceful programming and dumb, dumb, dumb.

7. No button on the key fob for the hatch (see #3 above). The "frunk" is utterly useless unless you're stashing, say, a can of tennis balls. ALMOST ANYTHING (even a small bag of groceries) must be stored in the hatch. But when you go to retrieve the groceries, THE HATCH IS LOCKED (see #3 above).

8. THE FRONT SEATS SUCK.The last time I sat in a seat as uncomfortable as the seats in my i3, I was sitting in Economy Class on an American Airlines flight. That's THE WORST of THE WORST. What, did you guys use a 55-gallon drum cut in half lengthwise as your modeling buck? The entire seat is CONCAVE. There is no lumbar support whatsoever. One's shoulders are swallowed into the concave upper portion. Look, I travel extensively in my work, I rent cars about 15-18 weeks a year. The i3's seats are, without a doubt, the worst car seats I've encountered in at least 10 years.

So now - after paying almost $50,000 for this car - I must fork over another $4000 to get some decent front seats installed?

9. There is a design defect in the cardboard piece that covers the rear floor just in back of the rear seats. Every time I fold the rear seats down, the entire piece pops out. I must shove it back down into its crack THE ENTIRE WIDTH OF THE CAR, every time - EVERY TIME - I fold the rear seats down.

10. The charge-remaining display is a joke. 4 bars, that's all? I'm an engineer with a Master's degree. Give me some viewing options (such as kWh remaining?)

 

[Jeffj]

I agree with a number of your points. I've only had an i3 for a 4 day extended test drive, but i saw some of those same things. One thing (your point #6) that the iGenius showed me however, is that when you close the door, you can lock the door by running your thumb or finger along the ridges on the door handle. To unlock, you just reach your fingers around the door handle. If the key fob is on you, you don't have to touch it at all.

Maybe this is only a Giga thing, as that's what I had.

Jeff

 

[WoodlandHills]

What's really annoying is that nearly all your issues could be resolved by software changes and not hardware. Wanna bet it will never happen?

 

[ultraturtle]

... I LIVE IN HAWAII...

Dude, unless you take advantage of Hawaii's unbelievably generous solar PV incentives to power not only 100% of your residential electricity needs, but enough excess capacity to completely power your EV's over the course of a year's driving, I could not urge you strongly enough to dump any EV you own in favor of a highly efficient ICE hybrid.

Your island is the only state in the Union that generates the bulk of its electricity from petroleum. Bad, bad juju. Efficient ICE vehicles are far more climate friendly than electric vehicles in your state. Sorry.

My perception is that the previous majority of folks on this forum that gave a rats about our environment is on a steady decline as newcomers become enamored with the performance and cost benefits of EVs. Just want to make a point from a dying minority.

 

[TomMoloughney]

The drive train on this car is an engineering tour de force, but the software and usability is just atrocious. Here are ten things I hate so far (Note - some of these have been previously mentioned by others in other threads):

1. Climate control won't stay off. Every time I turn the car on, I have to turn the climate control off AGAIN.

To all of you BMW engineering geniuses out there: I LIVE IN HAWAII. The weather is perfect about 350 days a year. No need for A/C or heat 99.9% of the time...in my house OR my car.

2. Entertainment system doesn't retain its settings when the car is turned off. Every time I turn the car on, I have to re-select which input I want to listen to, and turn the volume up from zero.

3. Can't disable the auto door locks. Whenever I drive the car, everything locks. However, when I stop and turn the car off, the hatch doesn't UNLOCK. So EVERY SINGLE TIME I need to open the hatch, I have to first unlock it with my key fob.

4. Every time I get out of the car, the car turns itself off.....even if I'm just stopping at the mailbox. When I get back in, I have to hit the POWER ON switch again. Even if I leave my key inside the car, even if I engage the parking brake, EVERY TIME I GET OUT OF THE CAR IT TURNS ITSELF OFF.

5. Seat belt warning comes on immediately when the car is turned on. The only way to avoid getting the seatbelt warning is to fasten your seatbelt before you turn the car on. There should be an option to turn the annoying seatbelt warning off competely. Short of that, there should be an option to suppress the seatbelt warning below 5 mph.

Look, BMW, you are not my Grandmother. I will fasten my seatbelt in good time - after I've adjusted the radio, put on my sunglasses, tucked away my briefcase, etc. And I'd prefer to do those things while NOT strapped in.

6. No key proximity sensor? Even cheap-ass rental cars with RF keys unlock themselves when you step up to the door. This $50,000 BMW does not. You have to fish the key out of your pocket to unlock the doors. Then you've got to fish it out again to lock when you walk away.

Disgraceful programming and dumb, dumb, dumb.

7. No button on the key fob for the hatch (see #3 above). The "frunk" is utterly useless unless you're stashing, say, a can of tennis balls. ALMOST ANYTHING (even a small bag of groceries) must be stored in the hatch. But when you go to retrieve the groceries, THE HATCH IS LOCKED (see #3 above).

8. THE FRONT SEATS SUCK.The last time I sat in a seat as uncomfortable as the seats in my i3, I was sitting in Economy Class on an American Airlines flight. That's THE WORST of THE WORST. What, did you guys use a 55-gallon drum cut in half lengthwise as your modeling buck? The entire seat is CONCAVE. There is no lumbar support whatsoever. One's shoulders are swallowed into the concave upper portion. Look, I travel extensively in my work, I rent cars about 15-18 weeks a year. The i3's seats are, without a doubt, the worst car seats I've encountered in at least 10 years.

So now - after paying almost $50,000 for this car - I must fork over another $4000 to get some decent front seats installed?

9. There is a design defect in the cardboard piece that covers the rear floor just in back of the rear seats. Every time I fold the rear seats down, the entire piece pops out. I must shove it back down into its crack THE ENTIRE WIDTH OF THE CAR, every time - EVERY TIME - I fold the rear seats down.

10. The charge-remaining display is a joke. 4 bars, that's all? I'm an engineer with a Master's degree. Give me some viewing options (such as kWh remaining?)

I definitely do agree with some of these niggles, but would like to clarify some points.

Not sure what is up with your entertainment system, but you shouldn't have to do that every time you get in the car. Are you using the same key? The car remembers which key you programmed the presets for and if you use the other key, it won't recognize the entertainment settings you had used the previous trip with the other key.

As far as the car shutting itself off as soon as you open the drivers door I agree but there is a reason for it. In their previous EV trial programs (which I was a part of) people complained that they would inadvertently leave the car turned on because it was silent when they parked. Some people (me included) even left it on all night on occasion. I am annoyed by the way they have it now also, but there does need to be an automatic power-down. I just wish it happened after say, 30 seconds, not immediately after you get out. That way it would stay on long enough for you to do things like get the mail from your mailbox without having to restart.

You must have the base Mega trim because both optional trims (Giga and Tera) have proximity sensor and you just have to touch the door handle to lock/unlock it. It works great.

Totally agree about the remote hatch button on the FOB, there is no need for a frunk release button.

I happen to love the front seats and think they are perfect - better than the seats in my 1-series. Seat comfort is definitely a product of personal taste and body size/type I believe.

I haven't had the cardboard piece come out on me like you are describing, and I fold the seats down a lot. I'm going to inspect it and see if I can replicate what you are describing.

I agree with the 4-bar charge remaining display. Be patient, BMW may just be working on improving that sometime soon

 

[DAZ]

I must agree with all your complaints other than seat comfort and the cargo cover. I love the seat comfort. I like to drive in EcoPro+ and I have to switch it from the Comfort default. Same with the auto on fan and non radio screen. Simple, to resolve, but annoying every time you start the car. I have the Mega trim because of the wheels. Many cars don't have the door handle sensors, but my last two did and it's a hard habit to break. I'm most annoyed with what should be a simple timed charge procedure. My Prius Plug In can be set for a simple programmed start time or completion time. The i3 charge timer has too many unnecessary step.

I love my i3, but too many simple annoyances as the OP stated. Hopefully, BMW can resolve most.

 

[Surge]

I completely agree about seat comfort being a real weak point.

I'm an average height guy, not overweight. The seats lack any kind of lateral support, and have too much lumbar. It's like sitting on a couch with a pillow behind your lower back.

I would go as far as to say that anyone of average size that thinks the i3 has good seats, has never felt what excellent automotive seats feel like.
My Lexus CT has incredible seats. Everyone who sits in the front has commented on the seat comfort.

Unfortunately, the i3's seats are way below average, comfort wise.

They look fantastic though!

 

[Surge]

The majority of your quibbles should be able to be "coded".
Read about that on a main BMW forum. There is a way to connect a laptop to the car and make very specific changes.

Also, do you really need a REx in Hawaii?! Can you drive whatever island you're on, on a single charge?!

 

[FrancisJeffries]

Read about that on a main BMW forum. There is a way to connect a laptop to the car and make very specific changes.

Could you be more specific (URL, for example), please? That sounds very tempting!

 

[Surge]

Yes, there's actually a specific site dedicated to it!

http://www.bmwcoding.com

 

[MikeS]

Well I find the seats some of the most comfortable I have ever had so it just goes to show how much we all differ!

As for the ‘design defect’ in the ‘cardboard piece….’ - I regularly fold the rear seats down and have had no problem so maybe yours has a specific defect.

For some of your access problems I guess you should have got the comfort access option! :twisted:

 

[Ross]

Seems things are different over here in the UK...

2. Entertainment system doesn't retain its settings when the car is turned off. Every time I turn the car on, I have to re-select which input I want to listen to, and turn the volume up from zero.

Mine does remember and will even carry on playing the same song over bluetooth that I played last time

3. Can't disable the auto door locks. Whenever I drive the car, everything locks. However, when I stop and turn the car off, the hatch doesn't UNLOCK. So EVERY SINGLE TIME I need to open the hatch, I have to first unlock it with my key fob.

This is a setting available via the idrive in mine.

5. Seat belt warning comes on immediately when the car is turned on. The only way to avoid getting the seatbelt warning is to fasten your seatbelt before you turn the car on. There should be an option to turn the annoying seatbelt warning off competely. Short of that, there should be an option to suppress the seatbelt warning below 5 mph.

Mine used to come on after a couple of minutes of driving. It's now coded off.

6. No key proximity sensor? Even cheap-ass rental cars with RF keys unlock themselves when you step up to the door. This $50,000 BMW does not. You have to fish the key out of your pocket to unlock the doors. Then you've got to fish it out again to lock when you walk away.

You needed to order the "comfort access" option

7. No button on the key fob for the hatch (see #3 above). The "frunk" is utterly useless unless you're stashing, say, a can of tennis balls. ALMOST ANYTHING (even a small bag of groceries) must be stored in the hatch. But when you go to retrieve the groceries, THE HATCH IS LOCKED (see #3 above).

Mine has a programmable diamond button which can be programmed to do different stuff, e.g. open the hatch or start preconditioning

8. THE FRONT SEATS SUCK.The last time I sat in a seat as uncomfortable as the seats in my i3, I was sitting in Economy Class on an American Airlines flight. That's THE WORST of THE WORST. What, did you guys use a 55-gallon drum cut in half lengthwise as your modeling buck? The entire seat is CONCAVE. There is no lumbar support whatsoever. One's shoulders are swallowed into the concave upper portion. Look, I travel extensively in my work, I rent cars about 15-18 weeks a year. The i3's seats are, without a doubt, the worst car seats I've encountered in at least 10 years.

Happy with my seats

9. There is a design defect in the cardboard piece that covers the rear floor just in back of the rear seats. Every time I fold the rear seats down, the entire piece pops out. I must shove it back down into its crack THE ENTIRE WIDTH OF THE CAR, every time - EVERY TIME - I fold the rear seats down.

Never had this problem

10. The charge-remaining display is a joke. 4 bars, that's all? I'm an engineer with a Master's degree. Give me some viewing options (such as kWh remaining?)

Agreed!

 

[WoodlandHills]

I have read the digital manual and I do not recall seeing anything about a programmable remote. The same with turning off the seatbelt warning....... Is this a US vs ROTW feature?

 

[jelloslug]

I have read the digital manual and I do not recall seeing anything about a programmable remote. The same with turning off the seatbelt warning....... Is this a US vs ROTW feature?

The US version does not have the diamond button on the remote, only a frunk button.

 

[WoodlandHills]

I wonder if the feature is disabled or if it would work if you had a ROTW remote?

 

[TMSsilent]

Dude, unless you take advantage of Hawaii's unbelievably generous solar PV incentives to power not only 100% of your residential electricity needs, but enough excess capacity to completely power your EV's over the course of a year's driving, I could not urge you strongly enough to dump any EV you own in favor of a highly efficient ICE hybrid.

Uh..."dude" (ultraturtle) .....I DID take advantage of those tax credits. About 4 years ago. And with MECO charging over 40 cents per kWh, the panels have already paid for themselves.

The i3 charges for free, from solar, so you can please go "strongly urge" somebody else.

 

[TMSsilent]

JeffJ -

Maybe this is only a Giga thing, as that's what I had.

I researched this and it turns out you are correct. I've got a "Mega". Don't I feel (a) like an idiot and (b) somewhat duped. I looked at the build pages on the BMW web site and there is nothing about Comfort Access. But buried in the trim level information on another part of the web site is info about this - "keyless entry" they call it. I called BMW iConcierge and asked them why there is nothing about this on the build pages, nothing on the feature lists or on the bullet points for any of the levels concerning keyless or Comfort Access, and they had no answer. The dealer never discussed this with me, they just said "go to the build page, build what you want, and we'll place the order".

So I'm S.O.L. on keyless entry. Caveat emptor, I guess.

Surge-

Also, do you really need a REx in Hawaii?! Can you drive whatever island you're on, on a single charge?!

Round trip to Hana from my house is 100 miles, and there is no charging infrastructure in Hana (given the remoteness of Hana, it's remarkable they even have electricity at all there :roll: ). Round trip to Lahaina is about 80-ish miles. There are also large swaths of the island with no cellular coverage, should the car run out of juice. So, yes, ReX is nice insurance to have.

 

[Bunter]

Am I the only one with an i3 which sticks with whatever the ventilation was last set to?

Bill

 

[kevinb61]

Am I the only one with an i3 which sticks with whatever the ventilation was last set to?

Bill

Nope...my seems to remember the setting also.

 

[ultraturtle]

Dude, unless you take advantage of Hawaii's unbelievably generous solar PV incentives to power not only 100% of your residential electricity needs, but enough excess capacity to completely power your EV's over the course of a year's driving, I could not urge you strongly enough to dump any EV you own in favor of a highly efficient ICE hybrid.

Uh..."dude" (ultraturtle) .....I DID take advantage of those tax credits. About 4 years ago. And with MECO charging over 40 cents per kWh, the panels have already paid for themselves.

Good. I'm happy you wisely invested in an additional 2 kW or so PV capacity per EV, since we both know that any excess net power required beyond your system's output as a result of EV driving is provided by the utility using those ghastly diesel generators.