[freakdog]

So my 110V charge cable/evse got the dreaded "won't disconnect from the charge port" problem and broke when I wrenched it out. This is a Gen1 2013. Apparently this part "used to be covered under the Voltec warranty," but now they have decided as of Jan 1, 2018, that it is covered under the bumper-to-bumper 3/36 instead. Can they do that? Change after the vehicle is in service what is covered under the warranty? Is the service manager/part manager at Weseloh Chevrolet in Carlsbad, CA misinformed? Should this only apply to new vehicles?

Any help would be appreciated as I'm trying to figure this out in real time...

Larry

 

[Steverino]

No need to break it, a small screw driver would have release the latch.

I don't think that you can change a warranty after the fact. Then again, you broke the thing...

 

[freakdog]

So i had them check under
"5040230 Drive Motor Battery Charger Cable Replacement "
and they confirmed that this now states it is covered only under the bumper to bumper warranty and not under the Voltec as others have stated. They also state that it "used to be covered" under the Voltec warranty but not as of 1/1/2018. Can they actually change the warranty coverage on an in-service vehicle?

Any help from someone who knows would be great!

Larry

 

[freakdog]

No need to break it, a small screw driver would have release the latch.

I don't think that you can change a warranty after the fact. Then again, you broke the thing...

They aren't questioning the cover-ability of the item, only the miles/time period under which the warranty covers it.

 

[Steverino]

Warranty's don't cover abuse. That's the challenge you face.

 

[freakdog]

Warranty's don't cover abuse. That's the challenge you face.

Once again, the question is not whether it is covered. The fact that you know that you 'just' stick in pin into a plug connected to a high voltage charge port and you won't get shocked, and instead be stranded without a vehicle is immaterial to the fact that the EVSE locking into the charge port is the defect, not the broken off part.

 

[freshcut]

I don't believe it's right to change the rules in the middle of the game such as this, but the EVSE warranty has been a huge topic of confusion with some dealers stating that yes it is part of the Voltec warranty since the EVSE specifically states "Voltec" on the device, and a vast majority of others stating it's only covered under the B2B warranty.

That said, I have not seen anything in my included books on the warranty coverage for my '13 that specifically put the EVSE into the Voltec warranty coverage. The B2B coverage pretty much covers everything, so denying coverage would need a d*** good excuse from GM, in this case however they could state it was a case of abuse and deny the coverage.

Finding a replacement EVSE can be done for about the same or less than what one would pay GM for an OEM replacement. On the other hand, if you only broke some of the plastic for the gun type plug that goes into the charge port on the car and your reasonably mechanical then you should be able to easily replace the J1772 plug. They're usually about $80 or so which makes them not exactly cheap. On the other hand, you can find an EVSE that can do both L1 and L2 for about $100-150 more. It's just a matter of plug type and input voltage since they're auto switching and take 120-240V.

 

[bjrosen]

I don't believe it's right to change the rules in the middle of the game such as this, but the EVSE warranty has been a huge topic of confusion with some dealers stating that yes it is part of the Voltec warranty since the EVSE specifically states "Voltec" on the device, and a vast majority of others stating it's only covered under the B2B warranty.

That said, I have not seen anything in my included books on the warranty coverage for my '13 that specifically put the EVSE into the Voltec warranty coverage. The B2B coverage pretty much covers everything, so denying coverage would need a d*** good excuse from GM, in this case however they could state it was a case of abuse and deny the coverage.

Finding a replacement EVSE can be done for about the same or less than what one would pay GM for an OEM replacement. On the other hand, if you only broke some of the plastic for the gun type plug that goes into the charge port on the car and your reasonably mechanical then you should be able to easily replace the J1772 plug. They're usually about $80 or so which makes them not exactly cheap. On the other hand, you can find an EVSE that can do both L1 and L2 for about $100-150 more. It's just a matter of plug type and input voltage since they're auto switching and take 120-240V.

They can't change the terms of the warranty, but it can expire which it probably has on a 2013. A warranty is a contract, one party can't arbitrarily change the terms of a contract after it's been signed, if that were possible then contracts would be meaningless.

 

[freakdog]

Just to summarize. The 2013 is still under the Voltec warranty. The dealer analysis states that the part failure is a warranty issue, but is not covered under warranty because, "The charge cord under "5040230 Drive Motor Battery Charger Cable Replacement", as of Jan 1, 2018, is NO LONGER covered under the Voltec warranty, but now only the B2B warranty."

So my understanding is that they unilaterally, after-the-fact, changed what is covered on an in-service vehicle.

 

[mpmoore1979]

I just looked it up and yes, it only shows that it's covered under the base warranty.

5040230 Drive Motor Battery Charger Cable Replacement

LABOR CODE: 5040230
Base

You may want to ask the dealership for a "good will" repair, Gm may pay for half of the repair but not all of it.

 

[flyingsherpa]

Just to summarize. The 2013 is still under the Voltec warranty. The dealer analysis states that the part failure is a warranty issue, but is not covered under warranty because, "The charge cord under "5040230 Drive Motor Battery Charger Cable Replacement", as of Jan 1, 2018, is NO LONGER covered under the Voltec warranty, but now only the B2B warranty."

So my understanding is that they unilaterally, after-the-fact, changed what is covered on an in-service vehicle.

I'd argue that applies to cars sold after 1/1/18, not before. You can't retroactively change warranty coverage.

But how broken is this thing? Pics? Sounds fixable...

 

[freakdog]

I just looked it up and yes, it only shows that it's covered under the base warranty.

5040230 Drive Motor Battery Charger Cable Replacement

LABOR CODE: 5040230
Base

You may want to ask the dealership for a "good will" repair, Gm may pay for half of the repair but not all of it.

Yes, they confirmed that. They also confirmed that prior to 1/1/2018 it WAS covered under the Voltec warranty. Can you confirm that?

 

[freakdog]

I'd argue that applies to cars sold after 1/1/18, not before. You can't retroactively change warranty coverage.

But how broken is this thing? Pics? Sounds fixable...

The release button to remove from the latch in the charge port is not working so it gets stuck and has to be removed with a pin or something. Trying to remove it caused the front plastic piece where it plugs into the charge port to come off, so all you see are bare metal tubes sticking out. Even if I repaired it, it would still get stuck in the charge port the next time, because the release button does not release the locking mechanism properly.

 

[trm2]

Check your warranty paperwork that you got with the car. Looking at an archived copy of the warranty web page from back in 2013 indicated it wasn't covered. I think the confusion of calling it a Voltec part is why some dealers denied it and others covered it.

Voltec Warranty
In addition to the Bumper-to-Bumper Coverage, General Motors will warrant certain Voltec components for each Chevrolet Volt (hereafter referred to as Voltec) for 8 years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first from the original in-service date of the vehicle, against warrantable repairs to the specific Voltec components of the vehicle. For complete details, refer to your Warranty and Owner Assistance Information booklet.

For Chevrolet Volt owners requiring more comprehensive coverage than that provided under this Voltec warranty, a GM Protection Plan may be available. See your Chevrolet dealer for more details.

What Is Covered
This Voltec warranty covers repairs to correct any Voltec component defect related to materials or workmanship occurring during the 8-year/100,000 mile term for the following:

Propulsion Battery Warranty Policy

Like all batteries, the amount of energy that the high-voltage “propulsion” battery can store will decrease with time and miles driven. Depending on use, the battery may degrade as little as 10 percent to as much as 30 percent of capacity over the warranty period. A dealer service technician will determine if the battery energy capacity (kWh storage) is within the proper limit, given the age and mileage of the vehicle. Your Volt battery warranty replacement may not return your vehicle to “as-new” condition, but it will make your Volt fully operational appropriate to its age and mileage.

Other Voltec Components

Other components covered by the Voltec warranty include: high-voltage wiring, Voltec control modules, e-compressor, Traction Power Inverter Module (TPIM), Accessory Power Module (APM) and Voltec on-board charger.

 

[Chevrolet Customer Svc]

So my 110V charge cable/evse got the dreaded "won't disconnect from the charge port" problem and broke when I wrenched it out. This is a Gen1 2013. Apparently this part "used to be covered under the Voltec warranty," but now they have decided as of Jan 1, 2018, that it is covered under the bumper-to-bumper 3/36 instead. Can they do that? Change after the vehicle is in service what is covered under the warranty? Is the service manager/part manager at Weseloh Chevrolet in Carlsbad, CA misinformed? Should this only apply to new vehicles?

Any help would be appreciated as I'm trying to figure this out in real time...

Larry

We definitely understand your concerns, Larry. A labor code error was made for some of our electrified models and had the cord set listed under the wrong coverage. This error has since been corrected in our systems. The cord set, as outlined in the warranty booklet provided when you purchased the vehicle, is not meant to be covered outside your Bumper to Bumper warranty. We encourage you to consult your Volt's warranty booklet to see what is and is not covered under the Voltec warranty.

Rest assured that we do not plan to pursue any payment from past replacements due to GM’s error. If a customer received a cord set outside of the 3 year/36,000 mile (Bumper to Bumper) coverage, it will be to that customer’s benefit and was a mistake at our expense. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns on this. I can be reached via email at [email protected].

Amber G.
Chevrolet Customer Care

 

[flyingsherpa]

The release button to remove from the latch in the charge port is not working so it gets stuck and has to be removed with a pin or something. Trying to remove it caused the front plastic piece where it plugs into the charge port to come off, so all you see are bare metal tubes sticking out. Even if I repaired it, it would still get stuck in the charge port the next time, because the release button does not release the locking mechanism properly.

We're in the era of 3D printers... perhaps you could print the parts to replace the mechanism? Otherwise I'd just buy a J-plug replacement off Amazon and wire that in, I think it's around $100. Or buy a Volt gen2 EVSE off ebay if you can find one.

 

[freakdog]

We definitely understand your concerns, Larry. A labor code error was made for some of our electrified models and had the cord set listed under the wrong coverage. This error has since been corrected in our systems. The cord set, as outlined in the warranty booklet provided when you purchased the vehicle, is not meant to be covered outside your Bumper to Bumper warranty. We encourage you to consult your Volt's warranty booklet to see what is and is not covered under the Voltec warranty.

Rest assured that we do not plan to pursue any payment from past replacements due to GM’s error. If a customer received a cord set outside of the 3 year/36,000 mile (Bumper to Bumper) coverage, it will be to that customer’s benefit and was a mistake at our expense. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns on this. I can be reached via email at [email protected].

Amber G.
Chevrolet Customer Care

"Rest assured that we do not plan to pursue any payment from past replacements due to GM’s error."

Wow. Just, wow.

 

[freakdog]

Check your warranty paperwork that you got with the car. Looking at an archived copy of the warranty web page from back in 2013 indicated it wasn't covered. I think the confusion of calling it a Voltec part is why some dealers denied it and others covered it.

Yeah, apparently they claim it to be a 'mistake' that it was ever covered under the Voltec warranty.

 

[Aseras]

Yeah this is a class action lawsuit GM is going to loose.

 

[freakdog]

Yeah this is a class action lawsuit GM is going to loose.

Yeah, apparently they are pretty rock solid on this. There is nothing in the warranty paperwork to state that SHOULD have ever been covered under Voltec. The fact that they mistakenly put it there and are now taking it out is perfectly legal, apparently, since it was never required to be there in the first place. Goodwill however, and treating Volt owners in a special way... That seems to be gone forever.