Can you see the dent or have any pictures of it? That really sucks - keep us updated and hopefully someone here has some other ideas.

 

An accident like that should be covered by your insurance.

 

Can you describe what happens when you went over speed bumps too quickly? Depending on the speed bump and speed of driving I could see denting the battery as being a possibility though if this happened to me I would know for sure something bad had happened at the time (because of a loud BUMP with considerable noise and would know that the reason the battery has failed is because the car went over speed bumps designed for 15-20mph at 50mph+. Not saying this is what happened to you.

 

I inadvertently came down off a high speed bump apparently that slight bit too fast and the suspension compresses and I hit bottom. That was a while ago. How long ago do you suppose you might have hit bottom? I've not had any drastic messages. And I hate being jarred around by speed bumps so I was not bashing over it.

 

I don't remember having any major bumps any time recently. They told me I could have done it a long time ago and that it is just now shorting out because of it.

 

If it was damaged then file the claim with your insurance.

 

Exactly, and they can help with the process against Chevy.

 

I had liability-only insurance but my company told me that even if I had full coverage they would not cover it.

I don't even go over speed bumps that fast, maybe 25 or 30. I'm suspicious that a dent is not the real problem here.

 

Yeah, I think it's worth getting a second opinion. Don't tell the 2nd place what the 1st place told you.

 

You need to harass GM about this every day.

This is a bizarre situation where you might have to get a lawyer involved, either with your insurance or with GM. Definitely go to another dealer and get a second opinion.

 

Take it to a second place and if they give you the same story (only after they do), ask to see the dent while it's on the lift.

Mike

 

This is why I hate insurance companies and warranties...they alway seem to find an excuse as to why they wont cover..

That said, 20-25 mph over a speed bump is 4-5 times too fast

 

When you say you're going to let the dealership you bought it from repo it, does that mean it's still being financed? If so, letting it be repoed is a horrible decision - if you still owe money, it's possible they will sell the car for less than the amount of your loan and you will have to pay the remainder. Not to mention it's a serious hit on your credit that affects credit cards, mortgages, future car purchases, etc.

 

The cost to repair the battery is more than I even financed from the bank lol. I only borrowed $18k and they want me to pay $20k for battery and labor, **** that

 

Can you afford it now? I guess then that's the cost of doing business. Maybe you can write the repair off as a business expense.

 

Do you still owe them anything? If your Bolt is basically totaled like you say it is, it's probably worth scrap. I'm not an expert, but I can't imagine it would be worth more than like $1000 at auction. Take how much is left on your loan - how much your Bolt sells for at auction = money you still owe, even after they take your car. Not to mention the long term impacts on your credit score...trust me, it's not worth letting it get repossesed.

It seems like chevy should be responsible for replacing it in my opinion. They did not communicate to me the fragility of the battery

 

What finance company approved a loan for a $20k vehicle without requiring full coverage?

 

Please post photos of the damage. I find it unlikely that bottoming out the car on a speed bump would kill the batter. Also, Chevy dealers are notorious for having no clue on the warranty on EV's. Numerous stories on Volt forums of people being charged for warranty items because they did not dispute. Even had it happen to me until I showed them the TSB.
Also never hit a speed bump head on with both wheels, hit them one tire at a time at an angle.

Speed bumps are meant for ~5mph and speed humps are meant for ~ 20 mph.

 

Best thing would be to post pics. A "dent" would have to be pretty substantial or conclusive to summarily void the warranty. What if someone has bad cells and they find a small dent somewhere underneath? Can they just assume the dent caused battery damage? And speed bumps run all the way across the road and the battery pan doesn't stick down lower than the sides of the car so if it was a bad speed bump hit, I would think there would be damage to the underside of the car itself too. Most things you would run over like road debris usually gets pulverized by the lower front crossmember before ever getting to the battery. So this whole thing is "suspicious" to me: how they could claim a dent caused battery damage if they didn't take it apart to confirm that.

Mike

 

I don't believe that the OP financed the car and the lender didn't require full insurance coverage.
Something doesn't sound right.

 

I don't believe that the OP financed the car and the lender didn't require full insurance coverage.
Something doesn't sound right.

It's true, I had liability only. I paid $10k down, don't know if that changes anything

 

You would have needed to hit something HARD to cause an impact hard enough to dent and damage the battery pack.

Post picks of the damage.

 

20k is insane.

 

I can literally buy a whole new (slightly used) bolt for less than $20k

 

When I got that message in my 12 Volt, all I had to do was top off the battery coolant resivor ... problem solved

 

Got same message in my 13 Volt. They said it would cost something like $150 diagnostic fee if it wasn’t covered by warranty. Took the 3 days to add 1/2 cup of battery coolant and do a software recall! LOL that was the suburban branch. The downtown branch when I was shopping for my Bolt told me their advert price on CarGurus was wrong - IT guys messed up! GM claims they are going to sell a bunch of EVs but most dealerships don’t want to sell or support them. I bought mine from Donohoo Chevrolet which is in a small town in north Alabama - used to be the sock making capital of the world. They are selling lots of Bolts, if mine needs service that is where it’s going!

I predict a shakeup in dealers, some will move forward but many won’t. A lot will go to live in the old folks home with the phone booth repairmen.

If I pull out of my driveway straight my Bolt scrapes, scrape not bump. Have to make sure to go in and out at an angle. Guess I’ll do. What many others do and fill valley gutter with concrete.

Hope you get a second opinion - have a hard time believing you have been told the truth.

 

If you paid $136, then you should get a report out of it including a description of the damage with pictures. They should provide a diagnostics report showing more detail about what was wrong with the battery from the computer's perspective and specifically how that relates to physical damage.

I tend to think the diagnosis is probably false, and certainly replacing the entire battery (all 5 modules) is incredibly lazy. Tow it to a second dealer, don't tell them anything but the error message so they go in fresh, and get a second report. If they find something else, your problem is over.

If they come to the same conclusion, then that's probably what happened. But if that's the case we'd all want to know. That that would mean Bolts are very fragile and a driver can total one without even realizing it. Perhaps GM will revoke the warranty on any scrape or dent, which is effectively the same as totaling it. Some people around here have been attaching trailers and/or off-roading their Bolts.

 

I will tow it tomorrow and get a second opinion and post pictures.
Seems like every time I go to a mechanic they try to **** me. I'm only 25 so maybe they assume I don't know anything.

 

So back to earlier posts, it sounds like you have that answer/repair estimate from one dealer? Was it a "Bolt" dealer or some place that is used to selling Camaro's and pickups? It could be a long road, or not depending, but try going through GM. The battery pack is a structural part of the car so it is either really messed up under there, or some kind of puncture but then I would think the modules and coolant would be impacted too.

 

I am wondering if we hit a road hazard on the highway and battery gets ruined, do we have to fork out 20k? yikes off to ask some questions to me state farm agent. AARP is not that great in pricing for those over 50. My agent told me State Farm paid out over 4.4 billion in the Santa Rosa fires in ca.

 

Well, being 25 and driving for Uber and Door Dash with basic insurance is not an easy place to be. I am sure Full coverage is too much. He has a job and sounds like he is trying. Also, Uber and Lyft both have minimum criteria on the age and condition of the car and the Bolt is probably the best car to use for what they require.

 

Trying doesn't excuse bad decisions. Financing a car, using it for a driving dependent business, and only having basic coverage is a Really Bad Decision(tm). Furthermore, not informing the insurance company of what you intend to use the vehicle for can give them grounds to refuse any coverage at all if something happens. If you intend to use the vehicle for commercial purposes (Uber, etc.) that is a different class of insurance (and yes, it is more expensive).

Unfortunately for the OP, it sounds like he took the risk and lost. So far the OP has not posted any pics of the damage so it's not really possible to say if people are trying to screw him over or if he just screwed himself over.

 

Make sure you take it to a Bolt certified Chevy dealer. If they come back with the same diagnosis find an EV repair shop and call them, even if you have to tow it across the country. Writing off a $20,000 car on the advice of one shop is crazy.

 

Where do I find an EV repair shop? I couldn't find anything

 

I can't see a batt costing 20k. I would just dump off the car if left with no other choice. But try other dealers to be sure.

 

 

Yikes even at that prices it would sure sting.