[james73601]

I bought a used 2014 volt. 33000 miles currently. I have 2 major problems with the car and my dealer flat out wont do anything about it. Just tells me not to drive it on gas.
My commute is flat roads at 45-50mph

First problem is when the car first goes in to gas mode for the day. It will almost always shut off.
Here is a video sorry it wont let me post links. youtube . c o m /watch?v=jw4Rptn5U_M the dealer will keep the car for a week just to give it back and tell me the car is not designed to run on gas and there's nothing they can do. I have been fighting when them for months about this. theirs never any codes for them to read and they say they can't do anything with out a code. After the car switches over to gas for the day. its fine it will run all day no problems.
I found this on the forum from gdarb they seamed to be having the same problem as me. Seams like this could be the problem. But getting the dealer to look at it has proved impossible

"Follow up to increase the knowledge base... the only thing the dealer could find wrong was an air leak in the camshaft cover... so they replaced that ($300) and that solved the problem. Apparently the air leak was throwing off the sensors so the car thought there wasn't any fuel... something like that. Anyway, problem solved and the maybe my imagination but the engine seems to be running quieter now...
"

Second problem is if the car has low electric miles or just switched over to gas and I stop for 30 mins I get the PPR message for a few mins. And no codes. It fits this service bulletin perfectly except I don't have high mileage. if you google #PIC6292 its the first link.

"If a Propulsion Power is reduced message occurs during regular operation, and there are no DTCs present, then contact GM Technical Assistance for direction. The most common condition customers have noticed is with 0 EV range remaining, the vehicle was parked for a few hours and the message appeared upon restart. Once the engine is able to charge the battery slightly, the message should disappear, which is approximately a few minutes in duration depending on the drive cycle."

The dealer said last time I was there they would do an update they found. But then they called me and forced me to pick up the car. they couldn't tell me if the update was performed or if anything was done. "they couldn't find the tech that worked on my car" they have seen the video and many more and they keep telling me this is normal and I shouldn't drive the volt on gas its not designed to run on gas.. The supervisor strongly implies I need to pay him directly "under the table" if I want the car to be looked at. Because nobody wants to try and find the problem with my car because they only get paid for work that's been completed. They have zero cares about the service bulletin I showed them.

Now they are telling my I'm out of my warranty and they can't do anything. I was under the impression that the 8/100 Voltec warranty was intact even if I got it used from the Chevy dealer. Is this true?

I believe I have found the problems I just don't know how I get my dealer to fix it. Iv tired both Chevy dealers here. I'v tried to get in contact with someone higher up using BBB and contacting someone at the dealers. But same story telling me this is normal not to drive it on gas. or its out of warranty and they can't offer any help. The dealers are killing me because they always want to keep the car for weeks and not work on it at all. And not give me loner. So its a huge challenge getting to work as This is my only car.

Does anyone have any idea what I should do? I just want the car fixed. I'll lose 8k if i trade it in. Does anyone have a contact that can help? I could replace the valve cover myself and hope that fixes it. But I just don't want to give them any more reasons not to work on my car.
Any advice will be amazing thank you.

 

[somms]

The dealer said last time I was there they would do an update they found. But then they called me and forced me to pick up the car. they couldn't tell me if the update was performed or if anything was done. "they couldn't find the tech that worked on my car" they have seen the video and many more and they keep telling me this is normal and I shouldn't drive the volt on gas its not designed to run on gas.. The supervisor strongly implies I need to pay him directly "under the table" if I want the car to be looked at. Because nobody wants to try and find the problem with my car because they only get paid for work that's been completed. They have zero cares about the service bulletin I showed them.

I was able to count at least 3 solid reasons why you should never go back to this specific GM service dept...

 

[Steverino]

A Chevy dealer who says a Volt—car with a gas engine—is not supposed to use the gas engine is talking out their butt at a minimum.

Contact GM customer service, explain that your dealer is telling you the Volt is not supposed to use it's gas engine, and ask them to set up an appointment with a dealer in your area that has a certified Volt technician.

 

[obermd]

And as soon as you find a dealership with a Volt technician report the first one to the local BBB and your state's AG Department of Consumer Affairs as a dealership that is unwilling to service Chevys.

 

[dannycamps]

Agree with others. Your dealer is TERRIBLE. I wouldn't even want my car serviced there. The issue you mention with the car shutting down/losing propulsion when switching to the range extender with 0 miles remaining has been mentioned here before. It appears to be something in the battery management system and should be covered under the Voltec warranty. The workaround is to switch to Hold mode prior to exhausting the entire EV range (e.g. switch over with like 5 miles remaining).

The more pressing issue is to find a dealer that is knowledgeable and able to work on your car. You will save yourself lots of headaches that way.

 

[pianocaddie]

...and if you can't find a Chevrolet dealership with a competent Volt tech, then, sadly, you're better off getting rid of the car. Bitter pill to swallow, I know...

 

[El Dobro]

State, town and dealers would help.

 

[jcanoe]

The dealerships you described are pathetic, hurt the reputation of all dealerships. Over time the market will reward the competent dealers and punish the incompetent, unethical ones but not soon enough. Don't waste your time with these bad actors, deal with GM customer service directly and have them arrange service at another dealership even if it means driving a much further distance for qualified service.

 

[BillG]

OP - based on your screen name, I'm guessing you are in Clinton OK. I suggest you may have to take it to OKC for repairs, unless that's where you've already been. Maybe some OK posters have some dealer recommendations.

By the way, I also agree with posting the name of the dealers you've been to.

 

[james73601]

Thanks for the replies. The main dealer we have tried working with is Pete Moore Chevrolet in Pensacola Florida. Sandy Sansing Chevrolet has been nicer but zero progress on getting the problem fixed I didn't know about there being a certified Volt technician I'll call the Customer service number and see if I can find a dealer near me with one.

 

[edk-austin]

A dealer has to be able to reproduce a problem to fix it. Is the failure consistent? Have they actually kept the car for weeks? Is that just a scheduling issue? All dealers are busy. Or they kept it one day, but just couldn't repro the problem? As you bought used, no dealer is going to give you free loaners. Unless you have a specific extended warranty.

On the other hand, clearly a Volt will run fine, like a regular car on gas. And a service manager that suggests you "need to pay him directly under the table" should be fired.

Yes, there have been issues with Volts switching over to gas mode (charge sustaining mode). But there can be many different causes. The dealer won't blindly apply fixes if they can't see the issue. Just policy.

Hopefully some Pensacola area owners can chime in with suggested dealers.

 

[sasmyth]

James -
I've had my own problems with the two dealers available to me within 100 miles.... the larger one is about 30 miles away and they were very clear that they didn't want to help me with installing a used traction battery which was my only obvious option outside of a *new* traction battery. This lead me to the *much smaller* dealer only 10 miles away (easier when I needed to trailer/tow it there!) who *was* willing to do the install, but with lots of disclaimers. The service manager I work with there is very avoidant/cagey by nature (personal or based on the dealership/service dept style?) and was quite proud that they had "Volt Certified Technicians" though I have come to believe that they have exactly ONE such and HE has very limited real-world experience.

I was happy to try to support them when I realized that many dealers probably *wouldn't* touch a used hybrid battery provided by me... but their avoidance and runaround and duplicity around what they have/haven't done on the car and some silly-long delays have been very painful. I'm used to doing my own work on cars, but too much going on with the Volt is out of range. Thankfully we have a few members here who are experienced/diligent enough to dig deeper than the average shade-tree mechanic (me) and share their experiences with us.

Good luck with the continued battle... there is a lot to like about the Volt, but I think service is naturally problematic and will probably get moreso on the Gen1's as time passes.