(Part 2) Top products from r/volt

I just got a 12/3 from Amazon. It just arrived, so I was feeling better, but then it's pretty inexpensive compared to what you're saying, so I'm a little concerned again, haha. The reviews seemed good, what do you think?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002HWRS6S/ref=sr_ph_1?qid=1464045585&sr=sr-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=50+foot+12+3+extension+cord

I've found this thread to be the most definitive:

https://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?218442-2016-Volt-120v-EVSE-is-L1-L2-Conversion-Capable

Page 7 has the best 'wire this wire to this wire' guide diagram. Lots of good info all over the thread. Plenty of people saying it works fine, others saying it will burn your house down.

You could also buy an adapter for an electric dryer, which would have half of the wiring done for you already, then get a standard plug for the other end. Start with something like this:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B002R0DXNM (making sure it matches the plug you already have, that particular one is an older style) Add on this to the other end:

https://smile.amazon.com/Leviton-5369-C-Connector-Industrial-Black-White/dp/B00002NAUA

The dryer plug could be long enough that you could cut the wire in half and add a different 220 style and a second one of those 110 ourlets, if say your parents house had one style and yours had another.

https://smile.amazon.com/Camco-PowerGrip-Replacement-Transform-55255/dp/B000PGVZ30

Or at least, that's maybe what friend of mine did...

If you have the charger for the Gen 2 Volt, nope! All the components inside the Gen 2 charger are 240v rated. The circuit board itself is even labeled for Line1/Line2 connections as would be present in a 240v setup. I recommend reading through the entire forum thread here: http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?218442-2016-Volt-120v-EVSE-is-L1-L2-Conversion-Capable

Its not quite as fast as a dedicated 240v station. The Volt can accept up to 3.6kW. Putting 240v into the OEM charger gives you 2.8kW. But its still much faster than the 1.4kW you from a 120v outlet.

Though just remember you are making an adapter to plug a "120v" device into a 240v outlet. If someone was able to disconnect the adapter and plug a truly 120v only device into it, that would be bad.

It would be best to make it so the OEM charger cannot be unplugged from the adapter. Some on the GM Volt forums have done this by enclosing the adapter inside a locking box such as this one: https://www.amazon.com/Brady-Polypropylene-Plug-Lockout-Plugs/dp/B001D4D7SY/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1484265252&sr=8-7&keywords=plug%2Block&th=1

My local shop quoted me $300 to fix the paint and $250 to replace the plastic piece. I told them it was a lease and surprisingly they told me I should wait until I am about to turn the car in since more damage will happen. I also have $5K of lease damage insurance so even if I get dinged (ha!) for this, it will be covered by that insurance.

Being a perfectionist, I still wanted to clean things up so I turned to Amazon and bought about $40 worth of supplies:

• ACDelco WA636R Touchup Paint
  
• 1.5mm Touchup Brushes
  
• Novus 2oz Plastic Polish Kit
  
• Novus Polish Mate
  
• Meguiars ScratchX 2.0
  
  I was able to fix the damage to the plastic piece entirely, it looks as good as new. I used an ample amount of Novus 2 and 3. I wasn't expecting Novus to be able to tackle such a big scratch and I was just hoping to get rid of some minor scuffs but I was pleasantly surprised, there is a slight dip in the plastic that is visible if you are about 3 inches away and looking from an extreme angle but I don't even feel a bump anymore.
  
  I also did a few more rounds of Scratch X on the paint scratch and got rid of about 50% of it, I painted the deep chip but I didn't want to risk making it worse so it's still visible from about a foot away. I'm going to practice on another car with some filler and see if I can master the art of filling in deep chips and painting them but for now the metal under the chip is safe from rust.

I currently use one of these...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B079JNY5VD
(Pun intended)


I'll eventually get my charger setup to post to a database automatically, but use this to keep track for now.
This meter is good for up to 100 amps (you pass the hot wire [or one hot if 240v] through the coil to measure the amperage, then it uses the voltage to calculate the wattage. It will work for 120v or 240v, and you can weite down usage and then reset it at the end of every month.

Just a question, do you not have 240v in your garage? You only need a 20amp circuit to charge the volt, the charger can only pull 16.5 amps at full power.
You only need 12ga wire and an outlet like this to plug into for the volt
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003AUCOCO


My 2016 pulls 1.3kw on 120v and 3.9kw @240v, therefore it only takes 1/3 the time to charge on 240v compared to 120v @12a.

I have a 2014. Here's my setup.


I used a simple circuit tester like this one in order to find a fuse in the driver's side box that would switch on/off with the car's power.

I went with an A118 capacitor style camera that would hold up better under heat.

I used a simple add-a-fuse adapter into the power-switching fuse that I found, then used an appropriately sized fuse to support my camera but not set the car on fire. Then I soldered the add-a-fuse adapter to a simple 5V hardwire power supply. Don't forget to ground. Finally, it's a matter of mounting the camera (left of rearview mirror in my case), running cables, and plugging in the camera.

It's worked just fine for over 2 years. There's many ways to hardwire a camera, but I was cheap and this is what I did. Hope this helps.

I am using one of these instead, which just sits behind the main screen: https://www.amazon.com/Arkon-Weighted-Universal-Smartphone-PDA-Black/dp/B001DQQBVW/ref=sr_1_1?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1480377210&sr=1-1&keywords=Arkon+Weighted+Friction+Dash+Mount+for+Universal+Phone%2C+Smartphone+and+PDA-Black
I like the placement that it provides just above the other screen, but it rattles when the phone is not in it. I have used proclip products in the past and really like them, I just don't like the placement of it in this vehicle.

your post was caught in the spam filter. I approved it, but for future reference, submitting links without the tags might help. for example:

• https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VAKXVA
  
• https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BRA6OC

Thankfully the screw punctured a safe part of the tread. Only took a few minutes to plug and inflate.

I think it’s ridiculous the volt doesn’t cone with a mini spare and jack.

Next step is getting it professionally patched from the inside. Most shops don’t do patches anymore, afraid of liability.

Here’s the kit I bought for this very reason. I’ve had the cheap kits before and they suck. This one is super sturdy and the strings are much higher quality with Kevlar reinforcements.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001DIECCK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_IN3DCbTT00822

I bought this cheap umbrella on Amazon (link) and it's worked out fine for the few times we've needed it. It can occasionally slide forward into the door pocket but for the most part it's just fine.

the EVSE is detecting that the outlet is not wired as it expects. Do you have an outlet tester? Maybe something like this? https://www.amazon.com/Sperry-Instruments-GFI6302-Receptacle-Professional/dp/B000RUL2UU

I'm not concerned with faster charger, more whether I can use it at all. Maybe there's an adapter I can buy? Looks like there is! https://www.amazon.com/Twist-Lock-Plug-Combination-Adapter/dp/B001Q5JQMG

I still had 3 or 4 bars of charge left. I think it's not pulling the 240v with the second adapter. It seems like it's taking 2 hours for a quarter charge.

I use a small padlock on the J1772 connecter, and something like this (below) to cover plug. Some sytles lock.

Intermatic WP3100C Plastic In-Use Weatherproof Receptacle Cover https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001PKP4J6/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_LWkhybHD8GDK2

I'm a fan of the outdoor grade extension cords made by US Wire & Cable, for instance https://smile.amazon.com/US-Wire-99050-50-Foot-Extension/dp/B001LUT9SM/

Never used one to charge a Volt, but have used it to charge another EV before.

https://www.amazon.com/Lubegard-96030-Evaporator-Heater-Cleaner/dp/B0007PHD0S

I plug in my Volt through a Kill-a-Watt meter. You just plug it into the receptacle and then plug the Volt charger into that. It will tell you the instantaneous power draw through an outlet and also keep track of how much electricity you're using each day/month/year. You can just multiply the monthly total kWh by your electricity cost to find out exactly what you owe the landlord.

Here's the device I am using but there is a newer model if you're willing to spend a bit more.

Kill-a-Watt P3 P4400 at Amazon

That extension cord is weirdly expensive, so I bought a $10 dryer cord and attached my own receptacle. Total was ~$20 instead of $90.

This was all NEMA 14-30 4-wire, but I expect prices for 3-wire 10-30 are similar.