Coding the i3

Jeffj said:

Yes, until you run out of gas, then you get what's in the battery and then when the battery runs out, you get to call BMW roadside assistance.

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Sure that would be an experience haha - or I just refuel some gas

Btw. is there also an option to roll up the windows automatically when ever I lock the car?

Jaypi said:

Btw. is there also an option to roll up the windows automatically when ever I lock the car?

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Try holding the lock button for a few seconds (on the fob, not on comfort access). Works on some BMW's, can't remember if it does on the i3. Holding the unlock will open them, I think the reverse works, too.

jadnashuanh said:

Jaypi said:

Btw. is there also an option to roll up the windows automatically when ever I lock the car?

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Try holding the lock button for a few seconds (on the fob, not on comfort access). Works on some BMW's, can't remember if it does on the i3. Holding the unlock will open them, I think the reverse works, too.

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Does not work on the i3 or any recent US BMW without coding.

After being coded, it works via the lock button or the door handle locking function with comfort access. It will also fold the mirrors on cars with that capability, including the i3.

i3atl said:

jadnashuanh said:

Jaypi said:

Btw. is there also an option to roll up the windows automatically when ever I lock the car?

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Try holding the lock button for a few seconds (on the fob, not on comfort access). Works on some BMW's, can't remember if it does on the i3. Holding the unlock will open them, I think the reverse works, too.

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Does not work on the i3 or any recent US BMW without coding.

After being coded, it works via the lock button or the door handle locking function with comfort access. It will also fold the mirrors on cars with that capability, including the i3.

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Thanks for the info - can you tell me which coding part it is? Is there like a tutorial for it?

I've done quite a bit of coding to my 2015 w/REX, the language is a little difficult and my eyes go a little tired but about 1/2 way into the coding I realized there was a search option at the top of the program which made things a bit easier as long as I remembered to go back to the top of the section and click the parent folder before searching for the next item.

I'm wondering if anyone familiar with German (or not familiar, I guess it doesn't matter too much), has attempted to find anything regarding the blue dome light. I've only had my car a few weeks but a couple of days into ownership I started using comfort access exclusively (why wouldn't I?) then today I used the fob for some reason in my dark garage and that awesome blue dome light came on. I would sure be cool if we could code that light on as opposed to the white light either timed when unlocked (30 seconds for example) or I might even go for having it in place of the white light completely. Although it is not as illuminating as the white light, there are so many lights in the car that I don't think it would matter much. It also makes me wonder if the white/red lights elsewhere in the car also have a blue option. Red, white and blue seem to be choosable on other BMW's, for some reason I would think they would use the same type of pre-made bulb array across the models instead of going back and only making white/red for the i3. I could be wrong though, it wouldn't be the first time.

I'm sure I'll have lots of other questions, I just finished my long list of coding a few days ago, so much stuff that I need to go back through my list and make sure everything is working as intended. Oh, thats another thing. Its too bad we can't have both the upper and lower rear taillights on at the same time. IMO the more illumination, the better!

Thanks!

Jaypi said:

Thanks for the info - can you tell me which coding part it is? Is there like a tutorial for it?

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Go to this tread and scroll down to the post with the highlight:
http://www.mybmwi3.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2131&hilit=3056

Jaypi said:

Thanks for the info - can you tell me which coding part it is? Is there like a tutorial for it?

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There's a tutorial posted here somewhere, but it's typically kept up to date, along with the list of popular coding parameters/values, on the Facebook group in the Files section.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/BMWi3/files/

If you're anti-Facebook, you may still want to create an account with a fake name and join the group so that you can access the info there. It's a great resource.

imolazhp said:

Its too bad we can't have both the upper and lower rear taillights on at the same time. IMO the more illumination, the better!

Thanks!

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As I understand it, the brake light function is a two-stage affair depending on the rate of deceleration. It will switch to the rear lights if the hatch is open, but normally will use either one or two lamps in the hatch.

Could you code one set to be Regen lights and the other to be traditional brake lights? Or are they already that way? I have no idea what is going on back there!

WoodlandHills said:

Could you code one set to be Regen lights and the other to be traditional brake lights? Or are they already that way? I have no idea what is going on back there!

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The brake lights come on once a certain degree of regen (or a threshold of aggressiveness from the regen) is reached. I've seen this at night reflecting off of vehicles behind me.

This should answer any questions about how the lights work with regen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXJPf7Lv8Sw

The brake lights are adaptive, so the lower lights do illuminate when you really stand on the brakes.

The car already turns the brakes on when regen reaches a certain deceleration rate. This is in addition to them turning on if you press the brake pedal. Given the fairly aggressive regen on the i3, it would be unsafe if they didn't do this. The extra set only turn on when you've reached a more aggressive deceleration rate than you can achieve with regen alone. It may also be tied into how quickly you get off of the go pedal onto the brake, as the car does do some precharging the brake system to minimize delays and maximize braking performance when it detects what may be an emergency situation.

Hey guys so I enabled the function to charge my i3 Rex through the menu (Since it's not Standard in the U.S.)

I got one question - When I activate 'Hold the charge' (~meaning) why doesn't the compressor go on? I just test drove it out of the drive way, but it should have jumped on right?

Hold State of Charge can only be "activated" (e.g. the check box will be greyed out if it can't be activated) at charge levels below 75%. So you have to have run your battery down a bit to be able to activate the mode. Its normal that there would be a slight delay between activating the mode and the REx engine turning on, as there is a bit of hysteresis in teh actual measurements. And, if you are driving relatively slowly (maybe under 45 mph), then you might not even hear the REx turn on since it would be running at a very low output.

Not sure what you meant by the compressor turning on. The REx drives a generator to put power back in the battery. The REx engine is audible, but the generator itself is probably pretty silent.

If you are driving slowly, such as in stop and go traffic and your current SOC is not too far below the SOC at which you activated the REx Hold function then the REx will not come on. Many times I have had the REx shut off when coming to a stop after exiting the freeway and then re-starting blocks later once my speed got up over 25 or so, in very congested traffic it will sometimes never come on! However if the actual SOC is more than a few % below the REx Hold set point then it will even run when the car is stopped at a traffic light or when creeping through a parking lot.

I get the feeling that the BMW engineers wanted to avoid having the REx buzzing away annoying pedestrians unless it was absolutely necessary to bring the SOC back up to the set point.

Thanks a lot .. One more question - I supposedly unlocked the 2.4 gallons, but although I just used 1gallon, I wasn't able to fill up 1.5 gallons & my range for my gas tank is still around 55 miles .....

Those should be the correct settings, aren't they??

http://imgur.com/E5TcMeW

Jaypi said:

Thanks a lot .. One more question - I supposedly unlocked the 2.4 gallons, but although I just used 1gallon, I wasn't able to fill up 1.5 gallons & my range for my gas tank is still around 55 miles .....

Those should be the correct settings, aren't they??

http://imgur.com/E5TcMeW

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If you've used one gallon, then you can only put one gallon in. The additional .5 gallon you're unlocking is gas that's already in the tank, just previously couldn't be used.

In addition to setting TNK_LITER_RECHTS and TNK_OHM_RECHTS as shown in your image, you should set TNK_VOLL_ANZEIGE to 8_liter so that the gauge shows closer to the tank's true capacity. (2.4 gallons is actually 9 liters, but there isn't a setting for 9 liters, so you have to make do with the 8_liter setting.)

WoodlandHills said:

I get the feeling that the BMW engineers wanted to avoid having the REx buzzing away annoying pedestrians unless it was absolutely necessary to bring the SOC back up to the set point.

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It's purely for efficiency: demand vs supply, just like hybrids do. It has nothing to do with "annoying" anyone, any more than any other idling ICE vehicle on the street. It's no more intrusive to surrounding traffic than any other scooter or motorcycle (far less than most).

peteinlongbeach said:

WoodlandHills said:

I get the feeling that the BMW engineers wanted to avoid having the REx buzzing away annoying pedestrians unless it was absolutely necessary to bring the SOC back up to the set point.

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It's purely for efficiency: demand vs supply, just like hybrids do. It has nothing to do with "annoying" anyone, any more than any other idling ICE vehicle on the street. It's no more intrusive to surrounding traffic than any other scooter or motorcycle (far less than most).

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How is efficiency improved by NOT charging the car? And the noise is far more intrusive to the driver at any rate than an ICE at idle...... Remember, the REx does not idle, it always runs at a good clip.