Recent content by redbarn

I do a lot of freeway driving in our Rex. Firstly, you need to hack your I3 so that you can turn the Rex on after reaching 75% SOC. I use the battery for non freeway running such as between home & the freeway entrance. Once it is below 75% SOC, if I am on the freeway, I turn on the Rex & run...

We do a monthly 500 mile each way trip. I’ve used both our 2015 & now our 2017 I3s for this journey many times. Mine has been programmed to set the SOC after 75% battery usage. We start off with a full charge & a full tank of gas. After the battery reduces to 75%, we immediatly turn on the...

We have driven a 2015 Rex & now a 2017 Rex for 500 mile each way trips once a month for 9 months a year. So 360 miles should be no problem. You probably won’t be able to hack the “Rex on” setting but an I3 will make that trip ok. Preplan by finding where the Level 3 charge stations are located...

I've both the dvdinmotion code & the BMW coding App. The dvdinmotion does just the Rex early enable and is very simple to operate. As we got a 3 year lease on our 2017, I got it so my wife can use it if/when the dealership recodes the car with the latest updates. I use a laptop to set other...

Once a month, we make a 500 mile each way journey to North Carolina. In the 2 years that we had the 2015 I3 Rex, this involved at least 3 CCS stops & upto 6 gas stops each way. The CCS chargers are located at irregular distances that just did not jive with the 2015 I3 ranges. After 2 return...

We've used a Rotopax 2 gallon plastic gas can in our 2015 I3 & now the 2017 I3 for over 2 years now. No issues whatsoever. It works fine when needed. I put in fuel stablizer & change the fuel every 6 months (Spring & Fall) if unused. It gives my wife peace of mind and she has used it although...

We just took delivery of our new 2017 and my wife had the same issue. The windows were down after being parked in the garage for an hour or so. Her pocketbook is legendary for the amount of stuff crammed in there so an accidental key fob press is the likely cause. Has anybody found a eSys...

We live on a small farm and anywhere (shops etc. etc.) is 10 miles from home. So our weekly gas bill was non trivial. The I3 Rex has been close to free motoring for us. Our workshop electric bill went up circa $15 per month after the charger was installed and thats it. No services, oil...

My lease expires in 2017 also. However, I never get a car in its first year of production. Just too many issues. I always wait till the 2nd year at least. In addition, having been sold junk by Chevy in the past, I will not consider a Bolt. I'm sure some will say that Chevy have improved so let...

We do a 500 mile each way drive once a month with our Rex that is coded to Euro spec. With 4 CCS chargers en route now, the journey is quite doable. The CCS chargers are not equispaced so the Rex gets used for circa 240 miles of the 500. The car has handled this without a problem. Apart from...

The decison between buying a Chevy Bolt or a Tesla Model 3 is a case of the known vs. the unknown. With Chevy, you are buying a car from a Born Again car company who has just discovered the 21st century and whose dealerships are Temples of Ineptitude. With Tesla, you have a company who has cash...

I am of a certain age, where having been burned by the junk that GM sold as cars, I would NEVER, NEVER buy a GM product again. GM quality control is always suspect, so I feel that anybody who has a first production year car will become friends with the local dealers Service Dept. I suspect that...

The way I've always dealt with Dealerships is to figure out what I'm prepared to pay ( has to be sensible & reasonable) and then make them an offer that is valid for 48 hours. I then turn off my cell phone for 36 hours. They always do call back and I have very rarely paid more than I offered...

Yes. We use our I3 REx to drive 500 miles each way from PA to NC and return, once a month. Have done this now for about a year. When we started there were only 2 Fast Chargers en route. Now there are 4. The longest REx only stint was 240 miles. Just fill up with gasoline every 60/65 miles or...

GM are not renown for getting new cars right in the first model year, quite the reverse. So the wise will not consider a Bolt until at least the 2nd year. So a 2017 I3 with more range will look very tempting when our lease ends in 2017.