Maintenance Costs

[L-Cat]

For those with EV experience, what service/maintenance costs should I expect with my Mach E?
The dealer hyped up frequent brake replacement at a high cost (but couldn’t quote the cost) as a selling point for the extra service plan during my purchase. They have also mentioned that EV’s burn through tires.
I’m not convinced that they really know what they’re talking about, but I have no prior EV experience.

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[GuliblGuy]

For those with EV experience, what service/maintenance costs should I expect with my Mach E?
The dealer hyped up frequent brake replacement at a high cost (but couldn’t quote the cost) as a selling point for the extra service plan during my purchase. They have also mentioned that EV’s burn through tires.
I’m not convinced that they really know what they’re talking about, but I have no prior EV experience.

Maint cost are very low on EV's which is a selling point. The car will do mostly regen braking when you stop, minimizing use of the actual friction brakes. Some people report seeing some rust on them after rain/car wash due to infrequent use, and have to do a bit of an "emergency stop" to get them to kick in and clean them up a bit.

Tires might get used up a bit more if you floor it at every green light, but I have never heard of a maintenance plan that would replace your tires.

Other than that, it's change your cabin air filter every year, rotate your tires, and I think it was replace the brake fluid every 3-5 yrs or something like that.

 

[HuntingPudel]

From my experience with my PHEV, there is little in the way of maintenance costs. I still have more than 80% of my pad life left on ‘14 Fusion, including several track days.

Tires? Depends on how you drive. I am pretty sure the tires on my GT-PE won’t last long. My Fusion eats tires like nobody’s business but that’s because it has terrible weight distribution and is FWD. The Steeda rear bar helped the balance but it still likes to chew up the front tires.

 

[Maquis]

 

[Scarpia]

This is my third EV. The first I drove for 4.5 years (55,000 miles), while the second was 3.5 years (47,000 miles).

I admittedly drove them pretty conservatively since the range was short for both; I tried to get as much out of a charge as I could.

Zero maintenance except for tire rotations. Both were in need of tires when I turned them in, but I did not replace the tires while I had them. No brake work at all. Oh yeah, replaced the wiper blades.

I've read that some EV drivers do go through tires more quickly, I think because the vehicles are heavier than comparable ICE cars because of the HV batteries.

Unless you drive like a maniac, you shouldn't have much maintenance to speak of. Much less than an ICE vehicle.

 

[mdolan92869]

Don't forget that when you take it in to get the nitrogen replaced in your tires, have them replace the electrons in the batteries.

 

[L-Cat]

Maint cost are very low on EV's which is a selling point. The car will do mostly regen braking when you stop, minimizing use of the actual friction brakes. Some people report seeing some rust on them after rain/car wash due to infrequent use, and have to do a bit of an "emergency stop" to get them to kick in and clean them up a bit.

Tires might get used up a bit more if you floor it at every green light, but I have never heard of a maintenance plan that would replace your tires.

Other than that, it's change your cabin air filter every year, rotate your tires, and I think it was replace the brake fluid every 3-5 yrs or something like that.

Thanks! I didn’t really believe the service plan was a great purchase. & just to clarify- they mentioned replacing tires separate from the service plan.

 

[timbop]

Thanks! I didn’t really believe the service plan was a great purchase. & just to clarify- they mentioned replacing tires separate from the service plan.

pirates.

Yeah, tell them to steal from someone else

 

[deadduck]

I know when I test drove the Mach E I kicked the rear out every time I made a turn. I'm guessing you could eat through tires fairly quickly that way.

 

[delacruz.c5d]

I've read that some EV drivers do go through tires more quickly, I think because the vehicles are heavier than comparable ICE cars because of the HV batteries.

Unless you drive like a maniac, you shouldn't have much maintenance to speak of. Much less than an ICE vehicle.

I concur with the fact that BEVs are harder on tires than an ICE car. This is "usually" due to the heavier weight.

I'm sure tire manufacturers will catch up at some point and optimize tire construction for BEVs...but I'm sure it happen when BEVs are much higher than 2.5% of sold market share.

 

[HuntingPudel]

I concur with the fact that BEVs are harder on tires than an ICE car. This is "usually" due to the heavier weight.

I'm sure tire manufacturers will catch up at some point and optimize tire construction for BEVs...but I'm sure it happen when BEVs are much higher than 2.5% of sold market share.

Tire manufacturers will never “catch up” with regard to tire wear on a vehicle that’s heavier than another that uses the same tire but weighs less. It’s just physics. The only way to cut wear from their standpoint is to increase the durometer of the tread, which might lead to worse handling overall and poor wear in cold weather. They may be able to lower the rate of wear a small amount through chemistry, but extra weight just means extra wear whenever not in steady-state driving.

 

[mkhuffman]

Don't forget suspension components that will need to be replaced as they wear out. They might wear out sooner since the car is heavier, but new struts at 80,000 will probably be needed. Ball joints may fail earlier due to the weight also. I put a ton of miles on my E320 ICE car, and literally replaced every front end suspension component, some multiple times.

I would plan on replacing the LVB every three years also. From what others have reported, when that goes out, you are just as stranded as in an ICE car.

Unlikely a maint plan would cover any of that.

 

[RickMachE]

My experience differs from others. Hybrid 2010, PHEV 2018.

Tires wear the same as ICE vehicles, but usually the OEM tires aren't long wearing, just like with ICE vehicles. Putting on Michelin Defenders as the next set solves that, and has a very minimal impact on mpg.

No replacement of suspension in up to close to 80,000 miles, except when potholes destroyed it - and insurance covered it as "collision with road".

Replaced rear brakes on 2010 Fusion Hybrid due to rusting out. Poor design on that and other ICE models.

Replaced 12 volt battery on 2010 around year 6 or 7 as I recall. Never replaced a car battery in 3 years. Keeping it plugged in keeps the 12v charged.

 

[mkhuffman]

Replaced 12 volt battery on 2010 around year 6 or 7 as I recall. Never replaced a car battery in 3 years. Keeping it plugged in keeps the 12v charged.

This is interesting. It could be a ICE car puts a lot more stress on the LVB, causing it to wear out earlier. I just assumed the stress would be similar, but the more I think about it, the more I think the stress should be a lot less. The huge drain when starting an ICE is a big thing that probably contributes significantly to battery wear, and does not exist in a BEV. One thing is for sure, I don't want the LVB to die unexpectedly at any point when, so figuring out the right time to replace may be a challenge. Did you wait for it to fail, or was there a warning that failure was imminent?

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