You might try checking the build date. I would assume that they were built before the battery recall was extended to the 2022/2023 model years and the owners initiated buybacks or trade/repurchases on them. If so, you might be getting a bargain (if the main traction battery was replaced) or you might be getting a headache (if the diagnostic software resolved the recall, meaning you will be limited to 80% battery capacity for 6200 miles). Before buying one, you should clarify a) if the cars were repurchased due to the battery recall or some other reason and b) how the battery recall was resolved (battery replacement or diagnostic SW)

 

I did email the salesperson back and asked for clarity. Can I ask why you did a buyback of your Bolt? Did you get a replacement Bolt?

 

If you tap on "Complete" in the grey area (see below), you will get more recall info. You will find that either defective modules were replaced, which means a new battery, or the advanced diagnostic software has been installed.

If it lists both and the diagnostic software was installed in June of 2023 or later then it's the new version. Based on my inquiries so far, that means no new battery, just the diagnostic software. That software will limit the max charge to 80% for 6,200 miles, and then revert to 100% if no problems were found.

GM has been getting this software installed, and then putting these 2020+ Bolts up for auction. Every 2019 and older Bolt got a new battery. I'm looking at buyback Bolts too, and it seems like the 2020+ ones that got new packs, are mostly all gone. What's primarily left among the 2020+ Bolts are the ones that are just getting the software.

It appears in some states at least, because they were buybacks, they are getting branded titles. The dealers are generally selling them at a discount to reflect that. The branded titles can hurt resale value. If you plan on keeping the Bolt for a long time, that should hardly matter.

 

The cars were on hold for quite a while because of pending recalls. Don't think GM can sell a car with an active safety recall.

I'm sure almost every 2017-2019 cars have new battery or should have.

 

The question is, what does it mean when the recall site says these Bolts got both new batteries, (described as replacing defective modules), and the diagnostic software that limits the charge to 80% for 6,200 miles? That makes no sense!

 

I looked at one of the 2022 Bolt EUVs from Connell Chevrolet that were reacquired vehicles. When I plugged in the VIN, this is what I got on the GM Recall Lookup site:

The bottom two, pertain to replacing defective modules. The top one, dated 2023-08-03, pertains to the advanced diagnostic software. I inquired with a dealer near me, about a particular Bolt with all three recall citations and was told that Bolt didn't get a new battery, just the diagnostic software.

IDK why all three were listed though. Perhaps you will get a further explanation. If you do, please post what you find out.

If you go look at one of these Bolts, and attempt to set the charge limit past 80%, and you can't, that will prove it has the software, and in all likelihood also the original battery pack.

 

I looked at one of the 2022 Bolt EUVs from Connell Chevrolet that were reacquired vehicles. When I plugged in the VIN, this is what I got on the GM Recall Lookup site:
View attachment 62414
The bottom two, pertain to replacing defective modules. The top one, dated 2023-08-03, pertains to the advanced diagnostic software. I inquired with a dealer near me, about a particular Bolt with all three recall citations and was told that Bolt didn't get a new battery, just the diagnostic software.

IDK why all three were listed though. Perhaps you will get a further explanation. If you do, please post what you find out.

If you go look at one of these Bolts, and attempt to set the charge limit past 80%, and you can't, that will prove it has the software, and in all likelihood also the original battery pack.
View attachment 62415

The dealership contacted me and informed me that all the Bolts that were listed as BuyBack have the new software update. NO new batteries. I didn't even ask about the ones label Lemon/Salvage.

I also found a used 2022 EV 2LT at a Lexus dealership here. I checked it's VIN on the site you recommended and that model also received the software update, no new batteries. I'm a bit unsure if I want a car I have to drive 6200 miles before I can then charge it over 80%. We shall see. I need to go and actually drive the EV and the EUV.

 

Thanks. I will post any information from the dealer. They have 6 of them. It's 325 miles away from me. I doubt I will go there. I thought I'd ask here on the forum. I want a 2022 or 2023. I need the power driver's seat for my back.

 

A recall can be marked "complete" by GM even if no work was done, provided that a different recall was completed that addresses the issue. They'll do that routinely to clear out an interim service procedure recall when the final recall remedy is performed. What doesn't make sense here is that the battery replacement recall was marked completed in December 2022, when the advanced diagnostic software wouldn't be released for another 6 months. It's as if they knew in December what was coming and they had already decided what to do with these cars. Or maybe the data is just messed up.

 

Is it possible they backdated the battery replacement recall as completed at the time the software was applied? IDK why, but that's all I can think of. Anyway, you confirmed my suspicion that if the advanced diagnostic software is listed, then the battery wasn't replaced, even though that action is listed as completed.

 

Branded ... STEER

LOL I wondered if you made STEER upper case to make a pun with Branded.
Anyway, thanks for these explanations. I'm forwarding this thread to a friend of a friend who is about to buy a used 2020 Premier from a dealer.

 

LOL!!! No, I just happened to use the word to mean, "get far, far away". It did land upright if it was a joke. I do tend to use this type of humor as I go through life in situations such as this.

 

Are these in Winona worth the price that they have on them?

 

If you don't mind extensive hail damage on all horizontal surfaces, they might be. I've seen worse but not a lot worse. You can't tell from the dealer pictures, and I couldn't take any pictures with my phone that showed the hail damage much either, but it's quite obvious to the naked eye.

I'm sure it would cost more to fix than the cars are worth. They will likely all come with branded titles, maybe for both the hail, and the buybacks. So, they are best bought and kept a long time. Resale and trade in value won't be good.

They are all or mostly 2020 models with low miles, as low as 5k. They've been sitting for a year or longer in a lot somewhere, I think the KC area, and I imagine that's where the hail hit them.

All have the diagnostic software so they are limited to an 80% charge for 6200 miles. None got new battery packs. I've checked all the VINs against the GM recall site.

Here is a link to the blue one. Three others are white. One of the white ones has had a window tint. It says Dahl Subaru in the link, but they were next door at Dahl Chevrolet.

https://www.dahlsubaru.com/inventory/used-2020-chevrolet-bolt-ev-lt-fwd-4d-wagon-1g1fy6s0xl4138623/?store=DAHLSUBARU&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA67CrBhC1ARIsACKAa8QaE2iOmCZiF2UrOJOr9HSBh8KWNNzDgNmV_eMMpItg4Nbn3v8xFNkaAix0EALw_wcB

 

Can anyone tell me why Connell Chevrolet in Costa Mesa CA has a group of 2022 Chevy Bolt EV 2LT models with very low miles that have been reacquired by GM?

These are Bolts that were bought back by GM as part of the battery recall.
But you know that already. What is your actual question?
Either the batteries were replaced, or they have the new testing/limiting software and are ready for sale.

110 USED AND CERTIFIED USED CHEVROLET BOLT EV IN PAOLA, KS
These are around $11-13,000.

Excellent deal.

 

FWIW I think an easier way to tell whether a Bolt has gotten a replaced battery pack, rather than looking at the completed recall ID numbers and all that, is to just scroll down to the bottom of the page where it shows the warranty coverage. Based on the mileage limit and date limit on the battery warranty, you can tell whether the battery was replaced. For example if it's a 2019 Bolt then the original battery warranty would have expired in 2027, but if it says it expires in 2031 instead, that means the battery was replaced in 2023. Similarly if the mileage limit for the battery is 125k miles instead of 100k it means the battery was replaced when the car had 25k miles on it, for example.

 

is to just scroll down to the bottom of the page where it shows the warranty coverage.

Ah, here we are... This is excellent!
Battery has been replaced. experience.gm. com/ownercenter/recalls
Bolt Battery Limited Part Warranty
Expires February 10, 2030 or 123474 miles
2017 Bolt EV at Paola, KS
MILEAGE: 24,085
02/23/2017 First sold
05/19/2022 VEHICLE REACQUIRED 24,065 miles

What is 02/10/2030 - 8 years?
What is 123474 - 100000?
That looks like the date it was serviced by a dealer and the battery buyback might have been initiated.
02/07/2022 23,475 Culver City Chevrolet - Vehicle serviced

 

I don't know why, but I find the events and the chronology of the buyback saga fascinating. I guess its simply a story of GM trying to make the best of a real debacle, (albeit one that LG is really responsible for). But by the way the events unfold, its hard to tell if GM is obfuscating or rather just adjusting to changing conditions.


"We gotta offer buybacks on all of them."
then
"Well, we gotta put new batteries in all of them."
then
"We can put diagnostic software in some of them."
then
"We gotta brand some of the titles."
then
"Sometimes they get f'd up before we can auction them off again."

or something like that.

But the bottom line is: They're good cars and now you can get them for very little money.



Someday it'll be interesting to see just how bad the LG thing really hurt GM. Most people I talk to about my Bolt don't remember anything about battery fires.

edit: Big thanks to Spicy et. al. for doing the digging to figure out the history of the used Bolts hitting the market lately. Its not exactly clearly stated or anything.

 

I bought a 2021 Bolt that had been reacquired by GM and the dealer had bought 40 of them, of which about 12-15 were left by the time I got there. The one I got only had 3,900 miles on it and was in great condition. I am not really worried about the software update/80% charging limit because a) it's only for 6,200 miles, and b) you should only charge to 80% max on a daily basis anyway. It's only when you're on a long road trip where you might have the need to charge to 100%.

Personally, I think these are a good value, and people want them since they are economical and a blast to drive around for your daily commute/grocery getter. If you are concerned about the battery recall, then steer clear. When you look at the data from the insurance industry, EV's are at less risk then ICE vehicles for fires, so that should help provide some confidence. When charging the battery to a proper level on a daily basis, you extend its life and reduce the chance of overheating.

I wish Chevy hadn't decided to kill the Bolt for a second and final time. The challenge for legacy auto makers is to build a compelling vehicle that people can afford, while still turning a profit. I hope GM and others can make that happen in the next few years. The Bolt was a really good effort (similar to the EV1 back in the day), so why kill it? Cheers!

 

See those Bolts the way their former owners did: as vehicles they had to settle for, until an escape opportunity presented itself.

 

Zapster, assuming you are driving a 2020 Bolt, you don't like? What is your experience so far?

 

My experience has been superb. Practically flawless. The recall was at most a minor inconvenience.

I never understood why so many fellow Bolt drivers were crowding the exits. Unless they saw the MSRP swap as a way to upgrade to the Tesla they wanted all along and were kicking themselves for not having gotten in the first place.

 

OK, thank you. Full disclosure, I had another Bolt (a 2017 premier trim) which I wasn't sure what to do with when the recall was announced, and GM wasn't being very specific around when the battery pack would be replaced, so I took the buyback. I missed the car and wished I hadn't done that. Fast forward to now, and I bought a 2021 and love it. It had such low miles it was practically new.

As far as wanting a Tesla, I rented a Model Y for a day and it was decent, but not overwhelming. I thought fit and finish was not as good as the Bolt, to be honest. The navigation is obviously the best thing about it. But for the price, to me it's not worth having a second mortgage payment. That's why the Bolt is so compelling.

 

Community Chevrolet has a fenced off lot full of bolts, I wonder what that's about. They're a terrible dealer told me 6 months ago they had two bolts coming in at over $40,000 and wouldn't honor employee discount, and have a mandatory digital license plate for $995