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[DonTom]

I suppose this is a bad time to note that a six month old Bolt just went up in flames without a determined cause today... So one outside the recall period.

-Crissa

Do you have a link to that?  Was the car just sitting there doing nothing, or was it being charged or what?


Like you have said before, any type of energy can be dangerous. And I agree.


I wonder how many ICE  vehicles went up in flames today . . .


IAC, I am glad I now have my new shinny red Bolt parked outside!


BTW, I think this Bolt is more confusing than my Tesla.


Surprisingly,   the Bolt has a lot more room inside than my Tesla for larger people.


But the Bolt either has plenty of room for people or items, but NOT both at the same time.


Under what would be called the "frunk" in a Tesla, the Bolt is all electronic stuff. No storage at all in the front.


Has several coolant containers in there.   But it is all good for 150,000 miles before it needs to be replaced.


Like the Tesla, it gets OTA updates.


Uses an App called "My Chevrolet".


Easy to drive. For anything else, RTFM!


-Don-  Reno, NV

[Crissa]

Here's the source, tho the video jas been scrubbed for some reason

https://www.chevybolt.org/threads/apparently-a-2020-bolt-has-suffered-a-battery-fire.40011/

There's no reason to think this fire is related to the others.  Different chemistry, different factory, etc.

-Crissa

[DonTom]

Here's the source, tho the video jas been scrubbed for some reason

https://www.chevybolt.org/threads/apparently-a-2020-bolt-has-suffered-a-battery-fire.40011/

There's no reason to think this fire is related to the others.  Different chemistry, different factory, etc.

-Crissa

Thanks for that. I see it was home charging. The Bolt on L2 charges at close to 12 KW, Same as my Tesla.


I charged my Bolt after I got back from Yerington. I used my Tesla Wall Connector with a Tesla Tap. It didn't need a charge after that ~70 mile trip, but I wanted to see it work. All was fine.


The Bolt only comes with a 120 VAC Charger. Same with the Tesla Model Y these days.


No spare tire, so I just ordered the spare tire kit (tire and jack)  on E-bay, ~$200.00.




-Don-  Reno,. NV

[Richard230]

I just purchased this today.   It probably won't show there by sometime  tomorrow, as it is now in my driveway. But I purchased the red Chevy Bolt Hatchback in Yerington, NV today (in case not shown by the time you read above).


The OTD price was more than  $41,000.  So don't let those BS prices fool you.


I would give the amount to the penny, but I just now realized I do not have a copy of the contract.


The exact same thing happened when I purchased my Energica. 


I should learn to make sure I have it before I leave, since this is the 2nd time in a row for me.


 I just sent Wild West Chevy a note about not having a copy.


I cannot even register the car without the contract because I need the EDRS (Electronic Dealer Registration System)  number.


-Don-  Reno, NV

That was my experience also when I bought my KTM in April of last year. The shop in San Francisco was using a remote contractor to prepare the sales contract and perform the DMV registration for the shop. While I got the temporary DMV documentation, they never gave me the sales contract and when I tried contacting them several times via email, I was just ignored and never received a reply. So it must be a pandemic thing.    I also never received an owners manual for the bike. Once they got my money, the lost interest in me as a customer. I haven't heard from them since. Very much unlike any BMW shop that I have dealt with in the past. They tend to appreciate their customers and hope to see them in the future.

[DonTom]

That was my experience also when I bought my KTM in April of last year. The shop in San Francisco was using a remote contractor to prepare the sales contract and perform the DMV registration for the shop. While I got the temporary DMV documentation, they never gave me the sales contract and when I tried contacting them several times via email, I was just ignored and never received a reply. So it must be a pandemic thing.    I also never received an owners manual for the bike. Once they got my money, the lost interest in me as a customer. I haven't heard from them since. Very much unlike any BMW shop that I have dealt with in the past. They tend to appreciate their customers and hope to see them in the future.

With my Energica, I went back to the Mtn . View Shop the next day from the motel I was staying at.  They claimed they gave me a copy the contract, but it would not be possible for me to lose it in my Tesla or motel. Not that many places to lose it. But they did print me a copy that 2nd day before I left for Auburn.


With Wild West Chevy in Yerington, I will see if they send me a message after they open at 0900 hrs. If not, I will give them a call. I will be hard to ignore, because I will drive down there if I have to. But I assume they will get back to me ASAP.


Yeah, BMW will try to keep their customers happy for the insane service charges they receive. BMW=Bring My Wad.


BTW, the Chevy Bolt comes with a real book Owner's Manual. I think it is also on the screen, if I ever figure it out how to find it.


The Bolt is another SmartPhone on wheels. I think even more so than my Tesla.


-Don- Reno, NV

[Richard230]

My 1999 Saturn station wagon came with a 430 page hard covered owners manual that contained lots of instructions on how to maintain the car and make simple repairs, including plenty of clear photos showing how to perform many tasks. However nothing about how to operate the roll up windows. But it did provide complete instructions on using the AM/FM radio and how to set its digital clock.

[DonTom]

I see the link I provided in the last page to my shinny red Chevy Bolt now goes to the gray Bolt instead.  That was the Bolt  I took a test drive in.  They didn't want me to test drive mine because it was in the show room, not outside. It was moved outside after I decided to buy it.  Part of that payment I made was with fifty hundred dollar bills. I sold some of my coins, including many gold coins,  and they wanted to get rid of some of their cash so I took 5K$ worth in cash, the rest in a check. I sold more than 50K$ worth of stuff after I got a letter that one of the US Banks in Reno was getting out of the safe deposit box business and I had to close three boxes by some date in  September. I decided to sell the contents, and accept payments in three ways, 1 oz gold bars, cash and check.


So the Bolt is all paid for, before I received a cent from the sale of my Cold Springs Valley house. That should close escrow in a few days.


BTW, I never knew the HOA charges almost $400.00 to close their accounts. About $200.00 each. One is the White Rock HOA, which is owned by FirstService HOA.  Both of them charge just under $200.00 each to sell a house. Nothing I can do about it, as Escrow cannot close if I don't pay it. So I already paid it.


But HOAs are getting way too powerful, IMO. I don't care about the ~$385.00, it's just they  that they seem to be proud to rip off the home owners in every possible way. I guess they got rich enough to buy off lawyers and politicians.


If I ever buy another house (unlikely) I will have three main rules:


1. No HOA
2. No HOA
3. No HOA



I just drove my Bolt  here for LESS than free. I left my Reno house charged to 190 miles. I got here in Auburn with 225 mile range left, so no need to charge again.


I got a half hour free fast charge at the Summit (a little slow for a fast charger, but the price is right) and the rest is down hill so I got even more charge from Regen. I did NOT charge to full in that 30 minutes. I stopped the charge and took off after a half hour. I then had a 200 mile range left, so I got another 25 miles from the regen on the way back.


I like the Bolt Regen a lot better than the Tesla. It's just right, IMO, no matter where I am driving, so the regen increases with slower speeds. And about three times the regen when I touch the brake pedal. In the Tesla, brakes do not increase regen.


I don't think the Bolt has a way to adjust regen, other than the one pedal driving,  but I have no need for either.


-Don-  Auburn, CA (just as smoky here as in Reno!)

[Crissa]

Yeah, that closing charge seems designed to skip under the level of which someone might sue them to cancel it.

-Crissa

[DonTom]

I did hear from Wild West Chevy. My copy of the Bolt contract was left on one of the guys desks and never got to me. They are mailing it to me.


I was also told that the number I need to register the car does  NOT come from them. So it will NOT be on the contract. It gets mailed to me from  DMV. I assume that is to be sure the address I use for the registration is the same as my address or whatever. Normally receive it in a few days, they say.


So it is not possible to register a NV car the same day as I buy it.


NV does everything differently than CA when it comes to registrations. One other  example is when we sell a car, we must remove all the license plates and bring them to the NV DMV. A lic plate in NV can only be the original car with the original owner.


One thing I like, in NV, is the Lic plate number is on the registration sticker in NV.  In CA, I had  my new sticker ripped off. That doesn't happen in NV.


In CA, they say to remove all your old stickers and put on the new and then take a razor blade to slice cuts in the new sticker. That makes them not possible to remove. I was told that from DMV, I learned that  the hard way.


In NV, we don't have to bother as a mismatched sticker will cause a few questions from any cop who notices such.


-Don-  Auburn, CA

[Richard230]

The neighbor behind me had a old Jeep that he brought in from Idaho, which had a 2010 license plate on it, when he moved to California. He never registered the car with the DMV. And apparently never got pulled over for not having a CA plate, even though the Jeep is parked on the public street and he drives it a couple of times a week. He kept that plate on the Jeep until this year when he bought a nice used Jeep Renegade and then transferred the old Idaho plate to that vehicle. It is amazing what you can get away with if you look like a tourist from out of state. 

[DonTom]

It is amazing what you can get away with if you look like a tourist from out of state. 

That's how I look in my new Chevy Bolt here in CA. No front lic. plate bracket or anything. But there is a front plate bracket inside the car.


My rear plate is a paper that says "Wild West Chevrolet, Yerington, NV".


NV also requires two lic plates. Only the rear one needed in AZ.


BTW, I didn't even look in Reno for the same car.


I wanted to give WWC in Yerington my business, because I thought everybody there was so nice and helpful when I asked them last spring if I could charge my Energica there. Yet I didn't even own a Chevy.


I was the first to log in to Plugshare there. Since then a Tesla logged in there. See here.   The Tesla owner said the same as I did.


Obviously, one cannot assume that a Tesla owner will not buy a new Chevy Bolt!


-Don- Auburn, CA

[Richard230]

I just heard on the CBS radio national news and also on the local 5pm SF CBS TV news, that all Chevy Bolts are being recalled to replace their battery packs due to a fire risk. Until that is done Chevy recommends that the pack not be recharged past 90%.

[DonTom]

I just heard on the CBS radio national news and also on the local 5pm SF CBS TV news, that all Chevy Bolts are being recalled to replace their battery packs due to a fire risk. Until that is done Chevy recommends that the pack not be recharged past 90%.

I was just going to post this. The recall was the day after I purchased mine. 


BTW, I got the message today right on my Bolt screen inside the car.


BTW, it's not a real big deal to me. My charge is always within that safe range.


But it's a good thing I didn't have more down hill to drive to get to Auburn, more  regen could have made the car blow up as I am driving!


-Don-  Auburn, CA

[DonTom]

I just realized I wanted a car I can park outside! And all this just gives me a good reason to park outside, as I have been doing.


The charge input  thingy is in the very left front of this car. That's a perfect place for me, to charge the car with the cable under the garage door, at either  house.


-Don-  Auburn, CA

[Richard230]

The Bolt news just hit the business section of my newspaper today.