The Canadian Electric Vehicle thread

[Jaws]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

This makes zero sense in the context of most (all?) of these companies signing on to the Tesla NACS standard.

It makes sense in the context of not being under the thumb of Tesla when it comes to providing charging for their customers.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Just the oil pour all over your face and on to the road?

I suppose without a drain pan you could always just let it soak into your clothing and wring it out at the recycling depot...

A drain pan makes it a lot easier, though...

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

I suppose without a drain pan you could always just let it soak into your clothing and wring it out at the recycling depot...

A drain pan makes it a lot easier, though...

I used to do my own oil changes when I was younger. It's easy and cheap, but a pain in the ass. You need more than one wrench.

You can save ~$20, but suddenly that seems not worth it when you spill a bit of oil or you don't have a nice heated garage to do the work in.

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

This makes zero sense in the context of most (all?) of these companies signing on to the Tesla NACS standard.

NACS only facilitates the ability to use Tesla's charging network. It won't facilitate features like "Plug-and-charge". Nor will Tesla offer decent rates to non-Tesla users. Having their own network means these car companies will be able to offer a similar charging experience and price structure as Tesla.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

NACS only facilitates the ability to use Tesla's charging network. It won't facilitate features like "Plug-and-charge". Nor will Tesla offer decent rates to non-Tesla users. Having their own network means these car companies will be able to offer a similar charging experience and price structure as Tesla.

Nobody has been able to compete with Tesla on fast charging, not even close.

Even Electrify America, which was only forced spending by VW for their fraud settlement.

No reason to think this will work either.

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Nobody has been able to compete with Tesla on fast charging, not even close.

Even Electrify America, which was only forced spending by VW for their fraud settlement.

No reason to think this will work either.

We'll see. I think Electrify America was kinda half assed as a compliance effort. These companies are finally beginning to understand that charging needs to be taken seriously and will help them sell cars.

I will add that this is almost the same consortium that built the Ionity charging network in Europe (VAG participates in Ionity). And that network is highly successful and competes well with Tesla there. So if they do bring some of that experience and knowledge here, we should see substantial improvement. Watch this for an idea how well it works in Europe:

• Video Link

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

I used to do my own oil changes when I was younger. It's easy and cheap, but a pain in the ass. You need more than one wrench.

You can save ~$20, but suddenly that seems not worth it when you spill a bit of oil or you don't have a nice heated garage to do the work in.

I do my own oil changes in my driveway. I don't find it to be a problem, but I realize that not everybody likes to maintain their own vehicles.

For me, I use a 17mm socket wrench, an oil drain pan with spout for pouring it into an empty windshield washer bottle for transportation to the recycling depot, and an oil filter wrench. A couple old rags or paper towels come in handy to wipe off bits of the undercarriage that might have some oil drops on them.

In the meantime, you can check other stuff under there that you wouldn't see otherwise, which is a bonus. Often I apply Rust Check or similar to vulnerable areas for corrosion protection that otherwise wouldn't be covered (probably not necessary in Vancouver, though).

As far as cost savings, I suppose if you go to the cheapest Jiffy Lube or whatever and get the cheapest oil, you will only save $20, but the last oil change I got at the dealer (to keep my warranty valid) was $100, and the tech or greeter scratched my bumper cover somewhere in the process (I didn't notice it until later, so I can't prove it to them - but I know I didn't do it... so I have to live with it).

I can do mine with decent quality synthetic oil on sale for $40 for 5 litres, a filter costs $15, so I'm into it for $55. (Oh yes, an oil drain plug washer was in the 50¢ range.) So I'm saving $45, plus I don't have to worry about the tech damaging my car, getting grease spots on the interior, cross threading the drain plug or damaging the threads by skipping the collapsible washer that has to be replaced at every oil change.

But... basically, if you don't enjoy doing it, you shouldn't do it. Simple as that... it won't be worth it. I don't like the dealership/repair shop experience, so I much prefer to do it at home on my own schedule, and have the satisfaction of having done it right, myself. The money savings are a bonus.

[WarrenC12]

That's fair and when I did it, it was often at a friend's place and we would chat and do both/all cars at the same time. Having the right tools helps too.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

That's fair and when I did it, it was often at a friend's place and we would chat and do both/all cars at the same time. Having the right tools helps too.

As this is the Electric Vehicle thread, how much do the oil changes cost on your Tesla, and how long do they take?

[jonny24]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

I do my own oil changes in my driveway. I don't find it to be a problem, but I realize that not everybody likes to maintain their own vehicles.

For me, I use a 17mm socket wrench, an oil drain pan with spout for pouring it into an empty windshield washer bottle for transportation to the recycling depot, and an oil filter wrench. A couple old rags or paper towels come in handy to wipe off bits of the undercarriage that might have some oil drops on them.

In the meantime, you can check other stuff under there that you wouldn't see otherwise, which is a bonus. Often I apply Rust Check or similar to vulnerable areas for corrosion protection that otherwise wouldn't be covered (probably not necessary in Vancouver, though).

As far as cost savings, I suppose if you go to the cheapest Jiffy Lube or whatever and get the cheapest oil, you will only save $20, but the last oil change I got at the dealer (to keep my warranty valid) was $100, and the tech or greeter scratched my bumper cover somewhere in the process (I didn't notice it until later, so I can't prove it to them - but I know I didn't do it... so I have to live with it).

I can do mine with decent quality synthetic oil on sale for $40 for 5 litres, a filter costs $15, so I'm into it for $55. (Oh yes, an oil drain plug washer was in the 50¢ range.) So I'm saving $45, plus I don't have to worry about the tech damaging my car, getting grease spots on the interior, cross threading the drain plug or damaging the threads by skipping the collapsible washer that has to be replaced at every oil change.

But... basically, if you don't enjoy doing it, you shouldn't do it. Simple as that... it won't be worth it. I don't like the dealership/repair shop experience, so I much prefer to do it at home on my own schedule, and have the satisfaction of having done it right, myself. The money savings are a bonus.

I go the opposite way as you, because of the bolded part. Changing oil is easy - but I like the opportunity for someone who knows a lot more than me to have eyes on the underside of my truck.

I use the shop around the corner from me, so I can drop it off and walk home. Sometimes I suspect that there's a little bit of "upselling" when they suggest other maintenance, but that is their business, and it's generally seemed to be stuff that's actually needed. Moreso that they'll offer more parts than needed - I asked them to look at why my brakes were a little shuddery (I suspect a warped rotor) - probably should have been 1hr of diag + 2 rotors, and sure toss in pads at while you're there, but they just gave me a quote for 4x pads, rotors, and calipers.

I basically never get them to do anything more than fluid changes. If it's something I think I can do (brakes, ball joints) then it's worth it to do myself, and if it's something I can't (eg. replacing AC condensor) I get it to my buddy in my hometown who will do it on the side / let me buy my parts from RockAuto.

I've heard the same thing about Canada basically being "severe" by default. I followed GM's 12,000km interval for the first 9 years, and have swapped to the Severe schedule after I learned better. Funnily, their Severe schedule doesn't shorten the interval for oil, but does for many other items. I've switched to 7500 just to make sure it's well looked after.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Changing City

As this is the Electric Vehicle thread, how much do the oil changes cost on your Tesla, and how long do they take?

Still looking for the drain pan.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Changing City

As this is the Electric Vehicle thread, how much do the oil changes cost on your Tesla, and how long do they take?

Good one!

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Still looking for the drain pan.

or the plug lol.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by jonny24

I go the opposite way as you, because of the bolded part. Changing oil is easy - but I like the opportunity for someone who knows a lot more than me to have eyes on the underside of my truck.

Yeah, that works well if you have a shop that you can trust, for sure. I just find that in most shops the guys are on flat rate, so they're just trying to get as many cars in and out as quickly as possible, so they can earn more hours than they are actually working. But if you have a neighbourhood shop that runs on a slower pace, and you have a good relationship with them, it's a good way to go.

For me, I kinda know what to look for (and I can be somewhat particular), so I like to take a look-see myself. If there's something heavy-duty that I can't deal with (or don't have the tools/equipment), then I do know a couple of mechanics that I could consult with.

[urbandreamer]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Just the oil pour all over your face and on to the road?

14mm wrench, Dollarama tub for used oil, crush washers I got on Amazon ~.50 each, some old sheets/rags, funnel. Basically, I can reach under the car lying down on a Reflectix pad, loosen the drain plug w/ 14mm wrench, drain the oil, remove the filter by hand, replace with new lubricated hand tightened oil filter, new crush washer & tighten drain plug, add new oil in 20 minutes. Maybe 30 minutes if you consider cleanup. Obviously I wear gloves.

I saw an Autotrader Tesla listing that said a recent oil change had been done ha.

[SpongeG]

America Is Missing Out on the Best Electric Cars
Whatever kind of EV you might want, chances are China has it.

By Jason Torchinsky

https://www.theatlantic.com/technolo...merica/677290/

[harls]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

We'll see. I think Electrify America was kinda half assed as a compliance effort. These companies are finally beginning to understand that charging needs to be taken seriously and will help them sell cars.

https://electrek.co/2024/02/09/walma...fast-chargers/

[Changing City]

It looks as if hydrogen powered cars face an even less certain future in North America. Shell have pulled out of building the new fueling stations they had been offered big subsidies to open in California, and closed all their existing light duty (car and truck) facilities. The operator of the majority of the few stations that are open there (True Zero) just increased the price from $30 per kg to $36 per kg, so a Tesla EV is now roughly 14 times cheaper to run than a Toyota hydrogen car in the state.

[Jaws]

Originally Posted by Changing City

It looks as if hydrogen powered cars face an even less certain future in North America. Shell have pulled out of building the new fueling stations they had been offered big subsidies to open in California, and closed all their existing light duty (car and truck) facilities. The operator of the majority of the few stations that are open there (True Zero) just increased the price from $30 per kg to $36 per kg, so a Tesla EV is now roughly 14 times cheaper to run than a Toyota hydrogen car in the state.

Hydrogen powered cars have no future. I can see its use for fleet vehicles (trucks and buses, etc) or in the aviation industry. The big issue is the transportation and distribution of hydrogen. BEV has won out when it comes to light duty vehicles.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Jaws

Hydrogen powered cars have no future. I can see its use for fleet vehicles (trucks and buses, etc) or in the aviation industry. The big issue is the transportation and distribution of hydrogen. BEV has won out when it comes to light duty vehicles.

I can't see it for anything land based. Ocean shipping perhaps. The distribution is a huge factor, facilities with production on site at ports might be feasible.