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I bought a used Audi etron a couple months ago. Agent was going to try to sell me a service plan and realized none of them apply to electric :) The downstream f

I bought a used Audi etron a couple months ago. Agent was going to try to sell me a service plan and realized none of them apply to electric :) The downstream fanout of the auto industry is huge…

Hamuko 9mo ago
There's still brakes, suspensions, tires, etc. to sell to EV buyers. Especially when EVs are so heavy that they have more wear on many of these.
- Izikiel43 9mo ago
  but nothing compared to the oil changes, filter changes, as well as an ICE having multiple moving parts, so more chances for something to break.
- seanmcdirmid 9mo ago
  > There's still brakes, suspensions, tires, etc. to sell to EV buyers. The brakes last a lot longer because of regen, everything else applies but is pretty marginal, although I had to pay BMW $500 to replace a tire on my i4 because of a nail. I could have shopped around for that I guess.
  - Hamuko 9mo ago
    If you don't use your brakes and just regen all the time, you run the risk of having your brakes rust. https://nrsbrakes.com/blogs/supporting-articles/the-unused-brake-problem-why-ev-brake-pads-rust-faster-in-winter https://nrsbrakes.com/blogs/supporting-articles/the-unused-b...
    - seanmcdirmid 9mo ago
      Yes, you are encouraged to slam on your brakes at least once a month to get the rust off. I live on the west coast (rain but low humidity and hardly any snow), so its less of an issue.
      - GloriousKoji 9mo ago
        You'd think with all that electronics it would be smart enough to use real brakes every now and then. The plug in hybrid Prius runs the gas engine every 100 miles or so.
        mfkp 9mo ago
        Some cars do this. Audi and Porsche (if I recall correctly) use the disc brakes for the first couple stops each drive to knock off the rust if there's any build up. I think I remember reading that Ford uses the real brakes if you're under 5mph. I'm sure other manufacturers do something similar (other than Tesla which apparently doesn't do anything to help).
        seanmcdirmid 9mo ago
        I don't think that is a good feel, you sort of get a feel for how fast you slow down with regenerative braking and throwing real brakes into the mix randomly sometimes would make for a horrible driving experience. Better to have a reminder, surely the car could figure that one out.
        barbazoo 9mo ago
        Do we know rust on brakes is even a problem before assuming the electronics aren't smart enough?
        AlotOfReading 9mo ago
        Yes, it's studied. Rust and metal have different frictional properties, and the rotors produce different torques when the brakes are applied. This results in a sort of uneven shuddering when you use the brakes if they're heavily corroded. It's not immediately deadly, but your brakes are one of the most important safety systems on the vehicle. They should be in good working order.
        barbazoo 9mo ago
        Totally, I'm not thinking for a second that you are wrong there. I'm not saying rust on brakes isn't bad. What I'm questioning is whether rust buildup is an actual issue happening for most EV drivers right now. I'm genuinely curious because, for no good reason, I take pride in the fact that most trips I don't even touch the brake pedal other than to come to a complete stop and only when parking, etc where you can't regen all the way to a stop.
    - formerly_proven 9mo ago
      iirc some OEMs will automatically apply the brakes lightly during regular driving from time to time to counteract this
      - binkHN 9mo ago
        I know Rivian does this.
- tzs 9mo ago
  What percent of people go to the car dealer for tires?
  - Hamuko 9mo ago
    Dunno the percentages but I see them advertise tires, so not zero at least. Saves you from a separate run if you have them installed during service.
  - nilsbunger 9mo ago
    We recently got a tire at the dealer. My wife got a flat while she was trying to get to work. The car comes with roadside assistance, and the "easy path" was to let them tow it to the dealer. We could've done the work to find a private shop to change the tire and redirect the tow truck there, but it takes effort, my wife gets intimidated by car stuff, and she was busy with some work meetings (which she took at the roadside). In the end it cost us an extra $100, but probably saved us $1000 of marriage counseling :) That's ROI !

I bought a used Audi etron a couple months ago. Agent was going to try to sell me a service plan and realized none of them apply to electric :) The downstream fanout of the auto industry is huge…

Hamuko 9mo ago

There's still brakes, suspensions, tires, etc. to sell to EV buyers. Especially when EVs are so heavy that they have more wear on many of these.

Izikiel43 9mo ago
but nothing compared to the oil changes, filter changes, as well as an ICE having multiple moving parts, so more chances for something to break.
seanmcdirmid 9mo ago
> There's still brakes, suspensions, tires, etc. to sell to EV buyers. The brakes last a lot longer because of regen, everything else applies but is pretty marginal, although I had to pay BMW $500 to replace a tire on my i4 because of a nail. I could have shopped around for that I guess.
- Hamuko 9mo ago
  If you don't use your brakes and just regen all the time, you run the risk of having your brakes rust. https://nrsbrakes.com/blogs/supporting-articles/the-unused-brake-problem-why-ev-brake-pads-rust-faster-in-winter https://nrsbrakes.com/blogs/supporting-articles/the-unused-b...
  - seanmcdirmid 9mo ago
    Yes, you are encouraged to slam on your brakes at least once a month to get the rust off. I live on the west coast (rain but low humidity and hardly any snow), so its less of an issue.
    - GloriousKoji 9mo ago
      You'd think with all that electronics it would be smart enough to use real brakes every now and then. The plug in hybrid Prius runs the gas engine every 100 miles or so.
      - mfkp 9mo ago
        Some cars do this. Audi and Porsche (if I recall correctly) use the disc brakes for the first couple stops each drive to knock off the rust if there's any build up. I think I remember reading that Ford uses the real brakes if you're under 5mph. I'm sure other manufacturers do something similar (other than Tesla which apparently doesn't do anything to help).
      - seanmcdirmid 9mo ago
        I don't think that is a good feel, you sort of get a feel for how fast you slow down with regenerative braking and throwing real brakes into the mix randomly sometimes would make for a horrible driving experience. Better to have a reminder, surely the car could figure that one out.
      - barbazoo 9mo ago
        Do we know rust on brakes is even a problem before assuming the electronics aren't smart enough?
        AlotOfReading 9mo ago
        Yes, it's studied. Rust and metal have different frictional properties, and the rotors produce different torques when the brakes are applied. This results in a sort of uneven shuddering when you use the brakes if they're heavily corroded. It's not immediately deadly, but your brakes are one of the most important safety systems on the vehicle. They should be in good working order.
        barbazoo 9mo ago
        Totally, I'm not thinking for a second that you are wrong there. I'm not saying rust on brakes isn't bad. What I'm questioning is whether rust buildup is an actual issue happening for most EV drivers right now. I'm genuinely curious because, for no good reason, I take pride in the fact that most trips I don't even touch the brake pedal other than to come to a complete stop and only when parking, etc where you can't regen all the way to a stop.
  - formerly_proven 9mo ago
    iirc some OEMs will automatically apply the brakes lightly during regular driving from time to time to counteract this
    - binkHN 9mo ago
      I know Rivian does this.
tzs 9mo ago
What percent of people go to the car dealer for tires?
- Hamuko 9mo ago
  Dunno the percentages but I see them advertise tires, so not zero at least. Saves you from a separate run if you have them installed during service.
- nilsbunger 9mo ago
  We recently got a tire at the dealer. My wife got a flat while she was trying to get to work. The car comes with roadside assistance, and the "easy path" was to let them tow it to the dealer. We could've done the work to find a private shop to change the tire and redirect the tow truck there, but it takes effort, my wife gets intimidated by car stuff, and she was busy with some work meetings (which she took at the roadside). In the end it cost us an extra $100, but probably saved us $1000 of marriage counseling :) That's ROI !