[geraldwbird]

We bought the 2016 Volt in January of that year. We took the five year bumper to bumper coverage.

So many little issues, esp. the door handles and electrical. The dealership has been great, although every issue takes at least two visits; one to diagnose and the other to have the problem fixed, as the parts have to be ordered in. Fortunately, the only cost is our time and aggravation.

What happens after the five years? No one can know, but after spending $50,000 Cdn for this amazing car, shouldn't we expect a quality product?

Any views or comments, please.

 

[martik777]

I have similar concerns - considering an extended warranty here: https://obvi.ca/

1398CAD if you have under 20k, increases slightly with kms > 20k

 

[bjrosen]

Are you still having problems? I had a brake warning issue on my 2017, bought in 2016, which took several visits to resolve but after that I haven't had a single problem. I'm pushing 30,000 miles at this point.

 

[Eagleco]

How about this story for a little perspective. This Tesla owner out of warranty has had to resort to fixing the car himself. At least he said it's like putting together and taking apart legos.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/28/tesla-owner-frustrated-so-fixes-his-own-model-s-easy-as-legos.html

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[P0234]

How about this story for a little perspective. This Tesla owner out of warranty has had to resort to fixing the car himself. At least he said it's like putting together and taking apart legos.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/28/tesla-owner-frustrated-so-fixes-his-own-model-s-easy-as-legos.html

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That's a pretty slanted story. Sounds to me like he is further away from a dealer than he wants and doesn't want to pay dealer prices (who does?). Tesla is a buzzword, the media loves to write about it.

 

[Eagleco]

That's a pretty slanted story. Sounds to me like he is further away from a dealer than he wants and doesn't want to pay dealer prices (who does?). Tesla is a buzzword, the media loves to write about it.

Good point, but why all the repairs on a car that's only 5 years old and so expensive too.? An EV should need fewer repairs.

My 2011 Cruze has not cost me a single penny in out of warranty repairs.

Anyway he loves his Tesla and wants the company to succeed. I know it's a great car, and that's why Tesla owners will put up with this I guess.

I wouldn't worry about a Volt out of warranty so much, especially since many parts are shared in common with other ubiquitous GM products.

Also my experience is that most problems get ironed out in the first few years and then after that it's relatively smooth sailing. I had early problems with my Cruze but they were during the warranty period.

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[martik777]

What are the most expensive parts that may need repair/replacement out of the 8yr voltec warranty?

 

[jcanoe]

The 4 lithium ion battery modules that make up the Volt's battery pack and the two electric motors. The 3.6kW on-board charger and the high voltage DC power inverter.

 

[Eagleco]

The 4 lithium ion battery modules that make up the Volt's battery pack and the two electric motors. The 3.6kW on-board charger and the high voltage DC power inverter.

And what has the reliability been on those parts so far? I would not expect those things to catastrophically fail after 8 years. The battery pack will just slowly lose capacity for example.

And electric motors are very simple. As for the charger, someone just quoted on another thread, a price of $700 for the 7.2kw unit for a Bolt EV. That's not so bad.

An 8 year warranty on those items is pretty standard across the industry. When you buy an EV that's what you sign up for.

Anyway I thought the OP was concerned about when the 5 year bumper to bumper warranty ran out. No mention of the 8 year warranty.

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[jcanoe]

Yes the Volt's lithium ion battery pack has been very reliable but there have been failures of sensors deep inside the module, all that can be done is to replace the affected module(s).

The electric motors have been reliable but failure of a bearing assembly was/is a problem on 2013 Volts.

The 7.2kW charger costs $750 more than the standard 3.6kW charger on the 2019 Volt LT. You need to figure in the cost of the replacement part, it could be more than $1500.

 

[Eagleco]

The 7.2kW charger costs $750 more than the standard 3.6kW charger on the 2019 Volt LT. You need to figure in the cost of the replacement part, it could be more than $1500.

I was quoting this which was posted on the "Add 2019 Volt fast charge mode to older Volts" thread. The poster said this was the price for a 7.2kw unit for a Bolt EV.

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[jcanoe]

Ok. You need to figure the cost of the labor to install the part.

 

[martik777]

The 4 lithium ion battery modules that make up the Volt's battery pack and the two electric motors. The 3.6kW on-board charger and the high voltage DC power inverter.

I meant what parts EXCLUDING those covered by the 8yr voltec warranty are most expensive?

 

[Steverino]

My 2011 Volt is 7+ years old, over 97k miles. My maintenance and repair costs so far for the life of the car are under $500. Of course, some may argue that the first year cars were overbuilt. I can't say, but my Volt ownership (my first ever GM car) led me to buy my 2017 Bolt, also a first year model. Both have had less than a handful of free updates and proactive software or hardware upgrades by GM. So some minor "first year" stuff. But I figure GM had a lot riding on each and took time getting them right. Later models get new toys added over time, but later cars also start getting the bean counter treatment in my opinion.

Anyway, the traction batteries will likely be the most expensive item to replace should it be needed. Next would be the electronics and motors. If that ever happens, depending on the cost I may just buy a used 2011. They really are a steal.

 

[Eagleco]

The electric motors have been reliable but failure of a bearing assembly was/is a problem on 2013 Volts.

.

I was not aware of the bearing issue relating to early gen1 Volts, especially the 2013, but just read thru the posted FAQ. It sounds like most were able to get it repaired under the Voltec warranty.

That should not be a concern for the OP with a 2016, as it sounds like the relevant parts have been redesigned. GM is not going to want to be covering these expensive warranty repairs on subsequent MY Volts.

They would have every reason to rectify the bearing failure problem and have had plenty of time to do so. It appears this started cropping up no later than 2014.

Reading up, it sounds like the sensor problem you mentioned is primarily a gen1 issue, so should not be something for the OP to worry about.

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[Eagleco]

Ok. You need to figure the cost of the labor to install the part.

Yes of course, although if I needed that part I may attempt to replace it myself.

My main point to the OP is that, overall, the Volt has been a pretty reliable car since coming out in 2010 as a 2011. Of course out of warranty problems will occur as can happen with any car.

The OP has a 2016, which is the first year of gen2 and it was a short run before switching to MY 2017 Volts. The 2016 was not even sold in my state. I believe it was only sold in CARB states. So they are all pretty early build gen2 cars. Teething problems are to be expected.

That does not mean these problems will continue at the same rate though. I expect the offending parts are being replaced with improved parts in many cases.

That's exactly what happened with my 2011 Cruze. Under warranty, they replaced my struts and front springs, water pump and cam cover. In all three instances they replaced them with improved updated units.

OK, I know what you are thinking. How do I know that?

Well in the case of the struts, I actually inspected them and compared them to the originals. Different part numbers and different spring perch location on the strut, which required replacement of the springs to match. The same part numbers as used on newer gen1 Cruzes from the factory.

In the case of the water pump, I actually received a letter from GM. It told me to go to the dealer and get a new redesigned water pump under warranty if mine was starting to leak. They also extended the warranty on it to 10 years/150k miles.

And the cam cover, I just have to trust what my dealer told me, as I never bothered to compare part numbers etc.

The 2011 Cruze was also, not surprisingly the first MY for the US model, and those were it's teething problems. Newer models came from the factory with the improved parts.

Since the 5 year power train warranty expired on my Cruze over 3 years ago, I have had exactly zero problems, zero repairs.

Problems with defective or poorly designed parts usually show up fairly soon, usually while still under warranty. Once those issues are dealt with many cars go on to be reliable. Hopefully that will be the case with the OP's Volt and all our Volts.


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[Eagleco]

I meant what parts EXCLUDING those covered by the 8yr voltec warranty are most expensive?

Ahh.

Well I would say many parts that the Volt shares with other GM cars like the Cruze.
Suspension parts like CV joints, struts and shocks, and of course anything having to do with the ICE. It's basically the same engine that's used in various displacements on several GM vehicles.

The ICE, thanks to the Voltec drivetrain, is not likely to give many Volt owners problems. In our case, it will take 10 years before we even have 30k miles on it. How often do gas engines break down with so few miles?

With the commonality of many parts, and shared platform with the Cruze, one is not necessarily forced to get repairs done at the dealer. Replacing a CV joint on a Volt is probably little to no different than replacing a CV joint on the much more ubiquitous Cruze.

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[jcanoe]

The ICE, the transmission, the AC compressor and the catalytic converter come to mind as the most expensive parts.

 

[Eagleco]

My 2011 Volt is 7+ years old, over 97k miles. My maintenance and repair costs so far for the life of the car are under $500. Of course, some may argue that the first year cars were overbuilt. I can't say, but my Volt ownership (my first ever GM car) led me to buy my 2017 Bolt, also a first year model. Both have had less than a handful of free updates and proactive software or hardware upgrades by GM. So some minor "first year" stuff. But I figure GM had a lot riding on each and took time getting them right. Later models get new toys added over time, but later cars also start getting the bean counter treatment in my opinion.

Anyway, the traction batteries will likely be the most expensive item to replace should it be needed. Next would be the electronics and motors. If that ever happens, depending on the cost I may just buy a used 2011. They really are a steal.

Good points as always, Steverino.

Perhaps the bean counters got ahold of the gen2 Volt a little bit, and it's not quite as robust as the gen1. Our 10 month old 2018 has been flawless so far. We are too busy enjoying it to worry about problems that may never occur.

One more example of how problems under warranty don't always doom one to ongoing problems later on:

My dad bought a new 1969 Plymouth Fury. About three years in, it spun a bearing. I was with him when it happened. He got a new engine under warranty.

Did that mean, every three years or so he would need another new engine? Or that he would have some other major problem? No, of course not. That bearing was probably bad, the day the car left the factory. It's not likely to have lasted long enough to have failed out of warranty either.

My dad's '69 Fury III was a very reliable car for many years after that. I finally got old enough to even drive it myself

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[marcusm]

So far our early build Gen 2s (16s) have been, aside from software updates and oil changes, maintenance free. I’m hoping that continues.


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