BMW Hates Me

I can think of no other reason. I'm beginning to feel the same so its mutual. My brand new 2017 I3 REX with my 5000 km. on it had the steering fault. I sent it in in the Fall and they had it for 2 weeks and they found nothing. They gave it back. It happened again and this time they had it for 7 weeks. They say its software-related, the program does not always boot the steering module completely. I can have it back and live with it or I can leave it and they will give me a courtesy car for 3 months until the software patch is produced. I ask for my money back. They discover that the software fix will be much later than March so they offer me a 2019 I3 REX with more doodads than mine had, for no more money. I'm sorta kinda pleased but I'm visualizing my money being spent in some bar in Hamburg and I have the same issues with this car.

I get the car delivered with typical BMW smugness, the giant black cloth whipping off the car to reveal what you get for your large lump of money and I'm more or less happy. I would have liked an I3S but this one has the Sport package and looks like it might be an S so I can compromise. I drive it for two days and plug it in at home.........30 hours later it has 58% of a charge. I just sent it back to the dealer on a flatbed truck and am busy counting all the days they've had this POS and wondering if I should get a lawyer involved. Don't they even test these things before they deliver them? Do I get a new charger or a new battery? Only BMW and the fates know. 9 weeks and counting. Where did I put that lawyer's card...?

Does the 2019 have the 120 ah battery?

If it does, and you are using the little 110v charger, it will probably take about 40 hours to charge that bigger battery. I have the 60 ah battery and the supplied charger takes about 20 hours. I installed a Level 2 charger at the house and it charges in 3 hours now.

Sounds like BMW is trying to help you by giving you a new model. The "S" model will use a bit more power to push the wider wheels/tires but it should still give you better range than your 2017.

Xsbank said:

They discover that the software fix will be much later than March so they offer me a 2019 I3 REX with more doodads than mine had, for no more money.

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That's a fanastic solution! Not only does this car have more options but it also has 28% greater battery pack capacity.

Xsbank said:

I drive it for two days and plug it in at home.........30 hours later it has 58% of a charge. I just sent it back to the dealer on a flatbed truck and am busy counting all the days they've had this POS and wondering if I should get a lawyer involved. Don't they even test these things before they deliver them? Do I get a new charger or a new battery?

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I assume that you were charging with the Occasional Use Cable included with your car. Did you verify that the AC Level 1 charging rate was set to "Maximum" in iDrive?

What is this steering fault.
Is it related to the issue of steering wheel becomes heavy to turn , randomly
It may exactly be the slow boot , so it manifests randomly.....

In a nutshell, the new larger battery in the ‘19s takes longer to charge, the supplied “OUC” is now 10 amps as opposed to 12 in the ‘17 so you pretty much need a level 2 on your wall if you want any functionality from this car. It took 48 hours to charge my battery from 35% to 95% using the OUC, compared to the 15 or so it took before.

The ambient temperature does have an impact on charging times...a super cold or hot battery will charge slower than one hat is more temperate. The thermal management will be using some of the energy versus it going into the batteries.

If it's your first EV then it's a steep learning curve. I'd suggest starting off with a used spark EV or a leaf.

The OUC is not a good solution for people that need and use the full battery capacity on a regular basis...it's just plainly too slow. It can charge the car, but it definitely will take awhile. You won't have a full charge from empty the next morning with it.