[COOLER]

I have driven around 9500 miles since purchasing my Bolt in December 2017. When recently getting it inspected for a DMV sticker, the service rep strongly implied I should have the tires aligned at a cost of $118, stating that the Bolt is a killer on tires.

When I spoke to the technician who performed the test, he said the tires were only minimally out of balance and I could wait until my next service call in.

When driving on the NYS Thruway, I do not notice any drift to the right or left and I try to keep it at 55-60, depending on the weather.

Question: is the Bolt a tire killer? If so, is it better to pay $118 now to extend the life and safety of the tires, or should I wait for the next service call in?

 

[GJETSON]

Question: is the Bolt a tire killer? If so, is it better to pay $118 now to extend the life and safety of the tires, or should I wait for the next service call in?

Not unless you drive like an A-hole. That said, I hope you have rotated your tires at 7,500 miles, per the factory recommendation.

 

[XJ12]

Question: is the Bolt a tire killer?

Probably not from an alignment perspective. Pretty sure the extra wear I'm getting on the front tires are from me.

 

[redpoint5]

One person reported wearing out a set in something crazy like 9k miles, but they never followed up with further replies to inquiry.

The Bolt is very torquey like any EV, and it allows for brisker acceleration than normal cars. This puts extra stress on the tires. It's up to you to decide how much you want to stress them.

Alignment isn't called for unless you have reason to believe it was knocked out of alignment, or are replacing suspension related components. Uneven tire wear would be cause to have alignment checked. Pulling or other steering related abnormalities would also be cause to get it checked out. I've not heard anything to suggest the Bolt is any worse at keeping alignment than any other vehicle, which is to say it's very good.

 

[GregBrew]

I have driven around 9500 miles since purchasing my Bolt in December 2017. When recently getting it inspected for a DMV sticker, the service rep strongly implied I should have the tires aligned at a cost of $118, stating that the Bolt is a killer on tires.

When I spoke to the technician who performed the test, he said the tires were only minimally out of balance and I could wait until my next service call in.

When driving on the NYS Thruway, I do not notice any drift to the right or left and I try to keep it at 55-60, depending on the weather.

Question: is the Bolt a tire killer? If so, is it better to pay $118 now to extend the life and safety of the tires, or should I wait for the next service call in?

If Bolts were truly a "tire killer", we'd know about it here. Nary a peep on this issue.

I think the service rep was trying to up-sell you on a high margin, unnecessary service, by *lying to you*.

I recommend that you take your Bolt elsewhere in the future.

 

[drdiesel1]

Don't let them touch your alignment. The Bolt's alignment
isn't something you want non qualified shops doing. The Bolt
has a camera for the LKA, PBA, EBS, and other functions.

It's tied into the cars SWPS and will require a system recalibration
with a special targeting map and the proper scan tool to perf. this
service. My car has 30K miles and had no problems. They're trying
to sell you a service you don't need. They like to tell people bogus
information to make easy money. Problem is, it's not easy on this car.

 

[madmike]

you should expect to get a little less tread life with heavier cars like the Bolt. Keep your eyes on the wear.

 

[Like2bike]

I have driven around 9500 miles since purchasing my Bolt in December 2017. When recently getting it inspected for a DMV sticker, the service rep strongly implied I should have the tires aligned at a cost of $118, stating that the Bolt is a killer on tires.

I have my own concerns about rapid tire wear and alignment. After recently replacing the right, front tire following a bad pothole incident, I measured tread depths.

New tire = 6 mm, left front tire = 5 mm, rear tires = 6 mm (3400 miles of wear).

Also, my steering wheel was never quite straight when driving straight. And may have gotten worse after taking out the tire on the pothole to the nether world.

The dealer didn't suggest alignment when they replaced the tire. I saw that Sears would check alignment and give a printed report before doing the alignment, so I went there. After waiting an hour even though I had an appointment, the tech said he couldn't do it because he didn't have the specs for anything beyond a 2017 Bolt in his alignment tool . There are other shops which provide a free alignment check but I was done with wasting time for awhile.

And yes, Sears Auto is still is business, more or less. Mostly less. I'm still dumbstruck that they thought it was a good idea to suddenly start selling POC batteries using the Die Hard brand .

 

[VanVeggies]

I'm a bit confused as to what exactly the service guy was talking about. Alignment and tire wear can be related, but the bolt being a "tire killer" seems more like a remark on overall tire wear (extra weight, fwd and lots of torque can definitely wear out tires quickly!) than anything that would need an alignment check/tweak.

Under normal circumstances, your alignment should be pretty resilient, but a good solid wack on a curb or pothole can mess it up. Still, unless you notice your car drifting or noticeably pulling to one side or the other, or notice unusual tire wear (one edge wearing faster than the other) your alignment is probably fine. And of course keep your tires correctly inflated to keep the tire wear consistent between the edges and the center!

 

[redpoint5]

If I intend to own a vehicle long term (which is always), I wait for a coupon for lifetime alignments at Firestone. Basically, the 2nd time you get it checked, it pays for itself. I like to get it checked after every new set of tires, or if I see signs of uneven tire wear.

If the pothole incident was severe enough to destroy a tire, I'd say that warrants an alignment check. I'd also say it warrants a call to the city to get that pothole fixed, as that can't be safe.

 

[drdiesel1]

If I intend to own a vehicle long term (which is always), I wait for a coupon for lifetime alignments at Firestone. Basically, the 2nd time you get it checked, it pays for itself. I like to get it checked after every new set of tires, or if I see signs of uneven tire wear.

If the pothole incident was severe enough to destroy a tire, I'd say that warrants an alignment check. I'd also say it warrants a call to the city to get that pothole fixed, as that can't be safe.

I've made claims for this exact problem on my motorcycles.

 

[dbostrom]

Don't let them touch your alignment. The Bolt's alignment
isn't something you want non qualified shops doing. The Bolt
has a camera for the LKA, PBA, EBS, and other functions.

It's tied into the cars SWPS and will require a system recalibration
with a special targeting map and the proper scan tool to perf. this
service. My car has 30K miles and had no problems. They're trying
to sell you a service you don't need. They like to tell people bogus
information to make easy money. Problem is, it's not easy on this car.

That. All of it.

 

[Eriamjh1138]

Can someone point me to any justification that a “wheel alignment” would throw any of the above mentioned systems out of calibration. Not “logic”. Actual bulletins, etc.

I call bunk. Please prove me wrong.

 

[rcturner]

When I spoke to the technician who performed the test, he said the tires were only minimally out of balance and I could wait until my next service call in.

Alignment and balance are unrelated issues. There is no connection between the two. Run from this dealer as quickly as possible.

 

[psyflyjohn]

I imagine the dealers are pulling their hair out trying to find things to "fix" on the Bolt. This is one reason why they don't like electrics in the first place. Then, if there is something wrong, it is more likely to be in the electronics, which requires expensive diagnostic equipment and trained techs to fix it. Not a happy dealer scenario....

 

[Stovebolt6]

I have my own concerns about rapid tire wear and alignment. After recently replacing the right, front tire following a bad pothole incident, I measured tread depths.

New tire = 6 mm, left front tire = 5 mm, rear tires = 6 mm (3400 miles of wear).

Also, my steering wheel was never quite straight when driving straight. And may have gotten worse after taking out the tire on the pothole to the nether world.

The dealer didn't suggest alignment when they replaced the tire.

I'm curious why two tires with dissimilar tread depth were put on the front of the car. At the very least they should be rotated to the rear. And if it still affects handling, the older former front tire should be replaced with a new one so they are all at similar tread depth.

 

[One1whaoo.]

"I'd also say it warrants a call to the city to get that pothole fixed..."

How can you live in Portland and even imagine that this would have any results?

 

[steveskolnik]

drdiesel1, could you amplify your post about front end alignment for a newbie? My 2019 car does not have lane keep assist and so forth; are there still electronics sensing the steering position? And could you expand the acronyms? I've got LKA, but what are PBA, EBS, and SWPS, please and thank you?

"The Bolt's alignment
isn't something you want non qualified shops doing. The Bolt
has a camera for the LKA, PBA, EBS, and other functions.

It's tied into the cars SWPS and will require a system recalibration
with a special targeting map and the proper scan tool to perf. this
service."

 

[drdiesel1]

If you have an LT, it's not a problem. No camera to worry about.