Should i trade my Gen 1 for a Gen 2?

sosmerc said:

I take my 2017 Volt in for its first "routine" service visit on Tuesday. I have checked with the service dept several times and they have assured me there are NO recalls or service TSB's that my Volt needs. I do not want to be surprised and have them tell me they have to order parts and therefore I have to leave the car with them. Fingers crossed that they don't discover something between now and Tuesday! My car has been perfect so far and I really don't want them to mess with it! But the dealer offers a lifetime powertrain warranty ($100 deductable) that requires a visit every six months to keep it in force. Hopefully all they are going to do is change the engine oil and filter...which I don't mind, though it hardly seems necessary since the engine only has about 3000 miles on it.

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Changing your Volt's engine oil at this time may be unnecessary. On the Gen 2 Volt an oil change and filter is required, at a minimum, every 2 years. The Volt's computer calculates remaining Oil Life by considering total engine revolutions, engine temperature and miles driven. When the Oil Life Remaining is at minimum the Volt will display Change Engine Oil Soon (within 600 miles.) on the Driver Information Center (DIC) display. GM entitles the owner of a new Chevy Volt to two free oil changes within the first 2 years following purchase. If you let the dealer change the oil before it is needed the dealer is just performing unnecessary maintenance on your Volt, potentially creating a problem where non previously existed. Your Volt may only need a multi-point inspection, tire rotation and fluid level top off. Don't be surprised however, if the dealer suddenly discovers that there are several recent TSBs that requires reprogramming your Volt and inspecting the vehicle, possibly replacing certain fuses and other minor bumper to bumper warranty items. It happens all of the time.

dhrivnak said:

I may be old school but I really like to change the oil after 1000-2000 miles. I like to ensure all the manufacturing dirt and burrs are cleaned out. It may not do much, but I figure the $30 is cheap insurance and I have put over 100,000 miles on many a car without a single engine issue ever.

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You should do whatever makes you happy. Personally I follow the manufacturer's recommended service interval/schedule for all vehicle maintenance. My reasoning is that Chevrolet has been an automotive manufacturer since 1911. GM's knowledge base of information on their vehicles and engines would fill several football stadiums (ok, I'm exaggerating but only a little bit.) GM engineers know with a high degree of certainty what critically affects engine oil life, engine oil contamination contributing to excess engine wear leading to engine failure. Modern synthetic oils greatly extends the service life of an engine's oil. For the Volt, based on some of the data in that huge GM knowledge base database, 80 - 90% of the typical Volt owner's daily driving is all electric driving. The Volt's engine and engine oil only get used 10 - 20% of the typical service of an internal combustion engine. If it was not for the 24 month clock that considers the age of the oil in the engine the oil change interval could conceivably be even longer. My Volt's engine oil remaining life is following a 24 month calendar, probably because I make minimal use of the gas engine. I will schedule my first oil change before the second year anniversary of my 2017 Volt at the same time I perform the next tire rotation. Some people don't rotate their tires, ever. I happen to subscribe the notion that periodic tire rotation helps even out tire wear front and rear.