Bought i3 94 ah REX - ADVICE

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xrayman

Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2019
Messages
11
Hi all,

I'm new on here, so thanks in advance for any advice.

Last week, I bought a Nov 2016 i3 with 18k on the clock. Its a 94ah REX version - leather, large screen and turbine alloys, and with park assist - so a fair few extras. Bought from BMW used approved (UK) - so with the usual 12 m warranty etc.

Anyway, its a great car so far, drives perfectly. But have been very concerned after reading quite a few posts on various forums about the endless problems some of these cars have including the drivetrain issues. I know I'm 'safe' for the next 12 months, but what do I do after that? I heard the extended warranties from BMW don't come cheap.

Any advice on what to do once the 12 months are up? Do third party warranties cover the main components that become faulty? Anyway, I would be happy to sell-up in a year if things become tricky, and go back to ICE if necessary (which would be a shame!).

Thanks :D
 
But have been very concerned after reading quite a few posts on various forums about the endless problems some of these cars have including the drivetrain issues.

2014 and some early 2015 i3's had normal 'new model' teething issues. The i3 is actually more reliable than average - according to data research company JD Powers. On any enthusiasts board, you will always see posts of the (rare) problems - owners just don't post 'car is fine, no issues again this month'. About 150,000 i3s have been sold. Your chance of having a major problem are likely 1 in 10,000. Anything that shows itself to be a defect that appears in a range of cars, will get addressed by a manufacturers recall. There are i3's on the road with 100,000 and 200,000 trouble-free kms on the clock. Early on, BMW earned a reputation for building cars that needed lots of repairs. Even though that hasn't been true for 30 - 40 years, people still harp on it today. The only extended warranty that is worth anything on an i3, is BMW's. For around $5,000 you can get a further 3 years of coverage - with a caveat. They (and no other warranty company) will pay for a repair that costs more than the used-car replacement value of the car. So, what is a 5, 6 or 7 year old i3 going to be worth?

If someone spread 10,000 Lotto tickets on a table, and told you that 1 ticket in the pile would payout $12,000, 50 tickets in the pile would payout $5,000, 100 tickets in the pile would payout $1,000, 500 tickets would payout $500 (the chances of similar repairs on an i3), and all the rest of the tickets were worthless, then said that for a payment of $5,000 you could pick one ticket, would you think the odds were in your favor, and you'd hand over your $5,000??? Sure, a few people with an i3 are going to get smacked with huge repair bills on a catastrophic failure - but how many of the 150,000 owners will that be?

My idea, is to set aside or budget for that $5,000, if I need it for repairs. Pretty long odds I will need a repair costing more than $5K, and pretty good odds that, I will have most of that $5K left in my pocket, three years past the 4 year warranty on my i3 - if I haven't traded it for another i3. If I have a repair that costs more than the car, when it is close to 7 years old, the car will still be worth maybe $6K - $7k as salvage. Add that to my $5K repair fund, and I'm likely at the used car replacement cost of it, and really not at a loss.
 
Thanks for detailed response. It's put things into context somewhat! I guess the other problem is, non BMW garages wouldn't not know how to rectify some of the issues..

Maybe I'll just take the risk, and keep some money aside!

If I maintain a full BMW dealership service history, is it likely that BMW(UK) would pay for (at least part) for any major repairs if they were needed - out of goodwill?

Thanks
 
Good will repairs seem to depend on how old the vehicle is, and how many miles/km are on it. Say you didn't drive much, and the vehicle had really low miles, but was older than the warranty, you'd have a better chance of getting good will than if it had excessive miles on it. It's really hard to characterize that generically...each market could tend to have its own policy rather than one overall, world-wide corporate one. You might get different results if you had owned numerous BMWs through the years, too.
 
sipabit said:
What drive train problems is the OP referring to?

I'm not too technical so I'm not sure, but it's all over the net and seems quite common - if you google 'i3 drivetrain error' you'll see what I mean. And many of these are low mileage cars with full dealer history.

It could relate to REX malfunction but I couldn't be sure.

Thanks
 
My wife has 2015 65 plate 60Ah REx. Great car, leather, turbine alloys, larger screen, park assist, even electric sunroof.

As you say, keep an eye out for drivetrain errors if it happens during your first year of ownership, then straight back to BMW and make sure it's logged.

We had what was left of original warranty on car for a year. In that time it had a couple of faults, the fuel tank pressure sensor failed and front suspension shock absorber gaiters were torn. All replaced under warranty.

Other things to watch out for. The diamond cut turbine alloys are a great look, but in all honesty, aren't up to the ravages of a Scottish winter and road salt. A couple of the wheels developed corrosion. BMW wouldn't honour the claim, there was no kerbing, just where water gets under the lacquer. Had them professionally refurbished, but can see it going again. I bought a full set of BMW 427 style powder coated wheels and winter tyres for £1k. That's what's on for the next 5 months.

Service wise I do that myself now it's outside warranty. Any questions, just holler.
 
Well it's been a few weeks, and mixed feelings about the car. Doesn't quite feel as solid as my 3 litre diesel. Don't like the harsh ride over potholes and the silent drive from starting. I do like the fact that I can charge it at work free. I miss the torque and acceleration of my previous car.

No faults yet. Let's see.

I'm seriously considering going back to ICE. I will of course wait the year so I don't get hit too hard with the depreciation.

Any comments welcome.
 
xrayman said:
Well it's been a few weeks, and mixed feelings about the car. Doesn't quite feel as solid as my 3 litre diesel. Don't like the harsh ride over potholes and the silent drive from starting. I do like the fact that I can charge it at work free. I miss the torque and acceleration of my previous car.

No faults yet. Let's see.

I'm seriously considering going back to ICE. I will of course wait the year so I don't get hit too hard with the depreciation.

Any comments welcome.

- Not as solid ? - In what ways ?
- Harsh ride ? - What wheels do you have ?
- Miss the torque and acceleration ? - The i3 is a city car, its BMWs fastest car 0-30mph

.
 
KarlC said:
xrayman said:
Well it's been a few weeks, and mixed feelings about the car. Doesn't quite feel as solid as my 3 litre diesel. Don't like the harsh ride over potholes and the silent drive from starting. I do like the fact that I can charge it at work free. I miss the torque and acceleration of my previous car.

No faults yet. Let's see.

I'm seriously considering going back to ICE. I will of course wait the year so I don't get hit too hard with the depreciation.

Any comments welcome.

- Not as solid ? - In what ways ?
- Harsh ride ? - What wheels do you have ?
- Miss the torque and acceleration ? - The i3 is a city car, its BMWs fastest car 0-30mph

.

Not as Solid - just the general feel of the car. For example on dual carriageways, tends to feel flimsy and sways a lot on windy days (like today). I guess it's because comparing. The steering wheel is too thin too.

Ride - I have 19" turbine wheels, standard ones. Really get a lot of shudder on potholes, to the extent that I'm always trying to avoid even the drain covers !!

Torque - yes I know, but the umph dies down after 40ish whereas my previous one was like a train! I know I shouldn't compare but it's hard not to!

It's early days and i'm still seeing how it goes but overall I feel I won't keep it...
 
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