New (to me) 2018 arriving today, getting a bit nervous

1582 Views 4 Replies 4 Participants Last post by mhaynes, 10 mo ago

melynn44

Discussion Starter · 10 mo ago

Hey new friends!

I purchased a 2018 Clarity Plug In Base from Carvana, and it is due to arrive today.

I admit to being relatively concerned about the condition. According to the pictures, it looks to be in pretty good shape. There are some nicks and scratches. But, the interior, which is what I most care about, seems to be in pretty good condition, minus the faded gear shift, which I had posted a couple days ago.

The car has more miles than I had wanted. (64,500) but I don't drive a ton, mostly in town, so I was willing to go a bit higher than I normally would. The Carfax is sending me some mixed signals. For one, the Carfax has the mileage at 2,500 higher than Carvana....which I am not sure, but I am guessing that is just some sort of estimate on their part. I figure I will be able to confirm the mileage when it gets here. I am not sure if there is a way to see if the odometer was rolled back.

The maintenance history....I do have some concerns about, but it's entirely possible Carfax is missing things. The first oil change/service wasn't until 2 years in, at the 36,000 mile mark. I've been known to overshoot my maintenance appointments by a bit, so no judgement, but that seems to be....quite a lot. The last service was done at the 49,000 mark. So...if you do the math, it is probably quite due/overdue for an oil change. There was an inspection done at the 57,000 mark, but no oil change or tire rotation.

It also doesn't appear that the tires have been changed. 64,500 seems like a lot to still be running on the original tires. Now...it could be that Carfax just doesn't have all the information. I personally feel like Carvana should have replaced the tires. I spoke to a rep at Carvana, and expressed my concerns, both about the oil change and the tires. They said unfortunately, they had no way to verify if that work had been done or not.

I have an inspection scheduled for tomorrow. Of course, I am nervous to even drive the car the 60 miles to the dealership to have the inspection done. I have read that Carvana/their insurance is pretty good about paying for repairs that are found by the inspection. My fear, though, is that the tires will just barely pass inspection, then in 3 months, I'll get hit with a 1,000 oopsie.

Talk me down from the ledge. Or....just talk me through the process, what I need to look for, etc.

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EV Nerd

· #2 · 10 mo ago

melynn44 said:
Hey new friends!

I purchased a 2018 Clarity Plug In Base from Carvana, and it is due to arrive today.

I admit to being relatively concerned about the condition. According to the pictures, it looks to be in pretty good shape. There are some nicks and scratches. But, the interior, which is what I most care about, seems to be in pretty good condition, minus the faded gear shift, which I had posted a couple days ago.

The car has more miles than I had wanted. (64,500) but I don't drive a ton, mostly in town, so I was willing to go a bit higher than I normally would. The Carfax is sending me some mixed signals. For one, the Carfax has the mileage at 2,500 higher than Carvana....which I am not sure, but I am guessing that is just some sort of estimate on their part. I figure I will be able to confirm the mileage when it gets here. I am not sure if there is a way to see if the odometer was rolled back.

The maintenance history....I do have some concerns about, but it's entirely possible Carfax is missing things. The first oil change/service wasn't until 2 years in, at the 36,000 mile mark. I've been known to overshoot my maintenance appointments by a bit, so no judgement, but that seems to be....quite a lot. The last service was done at the 49,000 mark. So...if you do the math, it is probably quite due/overdue for an oil change. There was an inspection done at the 57,000 mark, but no oil change or tire rotation.

It also doesn't appear that the tires have been changed. 64,500 seems like a lot to still be running on the original tires. Now...it could be that Carfax just doesn't have all the information. I personally feel like Carvana should have replaced the tires. I spoke to a rep at Carvana, and expressed my concerns, both about the oil change and the tires. They said unfortunately, they had no way to verify if that work had been done or not.

I have an inspection scheduled for tomorrow. Of course, I am nervous to even drive the car the 60 miles to the dealership to have the inspection done. I have read that Carvana/their insurance is pretty good about paying for repairs that are found by the inspection. My fear, though, is that the tires will just barely pass inspection, then in 3 months, I'll get hit with a 1,000 oopsie.

Talk me down from the ledge. Or....just talk me through the process, what I need to look for, etc.

Understand that if you use the vehicle primarily in EV mode, the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) is rarely engaged. If you go "too long" without starting the ICE, the Clarity PHEV will go into a maintenance mode, and start the engine itself, to keep things nice and lubed. However, there's also the issue of calendar life. Several of us here have adopted the habit of simply changing the oil yearly, even if the ICE mileage is less than the "rule-of-thumb" 3,000 miles. The issue is that there's not an "easy" way to know what your ICE odo miles are.

With the above in mind, not changing the Clarity's oil for two years probably isn't as big a deal as you might think.

Some of us here have installed an aftermarket engine hour meter, just to give us a little more data on ICE use. They can be had for less than $15, and installation is relatively easy, if you don't mind wrenching on an engine. I removed the far right spark plug connector, and wrapped the requisite wire around it. There's a video linked on these fora that shows it being done on a Clarity PHEV. If I come across it, I'll add the link here.

This is the one I got, and it seems to be working just fine:

Magicalmai Inductive Hour Meter for Gas Engine Generator Lawn Mower Pressure Washer Marine ATV Boat Outboard Motor Dirt Bike Motorcycle Waterproof Hr Meters - Black

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melynn44

Discussion Starter · #3 · 10 mo ago

EV Nerd said:
Understand that if you use the vehicle primarily in EV mode, the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) is rarely engaged. If you go "too long" without starting the ICE, the Clarity PHEV will go into a maintenance mode, and start the engine itself, to keep things nice and lubed. However, there's also the issue of calendar life. Several of us here have adopted the habit of simply changing the oil yearly, even if the ICE mileage is less than the "rule-of-thumb" 3,000 miles. The issue is that there's not an "easy" way to know what your ICE odo miles are.

With the above in mind, not changing the Clarity's oil for two years probably isn't as big a deal as you might think.

Some of us here have installed an aftermarket engine hour meter, just to give us a little more data on ICE use. They can be had for less than $15, and installation is relatively easy, if you don't mind wrenching on an engine. I removed the far right spark plug connector, and wrapped the requisite wire around it. There's a video linked on these fora that shows it being done on a Clarity PHEV. If I come across it, I'll add the link here.

This is the one I got, and it seems to be working just fine:

Magicalmai Inductive Hour Meter for Gas Engine Generator Lawn Mower Pressure Washer Marine ATV Boat Outboard Motor Dirt Bike Motorcycle Waterproof Hr Meters - Black

Buy Magicalmai Inductive Hour Meter for Gas Engine Generator Lawn Mower Pressure Washer Marine ATV Boat Outboard Motor Dirt Bike Motorcycle Waterproof Hr Meters - Black at Amazon. Customer reviews and photos may be available to help you make the right purchase decision!

smile.amazon.com

I thought of this as well. But, my thought is....a car that has been driven 63,000 miles in 3 years (20,000+ per year, avg) probably isn't being restricted to local, in-town driving, mostly on EV. That strikes me as more long-distance trips, which would mean that it is at least partially ICE, if not at least half or mostly.

At this point, I am most concerned about the tires, but it does look like that is covered by the 100 day warranty, so I feel at least slightly better about that.

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ClarityDave

· #4 · 10 mo ago

melynn44 said:
I thought of this as well. But, my thought is....a car that has been driven 63,000 miles in 3 years (20,000+ per year, avg) probably isn't being restricted to local, in-town driving, mostly on EV. That strikes me as more long-distance trips, which would mean that it is at least partially ICE, if not at least half or mostly.

At this point, I am most concerned about the tires, but it does look like that is covered by the 100 day warranty, so I feel at least slightly better about that.

And that may be a good thing. If the previous owner drove the car mostly in hybrid mode and perhaps didn’t charge the car every day, then maybe there’s less wear and tear on the high voltage battery.

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mhaynes

· #5 · 10 mo ago

If you do need tires, here is a post I made elsewhere about some tires I am EXTREMELY pleased with! I have about 12,000 miles on them now and am still pleased as punch with them...
"I just posted about my new Pirelli tires (Cinturato P7 All Season +2 in the original size 235/45 R18). Actual measured mileage is unchanged, ride is MUCH better, very quiet and the car handles great. Just $683 delivered from TireRack....HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!"

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Magicalmai Inductive Hour Meter for Gas Engine Generator Lawn Mower Pressure Washer Marine ATV Boat Outboard Motor Dirt Bike Motorcycle Waterproof Hr Meters - Black

Magicalmai Inductive Hour Meter for Gas Engine Generator Lawn Mower Pressure Washer Marine ATV Boat Outboard Motor Dirt Bike Motorcycle Waterproof Hr Meters - Black

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