That aftermarket chademo adapter cost me $60 and a tow bill

Got a used chademo adapter off ebay for $60 last month to use at the local quick chargers near Portland. Hooked it up twice and on the third try it fried the connector on my car, had to get a flatbed for $150 to get home. Anyone else had luck with cheaper third party adapters or should i just bite the bullet on the OEM one?

2 comments

2 Comments

perez.barbara16d ago

Sixty bucks and it fried your car on the third try? Man I can't believe it didn't give you at least a little warning before it went. That's a brutal way to learn that lesson. I get trying to save money on those things but the car's electronics are way too sensitive for that risk. I'd rather pay extra for the OEM adapter than deal with another tow bill and a possible insurance headache. Hope your car's connector wasn't too badly damaged.

henderson.mila16d ago

Wait, so you're saying the cheap adapter actually caused real damage? I used to be all about saving money on stuff like that, figured an adapter is just a piece of plastic with wires. But after hearing this and seeing a buddy's car get messed up from a knockoff J1772, I totally changed my mind. The risk just isn't worth it when the car's computer can't tell the difference between a bad adapter and a real one. I'm with you now, OEM is the way to go even if it hurts the wallet. Hope your fix wasn't too expensive.