Stop the charger? Also BWM reliability question

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MartijnH

New member
Joined
Mar 31, 2021
Messages
2
Hello! Just got my 2017 i3 the other day and love it!
I used the level 2 charger no problem. Now I just wanted to check the level 1 charger as well.

While it's working good, it takes a long time before the car is charged with the level 1. The app states charging will be done at 8.45 am, however I need to leave at 7am!

What is the correct way of stopping the i3 from charging (level 1 or 2) so I can leave on time to work (I'll take 90% charge instead of 100 😜).

My 2nd question is that I talked to a buddy of mine who is a car mechanic and he says the it's are unreliable and very expensive to repair when tech problems occur.

I have 3 days to return the car (really don't want to) so what is your experience?

Thanks so much!!!
 
If I'm understanding your charging question, it's no problem, just unplug when you're ready to leave. If you set a departure time, your cabin will be climatized and your battery will be warmed, no matter what state of charge the battery has reached.
 
MartijnH said:
My 2nd question is that I talked to a buddy of mine who is a car mechanic and he says the it's are unreliable and very expensive to repair when tech problems occur.
I'll answer assuming that you meant to write "i3's" rather than "it's".

In general, BEV's seem to be more reliable that REx's. The REx system is prone to problems that turn on the Check Engine light although many REx owners have no problems.

BMW's are expensive to repair, in general. I wish the i3 were a Honda. All modern cars have several electronic modules that control various things. These usually aren't repaired but are replaced when problems occur. These electronic modules can be expensive for all cars.

Many independent mechanics don't work on EV's. I am guessing that this is gradually changing. If I knew a good independent mechanic who would be willing to install used parts, I would use that mechanic rather than a BMW dealer's service department to repair our i3. So far, the 2014 BEV that we bought new hasn't needed any repairs that weren't covered by the warranty.

So your buddy's claim that i3's are unreliable isn't true, in general. Some i3's have been unreliable, but most have been more reliable than an average BMW. These are usually early i3's. If I were replacing our 2014 i3, I'd look for a 2018 or later model. There were several design improvements beginning in 2018 models. A 2017 i3's battery pack has greater capacity than earlier models and also seems much less likely to degrade and lose capacity rapidly.
 
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