"I'm gonna fix my Slate myself" crowd - educate me - fix what?

[E90400K]

I wish I could go back and restart this thread. I'd ask a different question - one less likely to trigger people.

I'd ask What things do you expect will break or need maintenance on a Slate over the first decade, and do you think that will be a DIY repair?

Alas, too late now. I feel it's bad form to go edit the thread start after the fact. But I hate posting a thread that raises anyone's BP.

I thought your original question is spot on. I understood it perfectly.

 

[pdxmotorhead]

But that's not the question I asked. I get where you're coming from. It's just not relevant to my question. I see several "right to repair" threads. I see several threads on "I'm gonna be doing all this maintenance on my Slate that I can't do on another vehicle". And I'm asking what maintenance and repairs?

I'm interested in what will break on a Slate that you can fix. Where the same thing breaks on a Bolt, for example, and you cannot fix it. Simple, clear question. If something is not on the Slate to begin with, that's answering a different question.

Best answer so far is when diagnostics themselves are blocked without a paid subscription. Great answer. My little brain can comprehend that.

My Take,,,,
I've owned EV's since 2016, Currently on the 5th one.
1. Honda FIt EV - (Best quality of construction car I have ever owned they were hand assembled in a separate space at the Honda factory by the team that engineers the S2000.. <Lease return 80K miles got on the Honda second chance lease program. 24 months @ 100 a month including collision insurance...>
2. Chevy Spark - nothing special, it's a toaster that just does its 85 miles between charges and has a pretty basic layout. 2016 model year as well. <sold>
3. Tesla Model 3 - 2020 - bought nw put 65000 mile on it.<sold>
4. Chevy Bolt - 2016bought as a carshare refurbed by gm, had 100K miles on it but gm had replaced the battery, new tires, full hard core detail, currently at 140K miles.
5. Tesla Model Y -2024, it replaced the model 3. Currently at 29K miles.

The point,,, I have spent less than 800 dollars on all of them combined for repair, and half of that was to replace a mirror off the model 3 when someone hooked it whet their vehicle in a parking lot.
I dont count tires, brake pads, wiper blades or washer fluid.

 

[EV Trek]

Yes, but I find getting back up a lot harder. 🧐

Both for me…

 

[ElectricShitbox]

When my Spark bricks itself because I gave it full throttle under 60% soc, I need a dealer level tool (or bootleg equivalent) to un-brick it.

 

[CorvusCorvax]

Hummm... what code did it throw, and how did you know?

I got a warning in the cluster. I had to look it up. I don't have a BMW scan tool, so I didn't pull the actual code.

 

[E90400K]

I got a warning in the cluster. I had to look it up. I don't have a BMW scan tool, so I didn't pull the actual code.

Which model and what warning? I've never heard of a battery warning (other than a low battery symbol) on a BMW cluster because the battery was coded or just updated in the battery management system (BMS). Even if one doesn't DIY they should have a basic scan tool that does OBDII and the manufacturer's codes just so he can understand what aliments his car may have. These days such tools are not that expensive.

It is encouraging that Slate will include diagnostics scanning and codes with the Slate app.

 

[E90400K]

My Take,,,,
I've owned EV's since 2016, Currently on the 5th one.
1. Honda FIt EV - (Best quality of construction car I have ever owned they were hand assembled in a separate space at the Honda factory by the team that engineers the S2000.. <Lease return 80K miles got on the Honda second chance lease program. 24 months @ 100 a month including collision insurance...>
2. Chevy Spark - nothing special, it's a toaster that just does its 85 miles between charges and has a pretty basic layout. 2016 model year as well. <sold>
3. Tesla Model 3 - 2020 - bought nw put 65000 mile on it.<sold>
4. Chevy Bolt - 2016bought as a carshare refurbed by gm, had 100K miles on it but gm had replaced the battery, new tires, full hard core detail, currently at 140K miles.
5. Tesla Model Y -2024, it replaced the model 3. Currently at 29K miles.

The point,,, I have spent less than 800 dollars on all of them combined for repair, and half of that was to replace a mirror off the model 3 when someone hooked it whet their vehicle in a parking lot.
I dont count tires, brake pads, wiper blades or washer fluid.

Just asking, but if you are not including costs of maintenance items like tires, brake pads, and wiper blades, would you also not include engine spark plugs, oil and coolant changes, and engine air filters if it were an ICEV?

 

[kvermeer]

Even if one doesn't DIY they should have a basic scan tool that does OBDII and the manufacturer's codes...

P1xxx DTCs are included in every half-decent OBDII reader these days (or looked up in an online database if your ancient/cheap reader can't display the text), but those "check engine light" codes are not what cause me grief with traditional manufacturers. There's a complete additional layer of body control modules, telematics transcievers, battery management system controllers, window controllers, and so on that can't be managed without manufacturer-specific software licenses.

 

[Tommy2Teeth]

As far as fix/repair goes, save as other vehicles

• Brakes and brake fluid. Maybe upgrade lines if heavy loads requiring lots of braking.
• Suspension
• Tire/wheel upgrades
• Bushings/bearings
• Bulbs

What’s new to wrench on or should be easier with slate:

• Anything inside of, or behind, the dash.
• door panels for latches, locks, windows, speakers
• SUV kits: top, seats, airbags
• Racks
• Tire carriers
• Interior/exterior trim pieces.
• Removable body panels = much more approachable body wraps. This might become the highest maintenance item on the vehicle. Wraps fading and peeling especially due to DIY and no factory paint. I bet the brakes last longer than a typical wrap.
• I’d like to get certified for battery swaps

Like others have said, anxiously awaiting Slate University rollout.

 

[Blackspots76]

This isn't trolling. I'm genuinely curious. You guys who are far better "wrenchers" than me, educate me please.

Some of you guys aggressively complain that nobody can fix anything in 2026. I get that. OEMs are increasingly locking us out of certain systems (especially software). Along with that complaint, you're saying that you willl be able to easily repair your Slate.

I contemplated this. I'm no mechanic, but over 50 years of owning automobiles I've done my share of work. My earliest memory is setting the timing on my VW Bus with a wire, a flashlight bulb, a screwdriver, and a very strange counterculture maintenance manual. But I keep coming back to a question I cannot answer - what will you be repairing on your Slate that you cannot repair on, say, a Ford UEV truck?

• Brakes? Well the narrative from the BEV world is that BEV brakers never need fixing. Because regenerative braking makes pads last forever.
• The battery system? I can't see a backyard mechanic maintaining a battery system. In fact, some modern battery packs are cell-to-pack, which means they are 100% not maintainable by anyone. Modular packs are maintainable, but wow - you are "da man" if you're going to disassemble and repair a high voltage automobile battery pack. OTOH, "Rich Rebuilds" does it.
• The high voltage electronics? Maybe? If you can access it and have significant experience in repairing high voltage circuit boards. Which I expect most backyard mechanics don't. Don't make a mistake, because those units can thousands of dollars.
• The battery cooling system? Yea, I could see that. It's usually just a water-glycol mix.
• The HVAC? I bet you could maintain that.
• The software? Here I know a bit, as a retired software engineer. It's a false narrative to say Slate has no software. It's filled with software. Almost every powered function on the vehicle involves software. The HVAC is software. If you get power windows, that's a module with software. ABS brakes are software. BMS is software. Stability control (one would hope Slate has it) is software. Signalling lights are software. And guys, most of that software is a black box owned by a supplier. Even Slate can't repair it. Slate just sees an API on the CAN bus.
• Wheels and tires? Yea, I bet you can maintain those.
• Bulbs and lights? Yea, I bet you can maintain those.
• Cabin air filters? I'm guessing Slate does not have one.
• Transmission? On a BEV it is a reduction gear. And they usually last the lifetime of the BEV.
• Suspension components? Yea, I could see fixing those in the garage.
• The Slate app? I suppose maybe if they open source it?
• mechanical things like roll up windows and manual door locks, hinges, etc? Yea, I can see that.

Sorry for me digressing with all these bullets. That's just me going through systems in my head. So back to my question. What do you guys who like to maintain your own cars expect will break on your Slates over the years, and do you think you'll be able to fix those things? And is that list any different from any other BEV? Say a GM Bolt?

Thanks guys. I'm really curious. I've been struggling to understand these threads. Educate me please!

Nobody ever said brakes don't need fixing. In an EV, brakes get used less, but often because of that, they need servicing more because the slide pins need greasing and sometimes the rotor gets rusted because they don't get used much.

 

[jonboy108]

I’ve always wrenched to a greater or lesser extent on my cars. I rebuilt a Chevy 6 cylinder engine in my living room and a VW engine in my dining room. Changed my own oil on everything. (Crazy, I know) As cars have gotten more complex, even changing oil got more complicated. Driving EVs for 11 years now, I realize that there just ain’t too much to fix on them. Brakes? last forever, but check on the corrosion. But everything is more complex. My Tesla Y looks like it’s headed for it’s second major A/C repair. The compressor and “Octovalve” failed before, now I know that its a known issue. What I find “Slatetastic” is not so much DIY repairability (although I get excited when I see the words “Flat Pack”) is simplicity. Less complexity = more reliability in my book. Time will tell.

 

[CorvusCorvax]

Which model and what warning? I've never heard of a battery warning (other than a low battery symbol) on a BMW cluster because the battery was coded or just updated in the battery management system (BMS). Even if one doesn't DIY they should have a basic scan tool that does OBDII and the manufacturer's codes just so he can understand what aliments his car may have. These days such tools are not that expensive.

It is encouraging that Slate will include diagnostics scanning and codes with the Slate app.

Yellow triangle with no other indication. I do have a simple scan tool, which is how I got to look up what the code was. The simple scan tool DOES NOT allow you to access a lot of sub-modules or do resets on those sub modules so you can do diagnostics - the tool just informs you of the fault type and number, and then you get to go to the internet and look it up, then find out from there how complicated it is to fix and how much it will cost.

I'm not sure what your interest is in my particular situation is - it has very little to do with Slate and is tangential to this topic.

I mean, thanks for your interest, and your "advice," I guess.

 

[E90400K]

Yellow triangle with no other indication. I do have a simple scan tool, which is how I got to look up what the code was. The simple scan tool DOES NOT allow you to access a lot of sub-modules or do resets on those sub modules so you can do diagnostics - the tool just informs you of the fault type and number, and then you get to go to the internet and look it up, then find out from there how complicated it is to fix and how much it will cost.

I'm not sure what your interest is in my particular situation is - it has very little to do with Slate and is tangential to this topic.

I mean, thanks for your interest, and your "advice," I guess.

My interest is because based on your list of vehicles, I assume the issue is with your E91 328i wagon. Being a 38-year owner of numerous BMWs, I know the brand quite well and as a 19-year owner of a 2006 E90 325i I know the E9X platform extremely well. Additionally, having performed 4 battery changes with my 400,000+mile E90 and doing the required battery registration using either of my BMW diagnostic tools (a Foxwell 510 or Bavarian Technics) I never came across the issue you describe. Being an avid member of the E90Post community for the past 20 years, where the issue of battery registration/battery coding I've never seen your issue discussed as a topic. The last battery I put in my E90 in December 2022 at 418,000 miles was an AGM unit from Federated Auto Parts, which I could not get the ECU programmed to change from the flooded-plate type to the AGM type.

The previous three battery replacements were with BMW OE batteries because I wanted to avoid reprogramming the ECU for a different battery (capacity). The last of those OE batteries lasted just 3 years and went flat numerous times, which prompted the switch to an AGM; I thought the car had developed a parasitic draw (but I never found one after testing for it several times). Being I never could get the AGM programmed in the ECU, I would expect that I would have at some point got the same warning and code you state you have. No code as you describe ever appeared in the three years my E90 was running on the AGM battery. A warning triangle would have brought up a CCID (code) which is easily found without a scan tool via the cruise control stalk method.

So, I was just curious. It's always good to learn from others who own the E9X platform.

 

[ElectricShitbox]

My civic is having IAC valve problems, and my wife's yaris needs the exhaust looked at. I'm excited to go back to an EV, haha.