I have a $5000 2012 leaf with 60k and all 12 bars. I've been chasing down a parasitic drain for last 6 months, finally changed to a new (From Costco %80) Lead acid battery that seem to work fine at first but now with the cold weather for the past two months it goes dead after a few days. Putting a multimeter on the batter gives me only about 10.5 volts after 6h or driving the car. After messing about with an ammeter it seems to be a bit better now.
- I've had the battery load tested - seemed OK.
- I've attached an Ammeter looked at the supposed set of relays that seem to pull excess current - got standby the amperage down a bit by swapping two identical relays with each other!
- I have trickle charge it and this seems to work but it's a pain to keep opening the hood - I did have a lead that I thread to the out side of the car at one stage
- The new battery did get really flat a few times and I noticed that the plates on the last cell were really empty of electrolyte and looked a little pitted so perhaps the battery is toast even if the load test says otherwise?
So what are my options?
Nissan wants $300 just to diagnose it. I could put in a Yellow top but they seem to be crap quality. I am game to put in a bigger capacity lead acid battery. Would even consider a 12V LiFePO4 up to $200 but what brand / mode to buy?
It would be nice to find the issue though!