GM Chevy Volt

[Phillip L]

Certainly in my case that holds true. Thinking of getting the Volt to replace our ICE car but want to wait for the 2016. Drove to the local GM dealer here in Ontario but they have no more information on expected time of availability in Canada than what is on the Internet.

 

[TomServo]

Question-
Do all volts have a high pitched electric whine while using power or getting regen? Our fleet car was really quite annoying when I drove it, maybe something is wrong?
thanks




good to hear. might need to try our other fleet Volt
|
V

Neither of my two Volt's do - a 2012 and 2013 with a combined mileage of almost 34K miles. But 22 years in the USAF may have something to do with that.

Oh and I'm averaging over 92% all electric. Not bad for cars driven every day in all weather and charged with a cheap Clipper Creek LCS-25.

But I am thinking of trading in my 2014 Stingray for a CPO Model S.

 

[tonybelding]

The Obama-mobile (Chevy Volt)

Here's a pretty good opinion piece from The Japan Times:

The Chevy Volt and Obamas green legacy | The Japan Times

It's informative, and it seems mostly on-target. I could raise a few minor quibbles. Although the author notes that few-if-any of the Volt's problems are the fault of the car itself, I don't think he really acknowledges just how good the Volt is. I'm thinking of the awards it has won and its reputed customer satisfaction scores higher than any other car in GM's long history. The Volt was really a remarkable engineering achievement for GM, especially considering the time frame it was developed in. That political cartoon at the beginning, characterizing the Volt as a day late and a dollar short -- compared with the Prius, one presumes -- is inaccurate, though it may accurately illustrate the misperceptions some people hold.

Calling the Volt a "flop". . . OK, I understand that it failed to meet the loony sales projections that some people were spouting, but if you put it in perspective of cars like the 1st gen Prius or Insight, then the Volt is no flop. If it was a flop, you can be sure we wouldn't be seeing a second generation at all.

I do think GM have done a lousy job of marketing it. They've never figured out what their message is, and the whole political hubbub just took over.

 

[Jeff N]

Question-
Do all volts have a high pitched electric whine while using power or getting regen? Our fleet car was really quite annoying when I drove it, maybe something is wrong?

There is a high pitched whine from the DC-DC converter that supports the 12v system in the car. It's located under the storage area below the hatchback floor. It can become noticable if the hatchback floor or the storage shell under it are knocked out of their normal position this leaving air gaps that allow the sound into the cabin.

 

[Breezy]

This does however validate Tesla's business model of not announcing things early until they're ready to start producing them.

They don't show production versions until they're ready for order, but Tesla definitely announces things waaaaay before they're ready to start producing them. Examples include the Roadster, Model S, Model X and Model 3. :smile:

 

[gregincal]

They don't show production versions until they're ready for order, but Tesla definitely announces things waaaaay before they're ready to start producing them. Examples include the Roadster, Model S, Model X and Model 3. :smile:

However, they are all new segments rather than updates to existing cars. Autopilot, Model D etc weren't even hinted about in advance.

 

[3mp_kwh]

Question-
Do all volts have a high pitched electric whine while using power or getting regen? Our fleet car was really quite annoying when I drove it, maybe something is wrong?
thanks
V

Lately, when I go from the S to the Volt, what I notice is silence. Sorry.

I admit to not being wild about the '16s looks. Saw it in NYC, last weekend. It is a small looking car, in person. Seeing the Cadillac CT6, and knowing its PHEV details are right around the corner, I wonder if it doesn't stand to be the bigger 2016 PHEV newsmaker. A few PHEVs breaking out of the dismal <10kwh recipe, and delivering more suitable daily range numbers, not to mention better EV power, might change things.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Here's a pretty good opinion piece from The Japan Times:

The Chevy Volt and Obamas green legacy | The Japan Times

It's informative, and it seems mostly on-target. I could raise a few minor quibbles. Although the author notes that few-if-any of the Volt's problems are the fault of the car itself, I don't think he really acknowledges just how good the Volt is. I'm thinking of the awards it has won and its reputed customer satisfaction scores higher than any other car in GM's long history. The Volt was really a remarkable engineering achievement for GM, especially considering the time frame it was developed in. That political cartoon at the beginning, characterizing the Volt as a day late and a dollar short -- compared with the Prius, one presumes -- is inaccurate, though it may accurately illustrate the misperceptions some people hold.

Calling the Volt a "flop". . . OK, I understand that it failed to meet the loony sales projections that some people were spouting, but if you put it in perspective of cars like the 1st gen Prius or Insight, then the Volt is no flop. If it was a flop, you can be sure we wouldn't be seeing a second generation at all.

I do think GM have done a lousy job of marketing it. They've never figured out what their message is, and the whole political hubbub just took over.

They ran away from calling it a hybrid and marketected the EREV name, then they stopped spending marketing money when the sales didn't materialize. With no explanations other than a commercial that had people acting confused about what the Volt was, lots of people were left confused. At that point they needed price reductions to sell it and then any decent chance of profit were lost, so they just tinkered until Gen 2.

And, the Gen 1 really wasn't that good. Absolutely horrible interior control design, divisive "chunky" look, terrible fogging problem, abysmal climate control system, miserable cold-weather fuel economy (even with help of premium), ERDTT (engine runs to assist cabin heating at 15F or below), and way too much beeping when you do normal stuff (like plugging it in, for dog's sake!, or getting out and closing the driver's door with a fob still in the car because your partner's not out yet). We have a 2013 and have also had to take the car in multiple times for recalls and other problems (although the Volt has a high satisfaction rating overall and not everyone has had our experience). As my wife puts it: "I like the way it drives, but it's a piece of s**t."

Lesson learned: if you're going to buy an EREV or BEV, you absolutely must test it in your regular climatic extremes (which in our case means very cold).

But at least spring's here, so we can forget about the climate control and other inability to handle cold, snowy winter for 6 months.

 

[Jeff N]

And, the Gen 1 really wasn't that good. Absolutely horrible interior control design, divisive "chunky" look, terrible fogging problem, abysmal climate control system, miserable cold-weather fuel economy (even with help of premium), ERDTT (engine runs to assist cabin heating at 15F or below), and way too much beeping when you do normal stuff (like plugging it in, for dog's sake!, or getting out and closing the driver's door with a fob still in the car because your partner's not out yet). We have a 2013 and have also had to take the car in multiple times for recalls and other problems (although the Volt has a high satisfaction rating overall and not everyone has had our experience). As my wife puts it: "I like the way it drives, but it's a piece of s**t."

Lesson learned: if you're going to buy an EREV or BEV, you absolutely must test it in your regular climatic extremes (which in our case means very cold).

But at least spring's here, so we can forget about the climate control and other inability to handle cold, snowy winter for 6 months.

It sounds like many of your concerns relate to very cold weather driving. My winters are 36-50F early morning drives with dry pavement or occassional rain. I've had zero complaints about fogging, but I live in low-humidity California. The 2016 Volt is getting a more powerful heater and also rear seat heating vents. I actually love that the climate controls let me turn off electric heating while allowing me to use all other aspects of the controls. The original Nissan LEAF climate controls did not allow the heater to be independently disabled and some owners resorted to custom modifications to get around that in order to avoid wasted battery energy.

I agree that the center console capacitive touch buttons could have been more elegantly laid out but otherwise they've been good to me. After 4+ years of adjusting the radio, climate controls, and navigation the surface looks new and unblemished.

I do agree about the incessant horn honking but I think that's a bad habit that other (particularly American?) car makers have gotten into.

I've had zero problems of any significance in the last 4 year and have spent just under $100 on service and maintenance that mainly consisted of 2 oil changes in the last 112,000 miles. The Volt has been excellent for me and I don't want to be driving any other car in its place (other than an 85D Model S, but I'm waiting for the Model 3).

 

[TNEVol]

OK I have some questions for the Volt owners. We live in a rural area about 40 miles from Nashville TN. My wife's car Mazda 3 likely won't make it to Model 3 significant production. I love my P85 but she thinks it and the MX are too big and too $$. I need a transition car until the Model 3 and the 2016 Volt looks about right. Leaf is out due to range and IMO ugly, as is I3 for similar reasons. The only Volt owner I know loves her car but has had dealer problems since the dealer she bought from has one guy certified and whenever he is on vacation or sick they can't work on it. Other dealers refuse to work on it because she didn't purchase it from them. When we get a Model 3 I intend to give the Volt to my granddaughter for her first car so I am not particularly concerned about resale value. What do you Volt owners think? How do I address the dealer problem? Should I consider something else? Thanks

 

[Duckjybe]

OK I have some questions for the Volt owners. We live in a rural area about 40 miles from Nashville TN. My wife's car Mazda 3 likely won't make it to Model 3 significant production. I love my P85 but she thinks it and the MX are too big and too $$. I need a transition car until the Model 3 and the 2016 Volt looks about right. Leaf is out due to range and IMO ugly, as is I3 for similar reasons. The only Volt owner I know loves her car but has had dealer problems since the dealer she bought from has one guy certified and whenever he is on vacation or sick they can't work on it. Other dealers refuse to work on it because she didn't purchase it from them. When we get a Model 3 I intend to give the Volt to my granddaughter for her first car so I am not particularly concerned about resale value. What do you Volt owners think? How do I address the dealer problem? Should I consider something else? Thanks

I actually bought our Volt as a transition car while waiting for the Model S. I highly recommend the Volt but make sure to check your expectations because it is no Tesla. I have had no problems with our Volt and it has only been to the dealership once in 3 years for slightly low coolant for which there was no problem found. Try and live with the dealership and hope your car is problem free. My sister is on her 3rd (2nd one was in an accident), and my mother would love to buy ours but I am planning on letting our 16 year old drive it once the X comes. We are going to have to organize the optimum placing for 3 charging stations so we don't have to juggle cars too often.

 

[Breezy]

OK I have some questions for the Volt owners. We live in a rural area about 40 miles from Nashville TN. My wife's car Mazda 3 likely won't make it to Model 3 significant production. I love my P85 but she thinks it and the MX are too big and too $$. I need a transition car until the Model 3 and the 2016 Volt looks about right. Leaf is out due to range and IMO ugly, as is I3 for similar reasons. The only Volt owner I know loves her car but has had dealer problems since the dealer she bought from has one guy certified and whenever he is on vacation or sick they can't work on it. Other dealers refuse to work on it because she didn't purchase it from them. When we get a Model 3 I intend to give the Volt to my granddaughter for her first car so I am not particularly concerned about resale value. What do you Volt owners think? How do I address the dealer problem? Should I consider something else? Thanks

I’m hoping the Volt will be my son’s first car many years down the road. I’ve never had trouble with a dealer refusing to work on it and I’ve never taken it back to the selling dealer. Being Volt-certified should only come into play if they’re working on the hybrid systems or electronics. Anybody can change oil, rotate tires, replace brakes, etc. (not that those things are required very often).

 

[thelastdeadmouse]

I bought my Volt when I finally accepted that a S40 wouldn't meet my needs and a S60 was out of my price range. It works great for me because all my day to day travel is between 25-40 miles a day, and I take 10-20 trips a year that are 150-300 miles one way. I bought my car from a dealer in Florida and had it shipped here because it's cheaper buying Volts from high quantity dealerships, and have had no trouble having it worked on here. I'd advise anyone looking to buy a Volt to go to the GM-Volt.com forum and look at the offers the dealerships put in the Buying, Leasing forum. They're often thousands cheaper than what local dealerships want in lower sales areas.

 

[Trev Page]

The 2016 Volt looks like a Honda Civic now. I much prefer the look of the current model

 

[cwerdna]

We have a 2013 and have also had to take the car in multiple times for recalls and other problems (although the Volt has a high satisfaction rating overall and not everyone has had our experience). As my wife puts it: "I like the way it drives, but it's a piece of s**t."

Yeah, I don't doubt that a fair # of Volt drivers have had little or no problems w/their Volt But yeah, I've definitely heard of some problem units and lemons.

IIRC, the Volt started off w/pretty good reliability ratings in CR (very good for a 1st year GM car) but now is just average and w/more details "Based on the latest survey, we expect reliability of new models will be 13% below average."

I plan to extend my Leaf's lease for a year so if I do jump to the next gen Volt, it'll give GM some time to work that bugs out of that.

 

[Rifleman]

Yeah, I don't doubt that a fair # of Volt drivers have had little or no problems w/their Volt But yeah, I've definitely heard of some problem units and lemons.

IIRC, the Volt started off w/pretty good reliability ratings in CR (very good for a 1st year GM car) but now is just average and w/more details "Based on the latest survey, we expect reliability of new models will be 13% below average."

I plan to extend my Leaf's lease for a year so if I do jump to the next gen Volt, it'll give GM some time to work that bugs out of that.

My 2012 Volt has spent a combined total of 6 weeks in the shop since we leased it in September 2012. Problems have included : Failed liftgate struts, check airbag light on, check airbag light on (again), unlock button on the door handle not working, 110v charger stopped working, check airbag light on (a third time), car wont shift out of park, TPMS stopped working, and finally the car refused to charge. When the car would not charge, I was actually out of warranty (by 1000 miles) at that point, but the Chevy dealer comped the repair, knowing how often my car had been in.

While I actually like my Volt, it has been far from reliable for me.

 

[mknox]

The 2016 Volt looks like a Honda Civic now. I much prefer the look of the current model

I thought so too, but I saw it at the Toronto Auto Show and it does look quite nice "in the flesh".

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

My 2012 Volt has spent a combined total of 6 weeks in the shop since we leased it in September 2012. Problems have included : Failed liftgate struts, check airbag light on, check airbag light on (again), unlock button on the door handle not working, 110v charger stopped working, check airbag light on (a third time), car wont shift out of park, TPMS stopped working, and finally the car refused to charge. When the car would not charge, I was actually out of warranty (by 1000 miles) at that point, but the Chevy dealer comped the repair, knowing how often my car had been in.

While I actually like my Volt, it has been far from reliable for me.

Similar disappointing experience with our 2013.
- Going in on Monday for the 3 current recalls, one of which is the struts
- Service Stabilitrak, Service Brakes (my wife was fortunate that a traffic light was green and this _really_ soured her on the car)
- Heating wasn't working (and it still sucks now)
- Charger not working (coolant was too low from factory)
- Charge port door sticks in cold temperatures
- Power steering sticky on center

Our Volt does not like our winter and we learned the hard way that PEV buyers should give a good test drive in cold weather to make sure that the heater is adequate.

 

[Xpress]

Three plus years and 40K+ miles on two Volts. Not one problem, been to the shop once to rotate tires.

 

[Rifleman]

Similar disappointing experience with our 2013.
- Going in on Monday for the 3 current recalls, one of which is the struts
- Service Stabilitrak, Service Brakes (my wife was fortunate that a traffic light was green and this _really_ soured her on the car)
- Heating wasn't working (and it still sucks now)
- Charger not working (coolant was too low from factory)
- Charge port door sticks in cold temperatures
- Power steering sticky on center

Our Volt does not like our winter and we learned the hard way that PEV buyers should give a good test drive in cold weather to make sure that the heater is adequate.

I completely agree on your winter observations. My Volt's HVAC system is unable to keep the car cool in the summer, unable to keep it warm in the winter, and is unable to prevent the windshield from fogging year round. The cold weather all-electric range is also unaceptable on the volt. If it is below freezing, I take a 30%-40% range hit.