Battery warranty advice for 2014 Spark

[niik]

Wow. That article said GM only sold 7400 spark EVs.

I didn't realise how few there were. I guess I should cut GM and the dealers some slack on not being familiar with them.

Also now I need to take my spark to Cars and Coffee since its more rare than some ferrari's

 

[Porsche]

So, I have a 2015; I'll say this from my perspective. Chevy makes a vehicle where the main component will last 8 years. After 7 years, they discontinue that component, just before they'll actually have to replace any of them. Isn't that the very definition of a Ponzi scheme?

 

[MisturChips]

Saw this pop up today:

https://youtu.be/qS9uo5t8n0s

What a bummer. TO top if off, my capacity went * UP * the other day! Looks like it'll be closer than I thought.


I'm hoping someone will make a Tesla or BYD cell pack replacement for us to keep these lil' efficient fellas on the road!

 

[Infinion]

https://youtu.be/4SwZuHSrLno
EV Resource clarifies the communication problems between departments claiming parts are discontinued and gets a direct answer from GM.

 

[niik]

interesting. Though I didn't expect them to truly discontinue the battery packs since they are still legally required to support their warranty for about 4 more years. So I can believe that it was caused by a communication issue. I have had to deal with a few GM communication issues myself while trying to get my warranty service.

It seems like EV Resource has a good relationship with GM so maybe they can ask about the bulletin discontinuing the 2014 to 2015+ conversions.

Also, I got an update on my parts. "PART 95418638 HAS BEEN RECEIVED BY A GM SHIPPING FACILITY" That is the item that I have been waiting on for almost 6 months... At least I have a delivery date now.

 

[Oceanbreeze]

EV Resource clarifies the communication problems between departments claiming parts are discontinued and gets a direct answer from GM.

Thank you for sharing this.

 

[ElDobro]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/new...ke-packs-for-years/ar-AAWGqHN?ocid=uxbndlbing

 

[MisturChips]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/new...ke-packs-for-years/ar-AAWGqHN?ocid=uxbndlbing

Thanks for sharing. I DO wonder, though... If my A123 pack is replaced with the LG Chem pack, will they limit the torque output like they did on the 2015/2016 models? I hope not, as /tmp is an EXTREMELY fun little beast to drive!

 

[ElDobro]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/new...ke-packs-for-years/ar-AAWGqHN?ocid=uxbndlbing

Thanks for sharing. I DO wonder, though... If my A123 pack is replaced with the LG Chem pack, will they limit the torque output like they did on the 2015/2016 models? I hope not, as /tmp is an EXTREMELY fun little beast to drive!

The 2014 has a 3.17 final drive and the 2015-16 has a 3.87 final drive, so that's the main difference.

 

[MisturChips]

[/quote]
The 2014 has a 3.17 final drive and the 2015-16 has a 3.87 final drive, so that's the main difference.
[/quote]

I think they changed the drive ratios in order to compensate for 100 less lb-ft of torque. I Recall hearing the LG cells couldn't take the punishment. I DO enjoy the zippiness! With the lower final drive, does that mean the speed limiter is a lower value?

Bumped in to another 2014 at the charging station last night and checked his stats. with ;only' ~92Kmi on his, the pack was still at 45.2Ah. Mine is down to 39.1 with 97.5K, and I have 10 days to go....

 

[Infinion]

The 2014 has a 3.17 final drive and the 2015-16 has a 3.87 final drive, so that's the main difference.


I think they changed the drive ratios in order to compensate for 100 less lb-ft of torque. I Recall hearing the LG cells couldn't take the punishment. I DO enjoy the zippiness! With the lower final drive, does that mean the speed limiter is a lower value?

Bumped in to another 2014 at the charging station last night and checked his stats. with ;only' ~92Kmi on his, the pack was still at 45.2Ah. Mine is down to 39.1 with 97.5K, and I have 10 days to go....

Oh man that really sucks. You'd have to take a road trip to a state with freezing temperatures right now, find a hill, wait for the pack to freeze, and then regen down it to degrade the pack in time, while also booking an appointment to check capacity on the last day... Definitely not impossible but, you might be better off rejuvinating your pack's capacity considering it's doing so well. Replacement only really guarantees you get your Ah back to, what, 20% degradation minimum? You could probably do that to your original pack.

I think they changed the drive ratios in order to compensate for 100 less lb-ft of torque. I Recall hearing the LG cells couldn't take the punishment. I DO enjoy the zippiness! With the lower final drive, does that mean the speed limiter is a lower value?

Do you know where you heard that? I was having a discussion with Porsche a while back in viewtopic.php?p=28503 speculating about the max discharge power of a high voltage lithium pack using cylindrical cells as a reference, because I didn't actually have access to pouch cell discharge data. From my own knowledge reading the service manuals, I'm pretty sure the Busbar max current is not more than 400A, so it'd be really interesting to at least hear where things stand for INR voltage sag vs LFP in the spark and if it's a little different or very very different between a single string of high capacity pouches against several parallel strings of cylindrical cells.

 

[MisturChips]

I think they changed the drive ratios in order to compensate for 100 less lb-ft of torque. I Recall hearing the LG cells couldn't take the punishment. I DO enjoy the zippiness! With the lower final drive, does that mean the speed limiter is a lower value?

Do you know where you heard that? I was having a discussion with Porsche a while back in viewtopic.php?p=28503 speculating about the max discharge power of a high voltage lithium pack using cylindrical cells as a reference, because I didn't actually have access to pouch cell discharge data. From my own knowledge reading the service manuals, I'm pretty sure the Busbar max current is not more than 400A, so it'd be really interesting to at least hear where things stand for INR voltage sag vs LFP in the spark and if it's a little different or very very different between a single string of high capacity pouches against several parallel strings of cylindrical cells.
[/quote]



I recall discussing it with a salesman about how the torque was limited on the early-2015's though 2016 due to possible battery issues. I never substantiated it, but that's one reason why I jumped on the 2014 when it was available. 120KW on the dash meter during acceleration is nice - where do the 2016's peak?

 

[niik]

Update from GM on my battery replacement.

GM received the part that we were waiting on (95418638). However, the part failed QA checks and is not usable. According to my GM rep that was the last one anywhere and it has been discontinued. So now they are going to offer me a "buyback." I have not received the offer from them or the dealer so I don't know how much they plan to offer me.

Does anyone know what to expect from a buyback?

 

[ElDobro]

You may want to post that all over media that the battery is discontinued. Who is "they" that's offering you a buyback, is it the dealer, or GM themselves that contacted you?

 

[niik]

You may want to post that all over media that the battery is discontinued. Who is "they" that's offering you a buyback, is it the dealer, or GM themselves that contacted you?

They are GM corporate. However, GM said they would talk with the dealer to determine what the offer will look like.

 

[niik]

Quick update, there is no update.

In June 2022, GM said they would process a buyback on my spark because they could not fix/replace the battery. They said it would take approximately 12 weeks to work that process, but it's been more than 12 weeks, and still nothing.

Since June, I have requested updates twice and got "we are still working on it" answers.

They have also not provided me with a value number or any real info on what to expect going through this process.

Once I get a number, I'll post about it and also try to include any info about the process that could help others.

 

[saabnut880]

Still waiting for a warranty battery, since February. Meanwhile GM restarts dividend and announces a $5 Billion stock buyback.

 

[ElDobro]

It has been reported that GM is now sending dealers batteries that are to be installed in the original case.

 

[niik]

My case was "escalated" again, and I was contacted by the GM district service manager for my area.

I was given 4 options.

-Trade -Repurchase (Would have to find a VIN that’s you are looking to purchase). This may be difficult to find in this current climate

-Straight- Repurchase (GM will put together a number that represents how much the vehicle value is and will disclose the number to you) Will waive 25% usage rate.

-Wait for the battery replacement and issue some Goodwill (My Rewards, Service Voucher, OnStar, Sirius XM (If vehicle is equipped) .

-Owner Loyalty certificate (Issue a certificate and you go out and sell the vehicle and can use the value of the vehicle and the GM discount towards a New or Lease vehicle (Might be best option)

When I asked what the value of the straight repurchase was, I was told it is based on the KBB value, and historically the values are coming in around 8k. Though they would not make an "official" offer until I selected that option, however, it was implied once I select an option, the other options are off the table.

IMO the car is worth KBB value already, so GM paying me KBB value is doing nothing to address their obligations under warranty.

I tried to talk to the dealership about the "Trade-Repurchase," but they told me they do not participate in that program because GM does not provide allocations for it. I asked for more information about that program to try and determine if I should try to find a dealer that does participate, but they got hostile and would only repeat, "We do not participate in that program."

I will try negotiating with GM, but it's not looking good, so I have started reaching out to lawyers to see the legal precedent for this kind of situation.

The problem with that is all the lawyers are lemon law focused, and this is not a lemon law situation, so if anyone knows a lawyer that works on this kind of case, please let me know.

 

[twinsemi]

We are in the same boat. Our 2015 Spark EV died in July. Range dropped to 3 miles. Car refused to move or charge on any charger. Had it towed to Chevy of Watsonville on July-11. A couple days later they called and said that the battery was the problem and that we should contact the CA CEC.
At first they were going to replace our Spark with a 2019 Bolt, straight-up trade. We were given a choice between two vehicles that they had in a warehouse in LA. We selected one on August-1. and just yesterday we talked with Ruth (our concierge) who told us that two weeks ago she had been told by GM that our case was being transferred to a different department and that the trade deal was terminated. She had not called to tell us that because she was told that the other department would be calling us. I called her extension and she just happened to pick up, whereas usually it goes to voicemail. (BTW, I have her 7-digit extension memorized by now and I don't even have my 3-digit VISA card number in my head)
We are still trying to get any concrete answers from anyone at Chevrolet. The service manager at the local dealer who has our Spark EV has been most consoling about this. He has told me, however, that he can not say anything to any customer (hypothetically speaking) that GM corporate has not authorized him to say. So he is not an advocate. He knows what side of his bread gets the butter. (not my side)
I wish that I could offer you either some useful information of hopeful words, but this is all I've got for now. We are trying to bump the case up the ladder at the CEC, but I am not as hopeful as my wife.