M's Chevrolet Volt Died - Here's What Happened Next.
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- Опубликовано: 12 июл 2024
- M (Michael), our Director of Photography, has been driving a 2012 Chevrolet Volt since shortly before joining the company back in 2021.
But in the last year, it's been increasingly problematic, suffering complex faults until a few months ago, when it threw so many errors it was becoming unsafe and impractical to drive. What's worse, the dealership quoted $6,500 to fix what essentially was a very cheap component stuck inside a very expensive battery pack. A repair bill which, when there was still $10,500 owing on the car, seemed impossible to manage.
Thankfully though, there's a happy ending, helped by some truly incredible and generous people.
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00:00 - Introduction
02:35 - The Volt...
04:23 - ...and the list of things that went wrong
08:01 - Quote to 'fix' the battery - and the time dealerships told us it would take to fix
10:00 - An impossible decision to make
16:53 - Costing everything up
18:48 - Helping Me Out
19:43 - An unexpected option.
21:38 - Why I didn't keep the Volt
22:23 - Ready to return to ICE
24:47 - Addressing the expected comments
26:16 - Bittersweet emotions
29:55 - Heartfelt Grattitude
32:37 - Thanks, and Goodbye!
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Find our postal address: www.transportevolved.com
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Script: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
Presenters: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
Editor, Colorist: Michael Horton
Art and Animation: Erin Carlie
Producer: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
© Transport Evolved LLC, 2023
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You were in an untenable position. You explored all the viable options you could think of, or were offered. You asked for help. People cared about you and your dilemma, and people appreciate what you help to bring us, so donations came in. You took a significant amount of money that still required creative collaboration to make work, and you created a win. I wish I could have been a donor, but I'm thrilled to celebrate you and your win. Well done!!! May you and your partner enjoy many years of reliable transportation and happiness.
@@markplott4820It’ll be okay. Take a chill pill, my dear.
If the control arms and strut towers didn't move then the rest of the front is not critical.
Especially when you don't have much money.
The free Mazda could have been running for $500 easy
In the Mazda should have been appreciated not poo poo that's being not good enough not being an EV pretty crappy
Politically motivated product advice. I don’t want to imagine how many people make bad choices based on this channel’s bias.
I post a celebration of M making what they want happen and... bang... 5 responses telling me why I'm wrong. I'd go hide under a rock, but it's not my style. Not one of those nasty commenters has paid so much as one cent of my bills, made even one of my decisions, and yet here I am at age 59 managing without their sage advice. I strongly suspect that M and their peers are more than competent to make the choices they know are best for them. I'm absolutely certain that none of the nasty commenters would be able to make my life's decisions for me. Keep urinating into the wind children. Eventually you'll tire of the smell. By the way, what is it about your personal lives that leaves you needing to share impotent hatred online? I know why I used to do it, and I got help. Why do you do it? You'll find, eventually, that it hurts when you do it. Not others, it hurts yourself. You'll begin to wonder why you're so tired and frustrated all the time. Perhaps you'll realize that you could decrease that exhaustion and anger by ceasing the spread of hatred. Questioning a functioning adults thoroughly considered personal choice is useless. It's irrelevant. All you'll get out of it is some bored old man (me) on his way to bed wanting to have told you how little power you have in your hatred before he signs off. You have more power than you will ever access this way. But... you'll continue as long as it keeps you fueled, or until you burn out. I hope you choose better sooner.
M did a terrific job getting out of a very tight situation with his 2012 Volt. He also did a terrific job on this video. It is very well produced, and I really liked the introduction with some wonderful videography to set the tone. I am so glad he and his partner are now in a much more reliable and dependable car.
@@markplott4820 !? the comment u replied to does not appear to mention any such things about betting on the wrong horse or picking wrong car.
M As much as it would have been interesting and informative to use your Volt for a repair video, you made the right choice. As a 2013 Volt owner myself with 212k miles. I know what could go wrong, but fortunately has not (yet). My vehicle had the motor end bearing replaced under warranty. Otherwise, both front hubs and rear brake pads and rotors and a 12V battery. The original 12V lasted 9 years. Oh yeah , the reverse light housing too. I accidentally backed into a Pickup’s dropped ball hitch. 🤦🏼
Fwiw, you did an excellent job with this video and frankly, you should step out from behind the camera and do some presentations. You have a real natural fluidity when speaking to the camera audience.
I’m truly appreciative of the work you do behind the scenes and very happy the planets aligned and everything worked out for the best possible outcome.
It really is unfortunate that such a small part required a total battery replacement and that the battery is that expensive relative to its size. This also highlights how potentially devastating to a household a vehicle issue can be in car-dependent US. Glad he found a solution that worked and was able to get help with it.
Your case actually highlights a growing problem. EVs are on the road for some time now and they are running out of warranty. The manufacturers turn the blind eye to older models and there is a huge gap in the repair shop qualifications necessary to fix these cars.
This leaves a lot of people with big problem - same as you - you can repair the car, but it will stay in some shop for months. And you need to somehow still solve your transport needs.
Congrats to your beautiful car. I know it's forced purchase, but you can still enjoy it.
I am happy I was able to contribute.
Would it be possible for you to follow-up the Volt's life journey with the shop you've left it with?
Good to see that you got everything solved and have reliable transportation again. Two thoughts you haven't mentioned in your reasoning to get the Bolt are:
- Even after fixing the Volt, you could have run into more issues with the unknown state of the rest of the battery.
- And getting rid of the Volt doesn't mean it just gets thrown into a landfill and rot away. It'll be parted out and maybe helps another Volt to stay on the road for longer.
Again, great to see you have one of the best BEVs on the market now. Congratulations!!
I agree. Glad to see you out from under the mountain of frustration
@@markplott4820 They have time to get their act together. Even Toyota could do it. It would just need smart leadership. There is nothing about building an EV that is rocket science. There are professionals for all the parts of the design needed. GM may not have any working for them right now but such people can be hired.
@@markplott4820 If what you claim was true, GM could still solve it with money. Hiring away engineers is a thing that is done all the time.
@@markplott4820 Self serving opinions by companies shouldn't be relied on. The first company into a market has a lead but they may not keep it. EVs are a technology issue. That is the stuff engineers do.
Wow, great cinematography, editing and storytelling. The entire team is so talented and passionate. Thank you! You made the right decisions in a tough situation. I am a passionate EV fan, but the cost of the tech at this point is nonsensical. It is feeding the anti EV frenzy. I hope that we can find balance soon. Good luck and take care. Happy New Year!
He had the advantage of a good story to tell. Making the normal show where the story often is "here is a mediocre car to report on", I think are harder to do.
Well done! You should get in front of the camera more often. Love hearing all the potentials you explored and the analysis of a challenging situation. So happy to hear the positive outcome!
Well….. that’s very fortunate that others were able to contribute and assist you in your time of need. My 2018 Corolla has been in the shop twice in the last 30 days. $700 for the first repair and today I’m looking at just over $1200 ($940 to replace the alternator and $126 to clean the throttle-body) to due to a surprise, failure of the alternator. Fortunate that it’s paid off. 244,000 miles one should expect things to begin wearing out.
If it's $1200 for an alternator, you're getting ripped, get out or get some money back. COROLLA is about the most reliable gasser, unfortunate.
@@rp9674 nearly a quarter of a million miles! And all it needs is an alternator?
@@gregbailey45a $1200 alternator? I'd shop for 1 without the gold plating
Anxiety, complication, satisfaction, and joy are difficult to capture in a spreadsheet. You were wise to include them in your thoughtful analysis. Glad you're through it with a result that works for you and your partner!
You made the best decision for you and your life. As a donor myself, this was secretly my hope for you: to get you into a full EV with very little maintenance. Not every problem can be elbow-greased out of.
Totally think you made a sound decision. I will echo what others have said around facing other potential issues with the Volt after an already expensive repair.
May your Bolt provide you and your partner with many years and trouble free miles!
Great video. M needs to turn the camera around and point it at himself more often.
Good for you, M. You managed to savage an impossible situation and come out with a better vehicle. My 90 year old mother drives around North Carolina in her Bolt and she loves it more than life! I think you will be very happy with your choice.
I think you made the right choice, letting the Volt go. I say that as I currently daily drive a 2012 Volt. Mine has been very reliable. You mentioned that it was so slow that it was nearly unsafe to drive, before it failed. Mine absolutely fires of the line, and is one of the quickest cars I have ever owned up to about 25 or 30 mph, it is quick enough that the tires struggle for traction in good conditions. This makes me wonder if there was something more that was wrong with your vehicle, or if the battery pack was loosing voltage under load.
My wife has a 2022 Bolt EUV, It has also been a very good and reliable car so far. (and its quicker than the Volt). I will continue to daily my Volt as its now paid off and is still going strong nearing 100k miles on the odometer.
A few years ago, My Volt (~50K miles at the time) had a single thermistor fail, while under the 8-year warranty. I was extremely lucky that GM requested that the battery be shipped to Detroit so that their engineers could evaluate my battery pack. GM installed a new software on my car and provided a new battery pack free of charge. They then released that firmware and the TSB a week or so later. While I doubt my vehicle was the lynch pin of this TSB, I suspect it helped support the evidence they needed to justify the update to the software and publishing the TSB.
Good luck with the new car, I hope it is as reliable and un-eventful as possible!
I think he said it was super slow AFTER the probs., otherwise yes
Totally agree with you about the Volt's speed. I have a 2012 and it has no problem with power/speed. Both around town and on the interstate. Not sure what he's talking about there.
@@rp9674 I was referring to the 7 minute mark, where he stated that if you have ever driven a volt you know its not a quick or powerful car "if you ask my opinion, I think its a relatively unsafe vehicle", Which seems odd, I know its not winning any drag races, but around town and getting on the interstate, often other vehicles have trouble keeping up. To say that as a blanket statement about Volts in general, makes me wonder if it had issues from the start, and perhaps M has not experienced a Volt in good working order, Could be wrong, but that comment made me wonder..
2015 Volt and 2015 Ford Cmax Energy owner, Both of these PHEV are sluggish when running in pure ICE mode (low battery). The Volt is peppy with a fully charged battery. I love my Volt, but the tech is ancient.
@ericgregori thats poo, so manypeople love them. I suppose it depends on usage. I think I'd rather have a short range EV. When I got my Fiat 500e for $8k, Volts were $10k
What a story! Congrats from a fellow Bolt owner. These cars are practical and very reliable.
@@markplott4820Just because Teslas are good doesn’t mean everything else sucks. I own a 2017 Bolt and the only significant annoyances were:
1) The battery recall, which is over now. (Except for a few unfortunate souls stuck in the middle-aged models; I feel bad for them.)
2) The maximum DC fast charging speed (55 kW), which sucks on road trips but doesn’t matter otherwise. And I got mine for $20K out the door in summer 2021. (Used with 40K miles on it.) How much did you pay for your Model 3?
@@RyanWilliams222 plus the design of model 3 is not necessarily for everyone. I personally prefer Bolt, since it’s a bit more SUV’ish. Fast charging is also not a huge issue, since we charge at home. Great car for the money.
Bolt is the best deal!
I'm so glad you finally made sense of that mess, congratulations Michel
Congratulations on your new car, Micheal. Given your particular set of circumstances, I think you made an excellent choice, and I say that as someone who also prefers to repair stuff whenever and wherever feasible for all of the same reasons you hold dear.
Ultimately, the Bolt should be a far cheaper option to run and maintain. Again, congratulations. All the best. 😊
Just so you know, you are *excellent* at knowing "when to hit the record button." You're very good at your job!
Also, I think that Bolt was a great option. Y'all made it work. Congrats on the new (to you) car! EDIT: And yes, please give us updates when you can. Tnx!
Anyone crapping on M for this choice is foolish in my opinion. Taking on more debt is never a desired choice, but you can tell M was thinking things through. It is not like the stupid choices people make on emotion. I worked at a Toyota dealer many years ago, but I still remember the youngish mother who traded in her Corolla for a used Mustang GT we had on the lot. Went from a reliable four door to a Mustang, which made child safety seat a pain to deal with, gas consumption was high, insurance was higher, and so on. She cam back two weeks later and tried to trade the Mustang for something else. That was dumb choice made on emotion, what M did while filled with emotion, mostly anger/frustration from the sounds of it, was a logical choice.
Thank you M for sharing your story and it is nice to see good things happening to good people in need. I 100% agree with the choice, because as you noted, replacing something that broke with the same exact thing could just lead to the same situation happening a year down the road. Would have loved to have seen GM step up and cover costs for replacement or offer a crazy good deal on a new Bolt, but most corporations are heartless and if they are not the hook, they let you sink.
Hope the Bolt gives many good years of service and by 2028 I do believe the EV options both new and used will be so much better for most buyers. In theory we have VW, Hyundai Group, Tesla, and others bringing lower cost EVs to market over the next couple of years. Let us hope these companies come through and that battery tech keeps getting better and cheaper.
Chevy Bolt is the best deal, they should have made thru 2024
Great to see how people help each other out. Thanks everyone for sharing around, helping Michael out there etc. Sometimes one has to trust that things will just somehow fall in line. And all of us helping others out is a great part of making that happen. Great thought for the holidays!
Cmon, no sane person can say "you should've fixed the old one" with a straight face. You've done fine, you shouldn't feel disappointed. You should feel great you've managed to get yourself out of a pickle. With help, yes, but one has to be strong enough to ask for help and know how to use it intelligently. So good job. Now about the larger issue, sadly it shows EVs despite the possibility to be more reliable really aren't. Why? Because there is no incentive for the manufacturers to make them so. One could say similar thing about modern ice cars, but at least with ice cars you have a benefit of a huge network of independent repair shops, aftermarket fixes and in worst case parts from wrecked cars. We really need to fight for consumer rights, right to repair and standardization for all products we use. Be it a fridge, an ice car or an EV.
This. All of this.
It’s great to see that everything worked out for you and your partner for the situation you were in.
What a great, heartfelt response! I, too, have had problems with a Ford Focus electric that we loved but a part that was over $4000 was needed, we ordered one. However, after 9 months we traded it in for a Nissan Leaf. Within 4 months the traction battery was warning us that there was a problem...(sigh). Found a Chevy Bolt with a new replacement battery and three years on the drive system and 8 years on the battery for $15000. WE loved the FFE; the Leaf was okay but not in PHX, AZ; The Bolt is wonderful! THX, M, for sharing.
So glad everything worked out! I love my 2017 Bolt.
Same! What color is yours? I got black because it was the cheapest.
Mine is orange.
Yikes, Michael…I am so sorry…this is my nightmare scenario. Which is why I always buy a new car…I shop incentives aggressively, I do not have brand loyalty; I have car payment loyalty and manufacture warranty included loyalty, and then trade in every 2-3 years when the service warranty expires. Congratulations on being able get your situation solved. Thanks to everyone, what a great community! 😎
I am so glad that this has worked out for you M (was a little worried when your situation went radio silent). Personally, I don't think you made a mistake sending the Volt out to "The Farm" (where no one can visit), and I the Bolt was a really good decision. For myself, I have usually always driven a vehicle until it's close to passing on, and the time was there for you to move on.
I hope you and the TE team have a great New Year.
I love this so much. I'm so glad this worked out M. I wish I had taken part in the crowdfund you ran for this. I think you made the right choice. It is like you said; if you have a second vehicle you can rely on then keeping a fiddly vehicle on the road is more practical, but you need to have a reliable vehicle you can count on. I appreciate the work you do.
Regarding the question of repairing vs. replacing, there's and old saying, "The perfect is the enemy of the good." If life were perfect, you could have taken the Volt to Chevy, where their techs would have been trained to replace a thermister, which would have cost you a few hundred bucks. That's not the real world and no other option was feasible. You went with an excellent alternative. Good Luck with it!
Congrats on your new car,welcome to the bolt community
Glad I could help in a very small way. I love my Bolt EUV and I’m hoping these cars will do better long term when it comes to reliability
Lots of bolts on the road, parts & data.
@@markplott4820 BS.
Overall NHTSA safety rating

2023 Chevrolet Bolt EUV
5 star

2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV
5 star
@@markplott4820 sometimes grown-ups have other things to spend $ in their life than a car.
@@markplott4820 I'll settle for five stars, I'm not going to spend all that money on a vehicle good luck trying to make people feel bad so you can feel good
Tesla released an over-the-air (OTA) software update for model years 2021-2023 that do not comply with federal safety standards for side-impact protection,
M, Thank you for the update and intro to both your Chevy vehicles . I have really valued your visual imagery in the Transport Evolve team videos and I embarrassingly tried to hit skip on the intro of this video because I thought it was a Chevy RUclips ad. It was beautifully shot, but I am impatient and wanted to get into the video.
I hope that the new Bolt provides you a better experience and keep up the great work.
Appreciate your story. You’ve made a great choice. You really needed solid transportation that wasn’t a project or distraction. Enjoy the miles!
To add! You’re great on camera! Perhaps we’ll see you more!
It was a no-brainer decision, pay over the odds for a possible repair to an unreliable car, or get into an economical and technically reliable one. Glad you have resolved this now.
Congrats M on the new-to-you car! You and your partner deserve it
The issues you had with the Volt are atypical. Sorry you had to go through all that
A wonderful video with the usual amazing photography. Thank you Michael.
M is SUCH a lovely person, I'm delighted things sorted out
The Volt is a great car but you seem to have found one of the few lemons, you made the right choice especially with a new battery + warranty, that's a no-brainer. Enjoy the Bolt.
It is common lemon moniker for Chevy Volt. Don’t forget Nikki had a Volt. Consumer Reports ding this model for reliability.
No doubt that was the right decision.
It would have been nice to follow the Volt to its next destination and find out what happened to it tho'
M, I really think you made the best decision considering the situation. Congratulations!
You did great. I very nearly got one of these. Thanks for the update, and the reasons. I hope you love it.
M, there are no one-size-fits-all solutions. You made the best choice you could with the resources and circumstances at hand. Don't let any of the second-guessers get you down. But, now for the important question, what's the new car's name?
Congrats, I think you made the right choice based on all the issues.
As a former car salesman, I encountered so many people that were in your exact position, including my own partner. Based on your options, you chose well and didn't allow the emotion to decide for you. Congrats on the new car.
Nicely done, M!
You made the right decision. Enjoy your new car!
I'm so glad it worked out for you!
I loved this video. Thank you. ❤
M, you did the right thing, congrats
I loved my Gen 2 2018 Volt; best engineered car I’ve ever had. However, I had a warranty HV battery replacement at just 25k miles.
The Volt is a beauty but, as a hybrid, over complicated. Welcome to the simplicity of the Bolt (with a replaced battery, thanks LG).
In a lot of ways, the volt was simpler than many other ICE cars. It used electrics to replace the automatic transmission.
The status of the recall would have been the only speed bump that I would have checked out. I own a Bolt and it has performed perfectly for my needs. You just need to consider replacing those tires with something more grippy. I just can't go standard with that one its a little to slippery.
I’m glad you got it solved. The majority of VOLT owners don’t have these issues, seems you got a lemon.
The temperature sensor issue is probably too common, certainly too hard to repair, and the only reason I know of for a volt battery “failure”.
FYI to others, a refurbished volt battery is $7,500.
My ‘14 volt has 120k with zero repairs, not even in warranty repairs.
sounds like you have been through heck and back. Don't feel to bad about ditching the volt. Its not worth the stress of it and eventually it will be recycled for materials. Enjoy the new ride.
Language!
M. Thanks so much for sharing your story with us. Very thought provoking and informative. ❤
So happy this worked out for you M! And you're great in front of the camera, would love to see more of you presenting. And, as usual, your editing and cinematography is stellar. Really love your work. Happy driving! :D
This was a very well thought out video, and your rationale makes perfect sense. Congratulations on the newer car!!
Enjoy your new Bolt, M. I love mine.
❤OMG So happy to hear the positive outcome! much needed ❤
I am glad that you went the rout of a "new" car, and not a may-be-fix off the Volt.. Sorry that I only had the option of share the fund raiser, and not add in..
And I love to see a update, on the "no charger at home" problem
Re floor mats: Get the 3D Maxpider mats. I have them in a Tesla, and have Husky rubber mats in our Volt (because 3D never made them for the Volt). It is night and day how well the 3Ds hold their shape and never move around compared to the rubber mats (& Husky is a well regarded brand). Super easy to clean as well.
The volt is an amazing car.
My family has had one since 2011(?)/12. I'm very sorry to hear that yours had issues :(
The volt is (imo) an AMAZING car. Genuinely one of the best used cars (when vetted) - an ev with all the upsides of an electric car, and all of the upsides of a gas car - with some actual upsides neither of the others had.
On gas, it's insanely efficient, on electric you can get 40-60 miles (higher range being the second gen) depending on model and driving style, and it (for most people) requires almost no maintenance.
The stress on brakes is non-existent when using the reclaim to slow down. For getting to work on a commute, it ends up being nearly free to run.
The gas allows you to run through entire road trips easily, without the issues you'd have on an EV (the wait, trip planning, etc.)
It's also worthy of note that this is the first plug in hybrid on this commercial level - like... Ever, at least in america. It's FAR ahead of its time, and it's just about the best transitional type of vehicle in these times.
You can use an ev, and not worry about range. Since then, my family also picked up a used Pacifica plug-in, which has been serving us faithfully as well.
In terms of issues, we haven't had almost any aside from the low power mode - which wlmost has never been an issue. I actually ended up figuring out a workaround, simply getting to "full speed" and coasting in "L" reclaim mode. And that was only in the past year or so, a decade plus after it was made, and I can't remember the last time it happened.
Not being able to work on your own car as much does suck a bit, but it's what comes with an EV.
None of these issues are really volt issues at this point. This is an EV issue, and the Volt is an early EV. Prepare to be seeing plenty more of these stories about EVs in the next decade or two.
Great video! I love all the details you shared.
You made the right choice. When it's going to cost more to keep a vehicle on the road than it's worth, and you rely on it every day, it's time to move on.
Thanks for letting us all know how it turned out. Cool to see your bike restore, Portland is a great area for that.
Such a wonderful outcome. So happy for you M. Being capable of doing a repair, and having the time, shop and equipment to do any repair can place it out of reach. This reality, no need to dwell on not being able to repair the Volt. What a amazing way to start off the New Year! Look forward to hearing "staff updates" on your Bolt EV experience, and what your experience of going fully-electric feels like in 6, or 12 months. BTW: This was an excellent presentation, you do have some ability to work in front of the camera. Hope to see you again from time to time. ;)
you’re 100% right that the cost of repair is prohibitive to keeping things on the road. right-to-repair is only part of the problem, providing affordable oem parts is good, but we need more expertises
Battery $ & EV shops
I think you made the correct, considered decision. Well done M!
Very nice, chill intro, for such a non-chill situation.
I watched this inside my identical-looking black 2017 Chevy Bolt. Love it! ❤️
Congratulations on your new ride! What a christmas present :)
Excellent reasoning and deduction. That was a hard spot. Glad to see the positive outcome.
You got a lemon, we have a 2011 Volt with 110,000 miles also, same color too. Nothing ever goes wrong with ours. But now that I say that something just might. It's my daughter's car now though, so hope it keeps being trouble free for the most part.
I am glad you got something that works for you, no matter what it is. Kate was right, taking the emotions out of the decision is/was the right correct answer. Reliability is worth some reasonable investment. You were against the wall and you managed an appropriate solution, so contratulations.
I appreciat being able to be allowed to help!
If you buy a volt the 2014 is the one to get. It has the least problems. Now used chevy bolt 2019 for $16 or $17k with a new battery is a good deal.
I won't speak for the people that donated to your fundraiser. However, I heard my own negative self talk echoing from you about buying new, and I want you to hear that you don't deserve that criticism. Happy to hear you're back in action, nobody deserves what you've been through with that vehicle.
So happy for you 😍 hope you have many many happy miles with the bolt 🤩
Simply put… 👍
Be assured a humble person like you is someone that people are happy to help. Know well that you were helped because people found you worthy of being helped. I am glad that you are out of a bad situation.
It is very reasonable to recognize when ‘throwing good money after bad’ as they say
Sounds like the smartest path given the situation
You were up against a wall, you did the best possible thing you could for your situation... I don't envy where you were. Sure it may be a bit more, but in the end you now have a newer, warrantied, and reliable car. You did well, and I only wish I could have helped with a donation.
I love the pony on the dash! 🐴💜
I haven't even heard the whole video and I'm weeping and crying by 1:16 minutes. I am so happy for M!
Once the water flow stops I'm going to try to watch the whole video. Sorry. I'll correct this comment if I'm way off and its a video about M stealing Mary Barra's Bolt....
Yay! Simply miraculous. I wish I've could have done more than baseline, but many raindrops...
Sounds like you will indeed have a HAPPY NEW YEAR! 🎉
You absolutely did the right thing (and I, by nature, always like to fix the old thing!).
Consider my brothers case with Ford Focus EV that he bought with just a few hundred km on the odometer, 2 years old & sitting in a dealership in Toronto. 2012 model year. He purchased it with 40% discount in 2014.
He lives in Atlantic Canada and bought the first Ford Focus Electric in the East Coast. He drove it back & forth to work as a daily driver.
After a few years, the car was in the shop for months, returned and after a week, back in the shop.
Battery replaced and some shielding put on the battery connections just forward of the rear wheel. Engineers in Detroit consulted for what amounts basically to a California Compliance car (in our opinion).
After another year or two, the mileage was over the warranty limit and the car was bricked due to a bad battery.
All is going by memory but it's reasonably clear; Ford wanted in the range of $20K for 2nd replacement battery.
Now, upon initial purchase, he thought the car was a reasonable trial for a 1st EV. Focus Electric had coolant surrounding the battery to manage battery temperature unlike 1 other common EV at the time- the Nissan Leaf.
Not the same scenario. Luckily he could afford a replacement car. Yet, I was very happy to have chosen 2 Toyota Camry Hybrids which have tried & true technology & still save gas. I would have been in real financial strain if I was an early EV adopter trying to work with 80km range in winter driving with Ford Focus Electric. Brother had a heated jacket he used to limit his use of heat in winter temps of -20°C at times on his 70+km commute one-way; he plugged in at work to return.
So glad this worked out as well as it did. Next goal, home charging!
Peace of Mind is everything at the end of the day. Excellent decision !
Congrats on the new car, M. I hope this one treats you better than the last.
Yay very glad you went with a real EV. I almost bought a volt just before I bought my Ioniq 2018 and I'm glad I didn't. Full electric has saved me real money. Now we need to talk infrastructure!!
I think that was 100% right. I have one ev, and my biggest concern was if something like your problem happened to me , could I afford the repair. I also have a ford F-150 2017. You hit a major point on electric or gas. Thank you for sharing your story. Have a great New year.
Really nice to see M presenting. Glad that M is out of the difficult Volt situation and now in a full EV. Does show the lack of affordable older EVs in the USA though
Glad it all worked out M! Hopefully the Bolt will exceed your expectations.
Enjoy the Bolt M. Don’t worry about the situation. It’s not worth trying to repair something that’s going to destroy you.
I hate to be a pessimist but whenever we think we have all the bases covered something unexpected happens. I hope you have better luck with this vehicle.
Fixing takes time, with no time that is not an option. You where given another option that was good in your situation, you did the rational thing, good for you! And Hi form Sweden!
Great video M, awesome presentation skills
Great video. Hopefully GM will have learned a lot from its earlier models like the volt you had, and not having it bricked over failed sensors
Did GM lose money because of this? If not, don't expect them to learn.
M, thank you for your candor. You made the right decision to leave the lemon. Congrats on your new purchase, and I look forward to hearing about your adventures in the Chevy Bolt!
Happy for you! May this one be very reliable for you! 😊👍
There are parts/support issues with the Bolt EV - you need to put it in neutral once a day (or two) while you are braking going down a hill. This is going to actually use the rear friction brakes, to keep the disks from getting rusty. And if the calipers are not working, they are pretty tough to find, and there will be a wait.
Another wear item - the rear shocks - are a weakness. The OEM shocks can leak and fail prematurely. And they are not very good - so getting good shocks from say Koni or Bilstein is difficult, and slow; if not impossible. You need to include shocks for the Cruze in the search, and those often require washers as spacers on the bottom mounting bolt.
I think you made the best choice in this - the Bolt EV is a better car than it is given credit for.
I agree how M’s calm and concise presentation made this video a delight to watch.