[BrodyWhite]

Tragedy struck the other day when my Volt gave me the "Service High Voltage Charging System" error the other day. I hadn't used the battery for the longest period of time since owning it. I hadn't had a chance to charge for about 3 days and had driven about 100 miles. I finally got back home to charge and when I plugged in the error popped up. I took it to the dealership the next day hoping whatever happened would be covered under the manufacturers warranty or the extended warranty I (regretfully) purchased. Two days later the service department called back and said the radiator was punctured by a rock or some other sort of debris. He said parts and labor would be about $1,000.

I know this is an issue for others since the guy who makes the VoltShelf also makes the VoltScreen so has anyone repaired this? Do I have other options?

What about it not being covered under the extended warranty or "service contract" or bumper to bumper whatever it is? Since this is a known design defect of this car that results in the radiator being damaged and is out of my control shouldn't it be covered? I don't see what preventative measures I could have taken as an owner to prevent this damage. I was unaware of the issue and the VoltScreen until now so I feel as if I was sold a car that could be easily damaged.

 

[saghost]

Damage from road debris is generally not covered under any warranty on any car that I know of. Usually it is covered by the insurance company if you have collision/comprehensive.

 

[mpmoore1979]

If this is a Gen 1 volt then its covered under the Voltec warranty. There is a bulletin for this issue to add a extra protective screen and in the bulletin it states to do this under warranty and not customer pay. You need to ask them about this and if they still will not cover it, get GM involved. I have done over 20 of these under warranty and never had a problem with GM paying the bill.

#13-06-02-001A: Supplemental Repair Required for Drive Motor Battery Coolant Radiator Replacement Due to Stone/Foreign Material Impact - (Aug 18, 2014)

For vehicles repaired under the 8 year/100,000 mile (160,000 km) Chevrolet Volt Battery Components (Code V) warranty, use:

5080148*
Replace Drive Motor Battery Coolant Radiator and Add Second Grille Screen
4.6 hrs

 

[Fyodor]

If this is a Gen 1 volt then its covered under the Voltec warranty. There is a bulletin for this issue to add a extra protective screen and in the bulletin it states to do this under warranty and not customer pay. You need to ask them about this and if they still will not cover it, get GM involved. I have done over 20 of these under warranty and never had a problem with GM paying the bill.

#13-06-02-001A: Supplemental Repair Required for Drive Motor Battery Coolant Radiator Replacement Due to Stone/Foreign Material Impact - (Aug 18, 2014)

For vehicles repaired under the 8 year/100,000 mile (160,000 km) Chevrolet Volt Battery Components (Code V) warranty, use:

5080148*
Replace Drive Motor Battery Coolant Radiator and Add Second Grille Screen
4.6 hrs

Am I right to read into this that it is only done after damage, and not as a preventative?

 

[BrodyWhite]

I was doing more research after I posted and saw the same info. I got in touch with a volt adviser however I believe it was just a GM customer service center. I gave him all this info and my VIN. He said that the TSB #13-06-02-001A might not apply to my car as it is by VIN not by all 2014 Volt models. He said he would send this to a senior Volt adviser and have them call me. Is it possible I got a volt with the second grille screen installed and that's why it doesn't apply? What should I do if the senior adviser can't do anything? Would it be best to talk to the service department at the dealership instead of the Volt Adviser? The VoltShelf guy had posted this TSB in a few other forums and suggested having a Volt adviser handle it.

 

[mpmoore1979]

This repair is only made after a problem and not a preventative measure.

The bulletin calls all module years and not by VIN. None of the Gen 1's were built with the second screen.

Models: 2011-2014 Chevrolet Volt
2014 Cadillac ELR

Even my 2015 did not have the screen and its not called out in this bulletin but still applies.

 

[Rickoshay]

That sounds a bit high on the quote. I hit a bunch of large highway cones at 65 mph that fell off a truck. Pretty much had to replace the entire front clip, a/c condensor and radiator, along with repaint and miscellaneous odds and ends the entire job was just under $2500.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-T377A using Tapatalk

 

[BrodyWhite]

This repair is only made after a problem and not a preventative measure.

The bulletin calls all module years and not by VIN. None of the Gen 1's were built with the second screen.

Models: 2011-2014 Chevrolet Volt
2014 Cadillac ELR

Even my 2015 did not have the screen and its not called out in this bulletin but still applies.

So who would be the best person to talk to? The Volt adviser or the service department at my dealership? How should I reply when they argue it only applies to certain VIN #'s?

 

[mpmoore1979]

You need to ask them to show you the bulletin and where is shows only certain VIN's are covered and your is not because the bulletin does not show a VIN break down so it applies to all VIN's in the model year called out in the bulletin. If the service department gives you no joy then you need to call GM customer service and get a case started with them and they will get in contact with the region GM manager (not part of the dealership) and he will call the dealership or you on this issue.

 

[BrodyWhite]

You need to ask them to show you the bulletin and where is shows only certain VIN's are covered and your is not because the bulletin does not show a VIN break down so it applies to all VIN's in the model year called out in the bulletin. If the service department gives you no joy then you need to call GM customer service and get a case started with them and they will get in contact with the region GM manager (not part of the dealership) and he will call the dealership or you on this issue.

Thank you so much for your help. I am much more hopeful this will get worked out. Do you have a source for the TBS? Also what is the second number associated with (5080148)?

 

[Dutch]

So who would be the best person to talk to? The Volt adviser......<snip>

Just FYI, there aren't any Volt Advisors anymore.

See this thread: http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread...ogram-becomes-Chevy-Electric-Customer-Support

 

[Fyodor]

This repair is only made after a problem and not a preventative measure.

The bulletin calls all module years and not by VIN. None of the Gen 1's were built with the second screen.

Models: 2011-2014 Chevrolet Volt
2014 Cadillac ELR

Even my 2015 did not have the screen and its not called out in this bulletin but still applies.

Thanks. If an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure, this makes the Volt Screen look like the way to go.

 

[BrodyWhite]

Thanks. If an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure, this makes the Volt Screen look like the way to go.

Yeah I would highly recommend the Volt Screen to anyone who owns a volt. I wish I would have know about it before all this. Its starting to look like I'll be paying ~$1,000 to do the repairs unless GM saves the day.

 

[Dutch]

I drive mostly on nice paved roads, occasionally up and down a gravel driveway (low speed).
Because I'm a do-it-yourself kind of guy I made my own screen.
I used to have images posted to show the dings in my screen after a year. It was disconcerting to say the least.

Bottom line... If you have a Gen 1 go ahead and buy a "Voltscreen". It's a hassle to make it yourself and in my opinion the Volt NEEDS that radiator protection.

 

[Dakster]

If you push it hard enough GM will pay for it, since they know it is an issue and you have the TSB that says they will. Just has to get to the right person in GM or at your dealer - I'd try the service manager if you haven't already. It used to be a tad easier when you had Volt advisors (just a tad though) and it can still be done. FWIW, a vehicle repair estimator says the following:

"The average cost for a Chevrolet Volt Radiator Replacement is between $398 and $500. Labor costs are estimated between $123 and $156 while parts are priced between $275 and $344. Estimate does not include taxes and fees."

However, I bet you need your car ASAP, so you might initially have to pay out of pocket for it. You might want to call other dealers and get a quote if you can or ask them if they would cover it under that TSB. Just trying to give you ideas... Good luck!

 

[BrodyWhite]

If you push it hard enough GM will pay for it, since they know it is an issue and you have the TSB that says they will. Just has to get to the right person in GM or at your dealer - I'd try the service manager if you haven't already. It used to be a tad easier when you had Volt advisors (just a tad though) and it can still be done. FWIW, a vehicle repair estimator says the following:

"The average cost for a Chevrolet Volt Radiator Replacement is between $398 and $500. Labor costs are estimated between $123 and $156 while parts are priced between $275 and $344. Estimate does not include taxes and fees."

However, I bet you need your car ASAP, so you might initially have to pay out of pocket for it. You might want to call other dealers and get a quote if you can or ask them if they would cover it under that TSB. Just trying to give you ideas... Good luck!

Fortunately I get a loaner since it was certified used at the dealership I bought it from so i don't plan on giving the loaner back until its fixed however going back to a 100% ICE car is not fun. My 2014 Volt drives much better than the 2017 Malibu they lent me.

Also thanks for the quote. I figured their estimate was a bit high. I have started looking around and it doesn't seem to actually cost $1,000. If they give me too much trouble I'll get it fixed elsewhere.

 

[Dakster]

At least you got a loaner - the dealers around me are very very stingy with them. That should at least be leverage to help you get to the GM rep and dealer service manager quicker.

A lot of the cost depends on the dealers labor per hour rate and what the book rate for time to complete is. Appears for JUST a radiator replacement it's an hour job. What had me worried was the 4.6 hours a volt tech posted, but of course that is also to put a radiator screen in. 4.6 hours, plus the $344 list price of the radiator could very well be $1k after taxes and disposal fees. Sad part is I remember getting a radiator replaced in my driveway for a mustang I had 12 years ago. It was $300 total and they came to my house to do it!

 

[mpmoore1979]

The Volt radiator for 1 hour is the engine radiator and not the drive motor battery radiator. To replace the drive motor battery radiator the front bumper has to come off. Also there is other labor to make a mount for the new screen because it does not just bolt on to the old/new radiator. Also there is the time needed to purge all the air from the battery and also updating the software for the BECM and HPCM 2 that has to be done when this repair is made. The 4.6 hours is warranty time, the customer pay time should be 20% more then that so say 5.5 hours. Also make sure they are adding the new screen, had one of my customers on a trip and in Texas and got a stone hit. They charged them full price and did not add the screen so when he got back here we got him his money back from GM and I had to remove all the parts and add the screen so this would not happen again.

 

[Dakster]

That makes sense mpmoore... What does your shop charge to do this if it is customer pay?

 

[Prohidium]

I highly recommend the Volt screen to anyone who owns a gen 1. Easy to install and looks great and provides that extra element of protection.