The benefits of draining the oil this way are manifold.

Interesting again. It must be programming in this heap, because it’s just awful. Maybe it’s a great transmission when hooked up to paddles but they way they have it operating in this jeep is just annoying. I have to switch it to manual mode to ride along in stop and go traffic without getting pissed off. It probably…

That’s interesting. We currently have a new Grand Cherokee with the V6 and I think the 8 speed as a loaner while our van is in the shop. I can’t stand it. It’s shifting all the time, and when you speed up quickly, then let off, instead of shifting or coasting, it slows down like 5 mph before it shifts down. It’s the…

Ugh oh god. My neighbor loaned me their Jeep Cherokee once and I was struggling to figure this out. I was on the highway trying to get the best MPG and I realized I was only in 8th gear when after a long downgrade finally dropped it into 9th. I tried everything but could never get it back into 9th gear to stay, any fas…

I’ve been daily driving my Volt for just over 6 years. I love this feature, it’s great for idiots staring at their phone when the light turned green. Just enough honk to get their attention without trying to start a fight.

I can’t think of many scenarios where an 84-month loan is appropriate on any car. You are going to be underwater almost the entire time, and that’s very risky unless you are also buying gap insurance, which makes it more expensive again...

Important missing info - what’s the average Interest Rate on those loans? If interest rates are really low, people are likely to finance more. Why would I put a down payment on a car if interest rates are ridiculously low?

Just to back this up - early runs of modern cars loaded with new technologies especially. Looking at two recent PHEVs I purchased new, GM had issues with a major bearing support in their Volt’s transaxle for 2011-2013 models, it took that long to discover and resolve the problem (higher milage failures). Chrysler…

Running the cabin heater will feed some of that warmth to the battery, so people do report a slight increase in range for preconditioning (as long as you are on L2 charging with enough amps to keep up with the heater), but it won’t allow the battery to get too cold or too hot just for the sake of being plugged in. The…

The battery is always maintaining a temperature range if it’s plugged in. “Preconditioning” in GM-speak is just running the cabin heater for your comfort before you get in the car, also commonly known as “remote start”. The Bolt and Volt’s batteries have liquid cooling and heating and the system will actively use wall…

We were in a big snowy parking lot, competing for ‘who can climb this snowbank the highest?’ I won, I think. When the trailer hitch dug into the pavement. Bad approach angle from my old suburban’s long tail... hopefully the picture works.

I totally get this now. If it’s -20C out, I should let my car idle for 2 minutes before making a series of 1/4 mile passes. Thanks for clearing it up!

I have access to a small trailer I pull when I need to haul stuff, and a big trailer when I need to move big things. A tow hitch is good enough for me. Of course, modern small cars have barely any tow capacity, so I keep my 73 Buick around to do the heavy work.

Wow! My Chevy Volt came with rotors made of a special material resistant to rusting due to the reduced usage and temps the brakes will see. 6 years in and the rotors still look pretty new.

Just to follow up on my own comment... I read elsewhere that they “added an extra fan” to address high battery temps, and if the batteries get too hot while charging they will limit the charging rate, as you said. “Advancements...”

They are claiming 80% in 45 minutes, 100kW is not slow! Although Tesla is faster IIRC. It’s too bad Nissan seems to be the only ones pushing CHAdeMO. Everyone else went CCS for fast charging. The fragmentation needs to end or things are going to continue to be a mess.

It sounds like they still haven’t added active cooling to the battery. How are their latest models holding up in hot climates?

Manufacturers are talking big for EVs, but I still don’t see enough charging stations to deal with the influx coming our way. Even with a 250 mile range, if you need to use heat and go somewhere 100 miles away, you are pushing your luck to get back home. Until I see massive charging improvements in rural areas, I’m…

It’s not a made up problem, it’s happened more than once, and for whatever reason truck guys are making it a thing. Given the media attention it received, they may do it more frequently. It’s only a ‘big problem’ if someone who really needs a charge is not able to access the station. Hopefully at that point police are…

Gen1 or Gen2 Volt? I just put 16" winter tires on my Gen1 which came with 17" OE. Had to muck around with sizes a bit to get what I wanted, but the ride is fabulous.