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Redheadjj

Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2019
Messages
6
I've been searching for a used i3 with REX for about 5 months. A few questions:

1.) How can I tell if a used 2014 has the high speed DC charging option? (Most of the dealers descriptions are cut and paste things.)

2.) Was any form of AM radio part of a radio option? (2014-2016)

3.) Recently, I noticed some white 2014s in OR/WA (Autolist, Cargurus, etc.) that have Deka upholstery and the dark steering wheel. I thought the dark gray Deka upholstery came first in 2016. Any thoughts about that?
Thank you!
 
1 -- Open the charge flap and have a look. Here in the UK the DC Charge prep cars have 2 extra pins for the Type-2 CCS connector. The US version is the same except it is type 1. If the car has DC Charge, there are 2 large pins below the 5 circular type-1AC pins.

Photo here --> https://electrocars.lt/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/BMW-charging-socket-USA.jpg


2) Not as far as I know. It is possible to code the car to enable AM radio, at least in some of the cars. I'm new to i3 and don't know all the details of all the years of production across various countries.


3)Used cars come with whatever they have. BMW changes things. So do owners.
 
Redheadjj said:
1.) How can I tell if a used 2014 has the high speed DC charging option? (Most of the dealers descriptions are cut and paste things.)
If you can't examine an i3 in person and you have its VIN, use a BMW VIN decoder and look for the 4U7 Fast Charging DC option.

Redheadjj said:
2.) Was any form of AM radio part of a radio option? (2014-2016)
No i3 U.S. has the AM radio enabled by default, but it's easy to enable it using the BimmerCode app. However, electromagnetic interference from the drivetrain could make listening to AM radio unpleasant, depending on the AM signal strength.

Redheadjj said:
3.) Recently, I noticed some white 2014s in OR/WA (Autolist, Cargurus, etc.) that have Deka upholstery and the dark steering wheel. I thought the dark gray Deka upholstery came first in 2016. Any thoughts about that?
U.S. i3's had only 3 trim choices: Mega World (light gray cloth, light gray faux leather trim, light steering wheel), Giga World (light gray wool, tan leather trim, light steering wheel) and Tera World (dark brown leather, dark steering wheel). The i3's in the photos you saw must not have been 2014's.
 
I turned on my AM radio with Bimmercode and it is just as noisy as my other ICE's.

There are a few channels on the AM band that have news and local sports that I am listen to.

Bimmercode will also help with lots of other tweaks to the initial setup from the factory.
 
Thank you for all the replies. I'm still perplexed by all the white 2014 i3s with REX in WA that have Deka upholstery and black steering wheels and dashes. I intially thought some dealer posted 2016 interior photos by mistake. If you go to Cargurus and search for 2014 i3s within 200 miles of Seattle zip code 98125, you'll find at least 12 white i3s that have this Deka interior. Of those i can see the Carfax on, they are listed at 'Rental.' I don't see mention of completely replacing the interiors (including steering wheels, dashes, and door panels) on the Carfaxes. None of these are at BMW dealers. It's hard to believe that every place substituted 2016 interior photos. And, the mileage I can see in the photos matches the mileage that is listed. I like the Deka interior, it seems less likely to show stains compared to the Mega or Giga interior colors. Anyone else have thoughts or ideas? Thanks.
 
I must say that's surprising. Last I heard Deka world didn't show up in the USA until half way through MY 2016. The order and spec sheets for 2014/15 cars certainly do NOT have Deka as an option. This is certainly interesting. It's not totally out of the question, however, that BMW did a special deal for a fleet operator. The VIN codes, millage, and everything matches up. Not sure what to say!
 
I decoded the VIN of one of these 2014 i3's. It does truly have the base Deka World interior. Curiously, it has Comfort Access which was available only with 2014 Giga and Tera World trim. It has DC Fast Charging, a 2014 option. It also has LED low beam headlights which some Deka World models did not have.

Might these be former DriveNow i3's that were available to rent by the hour in Seattle? These must have been a fleet order cars that were used for some purpose.
 
I do think all the Carfaxes on all those white 2014s did say Rental---so, I think you are right. Some rental company bought a group of 2014s from BMW directly, and they sent all of them directly to the rental company, maybe bypassing any local dealer. So, not a bad deal if one whats Deka interior on a pre-2016 i3.
 
Found some more info after doing a Google search for DriveNow Seattle:

this one shows white i3s with Deka interior:

https://www.geekwire.com/2016/bmws-drivenow-car-sharing-service-looks-to-take-on-car2go-in-seattle-marking-first-u-s-expansion/

Here's another URL that shows all white i3s:

https://gas2.org/2016/02/21/bmw-bringing-its-drivenow-car-sharing-program-to-seattle/
 
So, BMW shipped these I3s to SF, then sent them up to Seattle, then unloaded them. (That's my thoughts.)
One of the websites reference above mentions that there were 73 cars in the BMW rental system. So, there are likely a ton of white 2014 i2s with Deka interior in the Seattle area. So, that should get some good pricing. (I hope.) (-:
 
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