Buying 2014 BMW i3

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TJoe0523

New member
Joined
Apr 23, 2021
Messages
1
Hi Everyone,

I am new to the forum. There is a 2014 BMW i3 with 53,806 miles on it for $10,990. What issues should I be aware of at the mileage? I am thinking the price is really good with how clean the car is.

Thanks for any help!
 
As the original owner of a 2014 i3 BEV, I would advise you to check the capacity of the battery pack. There have been many reports of significant capacity and thus range loss in early i3's. There's no direct way to measure the capacity, but the hidden service menu

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELT5b2YWL58

shows an estimate of the usable capacity, "Batt. Kapa. max". When a 2014 i3 was new, its nominal usable capacity was 18.8 kWh which resulted in an E.P.A. range rating of 81 miles for a BEV and 72 miles for a REx. If the usable capacity is below 13.1 kWh, the battery pack might be eligible for replacement at no cost under the battery pack capacity warranty. At 13.1 kWh, the range ratings would be 57 miles for a BEV and 50 miles for a Rex. In cold weather or when driving at highway speeds, the range would be reduced further. So depending on your use case, a reduced range might be an issue.

Check whether all service actions and recalls have been performed. Those that haven't been might not be performed at no cost now that the general warranty has expired. Our i3 had service actions to replaced the KLE (convenient charging electronics) and a motor mount bolt that could break which could cause thousands of dollars in damage. It also had a recall to reprogram the driver airbag to protect small drivers who don't wear a seatbelt. I believe that REx models had an additional service action to fix a potential problem with a gasoline vapor vent line.

Personally, I would pay a bit more for a 2017 i3 whose larger capacity battery pack hasn't suffered the battery pack degradation problems experienced by some 2014 - 2016 i3's.
 
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