EV mechanics shortage.

[izwozral]

It amazes me the amount of rubbish still spoken about EVs it’s just another fuel source no more than that.

I’m a petrol head through and through (love motorsport, and used to race myself) and my daily drive for 3 years has been an EV I’ve heard all the rubbish about range etc. I’ve been to Poland in it and not had an issue.

I have a home in Northamptonshire and another in the Highlands and have to stop and fill up in my Diesel 4x4 or the EV the EV takes a little longer than the Diesel, but not really with the Diesel after about 180-240 miles I stop have a pee and coffee etc then fill with diesel as I leave, with the EV I plug in, then go and have a pee and coffee and go back to a 80% charge (100% if I have a long leg next)

The big difference is I pay for the diesel every mile I drive, whereas the EV is mainly either free from home solar or in the winter if there’s no sun about 2p per mile.

As has been said the mechanical side is looked after by the dealerships general fitters, only high voltage issues need a trained technician. Such issues are very rare mind, and as EV usage increases more technicians will be trained same as any other technology.

If just ordered a 4x4 EV, it has adjustable suspension to increase clearance off road and a 503 mile range, so no more diesel 4x4 next year, and unlike the current 4x4 SWMBO is happy parking it, as it basically does so itself (as long as she keeps the sensors clean)

The only real challenge at the moment is idiots parking petrol/diesel cars in charging bays, but that just means carrying a long charging cable.

Which EV 4x4 are you getting Kev?

Cars parking in MH bays at services get a non-polite message on their windscreen.

 

[Boris7]

Which EV 4x4 are you getting Kev?

Cars parking in MH bays at services get a non-polite message on their windscreen.

I’ve got a Cupra Born V3 and I’m getting a Volvo EX60 (cross country) Ral.

I looked at the BMW ix3 but it just gets too expensive when you spec it up (those folks at BMW have mastered the upsell)

 

[izwozral]

I’ve got a Cupra Born V3 and I’m getting a Volvo EX60 (cross country) Ral.

I looked at the BMW ix3 but it just gets too expensive when you spec it up (those folks at BMW have mastered the upsell)

I've read good things about the EX60, it certainly rates very highly with the reviewers on YouTube.

 

[Boris7]

Hope it’s as good as it sounds Ral.
I’ve got a Shogun just now and it’s getting past it. There again 320k on the clock so can’t complain

 

[trevskoda]

Which EV 4x4 are you getting Kev?

Cars parking in MH bays at services get a non-polite message on their windscreen.

Just let there tyres down, worlds best message.

 

[trevskoda]

If electric cars where cheap i for sure would buy one as handy for short trips which kills a piston engine, £300 to £500 would be my price range.

 

[Fazerloz]

If electric cars where cheap i for sure would buy one as handy for short trips which kills a piston engine, £300 to £500 would be my price range.

Don't you know anyone with a knackered old milk float.

 

[Robmac]

Don't you know anyone with a knackered old milk float.

Probably got one in his garage!

 

[trevskoda]

There is always a good cheap car to be had if you keep your eyes open, mate got a saab 7 years old with 50th on clock for £700.

 

[Robmac]

There is always a good cheap car to be had if you keep your eyes open, mate got a saab 7 years old with 50th on clock for £700.

I wouldn't trust a car for £700 Trev, might turn out to be a false economy!

 

[Boris7]

I wouldn't trust a car for £700 Trev, might turn out to be a false economy!

Don't think might comes into it Rob

 

[mariesnowgoose]

I wouldn't trust a car for £700 Trev, might turn out to be a false economy!

My old Citroen Picasso cost me £1,400 in Feb 2020 and was definitely not a false economy.
I am thinking of getting a newer model, but it certainly won't be brand new!

It has cost very little to run and maintain (apart from MOT fee), maybe tens of pounds to the most a few hundred quid to get through MOT each year. Touch wood it has never let me down yet

Still going OK, gets me from A-B, tax is £35 annually (bughas have put it up by £5 from £30! ).

Cheap as chips. Why would I spend tens of thousands of pounds on a new vehicle while this one still works fine and does everything I need from a car?

The question of a new car in my case is kind of irrelevant, because even if I had tens of thousands of pounds to spare I definitely wouldn't spend the money on any kind of new vehicle, mohos/campers included!

I would, however, love to put an electric or hybrid engine into the old VW Gatcombe, but I'm pretty weird that way...

 

[mariesnowgoose]

P.S. there is a big shortage of experienced mechanics generally.

They can currently more or less dictate their salary and choose who they work for, certainly here in the North East at any rate.

 

[izwozral]

The mechanic I use charges £60 an hour and is totally trustworthy, proper old school but knows his way around modern vehicles too. Dunno if £60 an hour is excessive compared to other garages but seeing as I have diddlysquat mechanical skills, that's what I have to pay.

Maybe I should let Trev have a stopover here for a week or so, he can tinker with the MH, car, computer, boiler.

Hmmm, maybe not?
Probably come back to a new house sign saying 'Linux Cottage' or summat.

 

[trevskoda]

I wouldn't trust a car for £700 Trev, might turn out to be a false economy!

Not if you know about cars, i have been at this came for 50 years, there are good pickings to be had, here is a right off i bought for £50, inner guard welded second hand wing bonnet grill lamp bumper cost me nothing, sold £600 2 weeks later, wife was not sold.

 

[Robmac]

My old Citroen Picasso cost me £1,400 in Feb 2020 and was definitely not a false economy.
I am thinking of getting a newer model, but it certainly won't be brand new!

It has cost very little to run and maintain (apart from MOT fee), maybe tens of pounds to the most a few hundred quid to get through MOT each year. Touch wood it has never let me down yet

Still going OK, gets me from A-B, tax is £35 annually (bughas have put it up by £5 from £30! ).

Cheap as chips. Why would I spend tens of thousands of pounds on a new vehicle while this one still works fine and does everything I need from a car?

The question of a new car in my case is kind of irrelevant, because even if I had tens of thousands of pounds to spare I definitely wouldn't spend the money on any kind of new vehicle, mohos/campers included!

I would, however, love to put an electric or hybrid engine into the old VW Gatcombe, but I'm pretty weird that way...

It's a gamble Marie, sometimes you get lucky sometimes not. But I'm not saying you have to spend 10's of thousands. Our last car cost about £4500 and we still had problems with it that couldn't have been picked up by a mechanic.

700 quid though, I reckon you could expect some trouble, why would anyone give a car away for so little otherwise?

 

[Robmac]

Not if you know about cars, i have been at this came for 50 years, there are good pickings to be had, here is a right off i bought for £50, inner guard welded second hand wing bonnet grill lamp bumper cost me nothing, sold £600 2 weeks later, wife was not sold. View attachment 152198

My knowledge about modern cars is low Trev. I used to do all my own mechanics , replacing brakes, exhaust, radiator, clutch etc. wouldn't attempt it these days.

Too old and too many fancy systems involved!

 

[Robmac]

The mechanic I use charges £60 an hour and is totally trustworthy, proper old school but knows his way around modern vehicles too. Dunno if £60 an hour is excessive compared to other garages but seeing as I have diddlysquat mechanical skills, that's what I have to pay.

Maybe I should let Trev have a stopover here for a week or so, he can tinker with the MH, car, computer, boiler.

Hmmm, maybe not?
Probably come back to a new house sign saying 'Linux Cottage' or summat.

At least he'll sort out yer long chain polymers Ral.

 

[mariesnowgoose]

It's a gamble Marie, sometimes you get lucky sometimes not. But I'm not saying you have to spend 10's of thousands. Our last car cost about £4500 and we still had problems with it that couldn't have been picked up by a mechanic.

700 quid though, I reckon you could expect some trouble, why would anyone give a car away for so little otherwise?

Age and mileage. The older a car (depending on the make) the more difficult to get parts.

Also the higher the mileage, the lower the purchase price.

If neither of those things puts you off you can definitely get real bargains.

Of course it helps if you can take care of the mechanical maintenance yourself, as you say, but, if you are lucky enough to have decent old school mechanics locally, then it can be worth the risk. If you don't have either option at your disposal then obviously it becomes much more of a gamble

Mind you, from some of the threads that have popped up in this forum, it seems some of the modern vehicles are just as tricksy and unreliable when something goes wrong - and the problems can often be quite expensive to fix when they do! £££

Plus it also depends on how flash and poseur-ish you think you want to be ...!

 

[Robmac]

Age and mileage. The older a car (depending on the make) the more difficult to get parts.

Also the higher the mileage, the lower the purchase price.

If neither of those things puts you off you can definitely get real bargains.

Of course it helps if you can take care of the mechanical maintenance yourself, as you say, but, if you are lucky enough to have decent old school mechanics locally, then it can be worth the risk. If you don't have either option at your disposal then obviously it becomes much more of a gamble

Mind you, from some of the threads that have popped up in this forum, it seems some of the modern vehicles are just as tricksy and unreliable when something goes wrong - and the problems can often be quite expensive to fix when they do! £££

That's my point though Marie, Trev was talking about a 7 year old car with 50,000 miles on the clock for 700 quid!

At 7 years it would have all the modern, expensive to repair stuff in it and should command a far higher price. I would be very wary of buying something like that.