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BMW i3

unkel

There are some other threads about the i3, but most are old now and not relevant to what I need to know. Hence the new thread!

Seriously thinking of getting an i3 as my second car. My classic Mercedes is up for sale and I'm thinking of putting my Porsche into storage for a few years

I rarely need 2 cars, so I'm not going to spend a lot of money on one. The almost zero running costs of an EV help here, but the car must be relatively cheap to buy, under €10k. I'm only interested in pure EVs

I like the thought of the BMW i3. Range is not that important to me. The 18.8kWh available will do me, even a bit less. The one requirement that I have is that it can swallow a mountainbike. Preferable whole. Is it really this easy?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjx50lIMNRA

If you know of any cheap i3 for sale anywhere (must be very cheap), let me know. I don't mind a car that's a bit rough, has some minor issues and / or has high mileage and a degraded battery

Any thoughts?

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unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121529768#Comment_121529768

Yeah he did a similar test on a later but high miles 120Ah car with excellent result also, someone posted the link here a few weeks back. In this case, 2000 cycles on any lithium ion chemistry with just 14% degradation is a superb result alright (car is a first gen i3 60Ah (22kWh gross, 18.5kWh usable), almost 8 years old and 175k km for anyone not bothered to watch the video). That's almost in LiFePO4 territory.

vicM

Think our i3 degradation is about the same albeit going into its 10th year now. We have a TPMS issue where we pump up the tyres to required level and reset and drive but the system shows different pressures and thinks we are losing pressure again. checked the offending trye and cannot see a nail etc in the tyre, wonder if could be an issue with the pressure sensor in the wheel.

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121531869#Comment_121531869

If you are sure the offending tyre isn't actually losing pressure then you could buy a new / second hand monitor and a local tyre shop can swap it in. They swapped mine when I got new wheels for the front, although not all staff knew what they were at

vicM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121531949#Comment_121531949

its what im thinking..something for the new year

Ricey3509

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121530020#Comment_121530020

I checked the kappa value on ours (161 60Ah with 92k km) a couple of days ago and it was 16.9. GOM is showing between 100-120km at 100% at the moment.

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121532204#Comment_121532204

Kappa value? Is that the remaining capacity available you can find in the hidden service menu? Mine is 15.8kWh, 142 Ah with 63k km

Although I believe this value is not entirely reliable, it can change whenever you bring it up

Ricey3509

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121532844#Comment_121532844

Yes, the value on the hidden menu. Yeah it’s not considered to be completely reliable but I check it one or twice a year (the reading before this was 16.8). I’m just keeping an eye on it in case it drops dramatically, especially as the car will be out of battery warranty early next year. I was considering changing it but the Mrs wants to run it into the ground - it really is the perfect city car.

unkel

Ah got ya! 16.8 / 18.8 = almost 90% so no case for any warranty claim, so very unlikely it will happen but good idea to keep an eye on it. My car is nearly 10 years old now so well out of all warranties already. I'd say I'll also keep it forever. Perfect city car indeed.

Most can actually do a long trip occassionaly as well no bother because of consistent CCS fast charging at about 40-45kW. But not mine. I have no CCS 😂

Oscar_Madison

Can I ask a stupid question here? If I buy an i3 in the new year which I’m seriously considering will I get a grant for installing a charger and if so how much extra will I on average have to pay to get it installed?

Many thanks

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121541401#Comment_121541401

If you install a smart charger like a zappi, yes you will get a grant if you buy a new or second hand EV. This is dropping from €600 to €300 by 01/01/2024 though, so if you get it done this week you will save yourself €300!

As for the total install costs, that depends on your situation. Get a few quotes but for a basic install you are looking at about €1100 minimum these days, maybe a bit more as inflation has been alive and kicking the last year or two

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121541436#Comment_121541436

Wow that much to install - ok , my mind was 2020 prices I must say- obviously things have moved on and with the reduction in grant even more so - ok it is what it is- thanks as always unkel

brookers

Hi Im thinking of getting an i3 in the next few months and doing my research. Has anybody ever come across one that is navy and one that has a sunroof, will I have to import from NI/UK to get the sunroof? Thanks so much.

brookers

PS going to spend about 20k

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121541828#Comment_121541828

This prices are before Grant. You should get one installed for a lot less.

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121541828#Comment_121541828

Also worth noting, you simply have to apply for the grant online before 1/1/24 to get the €600 grant. It’s an automated process and will be approved on hours some days.

You then have 6 months to process the payment by getting it installed.

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121545404#Comment_121545404

Application in - albeit late in the day- I was forced to pick a charger and brand or whatever so I did not having a clue - I just wanted the application in - will that go against me I wonder if I chose the wrong one or need to change later over the 6 months?

PS- sorry mods I’m off topic - just realised

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121548292#Comment_121548292

It’s grand. The installer can change it when they submit the payment request. Just make sure to get it installed and processed within 6 months.

Dex Dexta

Has anyone fitted the anti-roll bar from an S to a 94BEV?

Want to make it more stable at speed but don’t want to prematurely wear out the wheel bearings by fitting spacers.

TIA

gn3dr

First time poster in this section of Boards. Started looking at i3's recently. Thinking about selling a classic car (Porsche 944) and picking up an i3.

I was watching a few - probably not the best time pre and post Xmas but a lot on Donedeal are just sitting there. There were a few I was watching that dropped price a few times before they moved. Cheapest I have seen was about 3 months ago on DD for €8.5K. Anything that is advertised for crazy money aren't even getting more than a few hundred advert views.

With the way the current market is going - what are the price predictions on a 94Ah with REX in the next 6 months? - I'd imagine the downward pressure from newer longer range cars is going to drive down prices across the board. Thoughts?

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121621617#Comment_121621617

The orange one? That was a misprice. He put it up too cheaply and got overwhelmed with calls and messages. The cheapest asking price i3 currently on DD is €12,900. Last time I looked that was around the cheapest you could buy them for anywhere in Europe too. These cars are not cheap second hand. That's for a 60Ah, the 94Ah is slightly more expensive, but not an awful lot. Are you sure you want a REx? Personally I didn't even consider them as I would needlessly be carrying around a combustion engine, fuel and all its 2000 moving parts with me and having to maintain it. The performance of a BEV 60Ah is far better than that of the REx.

Bit of an end of an era for you, giving up your classic Porsche. Silver lining is that they have gone up in value quite a bit in the last 5 year or so. If yours is a good one, it will pay a lot towards buying an i3.

gn3dr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121621699#Comment_121621699

Yeah the orange one. I have seen a couple up for 11k also, one didn't sell and the other did. A 162 with REX went up last week For 12.5k and sold in a few days.

For me the REX just adds that bit of flexibility and I think it is worth having, even for peace of mind. Maintenance wouldn't be a concern on the engine. I do all my own.

Yeah the 944 I've had 11 years so had good times with it. Maybe it sensed I was thinking about selling though because it decided to stop charging it's battery last Saturday. 🙄Have some other ICE's though to keep me in petrol.

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121623119#Comment_121623119

Just do a bit of a review of your own driving pattern you plan to have with the car. From experience, many EV n00bs overestimate the range they need. Often resulting in unnecessarily buying a PHEV where a BEV would have been fine. Or buying a BEV with an unnecessarily big battery.

handpref

Anyone in a 120ah standard or i3s confirm that it comes with AEB / automatic emergency braking ?

I think the driver assist option of adaptive cruise was an extra but I’m wondering did it at least come with AEB as standard ? 👍🏻

fafy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121631334#Comment_121631334

I have a 120ah ‘202 standard i3, i am not aware of the car having AEB and i always thought a car needed a forward facing camera, for a AEB system, to wok, and the i3 only has a rear camera

handpref

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121631770#Comment_121631770

Cheers @fafy , appreciate that- I found an online brochure for the 120ah that said it’s standard but no cars for sale here have it listed, and you’ve confirmed my suspicion.

I was considering moving up a few years to a 120ah, my use is as a pure commuting machine, however the lack of driver assist is painful- I really don’t know what to do- heart says 120ah i3s, head says m3 for simple drive ability and tech or another id3….which will bring me more joy? That answer is simple, but which one will help stop me rear ending somebody is fairly clear cut ..👍🏻

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121636276#Comment_121636276

Have you rear ended someone before? What is the chance of it happening? And if it did happen, in most cases the rear ending results in just a bit of material damage, nobody injured, insurance will handle it. Not taking into account Ireland's suing culture that is 🙄

Different case altogether of course for AEB preventing you hitting a person. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of it and thankfully it is now mandatory on all new cars in the EU - I think? But I wouldn't base my decision to buy or not to buy a car on this. Autosteer or active cruise, now that is something useful for the driver alright!

handpref

I should have said that active cruise is important but could live without it- I was hoping they had introduced some sort of driver aid that wasn’t an option.

Being able to set travel assist in the id3 helps takes the pain out of the commute.

Never rear ended anyone but after a few days in a car with all the adaptive stuff I get back in mine and dumb cruise control is hard work, particular after a long day. First world problems 😊

unkel

There is a rudimentary optional active cruise and lane keep assist system as an optional extra even in early i3. It's called travel assist. Out of the box it only works on low speeds (so would work well on M50 in traffic jams) but this can be re-programmed. I looked into this but unfortunately, I don't have all the hardware required, and I didn't want to spend several hundred quid to get it.

fafy

It was available as an additional cost option in the UK, not sure if it was ever offered here, but, the number of i3 vehicles with this option, would likely be tiny.

For a deeper dive into all i3 options, Wisely Automotive, a UK specialist i3 company, have some very detailed and excellent videos on all things i3, this one details all configuration options available up to 2021:

https://youtu.be/1eB9ElHo2Sg?si=CngGKuVPt31fslBj

Dex Dexta

I suppose the anti-roll bar swap is a mad idea? Thanks fafy for the Wisely heads-up. I might ask them to source a VAT qualifying s 120 in black with every extra (bar adaptive on the cruise - I believe it was designed by someone who’s favourite track is Rory Gallagher’s Shadow Play 😁).