[jcramer]

I've had my pre-owned 2015 Volt LT (18.4k miles) for over a month now. In that time I have used it a lot, but mainly for driving around Seattle, and the ICE and the mechanical disc brakes have not been used even once.

I'm concerned that if this pattern of driving continues, some deterioration of the ICE or rusting of the brake discs might occur when they are not used for extended periods. Is there a need do a once-a-month drive in HOLD mode to operate the ICE or to apply hard braking while applying the accelerator at the same time to clean the discs, in order to keep these Volt components in good operating condition?

 

[jbakerjonathan]

I don't believe that the old trick of dragging the car by pressing the accelerator pedal and applying the brake pedal will work with the Volt. The software places preference on the brake pedal over the "go" pedal.

What you can do is accelerate to 50-60 mph, shift into neutral, and apply the brakes relatively hard to come to a stop. Once every month or two should keep the rotors in fine shape.

The ICE really doesn't need special attention as it has two modes that apply in your weather location. One is FMM (Fuel Maintenance Mode) which will cause the ICE to burn the gas in the tank if it has been in there for about a year. This will require you to put fresh gas in the tank afterwards; about 2 gallons will be satisfactory and you won't waste so much gas the next time FMM occurs, assuming you don't put gas in during the year. The other is EEM (Engine Maintenance Mode) where the ICE will run about every 6 weeks for a short period of time to circulate fluids, if the ICE hasn't been run during that 6 week period.

In normal driving you won't have to change the oil and filter for two years.

The GM engineers designed the Voltec system very well.

 

[TSquare]

Also, the brake discs have been treated with a "magic" coating of some kind that keeps them from getting rusty. I had a gen 1 for over 3 years and the discs still looked brand new when I had to give it back.
However you may want to service the calipers once every year or two just to lube the slides. But DO NOT have the discs turned, it will destroy the before mentioned coating and lots of rust will appear.

 

[Barry]

The engine will automatically run when necessary for maintenance.

Whenever you come to a stop, the regenerative braking is pretty much non-existent below about 5 MPH, so you are using the friction brakes at least a little with each stop. For most people, that is all that is needed to keep the rotors clear. If you see any rust, it can be cleared as mentioned with a normal stop in neutral.

 

[Mister Dave]

Is there a need do a once-a-month drive in HOLD mode to operate the ICE or to apply hard braking while applying the accelerator at the same time to clean the discs, in order to keep these Volt components in good operating condition?

NO

If you want to keep your brakes in good condition wash the car often enough to keep them clean, especially in winter. My calipers look as good as new because I do this. I've seen severely rusted calipers on slightly older Volts that are in my area.

Your brakes will make contact enough when you come to a stop while backing out of your driveway to clear the rotors.

Your engine will run when it needs to. It will also run in the winter whether you like it or not. It's acronym here is ERDTT.

 

[freshcut]

I agree with the above on the engine. Aside from the <5mph engagement of the brakes, if you apply them moderate-hard on a stop it will also engage the friction brakes in combination with regenerative braking. I have an app called mygreenvolt that will give an audible "ding" when the friction brakes engage and was actually surprised that some of my braking, when I'm not trying to maximize battery range actually does trigger the use of the friction brakes. Usually momentarily (1 ding) but enough for me to realize they are engaging even when I didn't think they were.

Generally speaking, the folks at GM really did a wonderful job at anticipating and taking into account any and all driving situation to prevent degradation of virtually every system on the car. In time you'll learn to just "let it do it's thing" since it really does everything quite well even in "100%" EV operation. Between battery maintenance in keeping the battery at the proper temp, not allowing it to overcharge or over discharge, engine functionality due to lack of regular use, etc. All has been thought of and planned for.

 

[jbakerjonathan]

NO

If you want to keep your brakes in good condition wash the car often enough to keep them clean, especially in winter. My calipers look as good as new because I do this. I've seen severely rusted calipers on slightly older Volts that are in my area.

Your brakes will make contact enough when you come to a stop while backing out of your driveway to clear the rotors.

Your engine will run when it needs to. It will also run in the winter whether you like it or not. It's acronym here is ERDTT.

Weellll, with an average winter temperature (the lowest in the month of December) of 36 F, by setting the ERDTT point at 15 F, he won't be seeing ERDTT. https://www.currentresults.com/Weather/Washington/Places/seattle-temperatures-by-month-average.php That's why I qualified my post with "in your weather location". Of course, weather patterns have been changing and perhaps Seattle will see unusually cold weather. Strange things can happen.... Trump got elected when polls were 95% for Hillary... I'm just sayin' 8^)

 

[Mister Dave]

Weellll, with an average winter temperature (the lowest in the month of December) of 36 F, by setting the ERDTT point at 15 F, he won't be seeing ERDTT. https://www.currentresults.com/Weather/Washington/Places/seattle-temperatures-by-month-average.php That's why I qualified my post with "in your weather location". Of course, weather patterns have been changing and perhaps Seattle will see unusually cold weather. Strange things can happen.... Trump got elected when polls were 95% for Hillary... I'm just sayin' 8^)

Averages schmaverages. It goes below freezing there. Try this: https://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KSEA/2017/1/1/MonthlyHistory.html?req_city=&req_state=&req_statename=&reqdb.zip=&reqdb.magic=&reqdb.wmo=

IIRC 15 degrees isn't the default ERDTT setting.

 

[jcramer]

Thanks for all the advice. The moral is: "Relax and enjoy your Volt!"

 

[jbakerjonathan]

Also, the brake discs have been treated with a "magic" coating of some kind that keeps them from getting rusty. I had a gen 1 for over 3 years and the discs still looked brand new when I had to give it back.
However you may want to service the calipers once every year or two just to lube the slides. But DO NOT have the discs turned, it will destroy the before mentioned coating and lots of rust will appear.

Here is an explanation of the "magic" coating, formerly known as Ferritic Nitro-Carburizing (FNC) process:

http://www.motortrend.com/news/gm-p...stant-brake-rotors-on-selected-models-140867/

 

[obermd]

And here I was thinking this thread was going to be about burning rubber. This can be even more therapeutic than a bubble wrapped steering wheel.

 

[jbakerjonathan]

Averages schmaverages. It goes below freezing there. Try this: https://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KSEA/2017/1/1/MonthlyHistory.html?req_city=&req_state=&req_statename=&reqdb.zip=&reqdb.magic=&reqdb.wmo=

IIRC 15 degrees isn't the default ERDTT setting.

Thanks for the link. Yes, it does go below freezing and averages are just "sschmaverages" I do agree. However, I did say that "by setting the ERDTT point at 15 F, he won't be seeing ERDTT". That still applies for Seattle winter weather as has been experienced so far. I do concede that with the weather ever changing, the distinct possibility of winter temps dropping below 15 F is a possibility. So, thanks for adding the ERDTT for the OP (and me) to contemplate. 8^)

 

[Mister Dave]

However, I did say that "by setting the ERDTT point at 15 F, he won't be seeing ERDTT".

Sssshhh!!! Don't give people ideas.

Besides, there's nothing wrong with ERDTT. My wife doesn't wait for it, she goes right for hold mode to get heat. It's OCDers here who put silly ideas into people's heads, like ERDTT is somehow a bad thing.

Thanks for all the advice. The moral is: "Relax and enjoy your Volt!"

There you go! The only therapy needed is to not be fussy. The car will take care of itself. All you have to do is feed it and drive it.

 

[jbakerjonathan]

Sssshhh!!!
<snip>
The only therapy needed is to not be fussy. The car will take care of itself. All you have to do is feed it and drive it.

In truth, that is the way I treat my Volt. When I am on a road trip I feed it 91 or greater octane and don't plug in. When I am home I select 12 amps, 120 volts, with delayed charging to end at 7 AM, plug it in and forget it... well, that's after I have filled in my spreadsheet with that day's data. LOL

I checked the tread depth yesterday - a little over 3/64ths inch left before exposing the wear limits. I'll be making a road trip to Gainesville, Florida, from there to St. Louis and then home, at which time I will be buying a set of Continental Pure Contact w/Eco Plus tires as the OE tires will have had over 51,000 miles on them. Oh, and it will be time for an oil change. Then, the Volt will be all set for the trip to California next October.

Love my Volt!

 

[llninja]

I've had my pre-owned 2015 Volt LT (18.4k miles) for over a month now. In that time I have used it a lot, but mainly for driving around Seattle, and the ICE and the mechanical disc brakes have not been used even once.

I'm concerned that if this pattern of driving continues, some deterioration of the ICE or rusting of the brake discs might occur when they are not used for extended periods. Is there a need do a once-a-month drive in HOLD mode to operate the ICE or to apply hard braking while applying the accelerator at the same time to clean the discs, in order to keep these Volt components in good operating condition?

I could contend that the mechanical brakes are used every time you press them to stop, albeit only for the last 5 mph. I don't think is necessary to do hard braking, but if you really want to, just put the car in N next time you are approaching a stop light that that will use friction brakes for the entire stop. But if it were me, I wouldn't worry about it. Just drive...

 

[ClarksonCote]

The Volt engineers designed the car so that you wouldn't have to worry about anything therapeutic for the car, as referenced in several posts above. Just enjoy it.

 

[Mister Dave]

.....and forget it... well, that's after I have filled in my spreadsheet with that day's data. LOL

We may be narrowing in on something here.

 

[llninja]

Thanks for the link. Yes, it does go below freezing and averages are just "sschmaverages" I do agree. However, I did say that "by setting the ERDTT point at 15 F, he won't be seeing ERDTT". That still applies for Seattle winter weather as has been experienced so far. I do concede that with the weather ever changing, the distinct possibility of winter temps dropping below 15 F is a possibility. So, thanks for adding the ERDTT for the OP (and me) to contemplate. 8^)

I contend that when it is cold out, setting it ERDTT to the lower setting results in less battery range because the batteries are cold, and you are forcing the car to use the resistive heater to warm the batteries. Through daily experimentation, I can get more EV range out of my gen1 with the higher ERDTT setting, burning through Dino juice, but not freezing to death keeping the cabin cozy. Since my daily commute exceeds the winter range of the car, I might was well burn Dino juice, warm the cabin, and warm the batteries anyway.

 

[wizard_of-ahs]

I contend that when it is cold out, setting it ERDTT to the lower setting results in less battery range because the batteries are cold, and you are forcing the car to use the resistive heater to warm the batteries. Through daily experimentation, I can get more EV range out of my gen1 with the higher ERDTT setting, burning through Dino juice, but not freezing to death keeping the cabin cozy. Since my daily commute exceeds the winter range of the car, I might was well burn Dino juice, warm the cabin, and warm the batteries anyway.

What's a commute again

 

[jbakerjonathan]

We may be narrowing in on something here.

Hahahahaha. You caught me!