EV owners of today and tomorrow

[Grumpycat]

Cost of 5 quarts Mobil 1 synthetic motor oil $25.
Oil filter $5.
Cost me $30 to change the oil in our cars, certainly not $80.

That is because your time is worth nothing.

Considering as how your time is worth nothing, don't complain when an EV has to stop for 15 minutes every 150 miles on long road trips.

 

[Grumpycat]

$80 is for people who cannot turn a wrench. Like... One wrench

Next time I drive my F-150 through Indiana I'll stop and let you change my oil. Yes, I have regularly driven I-65 from Louisville to northern Indiana the past 40 years.

8mm socket to remove the 4 screws holding a fiber panel under the engine. Each of these is treaded an inch or more so an electric ratchet or 1/4" electric impact driver greatly quickens the task.

36mm to remove the cartridge oil filter. Then small screwdriver(s) or possibly pocket knife to replace the o-rings on the plastic cap the filter fits in. The big o-rings are easy, the 10mm diameter one is a bugger.

Even if you are only 90 pounds you need a ramp or lift to get under, and yes, it is a 4x4.

The drain plug is a quarter turn bayonet plastic plug with o-rings. Fingers.

And if you think this F-150 is bad you should research the new Ranger. $90 at the dealer is a bargain.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

There is a lot to nitpick about that article.

First it lumps all EVs against all ICE, including $17,000 Kia/Hyundai, then claims lower finance charges for ICE, and lower gross depreciation. The Kia can't depreciate more than $17,000. And then one takes into account Tesla's massive new car price cuts, that cuts the same off owner's used cars. "Bad Tesla! Cutting new car prices! Hurting your loyal customers! GM would never cut prices!"

"Without costs like regular oil changes, EV owners spend about $300 less on maintenance than their ICE peers in five years ($4,246 to $4,583)." Where the heck are they finding $4,246 in maintenance? On my 2013 I paid Tesla $8000 up front for 8 years of extended warranty and maintenance. They might have aligned the wheels a few times, got new windshield wipers every year. Changed the drive unit oil once. Didn't give me new tires. But I did have a factory warranty on a new and untried vehicle.

And once again they are lumping Teslas in with lesser vehicles.

To be fair, this is not a Tesla thread. It's an EV thread... So the stats don't have to be specific to Tesla.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Next time I drive my F-150 through Indiana I'll stop and let you change my oil. Yes, I have regularly driven I-65 from Louisville to northern Indiana the past 40 years.

8mm socket to remove the 4 screws holding a fiber panel under the engine. Each of these is treaded an inch or more so an electric ratchet or 1/4" electric impact driver greatly quickens the task.

36mm to remove the cartridge oil filter. Then small screwdriver(s) or possibly pocket knife to replace the o-rings on the plastic cap the filter fits in. The big o-rings are easy, the 10mm diameter one is a bugger.

Even if you are only 90 pounds you need a ramp or lift to get under, and yes, it is a 4x4.

The drain plug is a quarter turn bayonet plastic plug with o-rings. Fingers.

And if you think this F-150 is bad you should research the new Ranger. $90 at the dealer is a bargain.

Gladly. I won't ***** about a little work... Today I'm putting in 18 hours. A little oil change would be a nice break.

I've got ramps and a creeper.

 

[Grumpycat]

Yes the purchase date on the Model Y's made All the difference.

I paid 56500 + tax and the delivery fee.

$49,0xx off the lot. Then local sales tax and license when I got home. Model Y Long Range, blue, trailer hitch.

The Memphis dealer had the biggest discounts for "inventory" vehicles in the nation. About $3500 for mine. 210 miles to get it, 210 miles home. Long eventful day.

 

[WinterDeere]

Depends on when you bought your EV. I bought my Y after steep discounts my Musk and of course the tax incentives (fed and state) made it a screaming deal ($40K).
Another person on the forum bought a Rivian? at an extreme discount.
My GM Bolt I bought in 2022 new, cost me $26K in the end.
Yes there were people who bought the Y 2 years ago at $70k and lost value when the car was lowered in price by Musk. Others buy the over priced foreign brand EV's.
If you are smart and buy your EV wisely the article you cite is not applicable except for saving in maintenance and fuel cost.

Good post, trad. It reminds me of an old saying about buying and selling sailboats, "you make your money on the buying, not the selling." The underlying message is that new buyers tend to overpay out of excitement, and then think they're losing money when they sell the thing years later at a huge loss. They lost money because they overpaid years earlier, not because their later sale price was too low.

$80 is for people who cannot turn a wrench. Like... One wrench

I change my own oil on all my vehicles and OPE, and have the process down to about 20 minutes per vehicle, after so many years of doing it. Knowing I have the means to pay to have it done without blinking twice, folks look at me a little funny when I say I do my own, but honestly... it'd take me half the morning to drive to a garage, wait for the service, and drive back home. I'd waste a day and a half driving three vehicles back and forth to a service center, whereas I can do them all in my own driveway in about an hour. Plus, I like getting under there to check for leaks, rust, and other damage or maintenance items.

That is because your time is worth nothing.

Considering as how your time is worth nothing, don't complain when an EV has to stop for 15 minutes every 150 miles on long road trips.

Not really fair. I know when my oil changes are coming due, as all the material shows up on my doorstep from scheduled Amazon "Subscribe and Save". I then wait until a time that is convenient for me to do the job, usually some random slow Saturday in the few weeks following delivery.

That's a bit different than a forced stop every 150 miles on a road trip, not at a time of your own choosing, when you're either pressed for time or just pushing to get the trip done. Similar time investment, but vastly less convenient scheduling.

EV's are attractive to me, primarily because I'd never take one on a road trip... we don't "road trip" anymore. If I were still doing long trips by car, I'd probably keep an ICE for that purpose, and dedicate any EV purchase to only our daily driving.

 

[Grumpycat]

To be fair, this is not a Tesla thread. It's an EV thread... So the stats don't have to be specific to Tesla.

To be fair one doesn't lump all tractors together and generalize over the cost of operation vs plow mules.

 

[Grumpycat]

Another thing not figured into ice vehicle maintenance. My wife's car has free oil changes for 3 years from date of purchase.

So that actually drops the maintenance cost for the first 3 years down to almost zero. Granted that's not figuring in wiper blade replacement or topping up the windshield washer fluid between trips for service.

Had 2 years "free" oil changes on the Subaru.

10 miles to drive to the dealer.

30-40 minutes drinking their coffee and eating their cookies

10 miles home.

Did it faster myself, but not until after making a huge mess a time or two before installing the Fumoto valve.

The F-150 is much more difficult.

 

[Dftodd]

My F-250 was that way as well. But the F-150 drain comes out the back (not center bottom), gushing oil hits suspension anti-sway bar, and there is a big fiber panel the width of the vehicle and about half the width long. One learns to keep the big yellow plastic drain plug half in the hole while draining. A strategically cut section of 3/4" PVC holds it in place so one doesn't burn one's hands. Took 2 guys over an hour the latest oil change.

Subaru Outback oil exited the side of the crankcase. Big drain hole, gushing oil could hit the left front tire. Then as flow slows move toward the center. Big mess. Fumoto valve to the rescue again, drained much slower through a 1/2" vinyl tube I affixed to the nipple on the Fumoto. Drained much cleaner. But was such that the Fumoto was not in a place I could see without lifting the car. Learned to do it by feel.

Prius oil change was easy enough. Drain could be reached by reaching around right front tire. Tried a Fumoto valve but immediately removed it for fear it stuck out and would be the first thing hit on a curb or something. Removing the drain bolt wasn't a hassle, it was in a place I could see. Drained this one cold, the cold oil filter came off clean, no spill. Spilled if hot. Engine held exactly 3L of oil. I refilled empty motorcycle oil 1L bottles from 5 qt Mobil-1 jugs.

Yamaha FJR1300 is pretty easy to drain but requires contortions to pour oil in the dip stick hole. I use a long skinny funnel and a length of solid #8 aluminum wire bent to hook something on the bike and hold the funnel in place.

I'm actually surprised you haven't lost that fiber panel yet.

I've removed that panel off from every f150 we've had for managers and sales vehicles at the shop. From the lowly salesman up to our district managers truck.

Road debris (usually a chunk of tire) or a stick from a jobsite will catch it, crack it at some of the mounting bolts, then it will start hanging down and flopping. I'll remove them before they become a projectile.

I've always thought it was a poor design going to those panels instead of sticking with the steel skid plates on the 4x4's.

After doing the regional managers truck, our corporate fleet manager issued a service bulletin to remove them from any and all F150's company wide.

 

[Dftodd]

Had 2 years "free" oil changes on the Subaru.

10 miles to drive to the dealer.

30-40 minutes drinking their coffee and eating their cookies

10 miles home.

Did it faster myself, but not until after making a huge mess a time or two before installing the Fumoto valve.

The F-150 is much more difficult.

We just make an appointment and drop the car off. Run our errands and then pick the car up on our way home.

We don't wait for it.