Volt Accident

[mikeg3]

I was expecting WOT to jump in here, but this info is in other threads.

The cable cut point in the trunk does more than disconnect the 12V battery, it includes an extra wire and disables all 12V circuitry including the air bags and opens all main battery contactors..

It is a bad idea to pull the battery disconnect under the cup holder until after you do the cable cut. It causes some extra fault codes to latch and you'll need a trained Volt tech, not a body shop guy, to reset them. I'm not sure why you would pull the disconnect at all. It divides the main battery in half but it does not discharge it. If the battery case is intact, it's not necessary and if the battery case is compromised, it's not enough.

[WopOnTour]

I was expecting WOT to jump in here, but this info is in other threads.

The cable cut point in the trunk does more than disconnect the 12V battery, it includes an extra wire and disables all 12V circuitry including the air bags and opens all main battery contactors..

It is a bad idea to pull the battery disconnect under the cup holder until after you do the cable cut. It causes some extra fault codes to latch and you'll need a trained Volt tech, not a body shop guy, to reset them. I'm not sure why you would pull the disconnect at all. It divides the main battery in half but it does not discharge it. If the battery case is intact, it's not necessary and if the battery case is compromised, it's not enough.

You mostly have it Mike.
Following the formal "High Voltgae Disable" procedure the MSD is supposed to be removed only after:
1) turning off the IGN (and moving all FOBs at least 10ft away from the car)
2) disconnecting the 12V battery negative terminal
The rest of the disable procedure is a series of measurements that insure 360V is actually being contained within the battery box. If the battery box is physically damaged then additional precations and processes come into play.

As others have pointed out the "cut point" is really only a first responder process.

As to the OPs dilemma.
It is going to take some time before aftermarket and body shops catch up to the Volt and EVs in general.
Your accident is of course no business of GMs and especially so if it's being repaired at an independant body repair facility. But the body shop (insurance company?) obviously requested a Volt tech to disable the high voltage on the car before repairs commenced.Probably a good thing but this obviously takes time and creates additional delays.My advice would be whenever possible would be to try to utilize a Volt/Chevrolet dealer that has it's own body shop facility. Otherwise I can see delays such as this.

WOT

[George S. Bower]

could you guys point me to a thread that outlines what to do in case of an accident. I've been googling around and can't find a very difinitive thread/ procedure.

[WopOnTour]

could you guys point me to a thread that outlines what to do in case of an accident. I've been googling around and can't find a very difinitive thread/ procedure.

George,
The best point of reference will be found at www.gmstc.com under the "First Responder" link (on the left side)
Then look for the Volt's Emergency Response Guide in the list of documents

From a driver perspective the most important thing would be to SHUT OFF the Volt after an accident, and if possible contact Onstar emergency services for assistance (if they havnt contacted you within 1 minute following the incident)

WOT

PS> Rule #1 - DO NOT get into an accident! (I know sometimes it's hard to account for all the idiots out there...)

[Mike-o-Matic]

WOT, thanks for the training link... Great bookmark to keep on hand!

[George S. Bower]

WOT, thanks for the training link... Great bookmark to keep on hand!

ditto on that, nice write up. I learned something.

[mikeg3]

Following the formal "High Voltage Disable" procedure the MSD is supposed to be removed only after:
1) turning off the IGN (and moving all FOBs at least 10ft away from the car)
2) disconnecting the 12V battery negative terminal
The rest of the disable procedure is a series of measurements that insure 360V is actually being contained within the battery box. If the battery box is physically damaged then additional precations and processes come into play.

As others have pointed out the "cut point" is really only a first responder process.

WOT

The above procedure is only published in the Volt service manual AFAIK and some steps require specialized equipment. The diagrams are not idiot-proof. Has this procedure been released to the publishers of body repair manuals?

The openly published procedure is to turn off the car and remove a chunk from the cut point. Those diagrams can be followed by anyone with eyes. Even without the diagrams, the tags in the trunk are pretty clear.

I think the latter process is the one intended for all untrained personnel. With that said, I don't see how a body shop technician can fully assess the safety of a damaged Volt. Think about the scenario you painted before of exposed wiring near the MSD. I'm pretty sure that OnStar or GM will dispatch someone to safe the car on request.

I could, of course, be wrong. Does GM expect a technician in an independent body shop to follow the "High Voltage Disable" procedure on his own? Is the procedure published anywhere other than the Volt service manuals? Would the technician have the tools specified in the procedure?

[WopOnTour]

The above procedure is only published in the Volt service manual AFAIK and some steps require specialized equipment. The diagrams are not idiot-proof. Has this procedure been released to the publishers of body repair manuals?

The openly published procedure is to turn off the car and remove a chunk from the cut point. Those diagrams can be followed by anyone with eyes. Even without the diagrams, the tags in the trunk are pretty clear.

I think the latter process is the one intended for all untrained personnel. With that said, I don't see how a body shop technician can fully assess the safety of a damaged Volt. Think about the scenario you painted before of exposed wiring near the MSD. I'm pretty sure that OnStar or GM will dispatch someone to safe the car on request.

I could, of course, be wrong. Does GM expect a technician in an independent body shop to follow the "High Voltage Disable" procedure on his own? Is the procedure published anywhere other than the Volt service manuals? Would the technician have the tools specified in the procedure?

Any automotive repair business (body or otherwise) has the ability to obtain electronic service information on a fee for service basis. Many of them choose not to take advantage of this even though it isnt really exepnsive on a car by car basis but some insurance companies apparently wont pay extra for this access as part of a claim.

Basic training on GM EVs and hybrids which includes basic disabling processes is also offered to non-GM automotive businesses via AC Declo. Unfortunately few body shops make any effort to train their staff on these high voltage safety practices. As such, a lot of electrically unsafe repairs are being made when there really isnt any reason for it. Various organizations are slowly but surely mobilizing the aftermarket repair industries, now that it is apparent that hybrids and EVs are obviously here to stay. But it isnt happening fast enough. So unfortunately it will likely take a serious injury (or worse?) until certain entities get involved to better regulate and educate in the aftermarket hybrid/EV repair industry. GM has been training their own dealer staff essentially since 2006 but the population explosion created by the Volt as meant many are still unprepared with only 1 or perhaps 2 techs trained. At some point they will need 100% staff to be trained in high voltage safety, protocols, and practises.

As a general rule GM trained Volt/EV/hybrid techncians are typically NOT offered up on an off-site basis although some dealers will often work something out with certain body shops (usually one they themselves utilize) on a fee for service basis. GM corporate really has no control of this, and do not request nor promote it. They will continue to work with industry to provide viable solutions (such as the web access and trainig etc etc) to help get their cars fixed, but they do not expect their dealerships to offer EV/hybrid repair services off-site. However since it's a retail opportunity some dealers are getting into it for an additional fee over and above their normal door rate.

After the damaged unit is properly disabled and repairs completed at some point it's recommended to have a trained Volt technician perform a complete "High Voltage System Inspection" and if no EV/hybrid drive components require repair it might still be neccessary to use the MDI/GDS2 system to "unlatch" the secured high voltage DTCs so the system will power up. (if these have been triggered this is the ONLY way the car will be rendered operable) But some insurance companies appear to be balking at paying for these additional services which might necessitate towing to a dealer as it's the only way to ensure a safe repair environment and access to all special tools.

As I said above my best advice in this event would be to try to utilize a Volt dealer that has an on-site body shop but these are getting harder to find in some parts...

WOT

EDIT: Not to promote another site, but here's a link to a recent article on GCR reagrding EV body repairs I thought was interesting
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/...ust-let-you-do

[bizmodel]

Well guys, since I started this I thought I would give an update. The body shop was, until recently, owned by the Volt dealer. The body shop did nothing until the dealer's Volt technician, and someone from GM came to disconnected the high voltage. I can only assume they did it right. When the car is repaired it will go back to the dealers shop to have the coolant added for the high voltage battery.
The cost to repair my car is just under $10,000. The estimate is for me to have the car back is July 16th or 17th. That is assuming the order parts are in stock.

[Chevrolet Customer Svc]

Thank you for the update, bizmodel. Sorry to hear about everything you have been through. We are happy to hear that as long as everything goes according to plan, you'll be getting you Volt back in about a week. Let us know if we can be of any assistance to you.