Recommended Maintenance?

[Porsche]

So, my 2015 Spark EV just turned 45k mi. I purchased the car in March of '21 and don't have any kind of service history. Overall, not very much is recommended, but:

The manual recommends changing vehicle coolant circuits, presumably, all of them (interesting that all have the same life), including the battery coolant, at 150K mi, which is a long way away. It also recommends doing it at 5 years, which is past due. Should I have it done now? Are there any special considerations? Are there any tests to determine if it's really needed? Can I trust the dealer to do this correctly for such an orphan car, especially the battery coolant (or is it a no brainer, not worthy of worry)? I figure, they are servicing Bolts now, but then again, the Bolt is too new to have had any of them serviced for this.

Changing brake fluid is also recommended. Should I? Brake fluid can be tested, or should I just bite the bullet and have it done? This should be a little more straightforward, but then again, it's surprising how many times I've had problems with getting this done correctly on other vehicles.

Thanks for any recommendations.

 

[NORTON]

These are good questions.
If you take it in to have this service performed let us know how that goes.

I bought a Brake Fluid tester but have not used it yet. Thanks for the inspiration!
It's funny how different car manufacturers have different maintenance schedules for 'flush and replace brake fluid'.
There are testers for antifreeze also.
But the coolant has such light duty in these EV's. Also look at the Bolt's maintenance schedule. It differs from the Spark. Why?
I'm going to let the coolant slide a bit longer. I really need to change the ATF fluid this spring. Maybe I'll do a coolant loop or two also, but I'll probably test the coolant first.

 

[Porsche]

I really need to change the ATF fluid this spring.

I'm curious. When should you change the ATF fluid? I can't find anything in the owners manual for maintenance, other than mentioning what type of fluid, but nowhere does it say when to change it. I think there's another post about it somewhere on this forum, but again, when is recommended (and where is it recommended?)

 

[NORTON]

I really need to change the ATF fluid this spring.

I'm curious. When should you change the ATF fluid? I can't find anything in the owners manual for maintenance, other than mentioning what type of fluid, but nowhere does it say when to change it. I think there's another post about it somewhere on this forum, but again, when is recommended (and where is it recommended?)

I'm pretty sure it's in the Maintenance Schedule in the owner's manual.
97.500 miles rings a bell. However, I think the Bolt has it at 150k miles.

And from my own research the procedure is to drop the steel oil pan on the drive unit, Clean off the magnet, I think there is a filter that can be changed in there, and use a new gasket or sealant and refill it through a high mounted fill plug with new Dextron ATF HP, the expensive version. Mobil 1 makes an equivalent.
The dealer will manually run the fluid pump to flush out the system better than this 'drain and refill' version that I plan on doing.
Still, it's just preventative maintenance. The only difference you'll feel is how you feel.

 

[Porsche]

I'm pretty sure it's in the Maintenance Schedule in the owner's manual.
97.500 miles rings a bell...

Well, this is interesting. I did a little digging. Yes, changing the ATF fluid is listed as recommended maintenance in the owner's manual ... for the 2014 Spark EV, but not for the 2015 or the 2016 model. Really? That's very odd.

 

[NORTON]

That is really odd.
Different battery cells, slightly different final drive gear ratio. No reason not to do routine maintenance to keep them running well.
Maybe by then gm knew the Bolt was on the way and decided to have the interns work on the later Spark EV Owner's Manual.

 

[jsca72]

Well, 8 and a half years in and I've changed the fob battery twice and the 12 volt battery once. I've put a new set of tires on once and am coming close to a second set. I do have to put air in the tires now and then. Sparkie still runs with a lot of spunk giving me no issues. This little car needs very little maintenance.

 

[SmokeyPete]

I just spoke to the service advisor (Jessica) here in Central MA at Diamond Chevrolet. I asked what was due past 97k miles on my 2015 Spark EV. Other than the normal brakes, cabin air filter, chassis lube, etcetera, she could not find anything. I even asked about the new update for the Chevy Bolts using the Tesla chargers she received this morning so she seemed in the know but could not find anything regarding a transaxle. - (Sept 18 2024)

 

[SmokeyPete]

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