First time buying EV. Need advice on buying used REX.

[BimmerSass]

I live in northern Virginia/DC area. Looking to buy my first EV, have had my eye on the i3 for years. I have a 2001BMW 330i 5 speed. I love this car but, between gas and repairs it just doesn’t make financial sense anymore…not to mention my mechanic just retired! All signs point to me finally getting my i3.

I could use some reassurance and advice. I understand there is some extra maintenance with this car.. ie more frequent tires replacements, but reading these post about some people having $7,000.00 + repairs cost is making me hesitate on buying one.

My roundtrip to work is 65 miles, my average speed is 45. I have a garage to plug in my car at home. At work our garage has a level2 charger at $1.50 per hour, which I could us to top off if I need to. I think for my needs and price range, I need a 2017-18 REX. Larger batterie then pervious years, but still affordable. I think I need the REX because I want to keep a 20-80% charge most of the time, I understand that will help keep the battery in good condition. Sounds like the REX’s has a more chance of mechanical issues?

Your group is so knowledgeable, many technical thing go over my head. But like me you all have a love of the drive …and that’s why I'm reaching out to you for advice. I need advice on what I should be paying attention to while checking out used i3s car…other than the basics.

Most of the criteria used to calculate prices are designed for non EVs, so prices are everywhere..mostly too high and don’t give the proper info need to to assess correct value and life of battery ..so frustrating.

Thanks in advance for any insight.

 

[jfran2]

It sounds like you have an ideal use case for an electric car, and the i3 with the larger battery would be perfect for you. You may have some people writing in here dissing the REX, but in my experience the REX has been great - as long as you have gas in the tank you can always get home, and REX maintenance for my 2015 with 75,000 miles on it has been nothing more than a yearly $200 oil change. Tires are expensive, yes, but it's mostly just the rear tires, as they do all the acceleration and most of the braking as well. And since the front and rear tires are different sizes, you can just replace the pair that are wearing as needed. If you can keep your foot out of it (difficult, as the i3 is SO MUCH FUN to drive) your tires will last longer. If you get the REX, be sure to also code it for Hold State OF Charge. It just makes the car that much more useful. Good luck!

John Francis
Rolla, MO

 

[alohart]

I think I need the REX because I want to keep a 20-80% charge most of the time, I understand that will help keep the battery in good condition. Sounds like the REX’s has a more chance of mechanical issues?

2018 was the first year of the improved model, so buying a 2018 vs. a 2017 might be worth doing. However, the price difference between a 2018 REx and a 2019 BEV might not be that great. With a 2019 BEV, you'd get enough extra range to be able to remain in the 20-80% charge level range without the complexity, 10% additional weight, lower reliability, and twice as frequent and more expensive maintenance of a REx. Both the 94 Ah and 120 Ah battery cells in 2017 and later i3's seem to be much more resistant to degradation compared with the original 60 Ah cells.

 

[BimmerSass]

It sounds like you have an ideal use case for an electric car, and the i3 with the larger battery would be perfect for you. You may have some people writing in here dissing the REX, but in my experience the REX has been great - as long as you have gas in the tank you can always get home, and REX maintenance for my 2015 with 75,000 miles on it has been nothing more than a yearly $200 oil change. Tires are expensive, yes, but it's mostly just the rear tires, as they do all the acceleration and most of the braking as well. And since the front and rear tires are different sizes, you can just replace the pair that are wearing as needed. If you can keep your foot out of it (difficult, as the i3 is SO MUCH FUN to drive) your tires will last longer. If you get the REX, be sure to also code it for Hold State OF Charge. It just makes the car that much more useful. Good luck!

John Francis
Rolla, MO

Thanks for the advice, I think most i3s I have test drove have had the Hold State of Charge on” it was confusing…to see the battery charge go up, not down after driving it 10 miles. Now I get it!

Ok , next question. I have dealer “ friend of a friend” that can bid on cars at Mannheim’s car actions. There is a 2017 Rex Tera World in great condition…….but with a code P018B:Fuel Pressure Sensor "B" Circuit Range/Performance
On it. How bad do you think that repair could be? It drives and is being sold by a Ford Dealer who probably wants nothing to do with it. I remember reading here, that someone had that same code and it would have $1800.00 to fix. They got lucky and it was under warranty. I don’t know if BMW’s warranty lasts to the next owner or how many yrs.

 

[BimmerSass]

I think I need the REX because I want to keep a 20-80% charge most of the time, I understand that will help keep the battery in good condition. Sounds like the REX’s has a more chance of mechanical issues?

2018 was the first year of the improved model, so buying a 2018 vs. a 2017 might be worth doing. However, the price difference between a 2018 REx and a 2019 BEV might not be that great. With a 2019 BEV, you'd get enough extra range to be able to remain in the 20-80% charge level range without the complexity, 10% additional weight, lower reliability, and twice as frequent and more expensive maintenance of a REx. Both the 94 Ah and 120 Ah battery cells in 2017 and later i3's seem to be much more resistant to degradation compared with the original 60 Ah cells.

Thanks, don’t think think my money will stretch to a 2019 BEV. I was focused on the the 2017 REX because of the 94ah …good to know that their batteries are also holding up longer…going to take the advice I received here about the Hold Charge mode ( I’m sure I’m not saying that correctly)

I’m so grateful for this site and everyone’s advice. I hope this auction shopping pays off, so I too can be driving my
own i3.

 

[alohart]

There is a 2017 Rex Tera World in great condition…….but with a code P018B:Fuel Pressure Sensor "B" Circuit Range/Performance On it. How bad do you think that repair could be?

This might be a code that indicates a bad fuel pressure sensor which has been a fairly common problem for REx models, so common, in fact, that I believe BMW extended the warranty on its replacement. As a BEV owner, I don't know the details, but hopefully a REx owner will explain them. So if you're lucky, a bad fuel pressure sensor might be replaced by a BMW dealer at no cost to you.

 

[jfran2]

I may be wrong here, but I THINK the gas tank in the REX holds pressure in order to keep the gas fresher longer, since in many cars it won't be used regularly. When you put fuel in it, there is a button you need to push and hold until the dashboard tells you it's ready to fuel. If that sensor isn't working, it won't let you open the gas cap door or run the REX. I've never had the problem personally, but I"m sure you could research it here on this site.

I think I would call a BMW dealer and get a price on replacing that sensor, then bid accordingly. Alternatively, if you're handy, you may be able to replace that sensor yourself.

John Francis
Rolla, MO

 

[SSi3]

Possibly covered under this recall: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2018/MC-10145289-9999.pdf

 

[BimmerSass]

There is a 2017 Rex Tera World in great condition…….but with a code P018B:Fuel Pressure Sensor "B" Circuit Range/Performance On it. How bad do you think that repair could be?

This might be a code that indicates a bad fuel pressure sensor which has been a fairly common problem for REx models, so common, in fact, that I believe BMW extended the warranty on its replacement. As a BEV owner, I don't know the details, but hopefully a REx owner will explain them. So if you're lucky, a bad fuel pressure sensor might be replaced by a BMW dealer at no cost to you.

Thanks for the info. I was out bid on the car, but this is great info to tuck away incase I get that code on the i3 I do purchase.

 

[BimmerSass]

Possibly covered under this recall: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2018/MC-10145289-9999.pdf

Thanks, squirreling that info away incase I need it in the future.

 

[BimmerSass]

I may be wrong here, but I THINK the gas tank in the REX holds pressure in order to keep the gas fresher longer, since in many cars it won't be used regularly. When you put fuel in it, there is a button you need to push and hold until the dashboard tells you it's ready to fuel. If that sensor isn't working, it won't let you open the gas cap door or run the REX. I've never had the problem personally, but I"m sure you could research it here on this site.

I think I would call a BMW dealer and get a price on replacing that sensor, then bid accordingly. Alternatively, if you're handy, you may be able to replace that sensor yourself.

John Francis
Rolla, MO

Thanks, I was out bid on the car, but keeping all this info incase I run into this problem later.
So glad you mentioned that there is a process to filling the gas tank. I wouldn’t have even thought it would be different. There is a chance I may have to pick the car up in another state and drive it 700-1000 miles home. I doubt the dealership would know how to fill it, they barely know to plug it in. Why would some people not use the gas regularly? Isn’t the best practice to be using both at the same time to keep the battery at a better state of charge?

 

[alohart]

Why would some people not use the gas regularly? Isn’t the best practice to be using both at the same time to keep the battery at a better state of charge?

BMW designed the REx system to be used occasionally to reach a charging station when the charge level of the battery pack might be insufficient. It wasn't designed to be used regularly although many REx owners do. Many gasoline-electric hybrids are more efficient than an i3 with its REx engine running, so if that's the plan, buying a hybrid might be a better choice. If one is driving long distance, the best practice is to run the REx as soon as the charge level drops below 75% and then turn it off when the battery pack's charge level is sufficient to arrive at the destination where charging is available.

For those who use the REx system as BMW intended, gasoline could sit in the tank for weeks or months. BMW designed an automatic maintenance cycle that runs the REx engine for several minutes if it hasn't been run in a while.

 

[BimmerSass]

Why would some people not use the gas regularly? Isn’t the best practice to be using both at the same time to keep the battery at a better state of charge?

BMW designed the REx system to be used occasionally to reach a charging station when the charge level of the battery pack might be insufficient. It wasn't designed to be used regularly although many REx owners do. Many gasoline-electric hybrids are more efficient than an i3 with its REx engine running, so if that's the plan, buying a hybrid might be a better choice. If one is driving long distance, the best practice is to run the REx as soon as the charge level drops below 75% and then turn it off when the battery pack's charge level is sufficient to arrive at the destination where charging is available.

For those who use the REx system as BMW intended, gasoline could sit in the tank for weeks or months. BMW designed an automatic maintenance cycle that runs the REx engine for several minutes if it hasn't been run in a while.

Hmm. Maybe you or someone else can explain these battery level readings before and after I test drove a 2017 REx for 10 miles some of the miles were highway.

Before the gas was at looked like “full” at 54 miles and the battery was “full” at 98 miles
After the 10 mile test drive the gas was at 78 miles and the battery was at 102 mile?

will be driving roundtrip to work about 70 miles per day and charging with a level 1 overnight until we get the level2 installed in garage. The 2017 Rex has the 94ah, so I’m guessing I will use a tiny amount of gas each time.

 

[alohart]

Hmm. Maybe you or someone else can explain these battery level readings before and after I test drove a 2017 REx for 10 miles some of the miles were highway.

Before the gas was at looked like “full” at 54 miles and the battery was “full” at 98 miles
After the 10 mile test drive the gas was at 78 miles and the battery was at 102 mile?.

BMW hasn't made the range estimate algorithm public. It's similar to ICE vehicles that have a distance to empty estimate. They're both estimates based on several factors like how the vehicle was driven recently and the ambient temperature. I would guess that the 2017 REx had recently been driven fast, had been driven in cooler weather, had accelerated briskly, had been slowed or stopped with friction brakes, had been parked with the A/C on for a while, or had been driven aggressively, in general. So its initial range estimates assumed that you would drive the same way under the same conditions, but when you didn't, the estimates were recalculated to higher range estimates.

 

[BimmerSass]

Hmm. Maybe you or someone else can explain these battery level readings before and after I test drove a 2017 REx for 10 miles some of the miles were highway.

Before the gas was at looked like “full” at 54 miles and the battery was “full” at 98 miles
After the 10 mile test drive the gas was at 78 miles and the battery was at 102 mile?.

BMW hasn't made the range estimate algorithm public. It's similar to ICE vehicles that have a distance to empty estimate. They're both estimates based on several factors like how the vehicle was driven recently and the ambient temperature. I would guess that the 2017 REx had recently been driven fast, had been driven in cooler weather, had accelerated briskly, had been slowed or stopped with friction brakes, had been parked with the A/C on for a while, or had been driven aggressively, in general. So its initial range estimates assumed that you would drive the same way under the same conditions, but when you didn't, the estimates were recalculated to higher range estimates.

Ok, got it. It adjusts to assume that the most resent situation it was in will be the norm and that’s why it went up after I test drove it in mild weather, no air conditioning ,mostly highway and barely used the friction brakes. I’m use to drive a manual so the regen braking doesn’t feel that weird to me. Thanks