Planning ahead - which sparepart should I buy on my trip to Norway?

[Leena]

I will pick up a triplet in Norway next week - not sure witch one yet - they have so many for sale. There is a dealer of cheap sparepart near by. Which ones should i buy? I am quite confident that I can solder the small componenets that normally ´die´in the onbord conveter ((type 1 slow charger). Otherwise there is a great Maker Space nearby that can help. In Denmark, where I live, there are only 500 triplets, in Norway with a similar population size, there are around 5000 and quite many that salvage cars and sell spareparts. So what to do? The car that is most interesting, a 2012 C-Zero in good condition has just past the goverment required safety and mechanical check (2-year interval) and the milage is 135.000 km (84.000 miles) and cost 1570 USD /1532 Euro/1284 GBP. The range is 95 km summer and 60 winter. Norwagian winters are cold - even in southern Oslo, and they have many mountains. Denmark is flat ad a pancake and the climate around Copenhagen is warmer - winters are 5 degrees celcius (9 degrees fahrenheit) warmer in average - which equals higher range here. And yes. I know this is an I-miev forum - but it might end up with an I-Miev
So - what to buy?

Best Regards
Leena Norðdahl

 

[kiev]

That is great to have a big selection, sounds like you found a good one, hope that it is. Get an OBDII dongle such as the scantool.net OBDlink LX along with the CanIon android app to check the battery capacity before you buy it.

If you have room to store it, an extra OBC would be my choice of "spares" if this car will be a primary vehicle for you.

 

[BrunoJ]

When you'll check the range, start both heating and aircon, to see real reduced range. I'll not be surprised it will go below 60 in that case (that also depends on the style of driving). Check the rust (Norway is not only cold, but also wet).

 

[Leena]

Hi Kiev and BrunoJ,

Thank you for useful replies!
My husband and I already own a Tesla model Y long range. The triplet is for very short distances. Driving my old mother to the doctor - as well as an injured cat to the vet, shopping, work twice a week e.g. So the range needed is less than 10 miles. The Chademo charge network has been significantly reduced in Denmark mainly because the broken ones do not get repaired, but now the new Circle K super chargers have Chademo; what a great opportunity to buy the most eco friendly EV (the one that does not need to be produced - a used one that still has some miles in it).
The Copenhagen Area is also wet - although not as wet as Olso - more important is the use of salt on the roads. As the average minimum temperature here is only sligthly under 0 degrees celsius (32F), we only salt the roads, In Norway it is too cold to use salt in midwinter, so they use much less than here. We consider Norwegian cars as being in better condition than the cars in Denmark when it comes to rust. I will be buying a triplet that has just passed inspection, so I am not that worried. Furthermore, the use of fluid film (based on the fat from the wool of sheep) is very common to use in Norway under the cars to protect from rust. It is not dangerous at all, så everyone can use it.
But I will remember to check for rust Thanks for the reminder.

I have a Veepeak OBD2 BLE plus (original - not Chinese copy) and have installed Carscanner Elm on/in? the mobile. My only concern is that though it has an I-miev choise, Car Scanner ELM does not have C-Zero - only a generic Citroen choice. But I will try one at a time. Maybe I should download CanIon as well. Thanks for the tip!

I will be looking forward to see how the aircon and heating affects the range. The plan is to buy a 240V 1400W preheater to use in the winter.
I will look for a OBC (or at least OBC component that usually explode) It could be a fun challenge to try fix a OBC. I know how to solder and use a multimeter.

The reason for choosing a car with relatively high milage is that it is impossible to get a car approved without having replaced parts, that in all cars usually needs replacement around 100.000 km (62.000 miles). Also, low milage om an old EV can be a warning sign. What do you think about that reasoning?

Is an aircon compressor also a good sparepart? Brackets for fog lights? Anything else?

Thanks for your help!


Sorry for writing so much - hazard of occopation ...

 

[Leena]

@kiev Now I fugured out how to download Canion - I tried to find it in Google Play, but thanks to this forum it was possible to download it online. Thanks! I thought it was not in use anymore, but when you are an admin and suggests it, I tried once again

 

[BrunoJ]

@Leena
I'm believe the EU control approval (as the tech inspection it is called in Norway) doesn't check if part are replaced or not, simply car has to pass set of inspection points - typically no 'errors' on dashboard, bo dangerous rust, correct break and suspension. In fuel-based cars list is much longer, including licks, smoke parameters etc.
There is not too many mechanical parts to be replaces in time (beauty of electric cars) - break pads, maybe some springs/suspensions. At the same time - high millage means higher risk about the battery condition, as well as electronic/chargers issues. Unless you need this car for 2-3 years max, than probably you can ignore any doubts. It will do the job.
Yes, I know weather in Copenhagen, I'm flying by a few times a month, and typically have some businesses few times a year, also in January. In Copenhagen, Odense etc.

 

[MickeyS70]

The car that is most interesting, a 2012 C-Zero in good condition has just past the goverment required safety and mechanical check (2-year interval) and the milage is 135.000 km (84.000 miles) and cost 1570 USD /1532 Euro/1284 GBP. The range is 95 km summer and 60 winter.

Unless the battery was replaced recently under warranty, it’s very unlikely range mentioned above is achievable at reasonable speeds. I gather this isn’t really a concern for ye, but it does question the credibility of the seller..

 

[Sandrosan]

Hi Leena let me suggest you to buy a triplet not older than 2013-14 to be sure that the cells are the LEV50N. Then check the cells unbalance around 10km of remaining range with Canion. I fully agree to try buying an OBC as spare part. In any case good luck .

 

[MickeyS70]

Hi Leena let me suggest you to buy a triplet not older than 2013-14 to be sure that the cells are the LEV50N. Then check the cells unbalance around 10km of remaining range with Canion. I fully agree to try buying an OBC as spare part. In any case good luck .

Any clone (C-Zero or iOn) with 80 cells will always have the improved LEV50N. It's the build date that matters when you look at an I-Miev (always 88cells), the common consensus is that all cars built from late 2012 onwards use gen 2 cells.

The reason for choosing a car with relatively high milage is that it is impossible to get a car approved without having replaced parts, that in all cars usually needs replacement around 100.000 km (62.000 miles). Also, low milage om an old EV can be a warning sign. What do you think about that reasoning?

That reasoning doesn't apply to EVs as there are no periodic (engine) part replacements necessary, higher mileage generally means lower remaining battery capacity.

 

[Leena]

@Leena
I'm believe the EU control approval (as the tech inspection it is called in Norway) doesn't check if part are replaced or not, simply car has to pass set of inspection points - typically no 'errors' on dashboard, bo dangerous rust, correct break and suspension. In fuel-based cars list is much longer, including licks, smoke parameters etc.
There is not too many mechanical parts to be replaces in time (beauty of electric cars) - break pads, maybe some springs/suspensions. At the same time - high millage means higher risk about the battery condition, as well as electronic/chargers issues. Unless you need this car for 2-3 years max, than probably you can ignore any doubts. It will do the job.
Yes, I know weather in Copenhagen, I'm flying by a few times a month, and typically have some businesses few times a year, also in January. In Copenhagen, Odense etc.

@BrunoJ Thanks for the reply! It sounds interesting to travel often af work. I see now that It could have been expressed more clearly. The assumption was, that a car with a milage above 65 - 75 miles - no matter which type - can be expected to have had most - or at least some of - these parts replaced to pass inspection (EU-kontroll - Danish just 'syn'): Shock absorbers, break pipes, break pads, break discs, suspension arm(s), ball joints and tie rod. So in that regard, I thought it wiser to buy one that might not need these parts replaced right away.
When it comes to life time, it would be sufficient if the car lasts 12 - 18 months. It is still possible to get a minor amount for the battery, gear and whatever might still work.
I am aware of the increased wear and tear of the high voltage system. I just read somewhere that is not good for an electric car to have very low milage, as it could indicate that it might have been parked for an extended period of time without sufficient charging.

 

[Leena]

Unless the battery was replaced recently under warranty, it’s very unlikely range mentioned above is achievable at reasonable speeds. I gather this isn’t really a concern for ye, but it does question the credibility of the seller..

Hi Mickey,
Good point. It is a company car that has only been used to drive to customer in an urban area, so it is not unlikely it is true. I am not sure if he knows wheter the battery pack has been replaced. He is the fourth owner. But I will bear your words in mind and not be too naive. In Norway, it is mandatory by law for all - not just companies - to inform the buyer of the car about any faults or problem with the car that they know about. This is not the case in Denmark. This combined with the lower prize has been important for the decision to import from Norway. I also want to get used to the paper work, custom, tarifs, VAT and so forth required when importing a vehicle from outside EU. The plan is to import an Ioniq 5 (V2L for crisis/prepping) in a few years and this is a good way to practise.
I also have the intension to use this car to make Danes aware of the usability of these 1st gen EV's. I plan to do this by using the GoMore car sharing service to let people hire it for a small amount - not in midwinter
It would be parked near campuses/residents for engineering student - maybe a weekend or two a months for rent. Some might find it exotic. I do not expect this to be a significant source of income
It is just really a pity that Danes not yet are aware of the usability of these old EV's. in Norway the are called 'young peoples car/first car (public transportation is very cheap for people under the age of 26, and would be used for long distances.) or 'car for the nearby area'. We should learn that too in Denmark.

 

[Leena]

Hi Leena let me suggest you to buy a triplet not older than 2013-14 to be sure that the cells are the LEV50N. Then check the cells unbalance around 10km of remaining range with Canion. I fully agree to try buying an OBC as spare part. In any case good luck .

@Sandrosan
Thanks
I am aware of that - so are the Norwegian. It shows in the prices. For this first tryout of a triplet that only need to be able to drive 10 miles at max 90km/h (65 m/h) for 12 - 18 months, I will settle for a 2012 model. A 2011 without heat in the passenger seat is a bit to much, though

OBD as spare part duly noted!

Best wishes!
Leena

 

[Leena]

That is great to have a big selection, sounds like you found a good one, hope that it is. Get an OBDII dongle such as the scantool.net OBDlink LX along with the CanIon android app to check the battery capacity before you buy it.

If you have room to store it, an extra OBC would be my choice of "spares" if this car will be a primary vehicle for you.

@kiev What is an acceptable reading of cell voltage? When is the battery good enough to do the job? Low range in 12 - 18 months?
Thanks, if you have time to send me to a educational thread on that subject? If not - I will search a bit more

 

[BrunoJ]

@Leena
Heated seats is an another item to check. I have much younger i-Miev and both heated seats are gone already. Quite unfortunate. But potentially good point to cut the price. Replacement is not trivial and cheap. Don't be misled by working lamp on the button, check if heating really works.
Again - check aircon and heating, both should work and be quite effective. And check how much they decrease the range. Check also charging, both types (If equipped).
About replacing parts - take into consideration Norway has relatively good roads, so items like suspensions/joints do not go very often and stays for really long time. My colleague with early 2011 (at least 8 years in his hands) really replaced only disk pads and disks, then recently some ABS sensor.
It is right - in Norway there is a customer 'warranty', but not always easy to execute (especially on the distance), it is only for intentionally hidden issues.
From other hands, if you really need it for short distance, it will do the job. I have around 35km to work/back. 80km in winter means, that I'm on risk if I want to use car 2 days in row without charging. Your 60km can easily means 40 in worst condition. That also can mean that you have to charge is daily even for your usage.