I just bought a new Bolt. I have had to take it to the dealership already twice now. In fact, it's there right now. The first was "Propulsion power reduced" and the second was the same message and a non-working heater. The people at the dealership seem to not know what is happening to it. It is a brand new car. I am regretting making the purchase. The only reason why I did was because I heard positive things about the Bolt. But there is nothing about buying a new car and not even having it in my driveway.

Has anyone else experienced this type of catastrophe? If so, any advice. Was the error ever resolved? Is there hope for me? Did I just make the worst mistake ever by purchasing a Bolt?

Please help.

Cheers from a 2023 Possible Chevy Bolter.

I had the transmission control module go out on ours (2023 EUV) at around 1,500 miles but the car has been a "gem" ever since. The dealership replaced the module in two days. The dealership should be able to diagnose (scan) for the problem. In my case GM did the scan and told the dealership what the problem was. Don't lose confidence in the car. They are great cars.

 

There are many, many stories of incompetent dealers littered throughout the corners of the forum. There are also some excellent dealers.

I suggest adding details, where are you (general area is fine), and what dealer have you tried. Chances are, there are others who live near you and have recommendations for a competent dealer in your area.

Personally, I have referred several to the dealer I have been using, after the three other dealers in the area failed miserably on relatively simple things. All of these referrals got quick and professional care from this dealers techs and service writers.

You see, there are some who know a little but claim to know everything, there are some who know nothing but claim they know enough, and there are some who may not know it all, but have the professionalism to dig until they find the answer. Unfortunately, the latter may be the exception in many areas.

A friend just bought a '23 EV LT2 in KS. The dealer clearly admitted, they sell all of their Bolts to CO residents and never see them again. Somehow, they have been successful in getting inventory in this remote, rural KS area and because they are willing to sell at MSRP, have sold a lot. They claim to have trained/certified techs, but probably haven't actually worked on many Bolts, so their book knowledge may meet minimum requirements, but the lack of experience suggests they will struggle as they learn.

How did I know my preferred dealer was worthy or recommending? On the weekend before the battery replacement announcement by GM over the fire recall, I went to talk to a sales guy about the '22 Bolts, wanted to see them in person. He was driving a '19 Bolt and quite knowledgable. He took me into the service bay to meet their top EV tech who was in the middle of module replacement on a Bolt battery pack. Module replacements were done on a sampling of Bolts as GM was trying to figure out the best way to deal with the replacement program. They enlisted the top techs around the region, measured competence, speed, and subsequent problems. Not all were 100% successful apparently, and the time to replace modules was apparently deemed too time consuming. But the fact is, this tech knew his stuff, and proved to me the prior claims the dealer had made about their expertise were real. Several months later, my pack was replaced, it was a flawless experience.

So do some exploring to find the competent dealers in your area.

 

Chances are, there are others who live near you and have recommendations for a competent dealer in your area.
Personally, I have referred several to the dealer I have been using, after the three other dealers in the area failed miserably on relatively simple things. All of these referrals got quick and professional care from this dealers techs and service writers.
So do some exploring to find the competent dealers in your area.

Okay, what about Denver? When I ordered my Bolt I went thru Emich. The salesman owned a 22 EUV (that's what we test drove). I was impressed with that end of the dealership (prior to cancelling the order and buying out of state). Thus far, at a mere 2500 miles, we haven't had any need to go in but looking down the line...

 

I just bought a new Bolt. I have had to take it to the dealership already twice now. In fact, it's there right now. The first was "Propulsion power reduced" and the second was the same message and a non-working heater. The people at the dealership seem to not know what is happening to it. It is a brand new car. I am regretting making the purchase. The only reason why I did was because I heard positive things about the Bolt. But there is nothing about buying a new car and not even having it in my driveway.

Has anyone else experienced this type of catastrophe? If so, any advice. Was the error ever resolved? Is there hope for me? Did I just make the worst mistake ever by purchasing a Bolt?

Please help.

Cheers from a 2023 Possible Chevy Bolter.

My 23 EUV went through 2 on board HV battery chargers in the first 400 miles. It spent almost the entire first month at the dealership. On the second attempt they also replaced the main computer, and that seems to do the trick. Not a single issue since then (18k miles).

My dealer (James Wood, Decatur, TX) seemed competent but had to call in a tech from GM which is what took the most of the time.

Eventually they will get things right.

 

ask them for a loner

 

Is that some guy that works at the dealership, but just stands over in a corner somewhere looking cool and not talking to anybody?

 

The first was "Propulsion power reduced" and the second was the same message and a non-working heater.

The first thing that comes to mind would be an air lock situation in the battery heating/cooling loop. Or maybe a faulty battery heater.

 

Pretty much a guessing game as to what it would be. but dealer i’m sure will figure it out. if they sold you the Bolt they need to have the equipment to troubleshoot and fix it.

Would not call it a cathastrophe, just an unlucky card. happens

Had a similair thing on day1. turned out to be a simple fix.

 

@bisco Hey! Watch it there buddy.

@StainlessBolt I wouldn't either. But a catastrophe, it maybe.

 

I just bought a new Bolt. I have had to take it to the dealership already twice now. In fact, it's there right now. The first was "Propulsion power reduced" and the second was the same message and a non-working heater. The people at the dealership seem to not know what is happening to it. It is a brand new car. I am regretting making the purchase. The only reason why I did was because I heard positive things about the Bolt. But there is nothing about buying a new car and not even having it in my driveway.

Has anyone else experienced this type of catastrophe? If so, any advice. Was the error ever resolved? Is there hope for me? Did I just make the worst mistake ever by purchasing a Bolt?

Please help.

Cheers from a 2023 Possible Chevy Bolter.

My 2023 bolt EUV has been in the shop now 3 1/2 weeks today. I just got off the phone with the service manager and there is no word on when Parts will be available so it could be another month. I’ve had the car for one year and I haven’t had any problems with it until recently it stopped fast charging. I’ve had a lot of new cars in my days and this is truly been the worst experience I’ve ever had. I love the car but it’s really bad customer service when they take your brand new car away from you and won’t even tell you how long it’s going to be in the shop. This will be my last Chevrolet purchase ever!

 

Complain to Chevy corporate. The car is under warranty. You should have a replacement vehicle available to you. Not having your actual car should not be a problem as long as you have an equivalent replacement loaner available.

 

I just bought a new Bolt. I have had to take it to the dealership already twice now. In fact, it's there right now. The first was "Propulsion power reduced" and the second was the same message and a non-working heater. The people at the dealership seem to not know what is happening to it. It is a brand new car. I am regretting making the purchase. The only reason why I did was because I heard positive things about the Bolt. But there is nothing about buying a new car and not even having it in my driveway.

Has anyone else experienced this type of catastrophe? If so, any advice. Was the error ever resolved? Is there hope for me? Did I just make the worst mistake ever by purchasing a Bolt?

Please help.

Cheers from a 2023 Possible Chevy Bolter.

Honestly, I like the car but am very unhappy with the local dealers. The one I bought the car from required me to leave the car at the dealer for a minimum of 2 days-just to evaluate it. I started taking it to a closer dealer. They were willing to look at it while I waited but don't seem to know how to work on it. The irony is the problems have nothing to do with the car's battery, rather with the electrical system. Even ICE's now have sophisticated electrical systems so the EV part, in this case, is irrelevant. They thought I needed a new camera to fix a nonfunctioning cruise control and it took 2 weeks to get the camera. I have NEVER had a local repair shop take so long to get a part. I chalk this up to warranty repair and penny pinching. I think I'd rather pay less initially for a car and skip the warranty than put up with this crappy service.

 

Unfortunately with any vehicles or electronics lemons happen. Rest assured should the problems continue the lemon law should be there for you. Hopefully it was just a glitch in programming or a faulty connection that is easily resolved. Or you might just need a replacement. Best of luck to you

 

Exactly. This has nothing to do with the car being a Bolt.

 

Buying any car is a gamble, and the stealers are organized criminals. Part of the issue is that modern cars are enormously complex, with complicated supply chains and hundreds of suppliers scattered all over the globe. I'd say your chances are much better with a warranty than without one, and much better with a dealership network than without one. The Bolt is a brilliant car, but a complete corporate fiasco. And the new Equinox EV will be about $20K more than when it was announced, while the Blazer EV had to pulled from the market because of the daunting task of programming the infotainment system.

We bought a used 2020 Premier, hopefully all the software/hardware gremlins have been expunged in the last 4 years. I fully expect that at some point I'll have to replace the steering gear, based on what I've read. I also realize now that our summer range (here in Phoenix) will be about 30% less than advertised, and that our charging expense will be considerably higher because the A/C will have to run almost constantly while the car is parked in our garage in the summer. Yeah, they don't explain that to you anywhere. But in Phoenix our daily temps are over 110F in the summer, the pavement is 165F (I've measured it), and the interior of our garage is, at times, 125F. The tires are also way more expensive than our Civic's, and have to be replaced twice as often. So about 5 times as expensive in tires as our Honda Civic, and using electricity constantly in the summer.

Without the tax incentive, not many people would be happy with a Bolt. And yet I still say it's a brilliant car, and amazing to drive. But most who lived through the recalls would probably not agree. Good luck!

 

But in Phoenix our daily temps are over 110F in the summer, the pavement is 165F (I've measured it), and the interior of our garage is, at times, 125F.

Is there a car (or human for that matter!) who isn't negatively affected by this environment?

 

our 2012 Civic gets the same mileage summer or winter

It absolutely does change, but you may not notice it because you don't experience any range anxiety.

The tires last twice as long and cost 60% less than the Bolt's.

Tires on a heavy, torquey EV may not last as long, but the Bolt's tires are not exceptional, and might only cost more if they are larger than on the Civic. Compare a Bolt's tires to an SUV and they will be much cheaper. All I'm saying is that the specific cost is independent of being an EV.

Service procedures are far more straight-forward, I've done them all myself

On a Bolt there is virtually no service required compared to any ICE.

don't find people parked in the charging spots

Someone could certainly park in a gas pump spot, but they would likely get towed pretty quick. That should come with EV spots eventually.

For example, steering gear replacement - about $3000. A/C replacement - about $3500. Heater replacement - just guessing, but maybe $1500.

If any of these things failed on an ICE the cost to repair might be similar. And I would suggest that because of the 200F+ environment that the ICE runs at, parts failures under the hood might actually be more prevalent.

 

It absolutely does change, but you may not notice it because you don't experience any range anxiety.


Tires on a heavy, torquey EV may not last as long, but the Bolt's tires are not exceptional, and might only cost more if they are larger than on the Civic. Compare a Bolt's tires to an SUV and they will be much cheaper. All I'm saying is that the specific cost is independent of being an EV.


On a Bolt there is virtually no service required compared to any ICE.


Someone could certainly park in a gas pump spot, but they would likely get towed pretty quick. That should come with EV spots eventually.


If any of these things failed on an ICE the cost to repair might be similar. And I would suggest that because of the 200F+ environment that the ICE runs at, parts failures under the hood might actually be more prevalent.

Really, you think you can tell me you know more about our Civic that we've driven for 12 years and 115K miles? The mpg reads out right on the dash, duh. 32 mpg with A/C running, 33 mpg without A/C running. It's a rounding error.

Tires for Civic - $100 each, mounted and balanced. Bolt - $280 each, mounted and balanced.

Civic tire life - 72,000 miles on our first set. Bolt - 40,000 miles IF YOU DON'T DRIVE AGRESSIVELY.

If someone parks at a gas pump, I drive 10 feet to one of the other 15 pumps! At a concert the other night, there were ICE's parked in 5 of 6 charging spots, and one Tesla that wasn't charging.

As to parts failure being more prevalent, I TOLD YOU THE PARTS FAILURES AFTER 12 YEARS AND 110k MILES.

But yes you're right, if a person just makes stuff up and denies reality and hard data, the Bolt is superior to every car ever built and will only cost pennies per year to drive.

 

Really, you think you can tell me you know more about our Civic that we've driven for 12 years and 115K miles? The mpg reads out right on the dash, duh. 32 mpg with A/C running, 33 mpg without A/C running. It's a rounding error.

There isn't an ICE on earth that doesn't get worse mileage in hot/cold weather. The number on the dash may well be a rounded average my Honda because the implications to the driver are not significant.

Tires for Civic - $100 each, mounted and balanced. Bolt - $280 each, mounted and balanced.

Are they the same size? If they are then you are just buying more expensive tires for your Bolt. A Michelin can be up to twice the cost of a Toyo or Yokahama.

Civic tire life - 72,000 miles on our first set. Bolt - 40,000 miles IF YOU DON'T DRIVE AGRESSIVELY.

Again this can be influenced by the actual tire you buy and it's rating, and it sure looks like you are buying very different tires. But having said that there is no question that tires on an EV will not last as long.

If someone parks at a gas pump, I drive 10 feet to one of the other 15 pumps! At a concert the other night, there were ICE's parked in 5 of 6 charging spots, and one Tesla that wasn't charging.

The point I was making still holds. We are still in early days of the EV revolution. This problem will abate. Actually in China some charging spots have barriers that protect the and are only folded via the app. Otherwise you can't totally police a--holes. Theoretically all the gas pumps at a station could be blocked, but the police would be there in an instant.

As to parts failure being more prevalent, I TOLD YOU THE PARTS FAILURES AFTER 12 YEARS AND 110k MILES.

My point here is that a steering gear, a tie-rod, a compressor, etc. etc. can break on any car. And the cost to fix things not related to the engine/battery and motors, is comparable. Beyond those mechanical things that are the same on an EV/ICE, the ICE has 10x more other parts to fail. Are Honda's pretty reliable -- Sure, I've had a couple. But a more fair comparison would be a Bolt to a Cruise, or a Civic to the new Prologue.

the Bolt is superior to every car ever built and will only cost pennies per year to drive.

Hardly. But it is a pretty good car, just like a Civic.

Having said that, there have been several studies done to demonstrate long term cost comparisons between the two best selling ICEs and EVs -- Camry and TM3. The TM3 wins hands down despite the purchase differential. Any individual car (EV/ICE) can run into problems, but that's not a reflection of the record of that model as a whole. A survey sample of one is never very valuable.

 

Tires for .... Bolt - $280 each, mounted and balanced.

Mama says: You better shop around, shop, shop,,,🎼

At a concert the other night, there were ICE's parked in 5 of 6 charging spots, and one Tesla that wasn't charging.

What can you say? 6 Royal Inconsiderate Aholes, one knowing full well he's screwing another EV driver.
I say, let's get some enforcement going on parking rules.

Back to the OP: Maybe some dealers are slow about working on EV's. But the owners say 'Sell Bolts.'
Could some employees actually hate EV's (trumpers).
Good luck with the dealer you are using....

 

@BoltOutOfHell, are you saying that your Bolt's AC actually runs constantly in your Phoenix garage in summer for battery cooling, or are you just fearing that's what will happen when summer comes? The plugged-in car tries to keep the battery below 95 F.

 

My “Propulsion Power Reduced” message came at 10,000 miles. It was a defective transmission fluid pump. Common, as the manufacturer of said pumps produced a bad batch of them. Chevy dealer supplied me with a loaner for the few weeks it took to get the part in.

 

So you were treated properly. That's all you can ask for.

 

My Chevy Bolt 2023 has been in the shop for over two months replacing parts. GM should have properly trained their techs before selling the vehicle.
I am done with any Chevy EV vehicles.

 

This is not just a GM problem. The entire industry is having trouble hiring qualified techs, particularly those trained on EVs.

 

My Chevy Bolt 2023 has been in the shop for over two months replacing parts. GM should have properly trained their techs before selling the vehicle.
I am done with any Chevy EV vehicles.

If you bought it new you could use the Lemon Law and be done with GM EV's sooner than later. BBB Autoline.
Dealerships are supposed to have trained 'EV Specialist'. But maybe some of those techs may have the feeling of drawing the short straw and don't like working on EV's

My “Propulsion Power Reduced” message came at 10,000 miles. It was a defective transmission fluid pump. ...
Chevy dealer supplied me with a loaner for the few weeks it took to get the part in.

How is this explained , GM?
I can order all sorts of auto parts and have them delivered in 2-4 days. Hire more people in the parts warehouse and shipping departments. Easy.
Just plain unexceptable.

 

EV Concierge, right away. We did that for propulsion reduced when our regular dealer said he couldn't look at it for 3 weeks. She arranged for us to get rental coverage, and found a great nearby dealer who took care of things, and followed up with us. Call her. (833) GOEVGMC

 

And what happened to your 'regular dealer' ? Was there any 'Splainin' to do with Corporate on why they take '3 weeks' to repair a Bolt that is undriveable?
Are you now using the dealer that 'took care of things'? I would. And let the deadbeat dealer know they lost your business.

What was the repair your car needed?