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      03-24-2018, 03:38 PM   #1
BXL4
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REX maintenance concerns?

My wife and I have been looking at an i3 to replace our 2013 Leaf. History tells us that the basic 85 mi range of the Leaf covers 85% of my wife's driving. A range extender engine seems to be a good solution.

Our concern is that such an engine will get very few miles on it each year and that would seem to be a recipe for high maintenance costs in the out years. Unlike a lot of folks on the forum, we tend to own our cars for 10 years or so. Hence, this is a big concern. Is there any good data or anecdotal evidence one way or the other about the ic engine in the REX i3?
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      03-25-2018, 11:39 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BXL4 View Post
My wife and I have been looking at an i3 to replace our 2013 Leaf. History tells us that the basic 85 mi range of the Leaf covers 85% of my wife's driving. A range extender engine seems to be a good solution.
If you are treating your EV as one and only car, I would agree that REX is a desirable option.

The new 33kWh battery will give you 97 EV miles.


Quote:
Originally Posted by BXL4 View Post
Our concern is that such an engine will get very few miles on it each year and that would seem to be a recipe for high maintenance costs in the out years. Unlike a lot of folks on the forum, we tend to own our cars for 10 years or so. Hence, this is a big concern. Is there any good data or anecdotal evidence one way or the other about the ic engine in the REX i3?
I owned a MY'14 REX for two years (lease returned afterwords), and now have MY'17 BEV. I need to 2x check my exact records, but out of 26K miles driven over those two years, about 2K were on REX.

I never had any problems with REX itself running properly, but the presence of the REX engine, and its integration into the vehicle drive train, did introduce all sorts of complications.

REX engine will auto-start itself at least once a month (if it didn't run otherwise) to circulate oil and check if it throws any errors. My REX never left me stranded, but it ALWAYS would throw a check engine (CE) light every spring and every fall. There were multiple recalls for engine mounting bolts and others items connected to the REX engine. I must have had the REX in for recall work for ~30 days out of 24 months of lease term, with most of those recalls connected to the REX engine one way or another.

Long story short - I don't think sporadic use of REX should be your primary concern. REX adds cost, complexity, weight, and maintenance burdens to the drive train.

Personally, I would not recommend buying a 97 EV mile i3-REX (or 117 mile i3-BEV) due to massive depreciation and unjustifiably high purchase price of this car. Leasing is heavily subsidized by BMW NA, and remains financially attractive. Buying an i3 outright for $50+K when you can get Model 3 today with 310 mile range for $49K, just makes little sense.

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      03-26-2018, 12:12 AM   #3
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I just purchased a new fully loaded 2017 i3 REX and have absolutely no regrets. Yes, I considered waiting another 12 to 18 months for a Model 3 but from what I can see the only thing that makes the model 3 better is it's looks. With discounts from BMW and the dealer, the price ended up being considerably less than a Model 3 with the small battery and basic options, and my range with the i3 is great. 100 kph on our local highways gives range of 200 km plus, with another 100km on the REX but I haven't needed it yet. Plus I can stop for gas if needed without waiting for fast charge. The Consumer Reports maintenance data tells me that the 2014 had some issues, but it appears the bugs have now been worked out and reliability is excellent. I plan to do some coding to enable some European features such as hold 75% with REX. I also plan to keep the car for 10 years. Advantages of the i3 over the Model 3 include a sun roof that opens, superior finishing quality, better reliability, instrumentation that is more familiar to me, hatchback with folding rear seats that can accommodate my bike, light carbon fiber body, etc. The $US 35,000 model 3 is a myth.

Last edited by tonorc; 03-26-2018 at 09:52 AM..
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      03-26-2018, 03:08 PM   #4
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The REX engine is a proven engine used in the BMW scooters. Even if you dont use the REX often, it automatically goes through cycles to keep it lubricated and such. I cant imagine its an expensive maintenance point.
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      04-02-2018, 08:16 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bagekko View Post
The REX engine is a proven engine used in the BMW scooters. Even if you dont use the REX often, it automatically goes through cycles to keep it lubricated and such. I cant imagine its an expensive maintenance point.
If you have the BEV the only maintenance is brake fluid change & cabin filter every 3 years ! - with the REX you have all other servicing costs are for an engine you hardly use!

My point is the near zero maintenance costs make the BEV a much better option.
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      06-01-2018, 06:48 AM   #6
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I just purchased an i3 BEV specifically because I did not want to have the extra repair expense w/ the REX. I've previously owned a REX, and never had a problem with it in 2 years of ownership, but why take the risk if a BEV can handle 85% of your driving needs. Plus, the extra servicing costs of having a small ICE engine you'll hardly ever use makes it a bad deal.
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