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Polestar 2 heated washers are part of the £900 climate pack which also includes heat pump, steering wheel and heated rear seats so definitely worth having. Like the i4 the washers are part of the wiper blade which seems really effective
steering wheel
I thought that should come as standard….
@iainc - the washers on my i4 definitely are not heated. Looking closely you can see the assembly is just the hose and a few plastic fittings to.provide the jets.
I wish they were heated though.
Oof..£900 quid extra..
I got my polestar second hand, and up until 2024, they just had the Pilot (cruise control, pixel lights, lane keep) and Plus (heated things, glass roof, better stereo) and Performance (ohlins springs and brembo brakes).. mines a Pilot plus.
Still saving up for the steering wheel.
DrP
whatgoesupFull Member
@iainc – the washers on my i4 definitely are not heated. Looking closely you can see the assembly is just the hose and a few plastic fittings to.provide the jets.
I wish they were heated though.
they are listed as standard spec on uk cars, all versions. I haven’t examined them mind you. They haven’t ever frozen on me so I have believed what I have read on the spec lists.
On an icy day they steam nicely.
I was caught out on the -7c morning this week. Smugly heat the car from my armchair so all is toasty inside.
The door can still be frozen shut though...
I tell you what else can freeze..the actual rubber wiper itself!!
I thought the screen wash was freezing on my screen yesterday am (-5 deg C) as the arc of the wiper was ‘missing’ wiping a large chunk, so i thought it was just iced up on the screen.
Turns out the wiper blade was frozen bent (from the resting position I guess) and wasn’t deforming to wipe the screen! Never had that before!
DrP
Glad the steering wheel bit hit the spot ? I realised I had missed the ‘heated’ from the sentence but gave up waiting for the edit screen to respond
Surely heated washer jets are standard on EV’s?
Polestar 2 heated washers are part of the £900 climate pack which also includes heat pump, steering wheel and heated rear seats so definitely worth having.
Depends on the market. AFAIK the heated wipers and front seats are stock over here and some of the other Northern european countries, plus Canada etc. Heated rear seats, steering wheel, heat pump etc, i'm not sure on.
I tell you what else can freeze..the actual rubber wiper itself!!
More likely the water in/on the blade. You see many cars with the wipers pulled away from the screen overnight here. Three reasons:- it's easier to scrape the screen (if you need to) because the blades aren't in the way, you also don't freeze the edge of the blade to the screen (you can tear chunks out of it) and lastly, putting the blade back against the windscreen breaks the ice on the blade up nicely.
I switch my heater on in the morning to defrost everything...
More likely the water in/on the blade.
Probably/.
I have my car set to warm up/precondition every morning - makes for a lovely drive!
Also, i jsut realsied as mine is a launch edition (2021) it doesn't have the heat pump~!
DrP
Preheat is my favourite thing on my car at the moment. I take the dogs out for a walk early doors. If there is a frost i just set the preheat for when i plan to leave. Its one of the nicest things to walk out to a car, fully defrosted, seats heated and general warm temps. For what cost, about 5p? It makes next to nothing difference in my pocket and i am not effected range wise. But getting in my car this morning whilst my neighbour scraped the frost off his car and had the engine running for 20 mins made me chuckle a little.
The merc broke down the other day, flashed up a malfunction error in the middle of driving down the road and lost all drive power.
Switched it off and on again and it was fine, for about 5 minutes, before doing the same and stopping. Limped it to the local merc dealer when it stopped at the entrance.
They plugged their computer into it and got a load of fault codes, main one being a fault in the high voltage battery control unit.
After investigating, they say there is a fault with the wiring (have not yet got them to elaborate on what exactly the issue is), but it's not covered by the extended warranty (small print excludes issues with wiring or wiring loom), but as a gesture of good will they will only charge me £280 to repair rather tha the full £700 quid they reckon it should cost.
Will find out what exactly the fault is with the "wiring" and go from there.
This (exclusion of wiring faults from extended warranty, plus the failure in the first place) might consign Mercedes to the never buy from again pile.
A minimum of 6mm SWA 3-core cable supplying the sub-board from your house – 4mm is not sufficient.
Supply from main board to garage to be a minimum of 40A – this may need to be greater if you have many electrical components on the sub-board (i.e. a fridge or freezer etc).
Supply to the sub-board is either non RCD protected or protected by a Type A RCD.
A Spare 32A or 40A MCB available on sub-board which is either non RCD protected or is protected by a Type A RC.
6mm cable?
How far away is the charging point from the meter. I am looking at a minimum of 10mm cable size. Showers require a 10mm cable today if a new installation.
Hiya All,
I occasionally lurk in this thread. It's for sure interesting. For a long time I wanted to an EV but I'm not keen on the current batch of ones. I've been holding out for a Renault 5. I'm sadly a Renault Fan and the 5 suits my budget and what I need from an EV. For sure there are other EVs out there but I've been burnt a few times on so called expensive quality cars from Germany. My Renaults have been good after that epic fail of purchases. I was wondering if anyone yet has had a test drive anywhere? Probably this is directed to our mainland European cousins.
BR
Jerry
I think the R5 looks great. Is it not based on the Dacia Spring platform? You could try one of those - the real R5 will seem luxury by comparison!
I'm having an inconvenience with IOG - my smart meter stopped working mid-December. Octopus seem a bit unsure as to how to proceed.
In th emeantime I have about £800 credit on my account and no sign of a bill on the horizon...
@boomerlives you'll be paying full flexible tariff (or whatever it's called) on days of lost data so you need to keep on at them for a solution. I had some intermittent problems with my smart meter over the summer and they eventually sent out a bloke to look at the meter. He performed some sort of reboot I think. In your case they might do something similar or replace the meter, but keep hounding them to do something.
The bottom line is you'll be the one losing out financially the longer it persists, quite significantly as well.
The old Renault 4 was a wacky car. Front wheel drive, longitudinally mounted engine with the gearbox at the front which was operated by a stick in going through the dashboard. So French.
^^ I had a pal who had one, he repainted it (the whole car…) with a paintbrush to cover the rust 🙂
Reviews are out on the Renault 5 from the likes of PetrolPed and TheLateBrakeShow on YouTube, but they are not in dealerships in the UK yet AFAIK so you will struggle for any reviews from the public and very early days in Europe too.
Doing my first round trip over the next few days that will probably be over the range of my Kia eNiro. Congleton to Oxford and back. 130 miles each way will be a bit beyond it in winter I think. So, I've never actually used a public charger before given that I charge for free at work (I just use the 3 pin plug adapter at home on the rare occasion that it's been needed).
So, what's my best option? I'll probably need like a 30% top up to be safe I reckon.
This (exclusion of wiring faults from extended warranty, plus the failure in the first place) might consign Mercedes to the never buy from again pile.
Jeepers that doesn't leave much left to warranty!
How crap is that!?
Do they cover PCBs? I did an app for one of the charger manufacturers that was related to faulty PCBs..... There were "a lot" each year which gives me a bit of the fear over PCBs in high voltage environments.
Jeepers that doesn’t leave much left to warranty!
Here the full list of exclusions, I guess if it's not on the list below then it's covered...
Air cleaners
• Any seal, gasket or sealant
• Auxiliary belts
• Batteries - non HV and auxiliary batteries
• Bonnet, boot and fuel flap release cables
• Brake friction material and discs/drums
• Brake pipes and brake hoses
• Clutch assemblies/clutch fork/release bearings/pressure plate/carrier plate
• Clutch master cylinder/clutch slave cylinder
• Core plugs
• Distributor caps
• Drive shaft and steering rack gaiters
• Electrical connection blocks, terminals and fuses
• Exhaust system, muffler, heat shields and exhaust pipes
• Fuel filters
• Gearbox, axle and drive line mountings
• Handbrake/parking brake cablesHinges (all)Hoses/pipes (non-metal), hose clips and connectors (excluding coolant hoses)
• HT leads
• Light bulbs and LED bulbs (except Xenon Bulbs)
• Navigation CDs, DVDs and SD cards
• Oil filters and gaskets
• PAS high pressure hose/pipes
• Pollen/odour filters
• Reprogramming or software updates
Shock absorbers and suspension struts
• Spark plugs
• Sunroof cables, convertible cables, convertible roof material and straps
• Tyres
• Wheels
• Wiper blades
• Wiring and wiring looms.
Doing my first round trip over the next few days that will probably be over the range of my Kia eNiro.
I've been watching this thread through my period of exile and actually got my first EV 6 weeks ago - Hyundai Kona. It was between that and the Niro and then a cracking 21 Kona, 20k miles/Ultimate spec (leather, upgraded stereo, etc.) came up that was too good to miss.
Like you all my charging has been home or work; I've only charged on a public charger twice and it's been dead easy.
First time I put 10kwh in for shits and giggles (rather, to learn how to before using in anger) at a local charger to me - I'm on Octopus so have an Electroverse card that debits costs to my Octopus account and gives a discount.
Woke the screen up, pressed charge, tapped the card on the obvious RFID reader, wheels churned briefly and then it said to plug in and charging started (DC charger / 50kw)
Once enough was in (about 15 mins, only got to about 43kw actual) I pressed stop, tapped card again, machine clicked and then said unplug. By the time I was back in the car after restashing the plug, I'd had an email confirming the cost.
Second time was at MiL on NYD. There's a pair of 22kw chargers in the Co-Op car park in her village so I plugged in there. AC, same sort of process except I couldn't get the Electroverse card to read. It was absolutely hosing down with cold wet rain, so I tried another card (my credit card) at which point I realised I was tapping on the wrong point, moved it and it registered. Plugged in, and then walked away and left it for a couple of hours to put about 25kwh in (again be prepared, slower than advertised speed). Took a couple of days to appear on the CC statement, and I didn't get the special Octopus price, but ho hum.
It was range and public charge anxiety that had put me off for ages - in 6 weeks it's been entirely unfounded.
As for the driving experience. I drive everywhere in Eco or Eco+ and it's still too racy for me. Sport mode compared to my old diesel lump is frankly terrifying, I'd have it in a hedge in no time!!
And in this weather pre-warming seats and steering wheel while finishing my toast is just bliss.
Another lurker on this thread. I live in a semi detached in a small market town with on street parking and the chances of parking directly outside my house are slim and I’m retired so no charging at work - is an ev a totally unrealistic proposition? I’m assuming I would be charging in the local car parks so charging costs would be significantly higher?
What does the hive mind have to say about high mileage Tesla Model 3s?
There's a few on Autotrader that are almost affordable but they have over 125k miles.
Second time was at MiL on NYD. There’s a pair of 22kw chargers in the Co-Op car park in her village so I plugged in there. AC, same sort of process except I couldn’t get the Electroverse card to read. It was absolutely hosing down with cold wet rain, so I tried another card (my credit card) at which point I realised I was tapping on the wrong point, moved it and it registered. Plugged in, and then walked away and left it for a couple of hours to put about 25kwh in (again be prepared, slower than advertised speed).
The slower speed will more likely have been your car. Niro's either have 7.5kw or 10.5 kw max onboard charging speed so you are never going to see 22kw on AC. This is why I've been looking at the Megane or the Scenic as they both have 22kw and I spend quite a lot of time in Holland where everyone has 3 phase so 22kw chargers are literally everywhere and usually free.
What does the hive mind have to say about high mileage Tesla Model 3s?
There’s a few on Autotrader that are almost affordable but they have over 125k miles
I think its their age rather than mileage you need to be looking at. After 8 years they lose battery / powertrain warranty. My worry with EVs (and I've been driving them for 9 years) is any out of warranty repair on the battery/ inverter stack could easily write the car off. This is the big issue and it does frequently happen. Its fine if you have only spent a few thousand on a car and driven it for a few years but even secondhand EVs are 20k and the thought of something going pop after 2 years is really putting me off buying one right now. EVs are generally very reliable but when they have a fault unlike iCE cars, it just comes out of nowhere and is almost never related to how well you have looked after the car.
@claudie:
My data (6 weeks, but also winter where efficiency is lower, heaters on, etc.)
I'm getting 3.7 mile per kwh, home charging on Octopus Go is 8.5p, so 2.3p/mile. Actually a bit more because the flipside to Octopus Go is that my peak rate is a bit higher so having an EV and low rate actually costs me a bit more than just the rate. Call it 2.5p
I do 1200 miles/month approx so that costs me £30 a month.
My old diesel cost me 40mpg - so 1200 miles = 30 gallons = 136.5 litres x 1.40ish currently (quite low vs recent times) = £190 (15.8 p per mile or 6 and a bit * EV rate). So the EV is £160/mo cheaper.
Of course I'm paying for the EV (£200/mo give or take) so it's costing me actually £40/mo to be in the new car.
Things that also need considering
the diesel's clutch was going, could have been a £1500 bill.
I got a good rate on the charger install but still cost me £850. Nett those - about £650 which covers 16mo of the higher cost.
If petrol went up 10% (not impossible) the bill goes up by £20 a month and halves the £40/mo to be in the new car - contrast is that electricity would have to go up massively to increase by the same £20.
I'd hope to get the efficiency up in warmer weather - for the first couple of weeks I had it I got closer to 3.9 so EV gets cheaper.
Annual servicing is apparently a lot cheaper.
All told I reckon it's close to cost neutral to be in the new car, and it's a way nicer place to be with a way better driving experience.
For you:
If it was all commercial chargers - even low cost / low speed you'd be paying 6x the cost and that makes it very similar in fuel to diesel on a per mile basis. And the hassles of putting on charge somewhere away from home for long periods would be too much faff for me. If you put on fast chargers where you can do for an hour a time then less faff, but you'll be paying 80-odd pence per kwh (nearly 10x the home charge rate). Depends of course how many miles you do as to whether the absolute cost penalty is significant of course. And did I mention how much nicer the owning and driving experience has been so far!
Have a look at Zap Map to see what looks convenient. Personally only done half a dozen public charges in 3 years, but would recommend bigger sites a few miles away from major trunk roads.
On that note, for Oxford can highly recommend the Fastned Charging Station at the Redbridge P&R, south side of town off the ring road. Not sure if that suits you though.
The old Renault 4 was a wacky car. Front wheel drive, longitudinally mounted engine with the gearbox at the front which was operated by a stick in going through the dashboard. So French.
Was great wasn't it, My mother had one. I also had a Renault 5 the last one and loved it. I have a Twingo and Trafic ATM and love them both. I'm also half French, so a little biased 😉
I've watched the reviews and they look awesome I'm also going to have a Peek at a Citroen eC3 which also looks good. To be honest I think the French have nailed the brief to get mass Electric cars to the population. Else it will only be the wealthy and company car owners.
JeZ
Well today's the day for our charger installation - an Ohme via VW. As their T's & C's say they won't install it earlier than one month from delivery that must mean the car's not far away right? (no, I'm not holding my breath!)
Installers have been very good so far, taken me all through what they're doing and we've confirmed the cable route. Will be surprised if they're still here at lunchtime.
My Ioniq is in the dealership for the 5yr service. When I booked it in they said the cost would be around £300 without the battery coolant flush (as that was done under warranty last year).
On arrival at the garage this morning they said it would be 5yr (50000 mile ) service is costing £73. I questioned their working out without going into to much detail regarding the conversation I had on the phone with them in December when the £300 was mentioned. I'll trust their judgement.
Anyway I'm £225 better off and I get a stamp in the book and some piece of mind for until the warranty expires later in the year.
As for the car I am pleased with it. Maybe not as versatile as the ageing Roomster that it replaced but it is a nicer car to drive and so far significantly cheaper to run.
I've yet to put the bike in the boot but I aim to to that this year.
The climate app control came in handy this morning for deicing. I might pay for an extension of the bluelink app later in the year but I could probably manage without. All my home charging is started via a smart plug and my navigation is using Android auto.
I think I'll be able to manually start the climate control then lock the car in the future? Sitting in the car for 5 minutes whilst it defrosts also isn't a problem.
.
I’ve watched the reviews and they look awesome I’m also going to have a Peek at a Citroen eC3 which also looks good. To be honest I think the French have nailed the brief to get mass Electric cars to the population.
Feel like I'm shouting into the void as no one on this thread seems interested in them, but if small/funky/French is your thing then maybe also have a look at a Peugeot E208. I have one and really like it, and I see tonnes of them on the road.
What does the hive mind have to say about high mileage Tesla Model 3s?
Seems to be a bunch of YT videos looking at these of late. Seems to be a good bet if you get the right price and the inners are tidy enough!
DrP
Feel like I’m shouting into the void as no one on this thread seems interested in them, but if small/funky/French is your thing then maybe also have a look at a Peugeot E208. I have one and really like it, and I see tonnes of them on the road.
My friend has one, it's awesome. Like you I wonder what the interest on some of the other vehicles and yes I like small French vehicles and always have done 😉 It will be tested too. It's nuts why people still buy German cars when the dream team seems to be dead in terms of reliability and quality...
JeZ
Well that was an interesting drive home.
Reasonable dump of snow in East Sussex and as ever the combination of front wheel drive but no actual proper weight over the front wheels but lots in the middle of the car plus zero ability to change up a gear on a hill climb meant the Leaf was as crap as ever in the thin covering of snow. I had to keep slowing down to get a run up and hope nobody slotted in the gap.....saw two accidents on the way home and had to put my snowsocks on to get into my road as its a block paved single track incline which is slippery when wet let alone icy. Made it but there will be zero chance of getting out again if it freezes overnight
Sometimes I really miss my Terracan!
I have to be honest and say I prefer driving an ICE car in the snow and ice compared to my EV, the Born doesn’t have a choice of regen braking, it on or off. When it’s on and I take my foot of the accelerator it was sketchy on the ice, trying to brake on the ice. If I turned it off I was struggling to get the right amount of braking. I also found there is too much power, before I would be pulling away in 2nd gear in ice/snow to keep the revs down but can’t do that in the EV and feathering the accelerator is tricky.
I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s related to lots of them coming with OEM low rolling resistance tyres?