New 2018 Clarity sitting in dealer lot for a year - any concern about battery life?

C

Corey

New Member
The dealers are supposed to keep the batteries charged, but let's say that the battery sat there low for the majority of a year in the dealer's lot. Would this be a concern of yours buying a new 2018 Clarity PHEV or would the battery management system protect it?

I know others are finding great deals on the 2019 Clarity in Cali, but for those of us in the midwest they are harder to come by/much more expensive and the price on the 2018s is outstanding (25,800 for base).

Thanks!
 
You could have the dealer run a battery capacity test on the prospective vehicle.

I bought a base Clarity that sat on the lot for a good 6 months. It had 6 miles on the odometer when I bought it, and unknown how long it sat with 2 bars on it. I've owned it 4 months now, it runs flawlessly and regularly returns 50 miles of EV range.
 
I second @Mowcowbell. I'd ask them to do the battery capacity test. It is on the pre-delivery pdf anyway, so they should be willing to do it. If it shows good Ah, I think 55ish is the standard, so I'd probably want at least 53-54 on the test and then I'd be ok buying it. I bought a Chevrolet Volt that had sat on a dealer lot in Mississippi for 18 months, and have had it 6 years now. No noticeable battery degradation at nearly 80k miles and it is the best car I have ever owned (prior to the Clarity). Others may weigh in on just how good they would want the capacity test Ah value to be....
 
I got one similar that had been sitting a long time. Also in midwest. I had the dealer charge it and then I test drove it for the entire charge of the battery in mixed settings (some city, some highway) to see how far it would really go. Got nearly 50 actual miles before the engine started, so I figured that was a good test. They gave me such a good deal on it I could not pass it up, so I am willing to take a chance on it long term. And you have the 8 year/100,000 mile battery warranty to back it up. I have only 2,000 miles on it so far, but I am seeing the estimated battery range consistently 50+ with most driving 55-70 mph, and the estimator seems to line up fairly well with actual miles driven. I figure, after the dealer/mfg discounts, $7,500 fed tax credit, and the savings on gas, I'm ok if the battery dies at mile 100,001 and I tow it to the junk yard.
 
Fast Eddie B said:
I had to push, but I got my dealer to perform the Battery Capacity test.

I’d recommend you make that test a condition of the sale.
Click to expand...
Yes @Fast Eddie B and @Mowcowbell , is correct. The service dept can run this test quite easy by hooking up the car to their system.
I expect no degradation of the EV battery pack but I would be more worried about the lead acid 12V battery as they tend to flatten out by leaving them discharged...
 
The 12v battery can definitely get discharged from sitting idle too long. I put my Clarity 12v battery on a Battery Tender when I first purchased the car and it took overnight to bring the battery back up to a full charge.
 
My 2013 C-Max sat on the lot for about year; didn't help that it was the most expensive one with just about every option. 6 years later and via forum feedback it isn't any different from others. FWIW
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top