Money saved on EV vs. gasoline maintenance?

[theaveng]

No gas tax (~75 cents per gallon).
No $50 oil changes every ~7000 miles.
No $100 trans fluid changes every ~50,000 miles.
No $1000 timing belt changes every ~100,000 miles (instead you need a new battery costing ~$10,000).

I'm sure I left some things out.
I just typed this quickly at the end of my workshift.
Feel free to add more.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

No combustion air filter (~$20?)

Newer cars use synthetic, more like $70 for an oil change.

The jury is still out what other wear and tear items are better or worse. On gas cars all that heat building up under the hood takes its toll. We find motor mounts need to be replaced after a few years, and that can run into several hundred dollars if you have to do them all, even more if you have some fancy hydraulic electronic/vacuum controlled mount that softens up at idle (I guess that's what they do)

 

[cgaydos]

No combustion air filter (~$20?)

Newer cars use synthetic, more like $70 for an oil change.

The jury is still out what other wear and tear items are better or worse. On gas cars all that heat building up under the hood takes its toll. We find motor mounts need to be replaced after a few years, and that can run into several hundred dollars if you have to do them all, even more if you have some fancy hydraulic electronic/vacuum controlled mount that softens up at idle (I guess that's what they do)

See if you can find the average repair bill at 90k, 120k, and 150k inspections. In my experience with even high reliability ICEs you're lucky to get out the door with under $1k.

Now some of those items are issues for ICEs as well - cabin air filter, brakes, cv joints, shocks/struts, broken accessories, etc. But the majority are ICE-only - tune-up/spark plugs, fuel system, water pump, coolant, radiator, alternator, etc plus items already mentioned. I just looked at my last couple 90k mile services and 85% of the cost was due to ICE-only components.

Granted, there are some EV-only components that might need fixing (like, ahem, the heating coil). But I still think we're dealing with much less than half the maintenance costs.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

Granted, there are some EV-only components that might need fixing (like, ahem, the heating coil). But I still think we're dealing with much less than half the maintenance costs.

I'd like to think so too, but before declaring victory over the service department, be very afraid of the specialization on a car like the Leaf. If you have an older Accord (for example) and you need a motor mount or a hose or almost anything you can get aftermarket parts at Autozone. Maybe you can fix it yourself or have an independent shop fix it, or for that matter even dealer service departments will cut you a discount on some jobs to be competitive and get the business. But with the Leaf, if it craps out and they tell you you need a frammajammer or a flux capacitor, you're really at their mercy. We just don't know how Nissan will treat people one day after 36 months is up.

 

[smkettner]

Simply not going to the dealer "priceless" Not missing work to go to the dealer "bonus" Not having the dealer goof something else up or requiring a return visit "amazing".

Kills me what they call service. Too often I see charges for all the required maintenance and then on top of that a $395+ charge for the 30k, 60k, 90k etc "service" which includes.... a car wash :roll:

 

[DanCar]

... they tell you you need a frammajammer or a flux capacitor, you're really at their mercy. ...

Keep in mind that an electric car is very simple compared to gas car. No transmission, just a reduction gear, for example. If you drive decently you will likely never need to replace the brakes, because of regen braking. Short term (5y) there maybe issues, but long term (10y) electric is a much better solution.
I owned some electric scooters and was surprised how easy they are to repair.
Even the main battery will become commoditized. Might help if government created regulation for release of the firmware specs to help in alternate battery install.

 

[cgaydos]

... they tell you you need a frammajammer or a flux capacitor, you're really at their mercy. ...

Keep in mind that an electric car is very simple compared to gas car. No transmission, just a reduction gear, for example. If you drive decently you will likely never need to replace the brakes, because of regen braking. Short term (5y) there maybe issues, but long term (10y) electric is a much better solution.
I owned some electric scooters and was surprised how easy they are to repair.
Even the main battery will become commoditized. Might help if government created regulation for release of the firmware specs to help in alternate battery install.

True. But I share the same concern. When the heating coil on my 2012 LEAF failed the dealer put in 2or 3 days of warranty labor, maybe more, on it. What would I have paid were the warranty expired?

 

[DanCar]

True. But I share the same concern. When the heating coil on my 2012 LEAF failed the dealer put in 2or 3 days of warranty labor, maybe more, on it. What would I have paid were the warranty expired?

I suspect they were just waiting for the part to arrive.

 

[Valdemar]

Repair is not maintenance. For the former my concern is there are expensive electronic parts, like the onboard charger, which if failed and need to be repaired out of pocket, will quickly eat up all the savings.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

Repair is not maintenance. For the former my concern is there are expensive electronic parts, like the onboard charger, which if failed and need to be repaired out of pocket, will quickly eat up all the savings.

that concern is valid but no more valid than if you had a gas car. keep in mind a gas car is more likely to have a major repair simply because it has a lot more major components to break.

its really all boils down to the law of averages but in two different directions.

EV technology being newer means that there is not billions of road tested miles design experience on EV specific components which could lead to failures a few years down the line.

AZ heat might be bad for batteries but a gasser carries around its own blast furnace which means its gets the AZ heat year round which means more failure points, more systems to guard against the heat which in turn is more systems that can break.

add to that the sobering fact that modern cars dont really have any cheap fixes anymore. No matter what breaks, a very expensive piece of electronic gizmo is probably going down with it. Might even be a few of them. innocent bystanders of heat gone wild.

I think that before I started worrying about something that might not happen, I would start crunching the here and now. Fuel savings alone can add up to $2000 a year which can pay off the "EV" premium in a few years.

 

[Valdemar]

Repair is not maintenance. For the former my concern is there are expensive electronic parts, like the onboard charger, which if failed and need to be repaired out of pocket, will quickly eat up all the savings.

that concern is valid but no more valid than if you had a gas car. keep in mind a gas car is more likely to have a major repair simply because it has a lot more major components to break.

its really all boils down to the law of averages but in two different directions.

EV technology being newer means that there is not billions of road tested miles design experience on EV specific components which could lead to failures a few years down the line.

AZ heat might be bad for batteries but a gasser carries around its own blast furnace which means its gets the AZ heat year round which means more failure points, more systems to guard against the heat which in turn is more systems that can break.

add to that the sobering fact that modern cars dont really have any cheap fixes anymore. No matter what breaks, a very expensive piece of electronic gizmo is probably going down with it. Might even be a few of them. innocent bystanders of heat gone wild.

I think that before I started worrying about something that might not happen, I would start crunching the here and now. Fuel savings alone can add up to $2000 a year which can pay off the "EV" premium in a few years.

Just saying that savings on maintenance/repair for EVs might not live up to the expectations. So I wouldn't bet on it to avoid additional frustration down the road...

 

[cgaydos]

True. But I share the same concern. When the heating coil on my 2012 LEAF failed the dealer put in 2or 3 days of warranty labor, maybe more, on it. What would I have paid were the warranty expired?

I suspect they were just waiting for the part to arrive.

I actually covered the whole sage in the heating coil thread. There were probably 3 days of parts waiting but the time quoted was spent taking the whole thing apart, running every diagnostic they had before calling Nissan HQ, then putting it all back together. I'm sure that if the tech had done the same thing on 10 LEAFs previously it would have taken a small fraction of the time.

 

[theaveng]

I hope the EV savings would balance the cost of expensive repairs like a failed heating coil or new battery. (When the heat failed in my old gas car I just kept driving. Ya don't really need heat if you bundle up with gloves.)

Too often I see charges for all the required maintenance and then on top of that a $395+ charge for the 30k, 60k, 90k etc "service" which includes.... a car wash :roll:

I ignore the recommend 30,60,90K services so dealers can't pull that scam. Instead I make a list of all the major components and how often they need to be serviced. I don't follow the dealer's schedule at all.

 

[BraveLittleToaster]

I don't follow the dealer's schedule at all.

And they still honour their warranty? I thought the warranty was conditional upon their regular maintenance schedule.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

I don't follow the dealer's schedule at all.

And they still honour their warranty? I thought the warranty was conditional upon their regular maintenance schedule.

it is but regular service interval maintenance programs have "recommended" stuff added in that is outside warranty requirements. keep in mind that environmental conditions play a huge part in any maintenance program and most are written to cover everything. its really up to the service advisor to advise you but they are paid primarily on commision so...

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

I don't follow the dealer's schedule at all.

And they still honour their warranty? I thought the warranty was conditional upon their regular maintenance schedule.

Look in the owners manual for what is actually required. You will see very few things listed. All that other stuff on these dealer service menus like lubricating the glove box hinge is their own creation to pad profit. Do only what is in the book and you'll be fine and save hundreds a year.

 

[theaveng]

I don't follow the dealer's schedule at all.

And they still honour their warranty? I thought the warranty was conditional upon their regular maintenance schedule.

No the warranty is dependent upon the MANUFACTURER'S schedule published in the manual. I follow that to the letter but ignore the dealer (who says dumb stuff like change your oil every 4000 miles).