My 2017 Chevy BOLT EV

[Cwwilsonpa]

I purchased my Nightfall Grey 2017 Bolt EV Premier in September 2017. I the over 6 years of ownership the car has on balance exceeded my expectations for my first EV. As I am writing this I have compiled 51K miles so far. The car has never left me stranded and has always started without fail. Normally the only services I require are tire rotations and annual State vehicle inspections.

Unplanned service just before the end of the 3 year bumper to bumper warranty I experienced slow steering return to center and some front suspension noise. This was initially addressed with a software update, which proved not to be satisfactory. With my insistence the dealership service department continued to pursue the problem and found out that they had to replace the front stabilizer bar and the steering rack. Of course it was also subject to the software updates while the investigated the battery issue. This resulted in me getting a new battery in March 2022 with a new 8 year 100K mile warranty.

I love the car and will probably drive it for at least another two years then pass it on to a grandchild. It still looks as new as the day I picked it up.

 

[Robaroni]

I purchased my Nightfall Grey 2017 Bolt EV Premier in September 2017. I the over 6 years of ownership the car has on balance exceeded my expectations for my first EV. As I am writing this I have compiled 51K miles so far. The car has never left me stranded and has always started without fail. Normally the only services I require are tire rotations and annual State vehicle inspections.

Unplanned service just before the end of the 3 year bumper to bumper warranty I experienced slow steering return to center and some front suspension noise. This was initially addressed with a software update, which proved not to be satisfactory. With my insistence the dealership service department continued to pursue the problem and found out that they had to replace the front stabilizer bar and the steering rack. Of course it was also subject to the software updates while the investigated the battery issue. This resulted in me getting a new battery in March 2022 with a new 8 year 100K mile warranty.

I love the car and will probably drive it for at least another two years then pass it on to a grandchild. It still looks as new as the day I picked it up.

After owning three Bolts and examining them closely I still believe the 2017 was the best built Bolt although my 2023 EUV Premier is a great car. If you notice the rear suspension on the 2017 is aluminum, the front stabilizer bar on the 2017 was a recall so GM should have changed it out for free.

I will say the 2023 EUV is a nicer car as far as seats and amenities with heated/cooled seats and the Sun and Sound package. I never thought I would like the sunroof but we love it, it gives the interior light and the impression of more room. It looks like GM also got the infotainment system straightened out, our 2020 never worked right with AA.

All in all great cars and now that GM is discontinuing Car Play and AA this my be my last GM but I might keep it awhile as my last two were leases but this one we bought.

 

[user 1485]

After owning three Bolts and examining them closely I still believe the 2017 was the best built Bolt although my 2023 EUV Premier is a great car. If you notice the rear suspension on the 2017 is aluminum, the front stabilizer bar on the 2017 was a recall so GM should have changed it out for free.

I will say the 2023 EUV is a nicer car as far as seats and amenities with heated/cooled seats and the Sun and Sound package. I never thought I would like the sunroof but we love it, it gives the interior light and the impression of more room. It looks like GM also got the infotainment system straightened out, our 2020 never worked right with AA.

All in all great cars and now that GM is discontinuing Car Play and AA this my be my last GM but I might keep it awhile as my last two were leases but this one we bought.

My 2017 Bolt EV has been no trouble,and totally reliable. Never had an issue with the front stabilizer. One comment on Apple Carplay: I never use it. There seems to be no reason to use it. However, I do use GM's navigation tool, which does not provide a map, but its really reliable. I do bluetooth my music and phone calls from my phone, which works well. I think seeing Apple Carplay messages to the screen is useful though. I had a problem with the usb ports in the console. A nameless person spilled water over their vulnerable location, which disabled Apple Carplay, and cost far to much to replace the ports. I never liked the EUV. Its not as responsive or fun to drive as the EV. I thought I might buy one when it first came out, but passed on it.

 

[elasticmedia]

Actually I think Apple CarPlay is fantastic. It is really a better solution than a dedicated system in my book, since our phones are updated all the time, which removes the hassle of updating the software of the dedicated system.

 

[PackardV8]

Since our 2017 has functioned flawlessly, there's no possiblility the later years could be better built. How could they improve on total quality? Bells and whistles can be added, but can't make them more reliable.

jack vines

 

[user 1485]

Its an interesting thought that the original 2017 Bolt EV was the best built. It certainly was the best equipped. When the EUV came out, GM tried to make out that it was the upmarket version, but all they did was down market the EV and put the better bells and whistles in the EUV. May my Bolt EV last forever!

 

[epete]

hmmm. OK so I also have a 2017 Bolt and absolutely love Android Auto. Would not buy another car that does not have this. I buy my tires at Costco so rotations come free with the tires. I get nervous that I am missing out on some service item given I never have to take the car in for service at the dealer. I wish there was a better list of items that need to be inspected at each mile, so I know if there are other reasons to take the vehicle in for service. This is my first Chevy. I have always purchased Toyota and Honda. I notice some quality issues that I never would have seen on a Toyota. I have had the "side-blind-zone-false-mirror-notification-warning" issue since my first year of owning the vehicle. Since it was intermittent, I was unable to get support while under warranty and now I just put up with the false notifications. I also have problems with the keyfob not being recognized even with a new battery. The "Leather" (Vinal) seat covers seem to be coming loose on driver's side. The software running on the entertainment system runs slow or sluggishly. Sometimes the SiriusXM signal disappears for hours (but this occurs infrequently and maybe a satellite problem rather than Chevy problem). Costco notified me that my "two-piece lug nuts are swollen and should be replaced. They said it is due to the two-piece construction and is a known problem. Nice work Chevy. My final complain is the loss of basic functionality that seems to be tied to On-Star so GM can continue to make money on a product they already sold.

even with all of that said, the Bolt is our favorite car.

 

[mchapmon]

hmmm. OK so I also have a 2017 Bolt and absolutely love Android Auto. Would not buy another car that does not have this. I buy my tires at Costco so rotations come free with the tires. I get nervous that I am missing out on some service item given I never have to take the car in for service at the dealer. I wish there was a better list of items that need to be inspected at each mile, so I know if there are other reasons to take the vehicle in for service. This is my first Chevy. I have always purchased Toyota and Honda. I notice some quality issues that I never would have seen on a Toyota. I have had the "side-blind-zone-false-mirror-notification-warning" issue since my first year of owning the vehicle. Since it was intermittent, I was unable to get support while under warranty and now I just put up with the false notifications. I also have problems with the keyfob not being recognized even with a new battery. The "Leather" (Vinal) seat covers seem to be coming loose on driver's side. The software running on the entertainment system runs slow or sluggishly. Sometimes the SiriusXM signal disappears for hours (but this occurs infrequently and maybe a satellite problem rather than Chevy problem). Costco notified me that my "two-piece lug nuts are swollen and should be replaced. They said it is due to the two-piece construction and is a known problem. Nice work Chevy. My final complain is the loss of basic functionality that seems to be tied to On-Star so GM can continue to make money on a product they already sold.

even with all of that said, the Bolt is our favorite car.

I had that blind spot intermittent warning about three years ago on my 2017 Bolt, RHS mirror. It was driving me crazy. The dealer I bought the car from is about 40 miles away, so I looked online to see if others had a simple solution. It's easy to fix, and easy to see to problem. Since my issue was the RHS, all I did was lay down on my garage floor so I could see behind the right rear tire. There is a piece of foil looking material about the size of a baseball, (but it's not round) that had come loose on its lower edge and could flap a bit going down the road. I peeled it off, traced an outline of it and cut out some aluminum tape designed for sealing duct work in my house to replace it. Since the piece I took off had a rubbery backing, I cut some duck tape and stuck it on the inside of my replacement aluminum patch, leaving about an inch all the way around so the foil patch would still stick to the car. Then, clean the area where the piece is taped to the car and put the patch on. The problem has not returned since. My car has over 95k miles on it, and this is the first of only two minor issues it's had. I hope this helps.

 

[epete]

Thaks for that tip. I thought the rear bumper had to come off, in order to fix the tape. When the weather gets warm again, I will check this out.