Part 3: MyBoltEUV Telematics Control Unit Failed

[@croyland7605]

The sunroof in my 2024 Equinox EV has a small leak. I knew I was rolling the dice with a sunroof (EV or otherwise) as it literally a hole in the roof haha. Not really concerned with the leak as it should essentially be easily fixable. My issue is with GM as the company has not yet produced enough replacement parts to fix the issue. The service dept in my local dealership said the part is on back order and that it could take a week, a month, or more. Luckily I have a garage and a second car, but it's frustrating nonetheless, especially because I really love driving my EV and don't want to have to bench it on rain days. But thank you for providing all the info and transparency on your channel.

[@jimsEVadventures]

Agreed. It’s very frustrating.

[@0MyWay01]

The car dealership business model needs to GO AWAY.

[@jimsEVadventures]

Indeed!

[@hg60justice]

cool it worked out now. best to find the best for you dealer and let them handle things directly.

[@jimsEVadventures]

Easier said than done. But you're right.

[@TheNinjaKnight1]

I'm watching this very closely. I'm a Mopar guy but my daughter is all about GM. I want to get her a used Bolt EUV next year. Your videos are helping me finalize my decision.

[@jimsEVadventures]

It will be a good buy, even with this issue.

[@rp9674]

Hopefully we have more resources for parts and repair in future, there quite a few bolts on the road

[@jimsEVadventures]

I don't hold out much hope! :)

[@rp9674]

I think when we get enough EVs on the road there will be enough demand for independent EV repair shops, likely to take a long time since EVs need less maintenance. I doubt Pep Boys will be able to transition. I'd love to see older EVs be able to keep running with a battery repair or upgrade

[@whynotthinkwhynot-]

I still haven’t checked my wife’s EUV build date. I did replace my 12v battery with an Ohmmu LiPO4 battery made specifically for the Bolts. I have other maintenance/ build issues. My right front rotor has developed a groove about 1mm deep. I’ll find out what caused it this weekend. It could simply be a rock or something, but I’m expecting it’s something to do with the brake pad clip.

[@jimsEVadventures]

I'll have to look into that Ohmmu battery. Thanks for the heads up!

[@whynotthinkwhynot-]

@ - it’s expensive, but worth it IMO. They make one for other EVs as well, probably for the Ioniq5. I’m swapping my AGM batteries in my UPS for LiFePO4’s ASAP. It will be nice when it doesn’t weigh 60lbs.

[@whynotthinkwhynot-]

@ - I’m sorry, I forgot to add, when I swapped mine, all my settings including OnStar saved.

[@herbdenney34]

This makes me nervous for the day we have an issue with our '23 EUV. We bought it in Jan '24 and have over 20,000 trouble free miles now. We already know our local dealers aren't really EV friendly. 😢

[@jimsEVadventures]

Most Legacy Dealerships are not EV friendly because they are having a hard time figuring out how they are going to keep their service departments open in light of the fact that EVs simply require less maintenance. In this case, it seems, they can keep their service departments functioning by putting sub-par electronic modules in the peripheral electronics. But what do I know? I only work in the field of engineering, electronics, electromechanical components, and related systems for a living...LOL!

[@georgeherman8826]

So the part can only be purchased by an authorized Chevy Service Provider ? Did I misunderstand ? This all very interesting I really like your channel you're providing a great service.

[@jimsEVadventures]

That is correct. You can’t buy it from GM direct even though it’s listed on their website.

[@LayneBailey]

Jim, best if luck in Friday. We also have a 2023 EUV. Can you please ask service team if this needs to be done on all 23 EUV’s?

[@jimsEVadventures]

No...it does not! This unit should have lasted for the life of the car. But...alas, it did not! It failed due to an inherent design flaw that causes one of the onboard ICs to flake out when there is a problem in the 12V system (like when your battery dies). Not enough inline protection on one of the circuits. It is much more common than people realize.

[@scarco6194]

Progress! Fingers crossed!

[@jimsEVadventures]

Indeed!

[@Plisken65]

Doesnt matter that it's EV, GM is always going to be GM.

[@jimsEVadventures]

Unfortunately that’s truth!

[@speedbird7976]

My 23 EUV was built 8/23. Really like the car. Is this problem unique to models built during a certain time?

[@jimsEVadventures]

I think it has more to do with the build time for the module (OnStar) than the car. Apparently batches of these modules (used in multiple GM models) have had issues...cars built December 2022 to March 2023. Guess where my car falls?

[@flolou8496]

Your problem is making me wonder, which after market third party warranty company's could be trusted in a situation like this: For example, I assume for people who buy a certified BOLT or EUV BOLT from a legitimate authorized Chevy dealership, this part of the car would be covered under the used certified warranty period, but this is rather unlikely now after 2025, because by the end of 2025, most 2022 and 2023 EUV and non EUV bolts at Chevy dealership's, are going to pass the original 3 year/36000 miles coverage, meaning there is no option to get a ''certified'' bolt If people were driving even the 2023 models just 12, 000 miles a year, from 2023 to 2025, that's 36,000 miles , which brings me back to the original goal of wondering about 3rd party warranty company's that cover EV's, and which parts they'll cover and won't cover, like in the case of your electrical dilemma.

[@jimsEVadventures]

Used car issues … good questions. Research effort begins now.

[@flolou8496]

​@@jimsEVadventures The entire ''certified'' used car market is rather inconsistent. One thing I've come to discover and accept which will also help you navigate this thorny side of the used car market is this: Certified can come in two flavors: For example certified example # 1, means the car qualified for a certification status extending the covered parts of the car's warranty as if it was a new car, for example on the BOLT 's original warranty outside the main motor's battery, the all important ''basic or general warranty'' where you telematics unit would be covered, in this case a ''certified'' Bolt under example # 1, would cover that part to the 36,000 miles length even if the BOLT for sale, has only 4,000 miles on it: But ''certified'' example # 2 goes like this: dealership's sell a ''certified'' car that only goes for 12,000 miles or 1 year from purchase, which ever comes first. This example however is less common with Chevy Bolts in my EV shopping, which I've been doing for over 1 year, you see this much more common from KIA and Hyundai dealerships, Another ugly wrinkle in all this, is how there is not 100% consistency between the different manufacturers on what parts get covered under the ''certified'' warranty's. A good example of this, is the parts related to the HVAC , ie heating and air conditioning components, which can be costly if they go bad and need repair, this is very very important to learn about, if you live and drive in the Southwest of the United States, where temperatures can reach 90 degrees to 120 degrees from May to September, (like here in Las Vegas where I live) I miss the day's where it was common to hear phrasing like ''bumper to bumper'' warranty's , but these days even when I hear or see such terms, my bullshit radar goes off, (knowledge and home work is key more than ever now)

[@MrHockey172000]

There has to be a federal law or rule that is applicable to this situation. . It’s hard to believe that a component that is made by the manufacturer that will provide the repair to a vehicle purchased from them can be withheld from the public for purchase. I wonder about the Federal Trade Commission?

[@flolou8496]

@@MrHockey172000 Well, I could see one nefarious scenario and another less nefarious reason , on why manufacturers would do this: Nefarious Reason # 1: The selfish dealership markup reason. If the part is made to the public, but only through the dealership network, this increases the bottomline, in there favor and not yours, but from a practical safety and product liability standpoint, some argument could be made that certain parts made available to the public, could result in accidents or further damage to the car if installed incorrectly by the public at large, and so I could see where certain parts (which when it comes to EV's are often in low quantity in the On Demand Supply Chain dynamics system) are purposely not made available to the public at large,) For example if I was the manufacturer, I would not want the public to have access to many parts involving the charging system , for example in ICE car's, nothing is really flammable or dangerous when the car is shut off, for the most part, but that's not necessarily the case with EV's, I think there are areas still potentially dangerous to the public, even when the car is parked and your troubleshooting anything electrical,

[@rp9674]

Be careful, the one that advertises on TV with actors is a scam, they got a terrible Better Business Bureau review - CarShield, a vehicle service contract (VSC) seller, was fined $10 million by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)