20% of 1st serrvice charge is for a pollen filter

[GJ1]

Hi,
Firstly I am in the UK, and new to Leafs
My Nissan Leaf received its 1st service this month. There is not much required to service an EV - the joke I have heard on the forums is that all they do is check the washer fluid and make sure the wheels turn.
I accept there is a little bit more to do, but the cost is quite ridiculous and clearly padded as they throw in for "free" Euro vehicle recovery for a service price of £159.
That all said - On the invoice they include an item for £30.50 (20% of the total cost) called "Premium Cab Fil". After a lot of digging using Google on the part number, it appears this is a pollen filter for the cabin vent intakes. - A very expensive one at that.
I have had Volvos and BMWs previously and never had to worry about pollen filters.

I only do 5K miles per year - mainly in London - and no one in my family is sensitive to pollen.

Do I really need this? Any views on what would happen if I ask for a replacement pollen filter be removed from the service for next year and then expect the savings to be passed to me? Can Nissan refuse? Would this affect my warranty?

Apart from this padded service cost I am very very pleased with the Leaf and Nissan.
Thanks in advance.
Geoff

 

[LeftieBiker]

I suggest that you just tell them not to replace the cabin filter next time. They can last up to 5 years in light use, so every 2 or 3 years is a more reasonable interval. Rather than remove it and not replace it, I suppose you could try to have a coarse plastic foam filter swapped in the year after next, and just wash it every few years.

 

[SageBrush]

Why in the world are you having this 'service' done at all ?

 

[GJ1]

Why in the world are you having this 'service' done at all ?

It is a condition of the "warranty" for the motor and battery.

Although it is still strange becuse other new cars I have had included a "free" 1st service. Nissan insisted on charging me. I did dig into this, and it appears that I could have bought a 3 year service pack at the point of registration but elected not to. I do not recall the conversation, but my refusing the add-on is not a surprise.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Why in the world are you having this 'service' done at all ?

It is a condition of the "warranty" for the motor and battery.

Although it is still strange becuse other new cars I have had included a "free" 1st service. Nissan insisted on charging me. I did dig into this, and it appears that I could have bought a 3 year service pack at the point of registration but elected not to. I do not recall the conversation, but my refusing the add-on is not a surprise.

You don't have to have the cabin filter changed - you just have to have the free (usually for 2 years) annual battery check. My first annual service cost me about $25. (And that was with labor for a new cabin filter - I provided the filter.) If the dealership tries to make you pay for optional work "as a condition of the warranty" report them and find another dealer.

 

[SageBrush]

You don't have to have the cabin filter changed - you just have to have the free (usually for 2 years) annual battery check.

Does your post apply to the UK ?

 

[LeftieBiker]

You don't have to have the cabin filter changed - you just have to have the free (usually for 2 years) annual battery check.

Does your post apply to the UK ?

Probably. I'd be amazed if the Brits allowed non-drivetrain services to be required to maintain warranty eligibility. Dealers in the US try the same crap - lying about what has to be done to keep the car under warranty.

 

[SageBrush]

You don't have to have the cabin filter changed - you just have to have the free (usually for 2 years) annual battery check.

Does your post apply to the UK ?

Probably. I'd be amazed if the Brits allowed non-drivetrain services to be required to maintain warranty eligibility. Dealers in the US try the same crap - lying about what has to be done to keep the car under warranty.

'Probably' is not going reassure OP.

I looked up the pan-European warranty -- not easy. The wording says that the warranty requires Nissan recommended service and maintenance (M&S.) The next line says that Nissan recommends that M&S be performed by Nissan. I would say that the idiotic 'battery check' is neither maintenance or service but <<shrug>>. Moreover, the recommendation to use Nissan service implies that it is not necessary for warranty repairs.
The USA mitigates the Nissan strong-arming by requiring the manufacturer to prove a cause and effect between missed M&S and repairs they want to not cover under warranty.

Have you *ever* read about a case of Nissan refusing to honor the battery degradation warranty due to missing M&S ? I have not.

 

[LeftieBiker]

"I have not (read of it)" isn't going to reassure the OP. The long and short of it is that Nissan isn't going to void a Leaf warranty anywhere because the cabin filter wasn't replaced annually.

 

[SageBrush]

The long and short of it is that Nissan isn't going to void a Leaf warranty anywhere because the cabin filter wasn't replaced annually.

That is the trivial part of it. The important question is the battery 'health check.'

 

[LeftieBiker]

The long and short of it is that Nissan isn't going to void a Leaf warranty anywhere because the cabin filter wasn't replaced annually.

That is the trivial part of it. The important question is the battery 'health check.'

I suggest that you reread the original post. It was about the pollen filter only, not the battery check.

 

[salyavin]

I get 5 free tire rotations, safety checks and car washes for purchasing the car and I just had mine in for a tire rotation and sure enough the cabin filter came up. Not doing that right now. They just want to make some money as we don't need oil changes etc.

We do have serious smoke here now with forest fires so that may impact the lifetime of the filter if someone chooses to replace it.

 

[GJ1]

Hi,

This comments has been very useful. Thank you to all.

The report of a Nissan Leaf service for only $25 - that is mind bogglingly cheap compared to everything in the UK. If only...

You have encouraged me to look around the web and I have found several non-Nissan manufactured equivalent cabin pollen filters on mail-order sale in the UK. These cost around £10 (much more reasonable).

I will wait until the next service and see how Nissan react when asked to leave the pollen filter alone. Then it is easy enough to replace the pollen filter myself (thanks to some informative YouTube videos) every 3 years.

I could, but I'm not minded to do it (yet), simply cut-out a 1" rectangle of form and use that as an air filter. The suggestion that I can wash the foam would then work - it would be very easy and costs nothing. May be when the car is near end-of-warranty.

Thanks again
G

 

[Nubo]

A primary purpose of the filter, imo, is to keep dust from accumulating inside the vents and ductwork. Dust serves as a food source for mildew once in contact with water. The AC evaporator coils get wet from condensation and so this leads to the "funky AC smell" you may have noticed in some cars. Getting rid of the funk is not nearly as easy as replacing the filter.

While a piece of foam might be cheaper and re-useable, I'm not sure of the filtration effectiveness. I'd go with the designated filter to keep the ductwork clean.

 

[GJ1]

A primary purpose of the filter, imo, is to keep dust from accumulating inside the vents and ductwork. .... The AC evaporator coils get wet from condensation and so this leads to the "funky AC smell" you may have noticed in some cars."

Thanks Nubo - I had not considered that. I will give up on using the foam and use the 3rd party manufactured filers replaced every 2 years.