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Non ICE cars have far lower service needs → lower revenue for dealers → expect to see more subscriptions to offset.

by psadri 4y ago

bluGill 4y ago
That is mostly a myth. The ICE doesn't have regular oil changes, but you still need to rotate the tires at the same intervals. There are a few oil leaks and such that you miss out on, but the shocks will still wear out over time (maybe sooner as EVs tend to be heavier). Odds are the body of the car will wear out before the engine/transmission will need major work. Even ignoring that, by the time the engine needs expensive maintenance it is old and likely to go to an independent mechanic. While there is warranty issues, there will be such with electric motors and their controllers as well.
- vel0city 4y ago
  Oil changes in my ICE are now about $100 almost everywhere I go, other than Walmart which is like $75 (probably more these days, haven't been in years). 6 quarts of synthetic plus an oil filter. Two oil changes a year means $200/yr on oil changes. Not massive, and I agree with the EV cost premium it'll take a lot of oil changes to offset the price of the EV on oil changes alone. However, the ICE is about to need a valve clearance adjustment this year or early next year. It is not that old of a car, but it still supposed to be done every 60,000mi on my car. There's another $300. It should probably also have a coolant flush and a transaxle fluid drain/fill/inspection. Another $400ish in maintenance. This year's ICE-exclusive maintenance budget is now at $900, assuming everything's fine with things like vacuum hoses and fuel lines and what not. It is not guaranteed they're fine; there's a reason why the manual tells you to inspect them every so often. And I imagine most people probably have no idea what they're looking at, so unless they're paying someone to inspect it that work probably isn't being inspected right. If you're only getting oil changes on your car, you're probably not following the OEM maintenance schedule on your car. My EV-only maintenance cost for the life of the car so far? $0. I'll need a gear oil and coolant drain and fill at 130,000mi, but other than that there's nothing scheduled other than things the ICE will need too (tires, suspension, wipers, brakes, etc.)
  - BenjiWiebe 4y ago
    Does your car actually need a valve adjustment? I thought all cars for quite a number of years already were all hydraulic lifters, which don't need adjustment.
    - vel0city 4y ago
      Hyundai/Kia Lamba II 3.3L V6 GDI being driven in some of the "extreme" circumstances, e.g., lots of short trips. Service interval on valve adjustment is 60,000mi according to the book. I'll overshoot that by a few thousand miles by the time it actually gets done though, holidays are a hell of a time to try and get the car in to a shop. There's definitely millions of cars on the roads which don't have hydraulic lifters. And while hydraulic lifters increase the interval time for adjustment the preload may still need adjustment throughout a hydraulic lifter's life.

Non ICE cars have far lower service needs → lower revenue for dealers → expect to see more subscriptions to offset.

by psadri 4y ago

Non ICE cars have far lower service needs → lower revenue for dealers → expect to see more subscriptions to offset.

That is mostly a myth. The ICE doesn't have regular oil changes, but you still need to rotate the tires at the same intervals. There are a few oil leaks and such that you miss out on, but the shocks will still wear out over time (maybe sooner as EVs tend to be heavier). Odds are the body of the car will wear out before the engine/transmission will need major work. Even ignoring that, by the time the engine needs expensive maintenance it is old and likely to go to an independent mechanic. While there is warranty issues, there will be such with electric motors and their controllers as well.

vel0city 4y ago
Oil changes in my ICE are now about $100 almost everywhere I go, other than Walmart which is like $75 (probably more these days, haven't been in years). 6 quarts of synthetic plus an oil filter. Two oil changes a year means $200/yr on oil changes. Not massive, and I agree with the EV cost premium it'll take a lot of oil changes to offset the price of the EV on oil changes alone. However, the ICE is about to need a valve clearance adjustment this year or early next year. It is not that old of a car, but it still supposed to be done every 60,000mi on my car. There's another $300. It should probably also have a coolant flush and a transaxle fluid drain/fill/inspection. Another $400ish in maintenance. This year's ICE-exclusive maintenance budget is now at $900, assuming everything's fine with things like vacuum hoses and fuel lines and what not. It is not guaranteed they're fine; there's a reason why the manual tells you to inspect them every so often. And I imagine most people probably have no idea what they're looking at, so unless they're paying someone to inspect it that work probably isn't being inspected right. If you're only getting oil changes on your car, you're probably not following the OEM maintenance schedule on your car. My EV-only maintenance cost for the life of the car so far? $0. I'll need a gear oil and coolant drain and fill at 130,000mi, but other than that there's nothing scheduled other than things the ICE will need too (tires, suspension, wipers, brakes, etc.)
- BenjiWiebe 4y ago
  Does your car actually need a valve adjustment? I thought all cars for quite a number of years already were all hydraulic lifters, which don't need adjustment.
  - vel0city 4y ago
    Hyundai/Kia Lamba II 3.3L V6 GDI being driven in some of the "extreme" circumstances, e.g., lots of short trips. Service interval on valve adjustment is 60,000mi according to the book. I'll overshoot that by a few thousand miles by the time it actually gets done though, holidays are a hell of a time to try and get the car in to a shop. There's definitely millions of cars on the roads which don't have hydraulic lifters. And while hydraulic lifters increase the interval time for adjustment the preload may still need adjustment throughout a hydraulic lifter's life.