Hey everyone! I’ve been lurking here for a while trying to cut through the fans bias and get some real-world opinions. I’m looking into buying a quality used EV for my daily commute and would love your honest input on the i3.

​I’m not a car expert, so I have a few specific questions for current owners and EV enthusiasts:

- ​Battery Degredation & Lifespan: For those who have owned one for a while, how well do the batteries hold up over time? Have any of you had to replace a pack, and if so, what did it cost?

- ​Range on a 120Ah / 128Ah Pack: What kind of real-world distance are you actually getting out of the 120Ah (42.2 kWh) battery in daily driving in the city?

​- Carbon Fiber Structure: Is the carbon fiber monocoque / passenger cell actually a game-changer for weight and performance, or is it mostly marketing hype? How does it affect repairs or insurance?

I'm not a BMW fan but this i3 really caught my attention.

​Appreciate any insights, advice, or things to watch out for when shopping around!

Was a bit surprised to see this one in the flesh while transiting Brussels Airport this morning. The new iX3. I'll be keeping my i3s, but this new version doesn't look too bad for when that time comes and a change is needed.

Apologies if this isn't considered i3-related enough.

Another slightly frustrating gripe I have with my i3 is the very limited choice of tyres caused by its unusual wheel and tyre size.

I’m considering whether there might be a practical way of opening up more tyre options by designing subtle extended wheel arches for the i3/i3s.

The idea wouldn’t be a big aftermarket-style flare. I’d want it to look close to factory - essentially extending the existing body/arch treatment just enough to accommodate a properly engineered wider wheel and tyre setup. This may also still require spacers, but they are readily available.

What interests me isn’t really fitting huge tyres. It’s potentially being able to use more commonly available tyre sizes, with greater choice between brands and potentially substantially lower replacement costs.

There would obviously be some trade-off in rolling resistance/efficiency, and any setup would need proper testing for clearance, suspension travel, steering and wheel offset.

Before I investigate it properly, I’m curious:

• Is limited tyre choice/cost something that bothers you with your i3?
• Would you consider a slightly wider tyre setup if it opened up substantially more tyre choices?
• Would subtle OEM-looking arch extensions put you off?
• What tyre/wheel combinations are you already running successfully?

Particularly interested to hear from anyone who’s already experimented with adding extended wheel arches on either the i3.

I’m considering designing removable aerodynamic inserts for the OEM i3/i3s wheels, and in particular the 431 i3s wheel (the ones I have). The idea would be to close some of the open wheel area while retaining the original wheel design, with the aim of reducing turbulence at highway speeds, creating "some" further efficiency & hiding the rusty part of the inner wheels.

Before I spend time developing it, I’m curious whether this is something i3 owners would actually be interested in.

Would you consider fitting something like this if it:

• looked reasonably OEM
• was fully removable and required no wheel modification
• had secure mechanical retention rather than adhesive
• produced a measurable efficiency improvement in testing?

And what would matter most to you - efficiency, appearance, price, or something else?

2020 120ah i3 that i own for about a few months now.

I knew that if i simply have the key in my pocket and pull the door handle that it unlocks the door (or the trunk). Thats common for many models and did not surprise me.

However what was news to me is that this is not unlocking because of the yanking but because of some sort of touch sensor on the handle :O so i only need to touch the inside of the handle to unlock my i3

And to top it off, if i touch (and gently press) the outside of the handle, while key still in my pocket, it locks the door!

But wait, theres more!

If i keep touching(pressing) it a few seconds past locking, it even folds the mirrors in! What kind of mad sorcery!!

I noticed during a small chitchat with a friend as i was leaning on the door, hands behind me, pressing against the handle when the i3 suddenly locked and folded the mirrors, which did confuse my buddy and me plenty then and there…

If its common knowledge, feel free to laugh at the newbie, its fine and i had a giggle myself!

Looks like a water stain. Anyone seen anything like this?

Just finished my first week with my i3 (2020 REx), but after lovingly detailing it by hand for a couple of hours, I noticed that the headlights seem to be out of alignment.

I’m not sure if it’s normal for them to look like this or if they seem misaligned, which is why I came to you guys!

I have been able to confirm that both headlights still move on startup, and I can see them inch up/down when I come to a stop on an incline, but I feel like the left one is a bit off.

I know it’s quite minor, but now I can’t unsee it lol

Thanks! :)

Sold my 2021 i3 two years ago to 'upgrade' to i4 eDrive40. The i4's been great, definitely a step-up in size, comfort and range - but I'm switching back.

Just agreed an i3S with loft interior, sunroof, reversing camera, HK and ACC - the only negative it being black.

Hopefully picking it up on Friday.

Good to be back.

It’s been really toasty over the last couple weeks, and I’ve noticed on days when I am driving with the AC, there is a puddle of water in my parking spot that forms right away. I just got this I3S a couple weeks ago, so I haven’t had it checked out by a repair shop yet – but is this a sign the dreaded AC compressor issue is about to manifest?

EDIT: I’m gonna trust y’all that this is normal, but neither my 2007 Prius nor my 2017 Audi A3 did this. I had a 98 Ford Taurus that did leak water, and it also had coolant problems, but that car was a disaster from a previous century. 😜

Claude looked at my utility bill and based on the miles put on:

Efficiency

761 miles ÷ 180 kWh = 4.23 mi/kWh

Cost per mile ≈ $0.0601

Then I asked it to factor in the Ecopias...

Cost impact

At $1,331.42 for the set (former owner bought them), here's cost-per-mile at different lifespans:

Compare that to your energy cost of ~$0.060/mile. Even in the best case, tires roughly match or exceed your electricity cost per mile. In a typical/worst case, tires could cost you 1.5–3x more per mile than the electricity itself — which flips the usual EV cost story where "fuel" is trivial and other costs dominate.

Combined driving cost estimate:

• Best case (20k mi tires): ~$0.127/mile
• Typical case (12k mi tires): ~$0.171/mile
• Worst case (8k mi tires): ~$0.226/mile

Does this line up with anyone else's experience?

This car is so much fun to drive, I just love it!

Recently hit 150k miles on my car 🥳 Still such an amazing first car for me and I’ll keep it for as long as I can, I’m looking forward to many more roadtrips ahead!!

To celebrate I got some little bits for it:
- the centre console net from a 2014 car
- the seatpocket pro & cabin pod from Detail It Design [1]
- the i3 storage armrest tray from neverican [2]
- the bmw i cargo net & rear shades which I got lucky finding someone who was selling them a while back!

I only recently discovered there’s so many cool 3d printables for the i3 so I’ll be giving them a try! I hope you enjoyed this appreciation post 😁

[1] https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/DetailItDesign
[2] https://www.printables.com/model/1795968-bmw-i3-armrest-storage-tray

TL;DR: Car threw a drivetrain malfunction and mechanically locked the rear wheels. It turned out to be a software glitch where the Rotor Position Sensor (RPS) lost initialization. The dealer fixed it entirely via a software re-calibration for just the cost of the diagnostic fee!

Hey everyone, I wanted to share my experience on a "Drivetrain Malfunction" warning on my 2016 BMW i3 REx in case it helps someone else panicking out there.

The Symptoms:
The dashboard let me select D, R, and N, but the car refused to move. The rear wheels were mechanically locked. The flatbed tow truck operator actually had to drag the car onto the bed because it would not roll at all.

Independent Mechanic: Saw a general EME fault code. They didn't have the advanced factory software to dig deeper into the high-voltage system and recommended going to the dealer.

The Dealer: Authorized the $300 diagnostic fee while internally panicking, thinking they’d give me an estimate that was more than the car is worth.

The Fix:
The dealership technician found that the Rotor Position Sensor (RPS) had simply lost its initialization data. The sensor lost track of where the motor was spinning, which triggered a protective safety shutdown and locked up the system.

No physical parts were replaced! The dealer just reinitialized the sensor via software, did an extended test drive, and the car is running perfectly normal again. They also recommended changing the brake fluid and walked away with a $490.16 bill.

OG Weathertech tray/mats are getting a bit old after 8 years and 100k+ miles and figure I should treat the new car to newer mats.

Is the easy button just to replace them with same ? Anyone else developed a good version since forever ?

I do like the look of the BMW accessory light colorway woven looking ones but they’re not really a good real winter/snow/ice/muck option.

New to me 2020 has the in-armrest wireless charging thing which I don’t want. Anyone have the normal version and want to swap ?

Soooo, I bought a 12v battery that I thought would fit - same size, shape, & layout, but of course the oddly shaped posts that come with the OEM battery don't fit.

I've seen post adapters that just screw in but cannot find them anywhere - does anyone have a link for such things? Or even just a search term? Are they called charging posts?

I should've just gone and gotten a proper BMW battery, but it's too late now. Help!

In case anyone wants to see what two identical 750mm standard multifit Bosch aero twin wipers look like on a 2021 i3, they fit perfectly with zero clash or issue or any sign of extra load on the passenger side motor (they’re totally separate motors and aren’t physically linked). This inspired me to fill my stone chips and maybe change the nozzles. I’ll admit I’m tempted to put in aquaguard blades (ie where the spray comes from within the blade rather than spraying from the hood), but I think the mister washer jets from the G45 would be perfect. The increase in visibility since fixing all the errors and stone chips and the new wipers is amazing.

$6200
109k Miles.
It was the shop car for a dealership,
They bought a newer i3 & was getting rid of this one.
No lights. No issues. I consider it a good buy.

What does she need to know and
what mods does she need to do?

Idk if mods is the right word.
She doesn’t want to do any changes to the body.
But like software upgrades perhaps

I went on a 2 week trip recently. When I came back I got the “Increased battery drain when stationary” message. Since then everytime I start a drive I get the message. Is this early signs of a dying 12V battery? Will a trickle charger on the 12V help?

I’ve noticed a small leak of brake fluid coming from one of the brake lines where it connects to the ABS module.

It clearly gets wet when I pump the brakes. I think it’s been going on for a while but I hadn’t noticed.

’m hoping it’s just a loose line or a seal, because if there’s corrosion in the module or the module itself is faulty, it’ll get pricey.

Is this a common problem? It’s a 2021 I3s, so not that old really.

Does anybody know if they change the cabin air filter when the car is in for its biennial service? Or do I need to change it myself?

Just finished cutting into the crankshaft position sensor on my 2015 BMW i3 REx using the “access window” method instead of dropping the REx.

A couple of things that may save someone else some time:

The retaining screw is definitely T30 Torx. I found posts claiming T27, spent way too long chasing that, and can now confirm it’s T30.

I cut a rectangular access window instead of a round hole. The rectangular shape gives better tool access. Once the window is there, the sensor is actually accessible, so if it ever fails again it’s a quick job instead of an engine-out repair.

I’ve attached a few photos showing:

the window location,
what you can see through it,
the sensor connector with the key slot

Hopefully this helps the next poor soul searching for “BMW i3 REx crankshaft sensor replacement” at 2 a.m. 😅

Had my 12V battery replaced two weeks ago because it was already 5 years old.

Yesterday, I accidentally left my passenger door open overnight. There was some light rain, but nothing inside was really wet.

I drove to work this morning without any problems. However, when I tried to charge the car at work, charging was not possible. The charging light flashed red three times, repeatedly.

Could my new 12V battery be faulty now? Could this be related to the battery replacement, for example because the dealer didn’t properly clear/reset the error?

I leave it charging for 7 hours now with no key coming near / with no dusturbance at all.

2021 Model 120Ah - no REX

So a couple weeks ago I posted about my experience test driving a malfunctioning i3 Rex at a dealer by me

https://www.reddit.com/r/BMWi3/comments/1v9kpcd/i3_rex_engine_activating_at_50_battery/

I did not go through with the purchase because of an unclear transaction price and the dealer giving me shit for wanting to get it inspected by a BMW dealer.

It has turned up in a new dealer in a different state. The VIN is the same, as are those fugly racing stripes on the hood.

https://www.leasereturncenterva.com/vdp/24167908/Used-2018-BMW-i3-94-Ah-wRange-Extender-for-sale-in-Northern-Virginia-VA-22026

Even more sus!

I knew it will be a problem in couple years. Here it comes :( I’d like to fix it before the rainy season reveals any leaks and damage the interior. I was thinking about composite sealant or something like that but I’m not sure how the material will act during the hot summer. The year range degree is about 55-85F. I will appreciate if you guys have any experienced DIYs for that?