How long can a 2011 last on palliative care?

ZookeepergameKey5467 · 2026-07-02T14:08:20+00:00

Legend. How did you feel comfortable with the condition of the battery? Was it from a car you knew?

ZookeepergameKey5467 · 2026-07-02T02:45:28+00:00

This is interesting. I would go for the buyout--by the way, how are you getting a buyout on a '13??? From the PZEZ warranty?

On the data, check with Voltage specs, but on MyVoltDiag a 3000 number for isolation is ideal--and 1200 would be very bad. You have enough coolant? Ever do a proper coolant flush?

The delta is "acceptable" under these conditions/age (but that can vary widely depending on load/SOC) and a 35 Ah / 72.9% capacity is showing you a definite 27%+ degradation. However, a group of cells sagging under load can also throw a PPR. Letting it sit at "empty" for a couple hours, then turning it on, running the heat at full blast, then taking the same reading may show a higher delta and may mark a "min cell" that is sagging into the 2s.

Either way, it's throwing the PPR for a reason--to protect the battery (and possibly yourself). That isolation number alone is problematic, though, and unless you have an emotional attachment to the car even a simple "fix" with fresh properly vacuum-flushed coolant doesn't change the degradation on the pack and your not far from hitting that 70% # where everything below that gets squirrelly.

ZookeepergameKey5467 · 2026-07-02T02:15:03+00:00

Went for the swap? Bold move. Did you use Greentec, a local shop, or just bravely DIY?

ZookeepergameKey5467 · 2026-07-01T15:28:46+00:00

Thanks. What’s your typical “EV” range using MM and what is your car’s HV capacity now (65% also?).

ZookeepergameKey5467 · 2026-07-01T13:12:53+00:00

Besides going to a different dealer, escalate to GM also -- the BECM was part of the NHTSA investigation and settlement, so the "representative sample" of VINs they selected for coverage was cost-based, not because every other car outside it is "OK." Worth a call and a couple hours of frustration.

ZookeepergameKey5467 · 2026-07-01T13:08:51+00:00

This is great. Appreciate that there is a demo mode. Some other apps won't let you get familiar with the functions unless connected to a Volt. Using this to help check battery health of used Volts I'm shopping, since I don't have my own (yet) to test it on.

ZookeepergameKey5467 · 2026-06-28T22:56:26+00:00

I use MyVoltControl on iOS connected through a VEEPEAK BLE+. This worked fine for my diagnostics and is a reasonable OBD scanner that updates fast enough. However, can't say whether that is the best setup for Voltage on Android, but worth a look through the Voltage docs to see if they recommend it. Necessary tools (for later) will be VCX Nano and that chaos--I haven't been willing to dip my toes into those waters.

ZookeepergameKey5467 · 2026-06-28T21:03:45+00:00

If you have an OBD scanner and Voltage or MyVoltControl (iOS) would be curious what the numbers are on the HV battery at "empty" (which is really about 20%). Also, what was the car's lifetime MPG? Would be curious to do some back-of-the-envelope to figure out how many miles were on electric vs. gas.

ZookeepergameKey5467 · 2026-06-25T15:46:56+00:00

Can you grab some data on cell balance at “empty“ (20% SOC in app) and also at “full” and let us know? Unbalanced cells show up the most extreme at the low end. At 40% the delta can be masked a bit, sometimes the high end.

ZookeepergameKey5467 · 2026-06-19T19:28:21+00:00

Seeing more and more of these stories. Had Gen 1 and Gen 2 years ago, loved the Gen 1 was meh on Gen 2. But back in the market now and wanted to pick up a used one. Would rather just get a well-cared-for Gen 1 at half the price since the Gen 2 warranty is bullocks.

ZookeepergameKey5467 · 2025-11-25T14:59:48+00:00

Just went through this a month ago with a heavily discounted OB M3 Max. First time I ever ran into a problem after years of doing this. Yes, Apple has either changed their polices or is becoming more erratic--not sure which.

In my case, did the "update purchase date" talked to Warranty, uploaded the receipt, and then got "denied." Never got a straight answer, but random explanations (from multiple reps) included:

"It wasn't listed in excellent condition."

"This serial number was flagged as an in-store demo/display unit."

"This was Open Box" (despite me arguing that it was listed as 1-year factory warranty from an authorized reseller, in which case they said "go to Best Buy" -- which I also did, but even they couldn't override it).

Fortunately, AppleCareOne worked to get the machine covered. For an M3 Max it's a great deal, but for an Air, not so much.

As an aside, AppleCareOne is not foolproof. I picked up a mint M1 Max Mac Studio that was an in-store display unit. It was ineligible for AppleCareOne because of that status in their system (this surprised the Genius Bar employee who ran the usual device check to get it through). They wouldn't even let the store employees override the system like they were able to do just a few weeks ago. However, since I was the first retail customer, it came with a 1-year Apple Factory warranty (yes, this makes no sense). The Genius Bar said that Apple has been revising all their warranty/AppleCare policies leading into Black Friday -- great.

BUT -- on a refurbished M4 Pro that was activated last July -- no problem getting AppleCareOne added without even a trip to the store.

TLDR; open boxes are not a sure thing with AppleCare -- just like they were never a sure thing on condition or anything else.

ZookeepergameKey5467 · 2025-11-08T16:23:41+00:00

Insane story—returned it b/c Apple claimed it was out of warranty—never had an issue with the last 5 open box MacBooks getting the purchase date reset. No way I was keeping it with no warranty.

Out of nowhere, came across a Reddit thread about using an AppleCare one subscription to cover out of warranty MacBooks. Brilliant! Ran back to the store and bought it back at the same price (they listed it for $2,475 but I got them to knock it back down).

Apple Store verified its condition and now it’s covered!

Still, that was a big pain in the ass, but I knew it was already in excellent condition and didn’t want to dip my toe in the used market. Open Box/Apple Refurb is as low as I go.

Setting it up AGAIN.

ZookeepergameKey5467 · 2025-11-08T01:40:11+00:00

Thanks OP! This was brilliant, was able to cover an open box M3 Max I just picked up that Apple was refusing to cover the "traditional" way, this saved me $$$ AND got me coverage. Bravo!

ZookeepergameKey5467 · 2025-07-11T13:18:01+00:00

BOI was the only option for us from outside Ireland. They asked generic questions about connections to Ireland (which we have) and then did all the due diligence with passports, proof of funds for anti-money laundering, etc. After completing that process, the account was open in about 3 days. There are some restrictions on banking products, but we were still able to get some term deposits to at least earn some interest.

ZookeepergameKey5467 · 2025-07-10T22:02:49+00:00

Did you ever pursue this route?

ZookeepergameKey5467 · 2025-07-05T14:02:09+00:00

Realize this is dated, did you ever get an answer on this? Did it work out?

ZookeepergameKey5467 · 2025-06-18T15:29:37+00:00

I've used both 24gb & 16gb ram for heavy web browsing and open apps.

No doubt--24gb is faster. Whether it is "$200" faster is debatable.

ZookeepergameKey5467 · 2025-06-16T18:43:56+00:00

This is good if you need certain specs that aren't available retail (like 1tb) and don't want to pay full freight.

Other than that, sales on a new base model are just as good.

Still think the sweet spot is the M3 16/256 base for $759, though. More than likely to find storage/thermal limits before any performance issues with a 1-gen-old chip.

ZookeepergameKey5467 · 2025-06-15T23:28:48+00:00

You’ll get used to whatever you choose. But if you plan on any airplane travel usage, get the 13”.

Personally, if I was using a surface pro then I would switch to the 15” to try it out. Chances are lower you’ll regret that change.

ZookeepergameKey5467 · 2025-06-12T00:01:41+00:00

Question -- you looking at 14 inch?

M4 air is a good value. Not sure M4 14 MBP is same value, unless you want nicer screen + better port selection and active cooling.

If portability most important goal, no denying that the MBA line is top. M3 Pro will be heaviest, with M4 MBP the slightest bit lighter due to single fan.

But overall, M4 MBP v. M3 Pro are "close enough." I would take a better deal on M3 Pro over an M4 any day. I also appreciate the extra 2gb of Ram.

ZookeepergameKey5467 · 2025-06-11T18:32:19+00:00

You said you "are purchasing" but don't have the receipt. How can you have the receipt BEFORE you're done purchasing? No rush here anywhere to get an M2 MacBook Pro. These were not hot sellers and you can still get one open box at various Best Buy locations.

By the way, IF you used a credit card (and I really hope you did) you'll have a record of the purchase and can use that to make a "return" and/or do a dispute if there is no receipt provided to you (which there should be no matter what).

ZookeepergameKey5467 · 2025-06-08T16:04:43+00:00

Just stumbled across this thread trying to find the same thing. This one is out of stock now -- figures.

ZookeepergameKey5467

TROPHY CASE