Bolt Review after 2 weeks - Purch 12/31/16

[JupiterMoon]

Received my Bolt on 12/31/16 which I would bet would make me one of the first few owners in CA, and so far the Bolt is a pretty good vehicle.

Although, I would NOT recommend buying the standard version. Just upgrade to the Premier.

The standard version is quite standard, and if you are used to any luxuries, this IS NOT anything more than basic.

Before purchasing the car, we asked if it had NAV, he looked at the screen being large and said both versions include NAV. He also said both versions come with a top of the line stereo system. He said the ONLY differences between the standard and Premier is that the Premier has leather and a lot more safety features. (I know it should be the buyer's due diligence to check these things before leaving, but......a 10" screen with no Nav? Really?)

Since the vehicle just came in that morning, and was getting cleaned to sell, we just got to sit in it and drive it in the parking lot. (no Nav needed, and just the radio on basically)

Now that we have the car, tried to find Nav, and now they state that they never said that, and that the only Nav is Apple Play, which is a Far Cry from Nav with Traffic, which we have on all other vehicles. And the stereo really is pretty basic. Speakers are basic, and the sound is basic. As compared to my 2013 Cmax which came stock with a Sub, Nav, traffic, etc. The Bolt doesnt even come with rain sensing wipers! I put on 58,000 miles in 3 years on my Cmax Energi, so comparing is easy.

So far, the mileage estimates seem quite close. Really good in city, and looks like getting about 190/200 at more than 50% use of the freeway. The sport mode is quite spry, which makes this vehicle actually a little fun to drive.

Comfort and roominess seems better than the Cmax, and the trunk is spacious compared to the Cmax, only smaller rear passenger area, but vehicle leaves a lot more room in the garage, which makes it easier to move around.

There does seem to be an issue when going from forward/reverse, to park, if the car isnt totally stopped for over a second, if you press Park, then let off on the brake pedal to quickly, the car jumps and makes a clunk noise, or has a few times for me already.

So buyer beware, and be armed with the knowledge that the Bolt's very high price for the Standard version, comes with very basic features, as compared to many other vehicles.

It's ridiculous that this car...with the screen it has...doesn't come with a built-in Nav system that also shows charging waypoints, etc. It's a necessary thing that should be standard in ALL EVs for now.

 

[NeilBlanchard]

No built-in NAV that I know of works very well, and they don't update at all, or it is very hard to update. Setting up preferences on a built-in NAV is frustrating at best.

Google Maps is improving all the time, and they are adding features similar to Waze. Plugshare would be great, if they link it better to Google Maps.

 

[SoCalif]

Yes everybody, I do accept the "end" responsibility of the items missing. BUT I have never had an issue with a salesman stating features are there, and them not being there afterwards. But like everyone else, I have had sales people make incorrect statements, but for one, this was this dealerships Finance Manager, all sales people were busy, or not in yet.

Was it a deal killer? Obviously not, and I got what I deserved/inspected. (or didnt inspect) So I will enjoy the vehicle I have, and deal with it.

My main goal is to make anyone else aware, that the obvious and the little things you would expect, and what appears to be the norm, just isnt there and so no one else has to experience my mistakes.

Applemaps just isnt a Nav system, although it may be more updated, but can you zoom in and out or change the view from a moving screen to a static flat north/south looking screen like you can on Nav? Not that I have figured out. One level of zoom and one mode of viewing is all I have been able to see. (not how I have used nav for 10 years) So not used to it yet.

Homelink is a lot better than carrying around a remote which can be easily taken out/stolen, Homelink not so much. And for $40g's, a $100 Homelink preinstalled would be a good GM fix, for those who use it.

 

[Michael1]

My philosophy is to believe zero of what the dealer says. In fact, the less they tell me the better. I do lots of research before getting to any buying stage, and I do side by side comparisons of option packages (GM provides this).

 

[mtndrew1]

Applemaps just isnt a Nav system, although it may be more updated, but can you zoom in and out or change the view from a moving screen to a static flat north/south looking screen like you can on Nav? Not that I have figured out. One level of zoom and one mode of viewing is all I have been able to see. (not how I have used nav for 10 years) So not used to it yet.

While in an active Apple Maps route through CarPlay, touch the screen once to present the options at the top of the map. One of them is "Detail" which will give you a 3D map that will zoom in/out at necessary. Alternately do the same thing while in 3D mode and the button will change to "Overview" and touching that will give you a static 2D map.

I was initially frustrated with Apple Maps' simplicity but came to greatly prefer it over the built-in system in my car.

Edit: While in 2D map mode, tapping the screen once to bring up the controls will allow you to use a +/- button to zoom in or out many levels.

 

[SoCalif]

Thank you

Applemaps just isnt a Nav system, although it may be more updated, but can you zoom in and out or change the view from a moving screen to a static flat north/south looking screen like you can on Nav? Not that I have figured out. One level of zoom and one mode of viewing is all I have been able to see. (not how I have used nav for 10 years) So not used to it yet.

While in an active Apple Maps route through CarPlay, touch the screen once to present the options at the top of the map. One of them is "Detail" which will give you a 3D map that will zoom in/out at necessary. Alternately do the same thing while in 3D mode and the button will change to "Overview" and touching that will give you a static 2D map.

I was initially frustrated with Apple Maps' simplicity but came to greatly prefer it over the built-in system in my car.

Edit: While in 2D map mode, tapping the screen once to bring up the controls will allow you to use a +/- button to zoom in or out many levels.

 

[Its]

We noted on 2nd full day of driving a heating light issue. So the car will go back to the dealer to understand what is going on. Otherwise, it drives nicely but found that android cables for android auto are very fussy (only 1 of 4 was able to display).

Did you figure out what it was? We got this also but we have benn snowed this week except Tuesday. 16'' of snow does that in PDX.

 

[morbolt]

We have not brought it into the dealer yet. It is a minor issue, so not concerning us. We have over 1100 miles on the car and its great. Do you also notice that the windows fog up readily? We constantly run the defogger.

 

[drdiesel1]

We have not brought it into the dealer yet. It is a minor issue, so not concerning us. We have over 1100 miles on the car and its great. Do you also notice that the windows fog up readily? We constantly run the defogger.

This is an EV and has no gas engine to produce hydrocarbons. Therefore, the HVAC system has no fresh air/flow thru ventilation
requirements from the DOT. I crack the right front and left rear windows to get air circulation without using the HVAC system.
On really cold days, I use the heater and run the defroster only long enough to clear the glass. I turn it on and off as needed.

It's a PITA, but it keeps my range available. I ran it on a cold day all the way on my 25 mile commute and only noticed a few
miles of difference VS not running it at all. With 238 miles available, it's not a big deal. Maybe trying the Auto settings with
a reduced temperature setting will help to reduce the parasitic load. The heated seats are tied into the auto settings too

 

[LeftieBiker]

Run the heat on the lowest fan speed, in a mode that includes defrosting. The less air heated per second, the lower the heater consumption.

 

[wwhitney]

Run the heat on the lowest fan speed, in a mode that includes defrosting. The less air heated per second, the lower the heater consumption.

Do we know that the Bolt is using a direct air heater and that there's no coolant loop like in the 2011 Nissan Leaf?

Cheers, Wayne

 

[stevewa]

Run the heat on the lowest fan speed, in a mode that includes defrosting. The less air heated per second, the lower the heater consumption.

Do we know that the Bolt is using a direct air heater and that there's no coolant loop like in the 2011 Nissan Leaf?

Cheers, Wayne

Pretty sure it's a coolant loop, I think I read it in the manual.

<edit> confirmed. There are THREE coolant loops in the Bolt EV:

1. Battery
2. HV Electronics
3. Cabin heat

 

[wwhitney]

There are THREE coolant loops in the Bolt EV:

1. Battery
2. HV Electronics
3. Cabin heat

Ah, so if the cabin heat uses a coolant loop, then it is not quite as simple as low fan speed/setting means less power draw versus high fan speed/setting. That will be true in the steady state, but at startup there will some overhead in heating up the coolant loop. Of course, depending on the size of that coolant loop, the overhead may not be so significant.

Cheers, Wayne

 

[morbolt]

Thanks, so the fogging is normal for a full electric car. I appreciate the feedback.

 

[EldRick]

The fogging is only "normal" if you turn off the climate control. Exactly the same thing happens in an ICE car if you set the climate control to Recirc. Duh.

 

[morbolt]

I don't have fogging in my ice car, under the same conditions.. So I think it is a matter of degree if you are correct or there is some specific non-default setting.

 

[JeffN]

Depending on the weather conditions you might sometimes be able to get by without the heater and A/C compressor by just running the fan only and on the lowest setting and directing the airflow to the windshield.

This works for me in the San Francisco area when temperatures are in the 40's. I can leave the fan off and if it starts to fog I just bump to the fan speed to "1" for a minute until it clears up and then turn it back off. This works by bringing in some fresh air from outside which then warms up when it is blown inside the cabin and thus drops in relative humidity. I can do this infrequently enough that the overall cabin temperature doesn't drop much.

When it rains or drops into the 30's I give up and use the heater but leave the fan at the lowest setting that makes things comfortable.

 

[morbolt]

Thanks, so I gather this is a minor issue for electric vehicles and the obvious solutions (the same as with other cars) are used to resolve this normal issue.
That was all I was trying to gauge as it was unexpected. My wife is the primary driver and deals with it and mentions it to me. And the heater notification warning could have been related to this.

 

[drdiesel1]

This vehicle is equipped with three fully independent cooling systems.

1 The EV electronics cooling system is dedicated to cooling the power electronics components.
2 The EV battery pack cooling system is dedicated to cooling and heating the high voltage hybrid/EV battery.
3 The passenger compartment heater system is dedicated to providing heat to the passenger compartment.


Hybrid Powertrain Control Module
Drive Motor Control Module 1
Drive Motor Power Inverter Module

The primary purpose of the EV electronics cooling loop is to cool the power inverter module, battery charger, 14V power module and the transmission. The EV electronics cooling system uses the EV electronics radiator, engine control module inputs, a radiator fan and the 12 V EV electronics coolant pump to circulate coolant through the system. The EV powertrain control module 2 activates the EV electronics coolant pump and monitors the EV electronics coolant temperature sensor in the radiator. The coolant pump will be activated when the vehicle is on and during charging.

The EV electronics cooling system circulates a pre-mixed DEX-COOL® which is a 50/50 mixture of DEX-COOL® and de-ionized water. De-ionized water is required for high voltage isolation and to prevent corrosion from effecting heat sink performance. Always use pre-mixed coolant and never use tap water in the hybrid/EV electronics coolant system.


The EV battery pack cooling system uses a 12 V EV battery pack coolant pump, a refrigerant/coolant heat exchanger (chiller) and the A/C compressor to cool down the high voltage hybrid/EV battery. There is also the high voltage EV Battery Pack Coolant Heater external of the EV battery to heat the coolant entering the EV battery when needed. The EV powertrain control module 2 monitors the EV battery coolant temperature sensor 1, EV battery cell temperature sensors, refrigerant temperature, refrigerant pressure, and the EV battery coolant level switch. The EV powertrain control module 2 determines how much EV battery cooling or heating is required and turns on the EV battery pack coolant pump. Depending on what is required, it will operate the radiator fan and request the A/C Compressor Module to turn on the high voltage A/C compressor, or turn on the high voltage EV battery pack coolant heater. The hybrid/EV battery pack cooling system could be activated when the vehicle is operating, during charging, or when the vehicle is OFF and maintaining the EV battery pack temperature. Refer to Automatic HVAC Description and Operation.

The EV battery pack coolant level switch is attached to the coolant surge tank. The level sensor is a 2 state switch which changes state when the level in the surge tank gets low. The EV powertrain control module 2 uses the coolant level switch to determine if disabling the EV battery pack charging operation is necessary due to a loss of coolant.

The passenger compartment heater system uses the 12 V heater coolant pump, high voltage coolant heater control module and a heater core.
The HVAC control module monitors the temperature sensors in the passenger compartment and coolant loop to determine if high voltage coolant heater control module and heater coolant pump operation is needed. Passenger compartment heat is provided by air flowing through the heater core.

 

[SoCalif]

Last Updates - finally received a final call.

10 days ago, I received a envelope in the mail with a report with total detail called an air bag report. Didn't expect or need it, since it never deployed, and the report means nothing with only pages of diagnostic codes on them.

Today I received a phone call from GM claims department (funny since I never submitted receipts or amounts), and she simply said, the "claim was denied because the car operated as it should have", and that "GM will be sending a letter stating the claim was denied".

I then asked if in the report the letter had any specific details about the diagnostic scans, and the sequence of events that happened, and how and what happened.

She said no, "the only info she has and could send are the reports I already have with the diagnostic codes on them".

So simply put as I see them, GM is simply denying any responsibility and not being open and honest about the sequence of events, probably because there is more to this, and knowing for such a minor non injury issue (thank god), there would be no reason for us or anyone to go to a lawyer and file a lawsuit in order to Subpoena for the detailed records.

So yes, after all this team we basically knew GM would "NEVER" accept any responsibility for anything, nor would they be Open and Honest, because could or might open a can of worms.

So YES, I accept and have paid for and am paying for this mistake of not using the Parking Brake and not having a garage cam. I am now putting it in Park (like it does automatically), using the Parking Brake, and in addition I AM using Wheel Chocks/Blocks. PLUS I now have a garage cam.......