[Passing Lane]

This is a not uncommon problem for northerners and you are not the first to bring this up. There are plenty of us Southerners with EV's with 100k miles or more and the brakes look new. You problem is also not isolated to GM or the Bolt. There are plenty of Tesla's that experienced the same issue. Normally the only parts that need to be replaced are the pads. If the rotors were rusted and unusable you could visibly see it. What happens is the brake pad itself separates from from the back plate due to rust from lack of use. This is not a $1,300 job.

This is also not necessarily the dealers fault either as this can also happen to ICE vehicles. Rule of thumb when driving in a climate with heavy salt on the roads is to wash the the vehicle to remove road salts as soon as possible. Whenever we have salty roads as soon as it gets above freezing I take the garden hose to all the wheels and brakes just to avoid this issue.

Ours rusted pretty badly on the rears of our 2019 Bolt with about 18,000 miles. I replaced all the brake discs and pads with a coated set bought on Amazon for less than $400 CDN plus labor. While the pads had lots of life left in them, the rust and dirt that collected on the discs caused grooves to wear in the rear discs.
Now I always use the service brakes at least a couple of times when out driving - especially after driving on salty or gravel roads. I can tell when they engage because there is a lovely scraping sound when I first apply them when they have a coating of rust after sitting for a couple of days.

 

[NoMoPetrol]

Maybe but I know 2 folks, one 2017, one 2019 both had the brakes rust so bad from salt they failed inspection, the 2019 had the rotors swell with rust so bad they seized and started dragging and he lost half his range until he got it checked. Salt kills even ice brakes here, see my other post.

And people in other parts of the country wonder why Californians continue to put up with crowded freeways and a high cost of living. Three reasons: weather, weather, and weather.

 

[Rmay635703]

There are so many reasons that could explain why both rusted up. Main reason being that even though both cars seemed identicals there weren't and they haven't been exposed to the exact same conditions.


Water is there any way from snow and water isn't the same as salted water.

How Does Salt Water Rust Metals?

Saltwater does not make a metal rust, but it accelerates the rusting process because electrons move more easily in saltwater than they do in pure water.

sciencing.com

Washing your car remove some salt and apply a protective layer of wax that can help prevent some rust from forming.


From my own experience snow, etc.. often rub onto the undercarriage which i'm pretty sure remove wax that there is there which then makes the metal in contact with the oxygen in the air.

When it’s 24/7 salty slush for a couple months unless you are doing an undercarriage wash at home I doubt it matters,
giving a wash in the conditions around here will remove the salt just long enough to get back on the road at which point you fill up again. If your lucky at least the top of your car will look better.

I will standby by getting a car wash when it’s not dry during Salt season is a waste of money.

The only thing that helps rust is undercoating applied by someone that knows what they are doing and don’t plug up all the drain holes.
but that won’t help brakes.

It’s unfortunate manufacturers quit caring and stopped including rust resistant safety equipment from the factory.

The ops story feels like we have gone back to 1930, where the manufacturer puts plain steel everywhere Instead of using semi modern 1960’s era technology that doesn’t fall apart every year. As opposed to modern components that last the life of the car whether you wash your car everyday in your garage in -40F weather or not.

 

[garyd9]

You have a passionate opinion on the matter which is unfortunately not supported by fact. The braking system is composed of wear parts and as such is expected to require regular maintenance and replacement.

I think only the pads, rotors and brake fluid are considered consumables. The rest should be covered by GM.

 

[finch4ever]

Bought my 2019 one year and half ago with 15000km, 2 winters with the car, now 70000 km. Yes road warrior here. Brakes still brand new AND I live in Quebec the salt belt region.

How I know? I am a previous mechanics and I do my brake maintenance.

 

[skimask]

Some clowns want to change basic chemistry or the laws of physics...to fit their own lifestyles.

Clowns...

 

[finch4ever]

Some clowns want to change basic chemistry or the laws of physics...to fit their own lifestyles.

Clowns...

?

 

[psyflyjohn]

When I lived in "Salt ****" (Chicago), I would take any car I had to a self-car wash every week, and give it a good wash and rinse, including the wheels and underneath to get the salt off. I would definately do that with my current Bolt.

 

[Rmay635703]

Some clowns want to change basic chemistry or the laws of physics...to fit their own lifestyles.

Clowns...

I did, replaced everything with stainless and ecoated components on my very old vehicles

no more rusted brake or line issues.

I live in salt country and expect brake lines to last 20 and calipers to go at least 12 OEM from the factory.

Any car that gets less than that wasn’t designed correctly and oddly I have had cars that got recalled for these issues but it was still a fight to get them to follow the TSB and honor the recall.

Whenever I have had a rusted line it was After passing inspection with clean looking lines, on my Cobalt it rusted out inside a aluminum shield in a clamp that wasn’t visible from the outside.

The same on the old dodge, lines rusted in an area not possible to inspect.

 

[Colt Hero]

The dealership didn't tell me this, the folks who put on my winter tires (and perform state inspections) did. They suggested I go to the dealership, so they didn't have any financial incentive for telling me to do this. When I called the dealership and explained the situation they said it would probably cost 1.3k to replace.

The tire guy gets $300 for making a phone call...

 

[NortonCommando]

...Because of the battery drain, I use regenerative breaking 95% of the time in the winter. Which apparently is why I have rusted rotors after less than two years....

Just for reference: There is NO way to drive a Bolt where you are NOT "using Regen Braking 95% of the time".

Well, actually, you could shift to N, then it's 100% friction brakes.
Which might be a good thing to do once in a while, especially before putting the Bolt away Cold and Wet.

 

[jmcbrew]

This kind of sounds like my (ex) dealership. When my car went in for the battery recall, they told me that my brake fluid looked very old and needed to be replaced -- it had been replaced just a few months earlier. They said my tires were wearing very unevenly because they were out of alignment -- my tires had less than 3,000 miles on them and I had an alignment done when they were installed. They said my cabin filter was dirty and needed to be replaced -- I replaced it a WEEK earlier.

 

[Shark]

Just for reference: There is NO way to drive a Bolt where you are NOT "using Regen Braking 95% of the time".

Well, actually, you could shift to N, then it's 100% friction brakes.
Which might be a good thing to do once in a while, especially before putting the Bolt away Cold and Wet.

Does the motor not slow down the car at all in n?

 

[garyd9]

Does the motor not slow down the car at all in n?

When in neutral, the motor is effectively disengaged from the wheels.

 

[OkieBolt]

When in neutral, the motor is effectively disengaged from the wheels.

The motor is never disengaged. It is mechanically linked and if the wheels are spinning the motor is too. What it does is effectively turns off the circuit.

 

[garyd9]

The motor is never disengaged. It is mechanically linked and if the wheels are spinning the motor is too. What it does is effectively turns off the circuit.

I did state "effectively disengaged."

 

[OkieBolt]

I did state "effectively disengaged."

Well, that is effectively wrong 😜. Your statement implies the motor stops spinning. To most this is new tech and getting how the mechanical side works correct is important. Just like knowing the difference between kW and kWh.

 

[garyd9]

Well, that is effectively wrong 😜. Your statement implies the motor stops spinning. To most this is new tech and getting how the mechanical side works correct is important. Just like knowing the difference between kW and kWh.

Okay. To me, "effectively disengaged" differs from just "disengaged." Apparently not for you. Perhaps not for others. Whatever.

 

[Shark]

I had a bolt drive disassembled and it was direct drive. With a pawl for park. The reason I asked. I believe unless the motor has a small amount of power applied. There is some braking

 

[Colt Hero]

@jmcbrew : yeah, I agree ... Dealerships just oversell everything (including fear) ... but in this case, the OP said it was the Tire place that told him this brake work needed to be done.

... and then I implied the two may have been in cahoots ... but who knows ?