A 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf interfaces with the American used car market

by philg

A friend spent $10,000 on a 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf via Carvana, a fixed-price car delivery service. The vehicle arrived in beautiful cosmetic condition, but with a Nissan-brand charger that did not work, failing even to illuminate a green LED when plugged in, much less charge the Volkswagen. A week of hassle ensued in which the proud new owner was shunted from an auto parts store to a Volkswagen dealer. Eventually she got a Volkswagen-brand charger, which was a $700 part (enough for a year of minivan driving in the Age of Coronapanic and with gas at $2/gallon).

The new charger worked, but the car’s computer systems weren’t consistent. She would set off on a short journey with the computer showing a range of 80 miles and then watch the range forecast jump to 3 miles while the car stopped itself on the highway. 2.5 hours later, AAA towed the car away.

Eventually she decided to trade the car back for a 2010 Mini, powered, of course, by dinosaur blood.

I’m wondering if early attempts at electric cars will soon be clogging our junkyards. If her experience is typical, the systems seem to be at a Windows 98 level of reliability.

Speaking of cars, here’s a Mercedes ad from the a recent New York Times web page:

This leads to a “Pride month” web page on mbusa.com:

A Proud Owner Speaks

“This Pride month is unlike any other before it. We find ourselves in the middle of a global health pandemic, while so many of us have united in fighting to address and finally put an end to systemic racism and discrimination. As a proud Black and gay man, I take this time to pause and hold space for the Black community because we are hurting and we are demanding lasting change. Mercedes-Benz has stood with the Black and LGBTQ+ communities and has vowed to continue to be with us going forward.

As unique as this time is, it does truly echo and honors the legacy of bravery of the Civil Rights Movement and the historic Stonewall protests, which were led by pioneering Black transgender activists like Marsha P. Johnson. These movements, past and present, intersect at the common point of pushing towards equality for all.

(When you identify as LGBTQIA+, it is acceptable to modify “unique”?)

If the Wikipedia List of LGBT awareness periods is to be believed, Pride month is June, not October (home to Asexual Awareness Week, International Lesbian Day, International Pronouns Day, Intersex Awareness Day, LGBT History Month, Spirit Day, and National Coming Out Day).

We’re informed by the NYT that Americans who identify as LGBTQIA+ suffer employment and other discrimination that reduces their income and wealth. If so, how did they come to have $80,000 to spend on a Mercedes that performs the same function as a $25,000 Toyota or Honda?

Also potentially interesting: the Mercedes web site for German consumers does not contain any content regarding the company’s support of matters LGBTQIA+, at least none that a search-savvy Germany-speaking friend could find. Why are Americans so much more interested in this than Germans?

6 thoughts on “A 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf interfaces with the American used car market”

  1. I bought a used 2013 Nissan Leaf a few years ago and it’s been flawless. It’s required zero service except for replacing the 12V battery every few years, same as you do with a gas car.

  2. The 2016 e-Golf had the smaller, 24.2-kwh battery pack, which was upgraded in 2017 to 30-kwh, I believe. Car & Driver reviewed it in ’16 and noted their range was somewhat less than expected. Others reviewers disagreed. I don’t know enough about the battery system in that car to rate it versus other vehicles, but there are major differences between manufacturers. The software, the battery thermal management, etc., can make a big difference in the life of the batter.

    Also very important: the habits and history of the previous owner and the way they drove it and charged it. It sounds like this was a car with a dead battery and someone wanted to unload it. And she got unloaded on. Why?The battery pack costs more than $22,000 from a Volkswagen dealer. ( https://parts.driveavw.com/p/Volkswagen__e-Golf/Drive-Motor-Battery-Pack/74221215/5QE915597S.html )

    Technology! How in the world could someone sell an electric car with a charger that doesn’t match the vehicle, and a defunct battery that won’t hold charge? Carvana!

    For EV nerds: a comparison of the battery systems in a 2018 Nissan Leaf vs. a 2017 Bolt. The Bolt has a much better system. It’s hard to understand how Nissan can even sell the Leaf without laughing behind your back.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlxBOJrEKAo

    So there’s a lot involved when considering an EV. Even my lowly Ford Escape Hybrid (2010) has battery issues because the thermal management system is very different than the earlier models. In the negative. Ford tried to save a couple grand per car on the 2010-2012 models and in the process just completely eliminated the main battery cooling system.

    Caveat Emptor. When you buy an EV you have to do your homework. On a used vehicle the provenance and history is still just as important (and maybe more) than with a gas burner.

    • People could also respond that Carvana may or may not be any better than buying a used car from Sam’s Hot Car Lot down by the Railroad Tracks. And Ford did not ballyhoo in their glossy brochures that they eliminated the rear A/C evap. and air intake system on the 2010-12 Escape Hybrids. They just left that part out. In many cases, the dealers don’t understand the cars any better than the people buying them, either.

      If buying used, I would always recommend:

      1) Find a good forum devoted specifically to the make/model you are considering. Identify the smartest person on the forum and make friends with them.
      2) Do some research by looking at folks like Prof. Kelly at Weber Auto on YouTube so you understand what you’re buying.
      3) Look in your area and try to identify the handful of really good EV/hybrid specialists who truly understand the car in case you need help. Otherwise you are going to be at the mercy of the dealership, or on your own.

    • One quick thing: my aforementioned “smartert person” on a forum is not necessarily the *nicest* person or the most *enthusiastic* or *evangelical* person. They are the person who will tell you the truth about the make/model/year in question, preferably someone who has worked on a lot of them and has engineering-level knowledge of how they work.

      With my Escape Hybrid, one of the people I value the most is a guy who can be fairly described as “prickly” who doesn’t suffer fools gladly, but he’s a straight shooter. My car runs well and I’ve learned a lot about it, but he advised me: “I wouldn’t own the 2010-12 models even as a gift.” Ouch! Nevertheless, he really knows the car’s systems, and he helped me with diagnostics so I can at least keep it running as long as I can with as little blood, sweat, gears and money as possible.

  3. Why are Americans so much more interested in this than Germans? They aren’t for some reason companies are willing to lose money in America in order to push alphabit degeneracy.

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