Maintenance

Electric vehicles have a number of advantages compared to vehicles with internal combustion engines. They have fewer hydraulic systems, lubrication, friction, high temperatures, and combustion products (soot, exhaust, soot) are simply absent. This means that electric vehicles require less frequent routine maintenance than their predecessors with gasoline and diesel engines. The owner of an electric car may not think about replacing the timing belt, oil filters, spark plugs, but technology remains technology, and all electric vehicle systems still need maintenance.

Routine service is aimed at preventing faults that have not yet manifested themselves. To prevent your electric vehicle from stopping on the highway as a result of an unexpected breakdown, its condition must be checked at regular intervals. It's not just about checking tire pressure: a few working fluids require replacement, brakes, headlights and indicator lights need to be checked, air conditioning requires refilling freon. We will describe below what work is carried out as part of routine maintenance of electric cars.

Composition of scheduled maintenance of electric cars

Basic routine maintenance of electric vehicles includes:

• Visual inspection of the vehicle;
• Checking external lighting and light signaling devices;
• Lubrication of chassis parts, electric motor bearings;
• Changing the electric motor oil;
• Checking brakes, replacing worn pads and discs;
• Replacing the cabin filter;
• Charging the battery, checking its residual capacity and condition. Battery repair comes down to replacing individual battery packs that have lost capacity, and may also refer to scheduled work from a certain time;
• Checking the brake fluid level, topping up if necessary;
• Checking the condition of the electrical part, tightening the contacts;
• Replacing antifreeze;
• Add washer fluid;
• Removing dirt, carbon deposits and corrosive formations that can damage electrical equipment;
• Seasonal (or due to wear) replacement of tires.

Washing an electric vehicle, if it is in use, can also be considered part of routine maintenance. It is carried out by the owner himself, and cleanliness never harms any vehicle. However, in the case of electric vehicles, you need to be careful and follow the manufacturer's recommendations, because... Contact of a high-voltage electrical circuit with water is extremely dangerous.

Timing and frequency of routine maintenance of electric cars

Depending on the intensity of use of the electric vehicle, the frequency of its scheduled maintenance varies from 6 months to a year, or is tied to the mileage and expiration date of consumables, for example:

• Replace the brake fluid - every 2 years or after every 40 - 60 thousand km;
• Replacement of antifreeze in the battery cooling system - every 5 years;
• Replacement of brake pads - as they wear out, on average every 17 thousand km. The discs can withstand twice as much. The timing of replacement of these consumables also depends on driving style, as well as the quality of the material, so auto mechanics prefer to be guided not by mileage, but by the actual condition of these elements;
• Cabin filter - after 10 thousand km. or once a year;
• Change tires - 2 times a year (from summer tires to winter ones), or as they wear out;
• Checking the brake system, the level of antifreeze in the battery, inverter, the condition of the traction motor - after 12 thousand km, and then once a year.

Routine maintenance is what the electric car manufacturer insists on, and what the car owner must do on a schedule if he wants to benefit from the warranty. This is also one of the sources of income for official (dealer) service stations, which, as a rule, do not burden themselves with expanding the list of services provided.

The routine maintenance schedule may change based on the operating conditions of the electric vehicle; in particular, constant driving short distances, oddly enough, shortens the service period.

Who does routine maintenance of electric cars?

Routine maintenance is the simplest work that a car service can perform. The car manufacturer in its warranty requires that it be performed by an authorized (official or dealer) service station. And car owners have nowhere to go, because using the services of other, albeit specialized car services, they void the warranty.

And this gives rise to its own problems. The official service station receives an excessive number of clients, as a result of which it does not try to maintain a high level of service. Her attitude towards car owners is arrogant, and her list of work is standard and simple. Service prices are high, since in all cases only original components and consumables are used, despite the availability of high-quality analogues. Any repair involves a complete replacement of the unit, without any reconstruction, which takes a toll on the wallet. The only advantage of an official service station is branded equipment, but its potential in the hands of mediocre craftsmen who do not want to improve their skills and develop a list of services remains unrealized. That is why motorists take their cars to the authorities only while they are under warranty.

Who should entrust routine maintenance then? Specialized, but not dealer car service - i.e. us! We will always offer our clients to save money if it is possible to install high-quality analogues or get by with restoration repairs, we will give objective information about the condition of the electric vehicle and we will perform the most complex maintenance, including repairs.

As for equipment, our material base is no worse than that of an official car service center, and the competence of our technicians is an order of magnitude higher.