Who says the i-miev is cheap to operate?

[iwatson]

Just had my largest maintenance expense to date on the i-miev!

Had to replace the wiper blades! I noticed the rubber on the passenger side one was separating. Upon closer inspection the one on the back was in bad shape as well (Maybe that's why it was making that screeching sound).

Did you guys know the i-miev has three different size blades? 24" on the driver's blade, 20" on the passenger side and 12" on the rear.

Decided to suck it up and pony up for all three!

$38.38......I almost croaked!

[PV1]

I had to pay $45 for the front passenger and rear wiper. I can't remember what the driver's blade was. I tell ya, just a money hole, . Of course, that was over a year ago. Trico blades may streak and hop like mad, but they do last. The set of Trico blades I put on the Cavalier lasted two years at least, then we traded it in.

[Don]

Just had my largest maintenance expense to date on the i-miev!

Had to replace the wiper blades! I noticed the rubber on the passenger side one was separating. Upon closer inspection the one on the back was in bad shape as well (Maybe that's why it was making that screeching sound)

If you keep it garaged out of the sun, those wiper blades last nearly forever . . . . really lowers your operating expenses!

In 16 years, my Miata has had the wipers replaced twice and neither time were they coming apart as you describe - I change them when they start to streak the windshield

Don

[iwatson]

If you keep it garaged out of the sun, those wiper blades last nearly forever . . . . really lowers your operating expenses!

Thanks for the tip! I didn't know that made a difference but yes, we do keep it garaged unless we're using it.....and we really like to use it! However, we bought it used and it had sat on a dealer lot for at least 8 months. Before that "Who knows?".

My post was a stab at humor. I might laugh my a** off when I write something and yet it doesn't translate over the internet. Also I have an odd, quirky sense of humor. I guess that's why I dig this odd, quirky little car!

[Don]

My post was a stab at humor. I might laugh my a** off when I write something and yet it doesn't translate over the internet.

Yes, I was pretty sure you were making fun of everyone else who must pay for oil changes, tune ups, timing belt changes and transmission overhauls - My 'humor' was . . . . if you think a $45 set of wipers every 3 or 4 years is 'acceptable', let's cut that at least in half!

The back of my cars face southwest when parked in the garage and I've noticed if I leave the garage doors open in the afternoon, the rear wiper blades don't last nearly as long as they ought to - Of course, I'm probably wasting enough electricity closing and reopening the garage doors to buy a new rear wiper every few years!

Don

[acensor]

My electrical usage/cost is so low that if you studied our home energy bills before and after we got the MiEV you could not detect the mont or year we purchased.
I calculated that for what it costs to buy a gallon of gas i drove about 330 miles. That's 330mpg practical equivalent out of pocket.
Then to be fair I tried to amortize in the cost of eventual battery replacement. Tough, because we can't know for sure how many miles or the replacement costs. But made middle assumptions and came up with about 90mpg practical equivalent.
(Since gas prices are down from when i did that calculation, today not quite that impressive.)

I've not spent a penny on maintenance.
Oh, wait....I did spend $5 on a can of fix-a-flat to keep in back, so in case if a flat my wife wouldn't have to dig under the seat for the OEM one.
......

BUT, I hate to admit it, but in ONE sense at least it has proven rather expensive to operate:
As a buyer rather than leaser, I like other buyers , have taken a huge hit on depreciation.
If i were to sell today, or if someone rear ended me (in which case if the battery pack got damaged the insurance company would declare it "totalled" and write me a check for about $9000) my per mile and per year ownership cost would be painfully high compared to, say, having purchased a Honda Fit ICE car.

I'll probably post more on this under a separate topic maybe titled "what would you buy TODAY."

Perhaps this depreciatin "hit" is moot in that we will likely keep this car for a long long time .......to the point where any car would have depreciated to almost nothing anyway.

[pbui19]

I just have to chime in, my i is leaning toward higher cost than my other junkies; but hopefully it's just a brief spell of bad luck.

1. I had an unexpected side wall rip of the right front tire when i drove over a poorly cut-off parking post.

2. My deer strike may require an arm suspension replacement, may be more rear suspension work, and a couple of alignments.

3. And i had a stupid rock strike just 1/4" from the edge, and now the crack is slow creeping across, since i don't have comprehensive coverage, it'll cost around $400

still, the EV grind is priceless !

[elekTrond]

How to service an electric car + unlocking hidden iMiEV options! (unlocking B+C aka B+Eco in a C-Zero or Ion) - Kiwi EV adventures

[CLEiMiev]

Lol. I found the rear blade on Walmart.com for 3.68. There was no shipping charge when you do an in store pick-up... so I drove into the pickup zone and they brought it out to me... but they did not install it

[Luddite]

Lol. I found the rear blade on Walmart.com for 3.68. There was no shipping charge when you do an in store pick-up... so I drove into the pickup zone and they brought it out to me... but they did not install it

Welcome to the forum, CLEiMiev,

$3.68 is good.
I paid 10 GBP for my front wiper blade.
Yes, it only has one front wiper blade. There is a large patch that it doesn't cover though...

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=2564

Is it only the US models with the two front wiper blades?
All the clones and EU models seem to have only one... another win for keeping costs down