[davioh2001]

The Complaints;
1. Overly slow WIFI - I have complained to GM and on this forum over the years. 2. Poor quality AGM failing a few months on the wrong side of 3 years. 3. HV battery recall with no real fix Yet (Most concerned about #3 issue). All together the issues are combining to make me turn sour on GM;
.
The CORPORATE REACTION;
(Paraphrasing Executive office reps' response);
"We are just a call center and can only help facilitate getting You help with the dealer". I said; What help will going to a dealer if they don't even have a permanent fix and they don't have EV certified mechanics anyways? They said "That's all we can do sorry about Your luck Sir".
.
MY REACTION; THIS IS BS. I AM REALLY STARTING TO GET RILED UP AT GM. I CAN GUARANTEE IF GM DOES NOT DO SOMETHING SIGNIFICANT THIS WILL BE MY LAST GM ... ALSO, I DO REALLY BELIEVE THESE CARS WILL BE VIEWED AS TAINTED AND THE RESALE VALUES ARE AND WILL TAKE A "NESTEA PLUNGE" AS A RESULT... I MAY ALSO GO TO SOCIAL MEDIA TO FURTHER VENT MY FRUSTRATIONS THE ONLY THING STOPPING ME THERE IS I AM NOT FULLY OUT OF PATIENCE YET AND I DON'T HAVE A LOT OF SPARE TIME...

But here is their information if anyone else wants to give a try ...
ph;
855-880-1500
email;
[email protected]

 

[XJ12]

thinking in my mind, patience grasshopper. oh, did I say that out loud?

 

[davioh2001]

thinking in my mind, patience grasshopper. oh, did I say that out loud?

Yes well I try to be patient ... if I had not had some of the other issues crop up (Failing 12V battery- car has only 20K on it) and persist (Paying for in car wifi with speeds frequently under 1 Mbps) I would most likely be giving them some more slack.

 

[TFPDrive]

Failing batteries happen in ICE and EVs. Slow wifi is almost certainly an issue with AT&T, not GM.

 

[XJ12]

Yes well I try to be patient ... if I had not had some of the other issues crop up (Failing 12V battery- car has only 20K on it) and persist (Paying for in car wifi with speeds frequently under 1 Mbps) I would most likely be giving them some more slack.

I've had bad luck with almost every OEM battery I've come across. That includes Toyota and Honda. My Bolt's 12V has been fine for my 3 years so far. Knocking on wood.

 

[davioh2001]

Failing batteries happen in ICE and EVs. Slow wifi is almost certainly an issue with AT&T, not GM.

Poor Quality (if You equate Speed with Quality) for around 3 years though? Also if it was all on ATT why does calling Onstar result in a significant boost of speed AFTER spending 10-60 minutes fiddling with Onstar support (going from 0.5 -1 MBPS to 5-15 MBPS)? I know the ultimate solution is to just forget about it and cancel the services. I would rather spend money on and receive a service that just works well without constant efforts.

 

[davioh2001]

I've had bad luck with almost every OEM battery I've come across. That includes Toyota and Honda. My Bolt's 12V has been fine for my 3 years so far. Knocking on wood.

Well additionally what bothered me Was that it seemed to fail very suddenly with no warning. The only real warning I have received was from this forum talking about the problem cropping up on them. No warning from GM it just would not start. even though it was 6 am I did get a video of the problem. Couldn't find out how to shrink video the start up screen lasted almost 15 seconds...

 

[stuartm]

Not sure what botching the recall would be. Until the resolution is known it's all just speculation. In any case I don't care a jot about in car wifi, it's a means of transportation not an entertainment center. 12V batteries can and do go bad, I have to keep my other 3 cars on battery tenders as they get driven so rarely they tend to eat 12v batteries in short order. Also, any company can have problems with a car, especially when introducing new technology, it doesn't mean I would blacklist them forever. I always evaluate a car based on whether it solves my transportation needs or not no matter what the company. Evaluating things like cost, if it has desired features (e.g. AWD), test reports, consumer reports reliability scores, etc.

 

[davioh2001]

Not sure what botching the recall would be.

In My mind examples would include them doing the following (although as You say its all speculation right now);
#1. Wait another 10-11 months and determine the 90% solution is good enough - no compensation offered.
#2. Wait another 10-11 months and determine the 90% solution is good enough - offer $500-$1000 voucher on another GM (I can easily see GM doing this).
#3. Wait another 10-11 months and offer some other software patch that essentially further limits the car in some way (still ends up with less capacity / less range and slower charging).
I am sure that there are many other variations on this that could occur that ends up reducing usability and resale value for us earlier adopters. These would be a very poor way to treat a customer. If the above examples or something similar occur I will not be happy and it WILL be my last GM.

 

[XJ12]

Well additionally what bothered me Was that it seemed to fail very suddenly with no warning.

I've had multiple 12V batteries fail this way. No warning what so ever. Some seem to die slowly and give plenty of warning. What I've typically seen, is one of the six cells go bad. The battery basically will only be good for 10 volts at that point. With some electronics, they're good with 10 volts. That's when strange things happen.

 

[davioh2001]

Failing battery causing very slow start screen and failure to shift;
I guess the site doesn't allow Mp4 files so I can't show the video here but I think Y'all understand my point.

 

[Packard V8]

Just asking, why continue straining one's brain and stirring the etheric when there is absolutely nothing to be done at this point? The answer from GM will come when it comes. Their answer will satisfy you or it won't. You'll buy another GM or you won't. Until then, maybe chill?

jack vines

 

[davioh2001]

Just asking, why continue straining one's brain and stirring the etheric when there is absolutely nothing to be done at this point? The answer from GM will come when it comes. Their answer will satisfy you or it won't. You'll buy another GM or you won't. Until then, maybe chill?

jack vines

I have my reasons ... I will just leave that aspect of it vague

 

[davidjmelv]

I've had bad luck with almost every OEM battery I've come across. That includes Toyota and Honda. My Bolt's 12V has been fine for my 3 years so far. Knocking on wood.

Just replaced the original battery in my 2012 Highlander 2 weeks ago. It was one week short of 9 years old. The battery also died in my 2009 Ford Fusion, it was from Autozone, and made it to the 5 year mark. I also just replaced the battery in my 2002 Subaru WRX, it was ~4.5 years old, and came from BJs Club. The original AGM in my 5-year old Cadillac ELR is still fine, as is the battery in my 3.75 year old Bolt. I average about 4-5 years on a battery, and rarely have one fail before that. Now with that said, please keep in mind that the car will not charge the 12V battery if plugged in for more than 30 days. You need to unplug it start the car, then turn it off and plug it in again (not sure if just unplugging is enough)

 

[davioh2001]

Just replaced the original battery in my 2012 Highlander 2 weeks ago. It was one week short of 9 years old. The battery also died in my 2009 Ford Fusion, it was from Autozone, and made it to the 5 year mark. I also just replaced the battery in my 2002 Subaru WRX, it was ~4.5 years old, and came from BJs Club. The original AGM in my 5-year old Cadillac ELR is still fine, as is the battery in my 3.75 year old Bolt. I average about 4-5 years on a battery, and rarely have one fail before that. Now with that said, please keep in mind that the car will not charge the 12V battery if plugged in for more than 30 days. You need to unplug it start the car, then turn it off and plug it in again (not sure if just unplugging is enough)

I would call 9 Years way above the average! Congratulations to You on that one!!!

 

[davidjmelv]

I would call 9 Years way above the average! Congratulations to You on that one!!!

Yeah, if I could have bought the Toyota battery again without the dealer, I would have! I was just responding to the comment that OEM batteries are bad, and I haven't had battery issues in general. I do think they should last WAAAY longer in applications where they are not exposed to heat: BMW under the back seat, Cadillac ELR/Chevy Volt in the trunk, Chevy Bolt no engine to cook them. Heat destroys batteries, then they lose power in the cold because it slows the chemical reactions. AGMs have a reputation for lasting longer, but I have no personal experience beyond the two OEMs I currently own, and the one for the Cadillac appears to not have any aftermarket equivalent (there are a nest of fusible links mounted to the top of the battery, and stuff clips onto the battery itself)

 

[Eriamjh1138]

If GM botches the High Voltage Battery Recall is it Your last GM Vehicle?

It already is. Next one will be a CyberTruck.

 

[Rick CH]

Just replaced the original battery in my 2012 Highlander 2 weeks ago. It was one week short of 9 years old.

In my previous car, a Toyota Celica, the original battery (Panasonic) lasted 11 years. Being up in the Toronto area, it did not suffer the serious, US Southwest-like heat. One more data point for the heat-kills-batteries collection.

 

[NewsCoulomb]

The Complaints;
1. Overly slow WIFI - I have complained to GM and on this forum over the years. 2. Poor quality AGM failing a few months on the wrong side of 3 years. 3. HV battery recall with no real fix Yet (Most concerned about #3 issue). All together the issues are combining to make me turn sour on GM;

My perspective:

#1. It's all relative. Where I am right now, it's one of my only options for internet, and though it's not as fast as cable or fiberoptic, it's fast enough for me to work remotely, stream videos, etc. Yes, I'd love for it to be faster, and I'm looking forward to 5G capability. However, given that it is a mobile hotspot built into the car, I've got no complaints.
#2. I'm four years into my Bolt EV ownership, and my 12 V battery is still going strong. In a recent power outage, I actually cycled more than 4 kWh through the stock 12 V battery AGM battery over the course of the day without any issues.
#3. So far, I haven't seen an issue. GM is moving forward with an abundance of caution, which I can respect. I can also understand their reluctance to release information about the potential "fix" that we should see sometime this year.

 

[Curt]

My Bolt has been through some rough stuff. I knew I was getting into an early adopter situation, and that the technology is still relatively new, and that the problem is rare and largely political. I count as one of the troubles a full charge getting only 160-170 miles, after being marketed as almost 50% more.

Other manufacturers have serious issues too, so I'm not judging GM too harshly. I know I won't have the Bolt very long compared to all my other vehicles of 10-20 years each. It's a headache, but it's also a life experience and a tech push. For now I've stopped recommending electric cars except to those who are of the same mindset.

When it comes time to get another EV, it will be some years down the road, and I'll get the most suitable one regardless of who makes it. Well, almost; if GM's fire resolution seems unfair (uncompensated hobbling), I'd be strongly biased against getting another one. Although the technical problem may need a rocket science to solve, the overarching customer sat problem doesn't.