Hey to anybody willing to read (thank you)! Please skip the first paragraph for the relevant information (just an intro since I'm new to the forum).
I am a recently new Volt owner and new to the forum. I bought a 2012 Chevy Volt at 80k miles around a half a year ago as my first independent car purchase; I've driven 7 lemons up until this point so I was really proud of myself for doing some research and choosing something "newer". I went in with the belief that this would also save me a lot on gas money as my job has EV chargers on site...and it has! I lived 17 miles from work when I bought the car and it would just get me to work and back without spending any money on gas with no stops most of the time; it was fun trying to find the best way to drive and save electricity. I then moved 7 miles away from work and it has been great, especially with the prices rising and I like the feeling of helping (a drop in the bucket, electricity source could be oil, etc etc I know) with a small amount of environmental awareness. Sorry for the long intro, just wanted to give my Mint Julep her props; I have the model on the right on the forum banner.
I have had no issues after having the dealer reset a battery sensor when I first got the car...until 3 weeks ago. I had just got done spending A LOT of money having my old car junked (a completely different issue with a lot of lessons learned) and decided to change my headlights that same day to replace one that had just gone out and upgrade both to brighter bulbs. Driver side replacement - no problems, passenger side replacement - the one that was out - requires a little bit of maneuvering to get the job done. To access the headlight enclosure I had to move a hose a few inches out of the way. I messed up this simple procedure by putting too much tension on a old rubber part and snapping the hose at a piece that inserts into the radiator side of the hose (pictures included). With coolant spilling everywhere I ran in to the apartment and grabbed my oil pans to collect the spillage and cleaned the pavement where I could so I don't kill the neighborhood cats/random critters lookin to taste that sweet sweet coolant juice.
After I got over my anxiety of having to spend more money to have this part replaced, I started searching. After going through this forum that has already been a good knowledge-base in only 6 months and some other sites, I found the parts I was looking for on a GM parts dealer website [the dreaded GM (20893308) - HVAC Heater Vent Hose and it's corresponding clamps GM (11516215)]. Twenty-eight bucks? Not bad. A lot cheaper than I thought. I try to use a "come-to-you" mechanic app to have it fixed since it's only a hose replacement and after waiting a week they call the day before the appointment and say they can't find the part and will wait for me to find it. Okay, that sucks, but now I have to wait a couple of more days to get it and have it replaced, I'm flexible. I order the part on GMDirectParts (one of plenty of these GM parts dealer sites) and request the shipment expedited to receive it in a week - a week and a half. A couple of days later, I receive a notification that the part is special order and I need to approve them taking more time to receive it. That's fine, I have no choice. The next day, I'm told the part is discontinued and they cannot get it either and the clamps are also out of stock and would also be a special order.
I then call two nearby Chevy dealerships...they're also out and I've been told to find it aftermarket. After trying to handle it myself I call my pops. My father knows some people in the auto business since he works in it as well and an OEM parts dealer he knows also did not have it in their inventory and told him to tell me to Google it and it should pop up. I've been searching for it for weeks already and the closest Chevy (truck) dismantler doesn't have it of course and the best Chevy-only dismantler is about 100 miles away. Lesson learned: when accessing the passenger-side headlight, PLEASE be gentle with the coolant hose that is in the way of the enclosure. Does anyone...ANYone know how to find a discontinued Volt part or can tell me of any good replacement parts that will work, specifically for this hose which does not seem to exist anymore. I feel like I just bought an old phone that no longer has supported software, except now instead of just missing out on popular app updates I've been stuck with inefficient public transportation as my backup which I'd use if it didn't take so long to get to work everyday (15 min drive to 1.5 - 2 hr commute one way).
TL;DR: I broke an engine cooling hose [GM (20893308) - HVAC Heater Vent Hose] that attaches the the radiator to the passenger-side coolant reservoir and the part is discontinued. I've been searching for the part for about three weeks (GM parts dealers, Chevy dealerships, dismantlers) and have found nothing. I am not sure if I'm mislabeling and have not found the right post on here yet. If you have any info on where/how I can retrieve or replace this part, please do let me know. I have attached images to this post of the part and the broken hose. Thank ya'll out there and happy E driving!
I am a recently new Volt owner and new to the forum. I bought a 2012 Chevy Volt at 80k miles around a half a year ago as my first independent car purchase; I've driven 7 lemons up until this point so I was really proud of myself for doing some research and choosing something "newer". I went in with the belief that this would also save me a lot on gas money as my job has EV chargers on site...and it has! I lived 17 miles from work when I bought the car and it would just get me to work and back without spending any money on gas with no stops most of the time; it was fun trying to find the best way to drive and save electricity. I then moved 7 miles away from work and it has been great, especially with the prices rising and I like the feeling of helping (a drop in the bucket, electricity source could be oil, etc etc I know) with a small amount of environmental awareness. Sorry for the long intro, just wanted to give my Mint Julep her props; I have the model on the right on the forum banner.
I have had no issues after having the dealer reset a battery sensor when I first got the car...until 3 weeks ago. I had just got done spending A LOT of money having my old car junked (a completely different issue with a lot of lessons learned) and decided to change my headlights that same day to replace one that had just gone out and upgrade both to brighter bulbs. Driver side replacement - no problems, passenger side replacement - the one that was out - requires a little bit of maneuvering to get the job done. To access the headlight enclosure I had to move a hose a few inches out of the way. I messed up this simple procedure by putting too much tension on a old rubber part and snapping the hose at a piece that inserts into the radiator side of the hose (pictures included). With coolant spilling everywhere I ran in to the apartment and grabbed my oil pans to collect the spillage and cleaned the pavement where I could so I don't kill the neighborhood cats/random critters lookin to taste that sweet sweet coolant juice.
After I got over my anxiety of having to spend more money to have this part replaced, I started searching. After going through this forum that has already been a good knowledge-base in only 6 months and some other sites, I found the parts I was looking for on a GM parts dealer website [the dreaded GM (20893308) - HVAC Heater Vent Hose and it's corresponding clamps GM (11516215)]. Twenty-eight bucks? Not bad. A lot cheaper than I thought. I try to use a "come-to-you" mechanic app to have it fixed since it's only a hose replacement and after waiting a week they call the day before the appointment and say they can't find the part and will wait for me to find it. Okay, that sucks, but now I have to wait a couple of more days to get it and have it replaced, I'm flexible. I order the part on GMDirectParts (one of plenty of these GM parts dealer sites) and request the shipment expedited to receive it in a week - a week and a half. A couple of days later, I receive a notification that the part is special order and I need to approve them taking more time to receive it. That's fine, I have no choice. The next day, I'm told the part is discontinued and they cannot get it either and the clamps are also out of stock and would also be a special order.
I then call two nearby Chevy dealerships...they're also out and I've been told to find it aftermarket. After trying to handle it myself I call my pops. My father knows some people in the auto business since he works in it as well and an OEM parts dealer he knows also did not have it in their inventory and told him to tell me to Google it and it should pop up. I've been searching for it for weeks already and the closest Chevy (truck) dismantler doesn't have it of course and the best Chevy-only dismantler is about 100 miles away. Lesson learned: when accessing the passenger-side headlight, PLEASE be gentle with the coolant hose that is in the way of the enclosure. Does anyone...ANYone know how to find a discontinued Volt part or can tell me of any good replacement parts that will work, specifically for this hose which does not seem to exist anymore. I feel like I just bought an old phone that no longer has supported software, except now instead of just missing out on popular app updates I've been stuck with inefficient public transportation as my backup which I'd use if it didn't take so long to get to work everyday (15 min drive to 1.5 - 2 hr commute one way).
TL;DR: I broke an engine cooling hose [GM (20893308) - HVAC Heater Vent Hose] that attaches the the radiator to the passenger-side coolant reservoir and the part is discontinued. I've been searching for the part for about three weeks (GM parts dealers, Chevy dealerships, dismantlers) and have found nothing. I am not sure if I'm mislabeling and have not found the right post on here yet. If you have any info on where/how I can retrieve or replace this part, please do let me know. I have attached images to this post of the part and the broken hose. Thank ya'll out there and happy E driving!
