Oh I have certainly got my money's worth. The way I look at it is I am essentially showing 20 years of wear in 4X fast forward speed. One might on the surface think I have a lot of repairs for such a short period but if you factor in the miles that have occurred in such a short period that would normally take someone easily 10 to 20 years of average annual driving to achieve.
Thanks for the update! I certainly haven't been driving my Bolt EV as much recently, but I'm coming up on my 8 year Bolt EV anniversary. I'm just a little over half your current miles, but that's likely to start trending up again. Still, luckily, I haven't had any wear issues with my CV joints yet, and my brakes are still fine.
Oh the joys of living in a state where salt isn't the leading cause of death in vehicles lol. I'm very glad to hear your Bolt is still humming along without any of the repairs I've had to endure. Vermont roads on a good day are the equivalence of crater valley and absolutely deplorable on a bad day. My poor suspension has been victim to so many pot holes, some big enough to fully consume a tire. Not a pretty sound! Keep those videos and updates coming sir!
Really interesting to hear how the car has held up, thanks for taking the time to document all the issues you're experiencing and the previous work the car has needed. :)
I’m also a delivery driver with less miles. Those apartment complex speed bumps I believe caused the knocking/creaking sound you are describing on right turns. I replaced the sway bar link it is cheap and easy to do. I was able to do it myself and I am not a mechanic.
That's awesome that you figured it out and fixed it yourself! So jealous! I would love to be able to do my own work but I don't have the necessary tools yet.
Auto tech 100% correct brake fluid is hydroscopic it attracts moisture and water in your brake fluid will overheat then boil causing gas bubbles and gasses can be compressed whereas liquid can not.
Trying to track down the cause/source of a sound can be maddening, for owners and mechanics. Our 2019 (purchased September 2019) has just over 66,000 miles on it. We've replaced all the tires once (at just over 43,000 miles), wiper blades, and the main battery pack under warranty at about 42,000 miles (January of 2022). Other than those, just regular tire rotations every 5,000 or so miles and replacing the cabin air filter about every three months. Nothing else has needed attention/its been pretty bulletproof (knock on wood). With the replacement pack, here in central Indiana, we're seeing real-world averages of 250-270 miles per charge year round (all of our charging is level 2 in our garage via our chargepoint). The worst we have ever seen was during an extremely cold week-long winter cold snap our first winter (-30+F wind chills), where we got just 170 miles from a full charge (on the original pack). We always charge to 100%. We imagine the pack will probably outlast the car itself (we plan to keep it for at least 10 years, at which time my wife and I will be retired and we'll probably pick up whatever the equivalent to a Bolt is at that time (we expect our driving will go down substantially once we retire)). I know the maintenance schedule for 'severe' use (which I think yours qualifies for) is different than the general maintenance schedule, which, through 150,000 at least, doesn't mention changing it. However in your particular circumstances, and going from your description, I'd say do get it changed. I'd also 'guess' that the wonky regen may be related to the brakes. But that's a total guess on my part. I can't imagine that high of mileage nor putting on that much each month.. I thought ours was high, at 66,000 in just over five years (about 13,200 a year or about 1,100 a month). As you mention, the main thing, other than the points you've covered in this and other videos, that I'd be curious about is indeed how the battery pack is doing after over 200,000 on it, as far as degradation (range our seeing per charge, etc).
The manual says to rotate tires every 7500 miles so that's what I've always done. The battery seems to be holding up well and plan to do a test next June to replicate one I made a video about back in 2020 to see how it does if all things go well between now and then.
Congratulations 🎊. That’s awesome. I have a 2023 Chevy Bolt 2Lt. Purchased it used with 4500 miles 6 months ago and it is about to roll over 42,000 miles. 0 issues so far. What is your kWh? I see your range was at 150 mile at 50 %. Which is great! My lifetime average is 3.9
Thanks for the comments and questions! Always glad to hear from other Bolt owners with either praise or criticism cause it's good to hear both sides. To answer the question about kwh is a tricky one because there are so many variables that go into that answer that my answer by no means is a monolith and will vary drastically from one person to another I'm sure. The answer will dramatically differ from literal day to day depending on the weather, driving conditions, driver conditions and so on. I have days where at full charge it'll say I have a range of 400+ miles and then days where I have a range of 200+ miles depending on the time of the year and other various factors. Enjoy your Bolt to the fullest!
@@aliceandliz awesome! Yes, it does have to do with what your day to day schedule is. I had driven for Uber when I had my 2018 Model 3. Of there are a lot of short stop and go, the kWh average goes up due to the regen going back into the battery. Thank you for responding. I am really enjoying the Bolt. It is more efficient than the model 3. Looking forward to 400k update!😎
Brake fluid is always clear, as others have mentioned you'll get moister in the lines over the years from temperature changes that then will rust out the calipers causing a brown to dark color. I'm honestly surprised how well your Bolt is holding up with so many miles, makes me feel like I picked a good car! How does the car look underneath? I feel that's what will kill my Bolt since I live in the rust belt. Your noises are very likely in the suspension which can be difficult to track down but as mentioned check the following Tie Rods, End Links, Ball Joints and could even be in the Struts (top hats). Again at 350K miles that's impressive! Just heard about the "Thickness" have you looked at the gear fluid?
For your creaking while turning i would look at your ball joints and your out tie rod ends if you haven't done them already. You can (or can have your mechanic) inspect them for travel. Your clunk also seems to point to the ball joint, as you could hear any slop in that joint loading and unloading (similar to your old sway bar end link issue). The sway bar end links you reference shouldn't be going through that much articulation when you turn the wheel, they more handle vertical forces, plus they have a lot fewer miles on them than the rest of the front end of your car.
Thanks for all the info! Ironically, the sway bar links which have been replaced once in the past, do in fact have more miles than most of the front end suspension. I had at around 250 to 275,000 miles the front and rear shocks, strut mounts, coil springs, rack and pinion and control arms replaced.
I wonder if the “thickness” in OPD is an issue with the regen paddle? Maybe it’s sticking internally once in awhile. Since there is no indicator for it, it’d be hard to tell.
That's a great thought but alas, I don't believe it is sticking given how consistent things are and I would feel it in either mode if that were the case.
agreed! BMW recommends every 2 years as well. as brake fluid gets more water in it it boils at lower and lower temperatures. Toyota recommends every 20k miles (which seems very conservative but is a whole order of magnitude shorter than your current mileage) or 2 years. The 2 years is based on how much water the fluid can absorb past the seals of your brake calipers regardless of the miles driven (or the regen used)
Oh wow! I wonder why the manual states every five years then. I've had calipers and brakes done a few times and no one has ever mentioned the brake fluid and the work was done at different locations each time. I will keep that in mind for future reference! I'm actually having the brake fluid tested today as I type this to see what it looks like.
I think I've only used brakes a couple times in the past couple years (squirrels). I try and remember to test them now and then, but the one pedal driving is a bit hypnotic or something. It's getting harder and harder to move my right foot as the years pass by. I should get them checked, right? I'm in Canada, so things tend to rust up a lot quicker with snow and salt on the roads. I did test them a couple weeks ago, and they still seemed to work okay.
The lack of brake fluid changing (and the therefore increased moisture in your brake fluid) accelerates the internal piston corrrosion and might be related to the front caliper failure you experienced. Hopefully your mechanic flushed the rest of the system when they replaced the calipers and bled them. One other thing that i think it is important to note is that the brake system on the bolt is a "blended brake system." Using either the one pedal drive mode like you used to use, or driving in D but using the brake pedal (lightly, normal brakes in everyday driving) is calling for regen, not actually engaging the friction brakes. Those aren't brought on line until you push the brake pedal down and exceed the amount that the motor is able to regen at your current state of charge and requested brake effort.
I have actually replaced both front calipers over different incidents but they both seized pretty badly. All that makes a lot of sense so thanks for that info!
If I had to guess, the issues you're experience with L vs D are related to either the Regen on Demand paddle or, more likely, something to do with the accelerator pedal itself. Because they are both electronic and technically wear items (especially after the miles you've put on), they could be sending erroneous signals to the motor controller. I don't recall whether you mentioned testing in L + Sport, but does that have any impact on the driving experience?
Thank you for the question! In past experience I can tell you that driving in L plus sport mode there is a noticeable difference in get up and go. The overall feeling in those combined modes is still thicker than in D most of the time but it feels like a peppier thick if that makes any sense. On the other side of that, D plus sport is even zippier and smoother compared to D by itself. I can tell you that there are definitely times where the paddle and the accelerator pedal when utilized to slow down, provide different strengths on any given day but with the same scenarios. What I mean is I've had days where I use the paddle to slow down on a street I traverse a lot and sometimes the paddle has a heavier Regen than other times without any other changes to the normal routine of traversing said street(s). The same can be said for the pedal. Not sure if any of that helps or even makes sense but i thought I'd mention it.
So far so good! I haven't really noticed any major degradation and all things permitting, I plan to do a five year anniversary trip that I did in June 2020 to see what the degradation looks like in comparison.
Thanks for the question but I specifically made a point to answer this question in the video along with other questions that people leave in the comments to hopefully eliminate the need for folks to take the time to ask. Perhaps you didn't watch the video but the answer to your question along with others you may have is in the video. I have also answered the same question several other times in comments throughout my videos which I assume people aren't reading, which is why I would make sure to answer it in the video making it unavoidable but alas.
@@aliceandliz Ok thanks. I haven't seen your previous videos. I'll try to find your previous videos. If I'm unable to then I'll just leave the question unanswered. Thanks for your help.
@@Bio33-lg2bhNow I'm confused. I said in my reply to you that I answered your question in this video which is why I was wondering if you watched it. Maybe I wasn't clear enough but the answer is in this particular video that you posed your question on. No need to watch prior videos but rather just the one you commented on. Hope that makes sense!
@@aliceandlizOk, I got it. You had the recall battery installed at about 130,000 miles and put 200,000 miles on it. I have a 2019 Bolt with 9,600 miles and a 2020 Bolt with 23,000 miles. I charge them in my garage. I have had the recall battery installed in both. I hope to keep these vehicles for a long time. Your videos are very inspiring. Thanks for sharing.
@@aliceandlizthis may help. You can pin your own comment at the top of every video about the battery questions so the same questions don’t come up over and over
I have a 2013 with 297K miles and am also experiencing hub bearing noise and cracking on turns probably from axle. I guess to be expected with this many miles.
I would say the most major repair I've had to do was replacing the rack and pinion which I was overcharged for by a dealership because they follow the GM guide which adds hours of labor that are not necessary. Probably could have saved thousands had I gone to an independent shop that felt comfortable doing the job. I had that done a year ago this month above the 200k mile mark so hopefully this one lasts just as long if not longer!
nor mal to repalce wheel bearings at least after100,000 miles, at most 150,000; tho u may have eked out the battery, naive to think the rest of the car is just going to keep going forever.
I'm sure you are quite correct in your assessment 😂. I think part of it is that I don't plan these videos and just begin filming them on the fly which I hope comes across as more natural. I guess I'm shooting for a more candid take rather than a scripted or well rehearsed rendition. One could always utilize my repetitiveness as a drinking game of sorts lol. Thank you for taking the time to watch the video and leave a comment!
Love the info!! Everyone I’ve talked to that owns a Bolt loves it Thanks
Thanks for the comment! My Bolt is without question my favorite and most reliable car I've ever owned.
I'm loving my 2018!
Can't wait for the 400k update in 6 months!
Lol! Fingers crossed!
I have a 2020 with $37,000 miles on it so I can't relate however I must say you definitely got your money's worth..
Oh I have certainly got my money's worth. The way I look at it is I am essentially showing 20 years of wear in 4X fast forward speed. One might on the surface think I have a lot of repairs for such a short period but if you factor in the miles that have occurred in such a short period that would normally take someone easily 10 to 20 years of average annual driving to achieve.
Thanks for the update! I certainly haven't been driving my Bolt EV as much recently, but I'm coming up on my 8 year Bolt EV anniversary. I'm just a little over half your current miles, but that's likely to start trending up again. Still, luckily, I haven't had any wear issues with my CV joints yet, and my brakes are still fine.
Oh the joys of living in a state where salt isn't the leading cause of death in vehicles lol. I'm very glad to hear your Bolt is still humming along without any of the repairs I've had to endure. Vermont roads on a good day are the equivalence of crater valley and absolutely deplorable on a bad day. My poor suspension has been victim to so many pot holes, some big enough to fully consume a tire. Not a pretty sound! Keep those videos and updates coming sir!
Really interesting to hear how the car has held up, thanks for taking the time to document all the issues you're experiencing and the previous work the car has needed. :)
Well I figure I owe it to the community to let folks know what I'm experiencing because I feel there isn't enough high mile data out there.
I’m also a delivery driver with less miles. Those apartment complex speed bumps I believe caused the knocking/creaking sound you are describing on right turns. I replaced the sway bar link it is cheap and easy to do. I was able to do it myself and I am not a mechanic.
That's awesome that you figured it out and fixed it yourself! So jealous! I would love to be able to do my own work but I don't have the necessary tools yet.
I believe brake fluide attacts humidity so after 5 years i would change it to ne safe ans have good brake pressure
Auto tech 100% correct brake fluid is hydroscopic it attracts moisture and water in your brake fluid will overheat then boil causing gas bubbles and gasses can be compressed whereas liquid can not.
Getting it tested today!
@@joshua22099Getting it tested today and all that makes perfect sense.
Trying to track down the cause/source of a sound can be maddening, for owners and mechanics.
Our 2019 (purchased September 2019) has just over 66,000 miles on it. We've replaced all the tires once (at just over 43,000 miles), wiper blades, and the main battery pack under warranty at about 42,000 miles (January of 2022). Other than those, just regular tire rotations every 5,000 or so miles and replacing the cabin air filter about every three months. Nothing else has needed attention/its been pretty bulletproof (knock on wood).
With the replacement pack, here in central Indiana, we're seeing real-world averages of 250-270 miles per charge year round (all of our charging is level 2 in our garage via our chargepoint). The worst we have ever seen was during an extremely cold week-long winter cold snap our first winter (-30+F wind chills), where we got just 170 miles from a full charge (on the original pack). We always charge to 100%. We imagine the pack will probably outlast the car itself (we plan to keep it for at least 10 years, at which time my wife and I will be retired and we'll probably pick up whatever the equivalent to a Bolt is at that time (we expect our driving will go down substantially once we retire)).
I know the maintenance schedule for 'severe' use (which I think yours qualifies for) is different than the general maintenance schedule, which, through 150,000 at least, doesn't mention changing it. However in your particular circumstances, and going from your description, I'd say do get it changed. I'd also 'guess' that the wonky regen may be related to the brakes. But that's a total guess on my part.
I can't imagine that high of mileage nor putting on that much each month.. I thought ours was high, at 66,000 in just over five years (about 13,200 a year or about 1,100 a month).
As you mention, the main thing, other than the points you've covered in this and other videos, that I'd be curious about is indeed how the battery pack is doing after over 200,000 on it, as far as degradation (range our seeing per charge, etc).
The manual says to rotate tires every 7500 miles so that's what I've always done. The battery seems to be holding up well and plan to do a test next June to replicate one I made a video about back in 2020 to see how it does if all things go well between now and then.
Congratulations 🎊. That’s awesome. I have a 2023 Chevy Bolt 2Lt. Purchased it used with 4500 miles 6 months ago and it is about to roll over 42,000 miles. 0 issues so far. What is your kWh? I see your range was at 150 mile at 50 %. Which is great! My lifetime average is 3.9
Thanks for the comments and questions! Always glad to hear from other Bolt owners with either praise or criticism cause it's good to hear both sides. To answer the question about kwh is a tricky one because there are so many variables that go into that answer that my answer by no means is a monolith and will vary drastically from one person to another I'm sure. The answer will dramatically differ from literal day to day depending on the weather, driving conditions, driver conditions and so on. I have days where at full charge it'll say I have a range of 400+ miles and then days where I have a range of 200+ miles depending on the time of the year and other various factors. Enjoy your Bolt to the fullest!
@@aliceandliz awesome! Yes, it does have to do with what your day to day schedule is. I had driven for Uber when I had my 2018 Model 3. Of there are a lot of short stop and go, the kWh average goes up due to the regen going back into the battery. Thank you for responding. I am really enjoying the Bolt. It is more efficient than the model 3. Looking forward to 400k update!😎
Brake fluid is always clear, as others have mentioned you'll get moister in the lines over the years from temperature changes that then will rust out the calipers causing a brown to dark color. I'm honestly surprised how well your Bolt is holding up with so many miles, makes me feel like I picked a good car! How does the car look underneath? I feel that's what will kill my Bolt since I live in the rust belt. Your noises are very likely in the suspension which can be difficult to track down but as mentioned check the following Tie Rods, End Links, Ball Joints and could even be in the Struts (top hats). Again at 350K miles that's impressive!
Just heard about the "Thickness" have you looked at the gear fluid?
If your mechanic doesn’t charge a lot for brake fluid change just go for it. Fluid is like $10.
For your creaking while turning i would look at your ball joints and your out tie rod ends if you haven't done them already. You can (or can have your mechanic) inspect them for travel. Your clunk also seems to point to the ball joint, as you could hear any slop in that joint loading and unloading (similar to your old sway bar end link issue). The sway bar end links you reference shouldn't be going through that much articulation when you turn the wheel, they more handle vertical forces, plus they have a lot fewer miles on them than the rest of the front end of your car.
Thanks for all the info! Ironically, the sway bar links which have been replaced once in the past, do in fact have more miles than most of the front end suspension. I had at around 250 to 275,000 miles the front and rear shocks, strut mounts, coil springs, rack and pinion and control arms replaced.
I wonder if the “thickness” in OPD is an issue with the regen paddle? Maybe it’s sticking internally once in awhile. Since there is no indicator for it, it’d be hard to tell.
That's a great thought but alas, I don't believe it is sticking given how consistent things are and I would feel it in either mode if that were the case.
I have my brake fluid changed every 2 years. Brake fluid attracts water from the air. Cheap insurance for a few $.
agreed! BMW recommends every 2 years as well. as brake fluid gets more water in it it boils at lower and lower temperatures. Toyota recommends every 20k miles (which seems very conservative but is a whole order of magnitude shorter than your current mileage) or 2 years. The 2 years is based on how much water the fluid can absorb past the seals of your brake calipers regardless of the miles driven (or the regen used)
Oh wow! I wonder why the manual states every five years then. I've had calipers and brakes done a few times and no one has ever mentioned the brake fluid and the work was done at different locations each time. I will keep that in mind for future reference! I'm actually having the brake fluid tested today as I type this to see what it looks like.
@@christopherfoss9991Oh my gosh. I'd be broke if I did it every 20k lol. That would be like four times a year.
I think I've only used brakes a couple times in the past couple years (squirrels). I try and remember to test them now and then, but the one pedal driving is a bit hypnotic or something. It's getting harder and harder to move my right foot as the years pass by.
I should get them checked, right? I'm in Canada, so things tend to rust up a lot quicker with snow and salt on the roads. I did test them a couple weeks ago, and they still seemed to work okay.
wow
The lack of brake fluid changing (and the therefore increased moisture in your brake fluid) accelerates the internal piston corrrosion and might be related to the front caliper failure you experienced. Hopefully your mechanic flushed the rest of the system when they replaced the calipers and bled them. One other thing that i think it is important to note is that the brake system on the bolt is a "blended brake system." Using either the one pedal drive mode like you used to use, or driving in D but using the brake pedal (lightly, normal brakes in everyday driving) is calling for regen, not actually engaging the friction brakes. Those aren't brought on line until you push the brake pedal down and exceed the amount that the motor is able to regen at your current state of charge and requested brake effort.
I have actually replaced both front calipers over different incidents but they both seized pretty badly. All that makes a lot of sense so thanks for that info!
If I had to guess, the issues you're experience with L vs D are related to either the Regen on Demand paddle or, more likely, something to do with the accelerator pedal itself. Because they are both electronic and technically wear items (especially after the miles you've put on), they could be sending erroneous signals to the motor controller. I don't recall whether you mentioned testing in L + Sport, but does that have any impact on the driving experience?
Thank you for the question! In past experience I can tell you that driving in L plus sport mode there is a noticeable difference in get up and go. The overall feeling in those combined modes is still thicker than in D most of the time but it feels like a peppier thick if that makes any sense. On the other side of that, D plus sport is even zippier and smoother compared to D by itself. I can tell you that there are definitely times where the paddle and the accelerator pedal when utilized to slow down, provide different strengths on any given day but with the same scenarios. What I mean is I've had days where I use the paddle to slow down on a street I traverse a lot and sometimes the paddle has a heavier Regen than other times without any other changes to the normal routine of traversing said street(s). The same can be said for the pedal. Not sure if any of that helps or even makes sense but i thought I'd mention it.
Hey Jared, GM replaced the battery and now you have 200,000 miles on it. What kind of battery degradation has it had if any?
My Bolt battery has 123k miles and I have over 95% capacity, if that helps. Original 66kwh battery.
Impressive, how's the battery doing?
So far so good! I haven't really noticed any major degradation and all things permitting, I plan to do a five year anniversary trip that I did in June 2020 to see what the degradation looks like in comparison.
Is this 350,000 miles with the original battery or was a new battery installed under the Bolt fire battery recall? Please let us know. Thank you.
Thanks for the question but I specifically made a point to answer this question in the video along with other questions that people leave in the comments to hopefully eliminate the need for folks to take the time to ask. Perhaps you didn't watch the video but the answer to your question along with others you may have is in the video. I have also answered the same question several other times in comments throughout my videos which I assume people aren't reading, which is why I would make sure to answer it in the video making it unavoidable but alas.
@@aliceandliz Ok thanks. I haven't seen your previous videos. I'll try to find your previous videos. If I'm unable to then I'll just leave the question unanswered. Thanks for your help.
@@Bio33-lg2bhNow I'm confused. I said in my reply to you that I answered your question in this video which is why I was wondering if you watched it. Maybe I wasn't clear enough but the answer is in this particular video that you posed your question on. No need to watch prior videos but rather just the one you commented on. Hope that makes sense!
@@aliceandlizOk, I got it. You had the recall battery installed at about 130,000 miles and put 200,000 miles on it. I have a 2019 Bolt with 9,600 miles and a 2020 Bolt with 23,000 miles. I charge them in my garage. I have had the recall battery installed in both. I hope to keep these vehicles for a long time. Your videos are very inspiring. Thanks for sharing.
@@aliceandlizthis may help. You can pin your own comment at the top of every video about the battery questions so the same questions don’t come up over and over
I have a 2013 with 297K miles and am also experiencing hub bearing noise and cracking on turns probably from axle. I guess to be expected with this many miles.
You said 2013 so either that was a typo or you are referring to another car other than the Bolt. Either way, that's a lot of miles!
@ my fault. Yes it’s a 2013 Volt.
You should say um a few hundred more times
Any major issues?
I would say the most major repair I've had to do was replacing the rack and pinion which I was overcharged for by a dealership because they follow the GM guide which adds hours of labor that are not necessary. Probably could have saved thousands had I gone to an independent shop that felt comfortable doing the job. I had that done a year ago this month above the 200k mile mark so hopefully this one lasts just as long if not longer!
That sound the the CV Axle
Well I had it looked at and they couldn't find anything other than what they felt was just aching bones from all the wear and tear.
How the hell did you put this many miles on in such a short period of time???
Long work commute and my job as an Uber delivery driver takes care of that.
@@aliceandliz I'm glad you made the video now I'm glad I got one of those cars. Thanks
nor mal to repalce wheel bearings at least after100,000 miles, at most 150,000; tho u may have eked out the battery, naive to think the rest of the car is just going to keep going forever.
You say "but", "uh", "um", and "I don't know" way too much.
I'm sure you are quite correct in your assessment 😂. I think part of it is that I don't plan these videos and just begin filming them on the fly which I hope comes across as more natural. I guess I'm shooting for a more candid take rather than a scripted or well rehearsed rendition. One could always utilize my repetitiveness as a drinking game of sorts lol. Thank you for taking the time to watch the video and leave a comment!
@@aliceandliz I loved the authenticity of it all. it was like being with my best buddy at the pub and having a beer together.