used i3 buying criteria

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zialeaf

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Mar 3, 2020
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I have a friend who is shopping for a used BMW i3. As a 2011 Nissan LEAF owner, I am well acquainted with the downsides to being the early adopter, and I can advise those interested in buying a used LEAF what the early technology problems were, what model years to favor, and how to ascertain the condition of the battery (the most important consideration).

Although I have superficial exposure to it, I have no such knowledge about the i3.

What are the differences for the i3 in model year on the full electric models? What are the buying criteria for the first two or three model years?

Most importantly: How does one verify the battery condition for a used i3?

Thanks in advance...

Steve in New Mexico
 
zialeaf said:
I have a friend who is shopping for a used BMW i3. As a 2011 Nissan LEAF owner, I am well acquainted with the downsides to being the early adopter, and I can advise those interested in buying a used LEAF what the early technology problems were, what model years to favor, and how to ascertain the condition of the battery (the most important consideration).

Although I have superficial exposure to it, I have no such knowledge about the i3.

What are the differences for the i3 in model year on the full electric models? What are the buying criteria for the first two or three model years?

Most importantly: How does one verify the battery condition for a used i3?

Thanks in advance...

Steve in New Mexico

Wow, I had a lot of those same questions, you can find good info. here using the search function. The short answer would be to avoid 2014 MY.
60 Ah battery 82 miles of range.
94 Ah battery 114 miles of range. 2017. Note: not all vehicles have the 94Ah because it's an option.
120 Ah battery 153 miles of range. 2019.

Note the range estimates are based on ideal conditions. Level roads, around 70 deg. ambient temperature, conservative driving. So YMMV.
I have experienced near 30% drop in capacity due to ambient temperature.

To check the battery "condition", you could look at the Max Kappa. Do a search on youtube for the video on how to.

https://bmwi3owner.com/2016/01/secrets/

Essentially, you do a few long presses of the trip reset button, on speedo, and enter the sum of the last 5 of the VIN. Note: This isn't a perfect way to determine battery health, but will give you an idea. You should ask the seller if they've been regularly charging the battery. If they let it run flat for a long time on the lot, it will turn in bad readings. Also, in cold weather, below 40's or above 100's the reading will be off.

I would be sure the car comes with the vehicle maintenance history.
Make sure all safety recalls have been completed. Check for important TSB fixes. If a 2014/2015 check for motor mount bolt replacement.

Good luck.
 
panamamike said:
<span>
zia<a href="http://www.mynissanleaf.com" class="interlinkr">LEAF<span class="tip">Visit the LEAF Forum</span></a> said:
</span>
<span>I have a friend who is shopping for a used BMW i3. As a 2011 <a href="http://www.mynissanleaf.com" class="interlinkr">Nissan Leaf<span class="tip">Visit the Nissan Leaf Forum</span></a> owner, I am well acquainted with the downsides to being the early adopter, and I can advise those interested in buying a used LEAF what the early technology problems were, what model years to favor, and how to ascertain the condition of the battery (the most important consideration).</span>

Although I have superficial exposure to it, I have no such knowledge about the i3.

What are the differences for the i3 in model year on the full electric models? What are the buying criteria for the first two or three model years?

Most importantly: How does one verify the battery condition for a used i3?

Thanks in advance...

Steve in New Mexico

Wow, I had a lot of those same questions, you can find good info. here using the search function. The short answer would be to avoid 2014 MY.
60 Ah battery 82 miles of range.
94 Ah battery 114 miles of range. 2017. Note: not all vehicles have the 94Ah because it's an option.
120 Ah battery 153 miles of range. 2019.

Note the range estimates are based on ideal conditions. Level roads, around 70 deg. ambient temperature, conservative driving. So YMMV.
I have experienced near 30% drop in capacity due to ambient temperature.

To check the battery "condition", you could look at the Max Kappa. Do a search on youtube for the video on how to.

https://bmwi3owner.com/2016/01/secrets/

Essentially, you do a few long presses of the trip reset button, on speedo, and enter the sum of the last 5 of the VIN. Note: This isn't a perfect way to determine battery health, but will give you an idea. You should ask the seller if they've been regularly charging the battery. If they let it run flat for a long time on the lot, it will turn in bad readings. Also, in cold weather, below 40's or above 100's the reading will be off.

I would be sure the car comes with the vehicle maintenance history.
<span>Make sure all safety recalls have been completed. Check for important TSB fixes. If a 2014/2015 check for motor mount<a href="http://www.mychevybolt.com/forum" class="interlinkr" target="_blank"> Bolt <span class="tip">Visit the Chevy Bolt EV</span></a>replacement.</span>

Good luck.

Awesome, this is exactly what I needed to know. Thank you so much!

Steve
 
panamamike said:
94 Ah battery 114 miles of range. 2017. Note: not all vehicles have the 94Ah because it's an option.
In reality, very few, if any, 2017 60 Ah models were apparently sold in North America. Three 2017 i3 models exist: the 60 Ah BEV, the 94 Ah BEV, and the 94 Ah REx. The 94 Ah battery pack wasn't an option in the 60 Ah BEV model but was a different model.
 
alohart said:
panamamike said:
94 Ah battery 114 miles of range. 2017. Note: not all vehicles have the 94Ah because it's an option.
In reality, very few, if any, 2017 60 Ah models were apparently sold in North America. Three 2017 i3 models exist: the 60 Ah BEV, the 94 Ah BEV, and the 94 Ah REx. The 94 Ah battery pack wasn't an option in the 60 Ah BEV model but was a different model.

Understood, good info.

Thanks!

Steve in New Mexico
 
All model years are exactly the same expect for the battery capacity..

The 2014/2015/2016 and some of the earlier 2017 all had the 60Ah battery.

The BEV versions have more range than the REx versions when it pertains to electric range, but the REx combined with the electric has more range.

The 2014 and some early 2015 models had issues with the motor mount bolts and with the hard plastic motor mounts themselves.
All cars should by now have been fixed with aluminum mounts by BMW.. In doubt, just remove the motor cover and check..

The battery in the i3 is amazing and the 2014 models should only have about a 1.5 percent degradation, this would put the battery at 17.5 (new, its at 18.5).. Youtube has videos showing how you can check this.

Not all i3's are created equally, some don't have rear camera, active nav, no self parking and not adaptive cruise control, heated seats, front Collision warning or level 3 charging.

You will want to check the health of the 12v battery as well and the condition of the tires.

If getting a REx version, you should place it in the emissions mode to check that it is working. You may need to change the motor oil and filter on the REx because a lot of previous owners neglect to do this..

A 60Ah battery version from 2014 should give you about 75 miles in Eco Pro Mode and 78 in Eco Pro Plus Mode. The range is find for city and community driving and if you need more range during the day, just charge up or manually engage the REx to hold the state of charge.. I wouldn't discard the 2014 version just because its the first model year especially since nothing has changed in the car throughout the years except for the battery..

Also note: there are hundreds of i3's with the 94Ah battery sitting in junk and salvage yards at discounted prices, some as low as $1000 bucks.. Get the car for parts!

Remember: 2014 models are worth $12k to $16k, 2015/16 are worth $14k to $17k.
Look for cars with sub 30k miles..
 
Valleeboi02 said:
All model years are exactly the same expect for the battery capacity..
Depends on one's definition of "exactly". 2018 and later i3's had LCI (i.e., mid-model) updates like different bumpers, LED high beams, later iDrive version, some minor trim differences, and the addition of the S model with more motor power, higher top speed, wider wheels and tires, Sport mode, lowered suspension, etc. Some exterior colors and options like the sun roof were available only in certain year models. In 2015, some minor decontenting occurred including the elimination of cargo luggage straps, the iDrive controller wrist pad, maybe a lockable glove box, etc. Standard features were different in different year models including Comfort Access, DC Fast Charging, Universal Garage Door Opener, backup camera, etc.
 
In addition to what's already been said; the infotainment has been upgraded quite nicely since 2017 which allows CarPlay to be used.
 
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