When running on ICE with the batter "dead" it will indeed shut down the engine and switch to regenerated battery power for slow speed driving and while stopped at lights, etc.
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Any GTAM'ers own an electric vehicle?
- Thread starter PrivatePilot
- Start date
When running on ICE with the batter "dead" it will indeed shut down the engine and switch to regenerated battery power for slow speed driving and while stopped at lights, etc.
Ok, Slowbird...here's the aforementioned "long and detailed" reply on your charging and OnStar issues.
Your charging issue is probably related to the EVSE not getting a clean enough power supply. The receptacle you're using is in your garage? Is there anything else sharing this circuit? The EVSE's are apparently (although I never had any issues) very particular to voltage sags, and also very particular about a good ground.
One evening when you have enough time set the car to the 8 amp setting and see if you have any issues - if you don't, chances are it has to do with the EVSE not being able to get a clean 12A from the receptacle. Try to figure out what else is sharing it - flip the breaker off and see what else doesn't work in your house.
As for the Onstar, well...that's the long story. Like yourself, the car was advertised by Ontario Motor Sales as having OnStar. I was given a free 3 month trial when we picked up the car, and like yourself, after getting home and trying to activate it, I couldn't.
Eventually I got on my cellphone with OnStar and after about 15 minutes, we figured out what was wrong - GM Cars 2015 and under (not just Volts, but ALL GM cars) are equipped with CDMA cellphone hardware that OnStar runs on, and all Canadian cellphone companies shut down their CDMA hardware (moving to 3G/4G) late last year.
So, the solution? Well...up until March 7 of this year you had to subscribe to a year of OnStar service and you'd get the hardware upgrade for free - kinda fair enough. People with active OnStar subscriptions also got it for free. Hhowever, after March 7 (and it seems that most dealers are not aware of this), the policy changed. And not for the better:
Yeah, $360! Plus taxes, so basically...$400. And that includes a whole (whoopdie doo) 3 months of service - basically the same as the free trial I was already offered.
Needless to say, I was NOT PLEASED to find out that the vehicle I bought that was advertised as having OnStar...effectively doesn't have OnStar. I've had some dialogue with the dealership in the last few weeks and was hoping that Ontario Motor Sales would offer some goodwill on the issue but long story short, I was told it wasn't happening.
I am taking the car back a week today to have some other issues addressed under warranty (one of the rear brakes is not applying properly and the other doesn't appear quite right either, I'm not sure how it safetied like that honestly, but that's another story) and I've asked for a sit down with one of the OMS managers at that point to discuss the OnStar issue. I am at this point ready to pursue an OMVIC or BBB complaint on the issue as the car was advertised and sold with "OnStar" listed as a feature. It stinks to discover (as I suspect you unfortunately will as well) that in order to actually get one of the cars advertised features operational I have to spend $400 out of my own pocket.
I do have a "nuclear" option in my back pocket as well that I reserve the right to trigger if I don't get an amicable solution to the issue. It's totally above board, and it'll cost the dealer *more* than just fixing the damn OnStar system for me would.
I'm going to ask nicely one more time before pursuing the issue further though.
Your charging issue is probably related to the EVSE not getting a clean enough power supply. The receptacle you're using is in your garage? Is there anything else sharing this circuit? The EVSE's are apparently (although I never had any issues) very particular to voltage sags, and also very particular about a good ground.
One evening when you have enough time set the car to the 8 amp setting and see if you have any issues - if you don't, chances are it has to do with the EVSE not being able to get a clean 12A from the receptacle. Try to figure out what else is sharing it - flip the breaker off and see what else doesn't work in your house.
As for the Onstar, well...that's the long story. Like yourself, the car was advertised by Ontario Motor Sales as having OnStar. I was given a free 3 month trial when we picked up the car, and like yourself, after getting home and trying to activate it, I couldn't.
Eventually I got on my cellphone with OnStar and after about 15 minutes, we figured out what was wrong - GM Cars 2015 and under (not just Volts, but ALL GM cars) are equipped with CDMA cellphone hardware that OnStar runs on, and all Canadian cellphone companies shut down their CDMA hardware (moving to 3G/4G) late last year.
So, the solution? Well...up until March 7 of this year you had to subscribe to a year of OnStar service and you'd get the hardware upgrade for free - kinda fair enough. People with active OnStar subscriptions also got it for free. Hhowever, after March 7 (and it seems that most dealers are not aware of this), the policy changed. And not for the better:
Yeah, $360! Plus taxes, so basically...$400. And that includes a whole (whoopdie doo) 3 months of service - basically the same as the free trial I was already offered.
Needless to say, I was NOT PLEASED to find out that the vehicle I bought that was advertised as having OnStar...effectively doesn't have OnStar. I've had some dialogue with the dealership in the last few weeks and was hoping that Ontario Motor Sales would offer some goodwill on the issue but long story short, I was told it wasn't happening.
I am taking the car back a week today to have some other issues addressed under warranty (one of the rear brakes is not applying properly and the other doesn't appear quite right either, I'm not sure how it safetied like that honestly, but that's another story) and I've asked for a sit down with one of the OMS managers at that point to discuss the OnStar issue. I am at this point ready to pursue an OMVIC or BBB complaint on the issue as the car was advertised and sold with "OnStar" listed as a feature. It stinks to discover (as I suspect you unfortunately will as well) that in order to actually get one of the cars advertised features operational I have to spend $400 out of my own pocket.
I do have a "nuclear" option in my back pocket as well that I reserve the right to trigger if I don't get an amicable solution to the issue. It's totally above board, and it'll cost the dealer *more* than just fixing the damn OnStar system for me would.
I'm going to ask nicely one more time before pursuing the issue further though.
slowbird
Well-known member
Wow! That is quite the headache PP. I feel you since this is quite the headache for me too.
Well lets start with the charging:
My issue is intermittent. I have charged entire nights without an issue. I have charged at a friends house from the receptacle on the porch of their house built in 1914.
Before I got the Volt I checked and I'm almost 100% sure the breaker is just for the garage, and nothing but the car is plugged in. The receptacle I use in my garage is new and undamaged. Maybe I have to get someone to come check the bloody outlet though I think it might be the EVSE
The day before yesterday it charged all night without issue.
Last night the alarm went off at 2am. I keep the car keys beside my bed now so I can quickly silence the alarm. I got dressed and went out to the garage and the car wasn't charging. I wiggled the plug that goes into the car and it started charging. I unplugged it and plugged it back in. It started charging. I wiggled the plug. Stopped charging. I repeated this about 3 times until the wiggle didn't stop the car from charging. I then closed the garage and went back to bed. It was fine the rest of the night.
PP and LBV....when your Volt is plugged in. The side that plugs into the car itself, can you move it with your hand when plugged in?
Now the Onstar issue:
How did you figure this issue out? I called Onstar on my cell while inside the car and they had me push the Onstar button in the car and after many failed connection tries it eventually mentioned something about a Bell carrier. They said they were gonna look into it.
I was HOPING by getting a newer model Volt I was gonna skip all these little issues but I guess not.
Dealership Shenanigans:
That's pretty ****** what we are both going through. I have to say, this is the 8th used car I have purchased and is easily the biggest headache. I don't think the dealership did a safety on my car either. They DEFINITELY didn't do an oil change. At the moment I hope they resolve the bumper repair issue and the oil change. I won't make a stink about them cheaping out on the tires because I want the Continentals anyways as they seem to be the best Eco tires around.
On the bright side my commute to work seems to be mostly gas free so far. Even though I got home late and couldn't get a full charge overnight it still said I had 44kms of charge this morning and the first few Km's the range didn't go down.
I ask work for a plug/outlet today.
Well lets start with the charging:
My issue is intermittent. I have charged entire nights without an issue. I have charged at a friends house from the receptacle on the porch of their house built in 1914.
Before I got the Volt I checked and I'm almost 100% sure the breaker is just for the garage, and nothing but the car is plugged in. The receptacle I use in my garage is new and undamaged. Maybe I have to get someone to come check the bloody outlet though I think it might be the EVSE
The day before yesterday it charged all night without issue.
Last night the alarm went off at 2am. I keep the car keys beside my bed now so I can quickly silence the alarm. I got dressed and went out to the garage and the car wasn't charging. I wiggled the plug that goes into the car and it started charging. I unplugged it and plugged it back in. It started charging. I wiggled the plug. Stopped charging. I repeated this about 3 times until the wiggle didn't stop the car from charging. I then closed the garage and went back to bed. It was fine the rest of the night.
PP and LBV....when your Volt is plugged in. The side that plugs into the car itself, can you move it with your hand when plugged in?
Now the Onstar issue:
How did you figure this issue out? I called Onstar on my cell while inside the car and they had me push the Onstar button in the car and after many failed connection tries it eventually mentioned something about a Bell carrier. They said they were gonna look into it.
I was HOPING by getting a newer model Volt I was gonna skip all these little issues but I guess not.
Dealership Shenanigans:
That's pretty ****** what we are both going through. I have to say, this is the 8th used car I have purchased and is easily the biggest headache. I don't think the dealership did a safety on my car either. They DEFINITELY didn't do an oil change. At the moment I hope they resolve the bumper repair issue and the oil change. I won't make a stink about them cheaping out on the tires because I want the Continentals anyways as they seem to be the best Eco tires around.
On the bright side my commute to work seems to be mostly gas free so far. Even though I got home late and couldn't get a full charge overnight it still said I had 44kms of charge this morning and the first few Km's the range didn't go down.
I ask work for a plug/outlet today.
Hmmmm....yeah, that sounds like it might be a plug issue, either on the EVSE or the car - someone possibly damaged it (walked into it and bent things perhaps?) or something. Good news is that both should be covered under the 8 years/160,000KM Voltec warranty so it might be worthwhile booking an appt at a GM dealer and having them look at it for sure.
Did you get any sort of short-term warranty from the Hyundai dealer like we did?
Some times I hit the OnStar button I'd just get the beeping for 3-5 minutes and it'd end, and some times I too got a Bell Mobility recording about "service is not active". I think that the CDMA network is still partially alive in the GTA hence the recording, although GM has preemptively cut off all CDMA equipped vehicles from working anymore.
So yes, you probably do have the outdated hardware issue.
I think a lot of GM dealers are going to be dealing with grief on this issue really soon, same as I'm soon going to be kicking up - $100 or so for a 1 year subscription and the upgrade for free is palatable, but the changes after March 7 of this year where it leaves people on the hook for $400 is rediculous.
Anyhow, like myself, if the car was advertised as having OnStar, you may want to go back to the dealer you bought it from and try kicking up a fuss there first.
The range-o-meter is very "guessy" I have found, as I was told to expect. Yes, sometimes you'll drive for 3-5KM before it goes down 1KM, and sometimes (if you have the heat cranked and stuff) it goes down 1:1. How you drove the car the last time has a big effect on the next KM-Available indication as well I've discovered - drive sporty and it might only show 50K on the next charge, but drive far more efficiently and ours will show high 50's on the next charge.
Anyhow, I'm sure you'll get your issues sorted out (the Voltec universal warranty should take care of the charging bugs for you) so look on the bright side and enjoy those 0.0L/100KM commutes in the meantime.
slowbird
Well-known member
No I didn't get any other warranty from the Hyundai dealership. In my experience most aftermarket warranty programs aren't worth their weight.
So your plug is firm and tight when plugged into the side of the car? no wiggle at all?
Is the EVSE covered under the Voltec warranty? I thought I read it wasn't.
Well that's a kick in the arse. TBH, I don't recall if the car was advertised with the Onstar or not. I may be up the creek for that one.
The range-o-meter is very "guessy" I have found, as I was told to expect. Yes, sometimes you'll drive for 3-5KM before it goes down 1KM, and sometimes (if you have the heat cranked and stuff) it goes down 1:1. How you drove the car the last time has a big effect on the next KM-Available indication as well I've discovered - drive sporty and it might only show 50K on the next charge, but drive far more efficiently and ours will show high 50's on the next charge.
Anyhow, I'm sure you'll get your issues sorted out (the Voltec universal warranty should take care of the charging bugs for you) so look on the bright side and enjoy those 0.0L/100KM commutes in the meantime.
Yeah guessy is a very apt description for it. But in a good way.
Do we need to find certain GM dealers that service the Volt or should they all?
How'd you figure out you were having those brake issues?
Little to no wiggle in our charging plug hardware so yes someone might have dorked yours.
The actual charger handle is really incredibly simple so I would suspect the charging port on the car itself as being the problem, and that is indeed covered under the full Voltec warranty. There seems to be a lot of mixed information on whether the EVSE itself is covered under the Voltec warranty as well, however the general consensus is that if you are polite and cooperative with the dealership (and they aim to please) they can make that happen...if indeed it is deemed problematic as well, but I would certainly suspect the plug not the charger first - they have been known to become problematic on *all* makes/models of EV's if abused.
As for what dealership to go to, I would do so based on their reputation – aside from that it should be irrelevant, all GM dealers are supposed to have EV familiar technicians on staff. It's the *salespeople* who are the weak links when it comes to EV's based on my experience.
I'll post more about my brake issues this eve. In short I think the problem is rooted in the fact the car sat for several months on the used lot before we bought it and rust built up on the calliper brackets, preventing the pads from seating to the rotor properly now. The rear brakes get used so very little on many EV's/Hybrids because of regen so it's possible this is a result, when coupled with sitting. I don't think it's anything major but it shouldn't be my responsibility to fix it (no matter how small the issue, even if it just needs some rust scraped off the caliper/pad mount) especially after the car just certified.
The actual charger handle is really incredibly simple so I would suspect the charging port on the car itself as being the problem, and that is indeed covered under the full Voltec warranty. There seems to be a lot of mixed information on whether the EVSE itself is covered under the Voltec warranty as well, however the general consensus is that if you are polite and cooperative with the dealership (and they aim to please) they can make that happen...if indeed it is deemed problematic as well, but I would certainly suspect the plug not the charger first - they have been known to become problematic on *all* makes/models of EV's if abused.
As for what dealership to go to, I would do so based on their reputation – aside from that it should be irrelevant, all GM dealers are supposed to have EV familiar technicians on staff. It's the *salespeople* who are the weak links when it comes to EV's based on my experience.
I'll post more about my brake issues this eve. In short I think the problem is rooted in the fact the car sat for several months on the used lot before we bought it and rust built up on the calliper brackets, preventing the pads from seating to the rotor properly now. The rear brakes get used so very little on many EV's/Hybrids because of regen so it's possible this is a result, when coupled with sitting. I don't think it's anything major but it shouldn't be my responsibility to fix it (no matter how small the issue, even if it just needs some rust scraped off the caliper/pad mount) especially after the car just certified.
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A friend is a Toyota hybrid tech. He said the hybrid brakes are a nightmare because they get used so little. He's never seen a set of pads worn out but replaced countless rotors and calipers due to decay. I suspect at some point they will update the software in cars with regen to drag the brakes occasionally to get things hot (or not as it generates a steady stream of service revenue).
They really should just make the rotors out of stainless, like for MCs.
I had read online that the ones used on the Volt had some special corrosion resistant formulation for these very reasons, but the rotors on mine are very rusty so I'm not so sure about that. I have some pics I've taken over the last few weeks (while I was hoping the issue might resolve on its own with the car having returned to service) that I'll post tonight. It seems that the caliper hardware has suffered the worst and may be the underlying reason for the pads not seating correctly.
Snobike Mike
Banned
It is a feature your car has and is installed in your car. Just like SiriusXM / active traffic, you need a subscription to use it. I suspect you won't get very far with OMS or even OMVIC since you didn't buy the car new and as such it didn't come with the 3 months of free subscription services.
And as also noted herein, why do you want onstar? So they can track your every move and data log all kinds of stuff? If there was an option to not have onstar installed at all I'd be sure to tick that checkbox. Get CAA and enjoy the car.
Cheers.
I'd agree except for the $400 hardware cost. I'd argue that OnStar was not installed in PP's car because it requires a substantial investment in hardware to activate it. That would be like advertising that your car came with navigation and then saying it was an option that some similar cars had and you could purchase and install it if you want.
I am not sure how OMS or OMVIC handle it, but by making a stink PP will teach the dealer to pay attention to their advertising. People get complacent and lazy without the occasional boot up the ***.
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-D-
Banned
The same dealer that did not have the ELECTRIC car charged for customers to try it...the same dealer that still did not charge the car even AFTER PP made it a point to tell them to charge it so I can test it tmrw. lol
-D-
Banned
sale is OVERrrrr, lol
also...if OMVIC has less work then they would be out of business...you know Govt likes to make more business to keep themselves in business how else will they justify the fee increases and raises for themselves
come on man, back on your meds:hiding:
OnStar on the Volt is far more than OnStar on any other car - it provides all sorts of telemetrics specific to the Volt including range details, state of charge stats, fully-charged notifications, ability to precondition the car from anywhere (not just within Fob range), etc etc.
That's why I want it.
As for the brakes, there's a few ways to override regen and force the brakes to do 100% of the work...but my concern is that if something is seized up and I mash the brakes, well, it might indeed seat the pads nicely, I was kind of worried they might not actually release. I'd rather have it looked at and fixed vs trying something that ends up with them dragging in the meantime.
It DID come with a 3 month trial. The salesman entered the car into the GM systems on request at the time of pickup specifically to give us the 3 month trial, since, well....the system was supposed to be working.
It wasn't until I got home and after some more legwork that I discovered it was not working, nor would it without a $400 bill. That's my issue.
I put it akin to the car being advertised as having Satellite Radio only to find out afterwards that it doesn't work and the car needs a new $400 head unit to make it function. THAT would be a huge issue for most people. To me, finding out the same thing about OnStar is on the same level - I bought the car having OnStar advertised as a feature - one would expect options to function at the time of sale.
Oh hey, you're back? I was waiting for you.
Read it and weep. Let me know when your beloved Honda hybrids can do this.
Or this, average over nearly 1100K.
Oh sure, I'd have loved to pay another $41 extra (6L/100KM for a Honda Hybrid vs 3L/100KM we achieved) over just this 1100 Kilometers. Geez, what a horrible mistake I made buying a vehicle that gets such dramatically better fuel economy vs a Honda Hybrid! .
I should rush out and trade in the Volt for a hybrid tomorrow and we too can join the benefits of burning up to four times as much fuel as we are for most of our driving!
What a mistake I made indeed!
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A Prius Hybrid is a better direct competitor to a Volt, similar size and price. Its gets 54mpg or 4.3l per 100km.
even better the Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid gets 58mpg combined 4.0l per 100km
I'd take a slight penalty in fuel economy over lousy GM quality and having to plug in my car every night, finding a plug everytime I go to a city park or mall, worry about heat issues, and so on.....
even better the Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid gets 58mpg combined 4.0l per 100km
I'd take a slight penalty in fuel economy over lousy GM quality and having to plug in my car every night, finding a plug everytime I go to a city park or mall, worry about heat issues, and so on.....
Ah, there you go again posting those perfect world EPA numbers that nobody ever gets in reality. The Ioniq, in real world driving, is not achieving those numbers just FYI.
And I'm surprised you're so desperate to discredit the Volt's achievements that you're willing to trumpet Toyota. And then on one hand question the Volt's build quality (it's actual reliability and customer satisfaction numbers are amongst the EV segments highest) and then mention Hyundai in the same post.
And again, let me know when any of those hybrids can achieve this like we did last weekend.
Your "I'd rather pay a slight fuel penalty" comments are laughable as well. $41 over ~1000KM translates to $8200 (!!) in fuel savings over 200,000KM which we will realistically drive this car, probably more - when my wife upgrades again in a few years I'll take over the Volt and my commute to/from work as well as normal weekday running around will be zero fuel.
And I expect to achieve a far better average then 3L/100K once my wife gets her work charger and is commuting on 80-90% electricity. Those numbers will easily break $10,000 in savings for us vs any hybrid options. And those aren't theoretical calculations based on unachievable EPA figures, these are real world calculations based on my last response above showing our real-world consumption and expenses.
So like I said, yes, clearly I made a huge mistake.
And I'm surprised you're so desperate to discredit the Volt's achievements that you're willing to trumpet Toyota. And then on one hand question the Volt's build quality (it's actual reliability and customer satisfaction numbers are amongst the EV segments highest) and then mention Hyundai in the same post.
And again, let me know when any of those hybrids can achieve this like we did last weekend.
Your "I'd rather pay a slight fuel penalty" comments are laughable as well. $41 over ~1000KM translates to $8200 (!!) in fuel savings over 200,000KM which we will realistically drive this car, probably more - when my wife upgrades again in a few years I'll take over the Volt and my commute to/from work as well as normal weekday running around will be zero fuel.
And I expect to achieve a far better average then 3L/100K once my wife gets her work charger and is commuting on 80-90% electricity. Those numbers will easily break $10,000 in savings for us vs any hybrid options. And those aren't theoretical calculations based on unachievable EPA figures, these are real world calculations based on my last response above showing our real-world consumption and expenses.
So like I said, yes, clearly I made a huge mistake.
Desperate or not on Sunny's part, a prius or camery hybrid is currently a better choice imho. I have multiple customers with 200k+ on toyota hybrids with zero reliability issues. One guy has 550k. Tires, oil, a belt and struts once... and occasionally brakes. Not even a wheel bearing failure. I'm sorry, but I just don't think youre going to get that sort of reliability.
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