Any GTAM'ers own an electric vehicle?
- Thread starter PrivatePilot
- Start date
Good thing he went to the press....33k repair bill...fixed for free with a software update.
toronto.ctvnews.ca
Ontario man told his EV needs $33K battery. Software update fixes the problem
An Ontario man said he couldn't believe an electric car he bought three years ago for $20,000 would need a new battery at a cost of more than $33,000.
The common thread in all of these stories is completely idiotic vehicle owners taking their out of warranty vehicles to dealers. Sadly, dealers are not equipped to do competent diagnostics or repairs. They are part swappers. A good independent shop normally blows dealer pricing out of the water as they can fix the actual small issue without swapping a $30K part as step one.Good thing he went to the press....33k repair bill...fixed for free with a software update.
Ontario man told his EV needs $33K battery. Software update fixes the problem
An Ontario man said he couldn't believe an electric car he bought three years ago for $20,000 would need a new battery at a cost of more than $33,000.
Once you get involved in vehicle-specific systems, particularly electrical and electronic systems, it can get really hard to find independent mechanics who know what they are doing, too.
True. Given some research though (especially if an enthusiast community can be consulted), there are normally at least a few good options. Dropping it off at a random indy shop also ends in tears very often.
I learned this when I took my MINI to the dealer for some red dash light. They wanted to replace the whole motor. I got it towed to a local shop and, if I remember correctly, it was plugs and coils or something like that. Less than a thousand bucks and I was good as new. The dealer straight up told me that they won't diagnose anything, that they'll just replace the motor instead.
thats just plain incompetence on the dealers part.
sometimes it takes a bit of time (trying different dealers), but when you find the dealer that does things correctly, they will have a customer for life.
corner shops are just good for tires, oil, and brakes, I wouldnt trust them on todays modern cars. They simply can't be knowledable on every brand, and lack manufacturer support.
I don't expect to find a single shop good for all vehicles. As you said, they've gotten complicated. If I had a ducati with issues, it would go to Ken's motorworks without a second thought. If I had a yamaha, he would be the wrong choice.
Even Ken won't touch the V4 lineup.
Ya he basically said that when I called about my Scrambler. Quoted me for DESMO on it but asked specifically which motor.Even Ken won't touch the V4 lineup.
See, if you can find a good shop, they tell you upfront what they are good at. If they do everything, they are probably marginal at everything. It is concerning for v4 owners though. Is there a good indy shop for them? Adrian?Even Ken won't touch the V4 lineup.
Most dealers are working on newer vehicles and warranty issues. It is very uncommon (with maybe the exception of the more exotic brands) that they work on many vehicles more than 10 (maybe even 5) years old. They know new car problems as it is their day to day not old car problems. I am not going to a pediatrician with my old man problems... he may have the knowledge from school but not the experience.
As an example on my four year old VW, I got an EVAP code just out of bumper to bumper warranty, service advisor knew the cause before I handed him my keys and it was an extended warranty item. My trusted indy may have had to do a full diagnostic to find the problem as he doesn't work on newer cars. BUT now if that was a 10 year old VW, dealer would have been throwing darts, indy VW guy would know where to start based on seeing this before.
Find a good indy that works on similar vehicles, not a jack of all trades type of shop. If the vehicle has a following there will be clubs etc. online that can point you to good options.
As for an EV, is there even such a thing yet as an indy that specializes in older ones? Even at the dealers for newer ones, unless it is a common problem for the brand do they even have the true EV vehicle troubleshooting knowledge beyond the training? Half the point is the problem free ownership, so how many problems are they seeing day to day vs ICE?
As an example on my four year old VW, I got an EVAP code just out of bumper to bumper warranty, service advisor knew the cause before I handed him my keys and it was an extended warranty item. My trusted indy may have had to do a full diagnostic to find the problem as he doesn't work on newer cars. BUT now if that was a 10 year old VW, dealer would have been throwing darts, indy VW guy would know where to start based on seeing this before.
Find a good indy that works on similar vehicles, not a jack of all trades type of shop. If the vehicle has a following there will be clubs etc. online that can point you to good options.
As for an EV, is there even such a thing yet as an indy that specializes in older ones? Even at the dealers for newer ones, unless it is a common problem for the brand do they even have the true EV vehicle troubleshooting knowledge beyond the training? Half the point is the problem free ownership, so how many problems are they seeing day to day vs ICE?
I have no idea. As the specific vehicle in this complaint was a Volt, $33K for a battery replacement is a giant black eye for GM. That is just predatory and embarrassing pricing. Even moreso when it was not required. Battery is 18.4 KWh, call it 25 to be conservative and account for using not using the bottom, price of battery packs is in the ballpark of $200/kwh which means pack should be ~$5k plus labour. Still a lot but no where near what they tried to get.
When almost everything you buy wants more than 50% of the value when new for a single spare part it's no wonder we throw everything out. I don't love government regulation but fixing that could be one of the best green policies ever implemented. Something like lemon law where if there is a repair costing more than 20% of MSRP during the first 10 years of ownership, manufacturer gets the product back and customer gets a reasonable buyout (maybe prorated down to 30% of MSRP at 10 years?). The simple solution is don't price parts like aholes. A spare control board is not $800+. Even at $200 they are making 90% profit. Manufacturer had absolutely zero incentive to fix the Volt cost-effectively. They were just as happy scrapping it or booking a $20K profit even though the actual fix cost a few hundred tops.
There are advantages to taking an older model to the dealer. Esp if you keep them long term like I do.
I had a timing chain done by the dealer on a 2008 model vehicle (16 years old) . Yes, the corner garage guy quoted slightly cheaper, but I felt better knowing it would be "done right" from the dealer, and with factory parts. Comes with a warranty too. I don't trust corner garage warrantys.
I take my 2012 SUV to the dealer for service. They were able to identify and recommend repairs on known trouble spots on my vehiclle (before they become bigger issues) as they were extremely familliar with that model over the years, that my corner mechaninc would never know.
I took my 2012 for a "leak". The dealer identified that it was leaking rear shocks (computer adjustable) and there was a secret extended warranty on them ($1200 each side!) My corner garage guy would have just quoted me new shocks.
Yes, I pay a little extra, but the factory parts, and warranty and experience gives me the peace of mind I need.
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You're still newish. Take a 80's-90's acura to the dealer and it is likely that not a single tech working has ever touched one. Dealers know the latest generation and older techs know older vehicles from when they were the latest generation. They have very little knowledge or training available on prior generations other than what techs remember.
Ouch
electrek.co
I sold all my Tesla shares (TSLA), here's why
I fully divested from Tesla (TSLA), selling all my shares. I’m going to try to explain why. At Electrek, we...
electrek.co
Iirc, Fred also profited quite handsomely from referral credits when they existed. Iirc they weren't huge individually but getting hundreds of referrals from viewers of your website got him quite a few free teslas.
There's a recipe for balanced, accurate, fact-based reporting. LOL
Dirty Frank
Well-known member
The car makers are doing their damnedest to totally snuff out end user right to repair with any electric car following testla's lead and customers are believing it.
