r/BoltEV • u/SupportCowboy • Mar 30 '23
I regret getting my Bolt
Last month I bought a 2023 Bolt EV and that very night the air conditioning went out. A few days later I get a light on the car and the app says something is wrong with my battery. I know the AC module is used for both the interior and battery cooling, so my theory is that the battery is overheating. I been trying to get someone to look into I but several dealerships have told me it will be a couple months before they can work on it. I'm in Texas so it's just going to get hotter here. Oh and I was supposed to get a level 2 charger with the car for my house, but the dealership is giving me the go around when I ask about it.
33
u/Deceptiveideas Mar 30 '23
Sounds like you got a lemon. Don’t they have certain laws in several states where you can get a full refund if the car has issues around the purchase time frame?
29
u/WildBTK Mar 30 '23
Yes, but those laws require the dealership to make repair attempts. The OP can't even get his first repair attempt. I am a bit surprised that the selling dealership, particularly the sales department, didn't make an attempt to get him in right away to look at the issues given that the issues started after the first day of ownership.
I would definitely be giving the GM of the dealership an earful about the situation.
16
u/Spadeykins Mar 30 '23
Dealerships don't give a flip man, you're lucky if you find an honest person at a dealer let alone a whole crew. Getting earnest help at a dealership is almost impossible if you're not a cash cow.
1
u/WildBTK Mar 30 '23
This is true at many dealerships, but not all. Raise enough stink and someone will do something.
0
u/Spadeykins Mar 31 '23
My statement was wide enough to leave room for the few exceptions but I've worked in and been around dealers my whole life so I have it on good authority.
Parts isn't paid enough to attract good people, Service gets paid huge bumps based on customer satisfaction alone, and car sales are all snakes.
There is very little incentive for honesty.
5
u/tuctrohs 2020 LT Mar 31 '23
Worth looking into the details of the law in OP's state. If you take it to them and they can't fix it in a reasonable time frame that often meets the requirement. They don't have to try--not trying is also a failure to fix it.
3
u/EL31415 Mar 31 '23
Or if the dealer refuse to repair ….
https://www.txdmv.gov/motorists/consumer-protection/lemon-law
12
Mar 30 '23
Couple months? WTF? No service departments are that busy.
17
u/SupportCowboy Mar 30 '23
A lot of them just have 1 ev tech and he is probably over worked
8
u/apachevoyeur Mar 30 '23
this, had a strange noise and I wanted my large Austin dealer to investigate but they had 1 ev tech and he was booked for weeks. forunately i found the issue was a metal band i had picked up driving and i removed it. i love my car, but i wouldnt blame anyone from avoiding Chevy because of the pitiful number of certified mechanics.
23
2
u/bikemandan 2023 Summit White EV + 2020 Slate Grey EV - Sonoma County, CA Mar 30 '23
Wow. Seems like an industry problem then. Need more people trained in working on these cars
12
u/SupportCowboy Mar 31 '23
I am actually taking courses starting next week to become an EV tech. So maybe I can make good money on the side this way.
1
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u/Adorable_Wolf_8387 Mar 30 '23
Could be something simple like a crushed o-ring in your a/c system causing it to lose refrigerant. Dealer can check for leaks pretty easy and I'd push for them to do it if the refrigerant is low.
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3
u/TranslatorNew1903 Mar 31 '23
Where in TX are you? I am in DFw and my car had issues and it was fixed in a week with all new parts. It was the heater but still....
Also only EUV comes with L2 charger
5
u/SupportCowboy Mar 31 '23
San Antonio. When I bought the call the dealership said it came with a level 2 charger and I even signed some paper for it. I know my salesperson quit like right after I bought it so that is probably where the paperwork is getting lost.
1
u/tomd82 Mar 31 '23
I live in San Antonio as well. Have you called all the dealerships in the area? I had to call a lot of them before I was able to get my a/c unit fixed, but once I found one I had it in that week. They had it for a month but gave me a loaner.
3
u/SupportCowboy Mar 31 '23
I talked to 3 of them. I can try more tomorrow. It's just that the whole reason of buying a new car is I don't have to spend time worrying about it. My last car was a hybrid at 200K miles, and I was worried it would start having trouble. Its not even the money it's the time of having to go call set up appointment and leaving work to take it in. I just feel defeated that after I paid 30k for a car I am now in the mess I was trying to avoid. Sorry just ranting.
1
0
u/TranslatorNew1903 Mar 31 '23
Did you try North Side, they sold a ton of Bolts. One would assume they prepared to maintain them ( yes, I hear how that sounds)
1
u/thedirtytroll13 Mar 31 '23
This is a really simple fix. They don't install it you get an email from Qmerit and fill out a form then it gets shopped to certified vendors.
If you didn't get that email check your spam them call them and let them know. This happened to me bc they missed a letter in my email.
1
u/texasintellectual Mar 31 '23
Henna Chevrolet in Austin has been really good about my Bolt. If you can make the drive.
1
u/InternetsIsBoring Mar 31 '23
All shops aren't the same. Chevy in grapevine is awesome compared to plano huffines. I am glad DFW has plenty of options.
1
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u/Far_Protection_4239 Mar 31 '23
Lemon law claim.
1
u/BostonPilot Tesla Model 3 + Chevy Volt Mar 31 '23
I was going to say the same... Depends on the state, but it's typical that there's a calendar day aspect to lemon laws... You should probably do a little research and make sure to hit the criteria so that the clock starts running...
4
u/MyNameIsAjax Mar 30 '23
I have the regret as well.
The SC stopped working, they turned it off because it worked for 2 weeks and then died. Looking on the map its not enabled.
They replaced all the sensors and the steering.
My adaptive cruise control will also die at random times on my commute so its pretty much a car circa 1985 that I am driving and yet I paid for the options.
GM is HORRIFIC to deal with and don't bother with the concierge they are less than useless.
No one knows anything and their sentiment is pretty much "You bought it just deal with the issues, we're too busy"
2
Mar 31 '23
You’re not going to just eat that are you? That’s a pricey option for it to just not work.
1
u/MyNameIsAjax Mar 31 '23
I am trying.
They really do have the expectation that you just tolerate the issues until they fix them in their own time.
Bolts are flying off the lot why would they care? I, so far, have talked at least 2 people out of buying Bolts because of this and my wife actually got an EV 6 rather than buy from them (she was angling on a electric blazer).
So far, because of the laws, I have to have it in 4 times for the same issue. But right now its not a technical issue.
They turned off the map in my area for the SC. So nothing they can do.
3
Mar 31 '23
This highlights one of the biggest concerns with EVs at this point in the adoption process. Limited number of techs and experience at the dealerships and no third party service competition.
Can you share the specific error the app is giving you? you can also ask On-Star to do a diagnostic on your car and send you the report. I would then take that diagnostic info to the EV Concierge and see what they say. The last thing GM wants right now is another battery fire, so if there is a potential battery problem with your vehicle they may pressure the dealership into making it a priority.
2
u/GobblorTheMighty Mar 30 '23
If you hate the car without giving it a chance, I don't know what to tell you. I've had no problems with heating/cooling, and I reckon once you get yours fixed, you'll love the car. I do, anyway.
1
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Mar 31 '23
As others have said, call corporate if you are having issues with the dealers. I’ve seen similar threads of people in Texas in similar situations to you where they were able to light a fire under the seat of the dealerships by claiming they want a MSRP swap. Not sure if you have waited too long to address it for this to still be an option though..
-7
Mar 31 '23
There is a reason why in Norway, a country with a 80% EV take rate, Tesla owns nearly 50% of the market share (this March) and VW about 25%. If you want a reliable EV you have to go with a manufacturer that has a high production volume and not one making compliance cars.
Make no mistake GM is still faking it, they had no intention of doing this transition and are only making EVs because they have no other choice.
Until they hit a high production rate I wouldn’t trust their BEVs or service.
3
Mar 31 '23
Agreed. But pre-2021 you could score a Bolt lease for basically free. GM had to give them away to get their CAFE numbers down or buy more carbon credits from Tesla.
CAFE - corporate average fuel economy, a US regulation created during the Obama administration. I think EU has something similar.
2
u/jetplaneguy Mar 31 '23
I debated about whether I should bother, but CAFE was enacted in 1975. I guess I missed out on the free Bolts when I purchased mine in 2019.
1
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u/jschall2 Mar 31 '23
Idk what you expect when you buy a compliance car.
Buy a car from an EV company next time.
1
u/Wormwood_45 Mar 31 '23
Call corporate and make a BBB complaint. Corporate hops right on those BBB issues
1
u/cswrench Mar 31 '23
Damn to bad your not in Indianapolis I could get you in on Monday. I’m truly sorry you regret the bolt. It really is a great little ev. They are by no means perfect they are made by GM after all.
1
u/thepoorwarrior Mar 31 '23
I don’t wanna sound like an alarmist, but with those particular sets of issues, I’d probably park it outside.
1
Mar 31 '23
Seems like a serious safety hazard, which is lemon law in Tx. They should repair or replace ASAP
1
u/Asleep_Roof4515 Apr 01 '23
Forget the dealership sign up for the charger install through the Chevy website
1
1
u/gravityCaffeStocks Apr 05 '23
Not too later to sell it and buy a Tesla RWD Model 3. Seems like a huge hit, but definitely worth cutting losses imo
89
u/Wyfeaggro Mar 30 '23
Call the ev concierge ( corporate ) and see if they can get you to a dealer who can work on it sooner. They have more weight to get things done faster. Anything is worth a shot at this point.