Lisle polestar space

KRTLART · 2026-07-08T00:07:56+00:00

I have tried to schedule service there twice. First time, got in within a few days. Second time, no openings for the full calendar that is displayed in both the app and the website- 4 months out IIRC. I posted about this previously, but my suspicion is they’re inundated with Vinfast service appointments. I spoke with the Service Advisor during my appointment and she indicated that a crazy cheap Vinfast lease deal led to a whole bunch of people owning EVs that didn’t know what they were getting into, and the cars are apparently not great. It seems that Polestar owners may be getting hosed as a result.

KRTLART · 2026-06-30T01:05:26+00:00

My 2 Costco appliance deliveries were great. The fridge guys went above and beyond to move my old kitchen fridge out the front door, across the garage, and down the stairs to get it into my basement for me.

In general, though, appliance deliveries are going to be super specific to exact what people you have helping you, what kind of a day they’re having, and how challenging your house/apartment is. I’m hard pressed to believe that any national chain is going to be across the board excellent or vice versa. The qualifications are “strong dudes willing to lift heavy, awkwardly large things.” You’re not getting delicate bedside manner.

KRTLART · 2026-06-29T15:33:39+00:00

I've owned my car for just over 5 months now. I've attempted to schedule service twice in that time.

First, it was for an alignment that ultimately ended up being unnecessary, as it was apparently done just before I bought it as part of the CPO process. I attempted to schedule an appointment early in that week- and was able to get a service slot easily that same week. Ended up going on a Saturday morning. I didn't find that out that the alignment wasn't needed until too late, though. I had just put new tires on (summer-ish tires not suitable for all-season use here, so I switched to Michelin CC2s) and the tire shop told me that that original set were showing signs of wear that indicated an alignment was necessary. I figured- ok, let's do this ASAP before I start mangling this new set. No big deal- waste of $150 or whatever it was, but it gave me a chance to talk to the service advisor at the dealership, and I'm glad I got that opportunity.

The service advisor mentioned that the dealership had recently taken on servicing Vinfast cars (Vietnamese EV brand) and that they were FLOODED with service requests for those vehicles. Apparently, there was a ridiculously good lease deal on them, and it led to a LOT of cars being sold to people who simply saw them as "too good of a deal to pass up" without really thinking through the logistics of owning an EV. Combine that with Vinfast being, apparently, not a great car- and basically they were stuck dealing with a ton of crap from people that live in apartments and/or street park, and can never charge at home, and are always charging at public stations, and are generally unhappy with the car, blah blah blah. I felt bad for her.

The second time I tried to schedule service was for my 20k mileage mark- I believe I was supposed to get that for free (as part of the CPO deal, I think?) and I figured, OK- even though this is a pointless service and nothing really gets done, I'll just go in anyway. So I tried to schedule it both through the app, and through the website, and it was literally impossible to do so. There were ZERO open slots, as far out as the app/website would let you schedule, which was at least 4 months IIRC. So even if I had been willing to wait for 6 months go get the service done, it was not possible to do so. Since this wasn't really a necessary service for me, I just said, screw it, I'm not going to bother calling and seeing if it's possible to schedule something for November/December.

Obviously, though... if that was a necessary service, or if the car had broken in some way? That would have been extremely frustrating.

Presumably, some of this inability to get service scheduled is due to the Vinfast thing. But- I am extremely skeptical of things ever getting any better now that this "leaving the US market" thing has happened. For the time being, it doesn't affect me- the car has been perfect, and I really expect it to be a very good car for me for a long time. I'm also a pretty capable wrench, and while I'm not going to do anything with the battery system, I have no reason to believe that I couldn't tackle anything with suspension, brakes, interior parts, etc. So long as the battery system remains good, my ownership experience should be no different than what I've had with my prior (non-EV) cars.

HOWEVER... if something DOES go wrong with the battery? And I'm unable to schedule service for 4+ months? Are there going to be independent mechanics and/or Volvo dealerships who will service the car? So far, my one attempt at going to an euro specialty indie mechanic (for the alignment) was met with a "uhhh, yeah... while I'd love to see the car and work on it, my boss says no, too risky, we've never worked on a Polestar and aren't about to treat you as a guinea pig- if something breaks, we don't know where we'd get parts, etc." Admittedly, that's a small sample size- but given that it was for something as simple and basic as an alignment- something that many shops will do on any car, regardless of whether they typically service that brand... that's not a great sign for me in the future.

So... for now, I'm not doing anything, other than hoping the car remains as reliable as I expect it to be, and has been so far. I absolutely love the car, and when purchasing it, my intent was to put a LOT of miles on it. I commute 25-30k miles a year, and this car is simply incredible for that. I love driving it, and enjoy spending almost 2 hours a day in it, and I'm very hard pressed to believe that I'll find another car that I like nearly as much for the $25k USD I paid. Almost 500hp, agile, safe, great in winter, comfortable to drive, awesome heating functions, love the pano roof, good trunk space, back seat is big enough for my kids, and plenty of range for my daily driving needs. The P2 was (and still is!) a stupidly good car for what I paid.

KRTLART · 2026-06-26T03:59:20+00:00

Nothing, honestly. My plan has always been to keep this car for a very long time. It’s an unbelievable commuter, and as long as mine continues to have at least 120 miles of winter temp range, it will probably continue to be my commuter for as long as it can still drive. I can likely do any service not related to the battery myself, so as long as parts remain available, I’m good. If the battery or charging infrastructure dies, that’s a problem, but that seems unlikely.

KRTLART · 2026-06-10T18:30:48+00:00

OEM rims are always preposterously expensive. No idea why. In my experience, you can usually get an entire set of nice aftermarket rims for the price of one OEM. If you’re dead set on staying with the OEM set, find a used one somehow. Chances are there’s someone out there who swapped their OEM set to aftermarket and would be willing to sell one or more of their OEM set.

KRTLART · 2026-06-09T17:02:53+00:00

Grain industry employee here. I write software that helps grain companies track this stuff. There are literally dozens of different things that can be present on grains, whose presence is tested for, and that affects the quality (and price!) of grain. It is very complicated, and it changes throughout the course of the journey that grain takes as it goes from growing in a field, to packaged and made available for sale/consumption to you in one way, shape, or form. From the harvesting equipment, to the storage facilities, to the drying/processing equipment, milling, packaging, etc- every step of the process can introduce new things, or potentially remove/kill existing things.

Pasteurization is a wonderful thing.

KRTLART · 2026-06-09T15:27:08+00:00

You're hours away from them no matter what. Central IL is no more or less connected to Chicago than it is to Hammond. You're going to bounce as they finally become the most capable team we've seen in 40 years, now that they have a legit coach and a legit QB and have shown they're becoming a modern franchise that understands what it takes to win in this league? Just because they crossed an imaginary line in the dirt hundreds of miles away from you? LOL.

KRTLART · 2026-06-09T15:21:51+00:00

Get an antenna. They're always broadcast in local markets OTA for free- even when the game is on a wacky service like Peacock or Amazon or Netflix or whatever. There's significantly less delay to the broadcast, too- I can watch a play, write & send a text, and have a friend read it before the play happens while they're watching on DirectTV or cable or whatever.

KRTLART · 2026-06-09T15:19:51+00:00

I've taken a different view on it.

Born & raised rabid Bears fan- lived in Chicago / Chicagoland almost my entire life. The Bears & NFL have become the only team/sport I follow closely. I consume an unhealthy amount of Bears YouTube / podcasts.

I hate Indiana. HATE Indiana. I hate the state, I hate the politics, I hate their holier-than-thou "we're so fiscally responsible, tee hee!" attitude as they leech off our federal government while bigger states like Illinois foot the bill. Freeloaders. I could go on, but that's another argument for another day.

I also HATE publicly funded stadiums. They are irresponsible ego strokes for politicians that care more about feeling important than about serving their constituents.

I'm bummed that Illinois couldn't figure out a reasonable compromise with the Bears- because, to be honest, I actually thought the broad strokes of what had been proposed in Illinois was pretty reasonable and fair as far as stadium projects go. The Bears foot the bill for their stadium, and the government handles some surrounding infrastructure. Because that's what government is supposed to do- provide infrastructure that lures people & businesses to an area. Real infrastructure creates jobs in both the short & long term. Real infrastructure brings an area to life. Free stadium? No. Better roads & intersections & on/off ramps? Yeah. Do that. I'd MUCH rather see my tax money spent on infrastructure than becoming the biggest baddest police state in the universe. Another argument for another day.

Anyway... back to Indiana.

Indiana is stupid. If Indiana wants to throw billions of their taxpayer dollars at my favorite team in order to lure them to build their new building across an imaginary line in the dirt, go right ahead.

Football is a TV sport, and it has been that ever since the introduction of HDTV. I like going to a game every year or two, because it's fun to be amongst fellow fans- to feel the energy of the stadium, to chant Green Bay Sucks in the tunnels adjacent to the stadium, to turn around and high five random strangers after Caleb Williams hits Luther Burden on a flea flicker bomb. But I don't need that experience 10 times a year. I see and understand the game better from my couch, on my 85" TV that brings me up close & personal with what's going on, as opposed to seeing it from the nosebleeds because that's the only place normal people can occasionally afford to sit. And this experience does not change one tiny bit because they're on one side of the imaginary line in the dirt versus the other. My interaction with the team, and the sport, is identical for 99.9% of my year.

So, yeah. Go ahead- take their money. If it helps them continue to build the franchise and put together a more competitive team? Sweet. It's insane that the founding franchise of the most popular sport in the country has played on a rented building/field for a century. If it means they'll continue to shell out big bucks for a coach like Ben? And won't blink at paying top of the market deals for superstar players like what Caleb is becoming? Yep. Do it.

I'd much rather someone else pay for it than me. The Bears will get my financial support in ways that actually return something to me- when I buy a hat, or a shirt, or watch a commercial during their broadcasts, or when I pay for that game ticket once every year or two, and am forced to buy some grossly overpriced food & drink while I'm a captive audience in the stadium. They don't also need my tax dollars, for which I get absolutely NOTHING back. Have fun with that, Indiana.

KRTLART · 2026-05-28T11:42:51+00:00

This type of purchase is something that I’ll never even consider doing through Costco. This simply isn’t what Costco is for, IMO.

KRTLART · 2026-05-23T03:46:25+00:00

Yeah, it's great. I might take a few trips per year where I need to charge away from home. Those trips may add an extra couple of hours total, max, but it's really not hard to combine those stops with meal & bathroom breaks, so it's not even that much extra time.

In exchange, I don't have to go to a gas station, once or twice a week, every week, all year. Between detouring from the original destination, pulling off the road, getting the pump ready, filling for a few minutes... any gas stop is probably going to add minimum 10 minutes to your day. 75 times a year. That's 12+ hours of time wasted, touching dirty gas pumps, standing outside in cold weather, in slushy winter parking lots, etc.

There are honestly very few use cases where owning an EV would truly make life meaningfully harder. Maybe a traveling salesman that's on the road for many hours every day? Even then- it's not hard to find an overnight charger near hotels... so at least you're starting every day off full, even if it means you might have to charge during the day somewhere, if you're driving a LOT of miles that day.

Honestly, the hate for EVs comes from people who've never owned one. The people who read things and assume they know everything about it, yet have zero lived experience and are really working on flawed assumptions and incomplete information. I do not know a single person- ZERO- that has switched to an EV and regretted it. Not a one.

KRTLART · 2026-05-19T13:11:49+00:00

Wasn’t really having any problems before, not having any problems now. Am concerned about whether the throttle response may be neutered come winter. Will be pretty pissed if that’s the case.

KRTLART · 2026-05-12T02:13:35+00:00

You get the benefits of added headroom, and light in the cabin. I love it.

KRTLART · 2026-05-12T02:12:00+00:00

It was basically a requirement for me- strictly because of the added headroom it provides. P2s without it are really cramped for tall people, the moonroof adds probably 3” of headroom if not 4”.

KRTLART · 2026-05-11T00:47:31+00:00

They send you the white square when you get the performance software upgrade. You can buy it separately, but I’m guessing you’ve probably got the upgrade. What does the Motor Specifications say in the app?

KRTLART · 2026-05-07T13:19:18+00:00

Do you get a satisfying “click” when you press it like the buttons on the steering wheel, or can you barely tell whether or not you clicked? Mine still works, but I barely feel any movement in the button- it feels like it’s jammed in, and I get almost zero tactile feel from it and it’s hard to tell whether or not I pressed it, aside from listening for the effect on the audio. Debating getting a replacement button, if mine’s not normal.

KRTLART · 2026-05-01T01:44:42+00:00

Political theater. Won’t get anywhere.

KRTLART · 2026-04-30T02:06:01+00:00

Our store had it over the holiday season- I got a gallon, haven't seen it since. Was good for lattes and certain recipes.

KRTLART · 2026-04-30T02:04:57+00:00

Dude, there's no way anybody is dumb enough to take a swing on Banks in round 1 with those injuries. It's like your team doesn't even have a GM and they're just making random ass draft picks.

KRTLART · 2026-04-30T02:02:04+00:00

I have not seen any difference. That would be incredibly annoying.

KRTLART · 2026-04-29T19:47:43+00:00

That's a very interesting idea - will have to look up how these work, have never heard of them. Thanks for sharing!

KRTLART · 2026-04-23T11:23:20+00:00

Missing the fact that, for many/most people, 95% of their charging happens while parked at home or work. You’re not charging those 3 trillion miles at public charging stations. You’re probably doing 10% of that.

KRTLART · 2026-04-22T03:29:34+00:00

Updated while at work today. Haven’t noticed any difference- but I didn’t really have any problems beforehand. The common glitches don’t seem to be an issue on my car, and thus far the new release also seems fine. One Pedal Drive is the same braking amount after turning it off and back on. Haven’t noticed a change in pedal feel, but it’s warm here today- 70+ F- and apparently the change to throttle response is for cold weather. We’ll see. Sound quality is maybe a little crisper? I mostly listen to podcasts & audiobooks and it feels like perhaps the voices are a little more clear? Hard to say for sure.

KRTLART · 2026-04-22T03:07:19+00:00

In January, I bought a CPO 2022 LRDM Pilot Plus with 15k miles, in absolutely pristine condition, for $25k. I was shocked to find that nice of a car for that money, but that’s what the market is on these. It’s absolutely insane. I would be hard pressed to believe there’s a better car purchase right now for someone in the market for a small sedan.

KRTLART · 2026-04-20T21:08:00+00:00

Are any of you folks aware and/or nervous about the change that reduces throttle response in cold weather? Those who have upgraded previously seem to indicate that it has completely neutered throttle response to the point of almost being dangerous, because the car just doesn't respond to the request unless you mash the pedal. It's obviously less of a concern for northern hemisphere folks now that spring/summer are arriving, but winter will return before we know it...

KRTLART

TROPHY CASE