New owner with a few questions.

[adric22]

So we are long-time EV owners, having owned two Leafs and two Volts. My wife has wanted an i3 for a while but they were just too expensive. we found one this weekend that was a manufacturer buy-back shipped in from California. According to the buyback paperwork, there was some problem with the Rex making a clicking sound. The part was out of stock and the repair was going to take too long so they customer returned it. I'm fairly satisfied that there is nothing wrong with this vehicle that would make it a "lemon" or anything like that. So this one is a 2014 model.. I am not sure which "world" it is, but it loaded with a lot of high end stuff including the larger NAV screen, fast charging, Rex, heated seats, ACC, etc. It has only 3,000 miles on it! So it is basically like brand new. We paid $26,000 for it. So that's about half what a brand-new one would cost.

We did not get a user manual with this car, so we're probably going to keep coming up with questions.

One issue my wife noticed is that she can't get the car to power on when charging. So, for example, with our Leafs and Volts, if you were at a charging station and wanted to wait in the car, you could still run the climate control. This car doesn't seem to want to do that.

Does the Rex require regular or premium fuel? During my google search I've not been able to find a clear answer.

On the menus, I could not find any sort of "energy monitor" screen. On our other vehicles there is always a screen where you can see information about your trip, like how much energy you've used, miles driven, etc..

 

[alohart]

We did not get a user manual with this car, so we're probably going to keep coming up with questions.

iDrive, the graphical user interface to most of the car's functionality that's displayed on the center LCD, includes an Owner's Handbook that tailored for the packages installed on your car as does the BMW i Driver's Guide smartphone app. The paper manual includes features that aren't on every i3 and even some that aren't available in the U.S!

One issue my wife noticed is that she can't get the car to power on when charging. So, for example, with our Leafs and Volts, if you were at a charging station and wanted to wait in the car, you could still run the climate control.

When you shut off an i3, the iDrive screen that is displayed should show an option that when checked, turns on the climate control while the car is off. However, I don't think the climate control will run more than 20 to 30 minutes.

Does the Rex require regular or premium fuel?

Premium meets BMW's recommendation with a middle grade, if available, being acceptable. The octane rating of most regular grades is probably not ideal.

On the menus, I could not find any sort of "energy monitor" screen. On our other vehicles there is always a screen where you can see information about your trip, like how much energy you've used, miles driven, etc..

It's there somewhere You can split the wide nav screen into 2 different screens which I prefer. I'm half way around the world from our i3, so I can't go look for the screen you've described.

I'm not impressed with the iDrive user interface, but if you play around with it a while, you'll learn what's there. However, you might not be able to find some things a second time because iDrive's not as intuitive as it could be.

Enjoy your new toy! There's lots to like about an i3.

 

[jadnashuanh]

You can download an app for an Android or iOS phone or tablet that may be easier than the paper copy as it is searchable. If you want to play the radio, you can just press the power on button, but it will only stay on for about 15-minutes. You can repeat as often as desired. The car won't go to the ready state if it is plugged into the EVSE, but many of the things can still be accessed.

 

[stumbledotcom]

Echoing Art's and Jim's suggestions regarding the BMW i Driver's Guide app. I haven't bothered with the paper manual since downloading. Note you will need to enter your VIN the first time you run it. It also will download a fair bit of information initially so being on wifi is probably smart.

For 2014, US models came in three trim or world levels. Each features unique upholstery and dashboard finishes. I think the quickest way to distinguish is the steering wheel.

* Mega: light wheel with blue metallic insert ring
* Giga: light wheel with silver insert
* Terra: dark wheel with silver insert

There are of course other differences but once you understand which package your car has, you can do a quick search to read up on them.

You will find several energy info screens in iDrive. From the main menu, go to:

Vehicle Info > eDrive

 

[Boatguy]

One issue my wife noticed is that she can't get the car to power on when charging. So, for example, with our Leafs and Volts, if you were at a charging station and wanted to wait in the car, you could still run the climate control.

Art is correct, however you can also use the phone app to "pre-condition" the car and turn on the climate control while charging. Again I think it will shut off in 20-30min, but you can then turn it on again.

On the menus, I could not find any sort of "energy monitor" screen. On our other vehicles there is always a screen where you can see information about your trip, like how much energy you've used, miles driven, etc..

It doesn't have one of those complex diagrams showing all the systems and the energy flow, but if you split the nav screen and/or display the trip information, you can see miles driven and mi/kWh which is the energy efficiency metric. You can also push the button on the end of the turn indicator stick and see mi/kWh on the instrument display, both instantaneous and for the trip. Check or uncheck one of the settings to have the trip automatically reset after a period of time (3-4 hrs). And then of course the semi-circle at the bottom of the instrument display shows instantaneous power usage graphically which is useful if you're trying to coast.