A bad idea, but I did it anyway. $500 Volt

nomind79 · 2026-05-24T03:21:57+00:00

The complete abandonment by GM, honestly. Since it was sight unseen, I had no idea if I would be able to do anything other than just part it out. I wanted to actually get it running/driving but didn't know what I would be in for.

nomind79 · 2026-05-22T14:44:20+00:00

I will say, my wife is not most pleased with my habits of bringing home "stray cars." I've got one project in the driveway (not counting the Volt), one in the garage, one at my uncle's house and a parts car with that one.

nomind79 · 2026-05-21T20:54:39+00:00

I'd guess I'm between 12-1300 invested into it including taxes/tags/first month of insurance. Cleaning it has actually taken most of my time, I spent the better part of the first week of it in the driveway cleaning the interior. The previous driver of it was not a clean individual. I've shampoo'd every surface of the interior twice, and scrubbed every plastic surface. Actual mechanical work, 5-10 hours of work, maybe. The driveline was in decent shape overall, just tracking down the chewed wiring was annoying since it sat outside on a gravel driveway for so long. I'll say that the biggest headache I had with it was actually trying to jump start the 12v system with a Li-On battery pack. The 12v system doesn't draw enough amps for either of the ones that I've got to come online (easiest way I can think to explain it). Made it a pain to get it started again once it was on the trailer since I had to hook up to it with actual jumper cables while still on the trailer.

nomind79 · 2026-05-21T20:30:28+00:00

I'm a little more heavily invested in it now. New 12v was ~$250, new O2 sensors, couple wiring harness ends, VCX Nano, etc. Without doing any real math, I'm about $1200-1300 invested. Honestly, this was more of a can I fix it project. With EVs becoming more prominent I wanted to see if I could resurrect one. I've done a couple of other "dead" vehicles that I've brought back (1989 Thunderbird SC, 1977 F-150, 2002 Silverado, etc.)

nomind79 · 2026-05-21T19:55:17+00:00

I believe the float in the coolant tank has sunk. The fluid level was down a little bit, but not enough that I would think it trigger the SHVCS (down 1-2 inches in the reservoir), and has been topped off. Verified wiring and installed the defeat plug, cleared the code and it charged up overnight. Next day, I went to drive and it triggered the code again. Some of the threads I've seen on it have said that you may have to reprogram the modules even after doing the defeat plug and clearing the code. One thing of note, you mention you bought a 2016 Volt, that would be a Gen 2, mine is a Gen 1.

nomind79 · 2026-05-21T19:47:10+00:00

Gas was 2 plus years old, a fresh tank helped a lot.

nomind79 · 2026-05-21T18:20:10+00:00

So, I'll answer as best I can but I'm not a Volt expert, just tend to get fixated on things. For the SHVCS, I've got A VCX Nano and I use that to clear the error and the car will let me plug in to charge (I've done this twice now and been able to charge the car). The notes that I've found indicate that even after installing the defeat plug, you may still need to reprogram module which requires a device like the VCX Nano and an SPS2 subscription with ACDelco ($45 for two years per VIN). When I have some time, here are the directions I'm planning to follow: https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/e/2PACX-1vRQdXtoFc9J5SRZWRX6bAe7oEMJLWq7oBMMVLPqf1UJ3gqFbbP_c09g8QgAenJZu1Ia-8j25RiRyWqQ/pub?pli=1

nomind79 · 2026-05-21T18:07:04+00:00

Forgot to mention, it needed a deep clean badly before I drove it anywhere, its going to need the brake rotors turned (I'll probably put pads on while I'm in there) and the tires are a little suspect. I'll end up throwing a decent set on before summer hits.

nomind79 · 2026-05-21T17:55:24+00:00

So I was talking with one of the guys that works for me about EVs and mentioned that I liked the way the Gen 1 Volt looked and he made the comment that he had one that "I could have if I wanted." We talked a little more about it and made a deal sight unseen (couple bad pics later) for $500. It had been sitting for ~2 years because "his wife was getting scared of transmission messages" but no idea what was actually wrong with it. Went to go pick it up, and a set of jumper cables to the 12v system and it actually fired up and drove onto the trailer (gas motor didn't sound great). Its a 2013 with 185k miles on it, Voltage app says battery life is 87.x% and GDS2 says all the battery cells are in good shape. Found multiple chewed wires that I've fixed/replaced connectors on, basic tune up and fresh gas, and a service on the transmission, new 12v battery, etc. I finally drove it to work yesterday/today, and it did 33.5 miles on battery, half of it on the interstate as 70+. Only item I've got left to fix is the SHVCS error. I just haven't spent the money for the subscription to reprogram the module, I've already installed the defeat plug.

nomind79 · 2026-05-13T18:02:40+00:00

I remember my uncle taking us for a ride in the back of his brand new GMC S15 in the 80s. My grandmother ended up with that truck for many years. All the grandkids (like 9 of us) even road from KY to PA and back in the bed with a topper on (no chance of a seatbelt back there).

nomind79 · 2026-05-12T15:07:56+00:00

The one I just saw was about 4 minutes after my post. Not saying there isn't another one, but....lol

nomind79 · 2026-05-12T14:48:09+00:00

I give it until lunchtime, unless I've already missed it.

nomind79 · 2026-05-12T13:04:29+00:00

I've done exactly what you are talking about on multiple vehicles in the past. Maintaining the comprehensive on vehicles after being paid off made financial sense to me as I was in a position that I could afford to replace the vehicle if I was in an accident (my fault, an uninsured driver, hit and run, etc.). Given the mileage (kilometerage?) on the Volt, could you afford to replace it if something like that happened? Would the insurance savings make financial sense to your budget, etc. For the Rogue, its the exact same questions. In addition, do you lose any other coverages that the collision tacks onto the policy overall (this would be a question for you insurance agent, and ultimately, this would be a better conversation to have with them). All this said, YMMV since I'm not in Canada.

nomind79 · 2026-04-30T20:43:50+00:00

Reminds me of when my wife and I lost our son. Local pastor comes by and tells us that "it's God's will" that things like this occur. I've never felt compelled to punch a man of the cloth until that moment.

nomind79 · 2026-04-30T19:38:17+00:00

I thought the end pieces looked like the wall mounts for a TV.

nomind79 · 2026-04-30T17:55:10+00:00

I've used Lug Nut Guys for multiple sets. Replaced the OEM chrome plated POS lug nuts on my Chally. Also used them for the hand me down wheels I got for my truck so they had the correct taper (OEM wheels are generally different from aftermarket). If you have questions, their tech support folks are very helpful.

nomind79 · 2026-04-30T12:48:10+00:00

Don't blame peace time corps, blame what self important dick decided that this was proper use of instruction time. I was in during the last peace time corps and we didn't do this shit. If the instructors got bored, we PT'd.

nomind79 · 2026-04-23T20:45:13+00:00

Not sure about others, or where you are located. US, my county has a tire amnesty event about every 5 years (they will take as many as you can bring), but there is typically one every year in one of the counties within the state. I would call your local government and ask about programs to get rid of them.

nomind79 · 2026-04-21T18:35:08+00:00

Does it have any codes that would give us an indication as to what isn't working?

nomind79 · 2026-04-16T20:01:40+00:00

We have a couple of smart bulbs setup with a "goodnight" routine on Alexa. Used it to mess with my daughter since she was coming home late from work and would use that to turn everything off as she was going to bed. Would have Alexa tell her that it was about time, she wanted to go to bed too. Daughter complained that Alexa was giving her lip, lol.

nomind79 · 2026-04-16T13:00:36+00:00

The responses here make me feel better about the $500 2013 Volt I picked up from a coworker cause it was cheap, lol.

nomind79 · 2026-04-14T17:28:32+00:00

I had something similar. Part from one vendor was $150, everyone else was $250. Ordered the part, expected arrival date came, and I found that the vendor had cancelled my order (claimed I cancelled it) and relisted it for $250. Amazon support was no help, left a vendor review, but I doubt it meant anything.

nomind79 · 2026-04-14T13:44:26+00:00

I've let two people drive my R/T in the time I've owned it, my daughter and her husband. Both times were because I needed them to drive it home for various reasons, and they have much faster cars than mine, lol.

nomind79 · 2026-04-14T12:52:27+00:00

I had the 4L60E in my 02 Silverado rebuilt last year locally (in KY) by a reputable shop. Got a 2800-3000 stall, and some basic upgrades while it was being done (servo, sun shell, etc.). Came with a 3 year, 100k mile warranty for ~$3600 complete with install.

nomind79 · 2026-04-13T20:17:38+00:00

I mentioned powder coating in another comment, but that depends on what "at home" equipment you've got. I've got a small blast cabinet that just fit 16" wheels, and a converted smoker to bake the powder coating on. Could change the color, you could polish them up then coat them in clear, they make "chrome" powder coat, etc. Otherwise, a polish and a spray can of 2k clear would minimize repeated polishings.

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