Bought used, is there anything we should have checked?

[nbast]

We just bought a 2012 Leaf SL with 21k miles and 10 months left on the factory warranty for $11995.

Is there anything we should have checked out with a Nissan dealer?

It's in perfect condition and my wife has been driving it for two weeks now without issue.

She only commutes 7-8 miles one way, so she's been charging it about every 3 days via the 110 charger. With a full charge it says it has a 90 mile range, which seems really optimistic. Is there any reason to have a 220 line installed? It charges over night via 110, so unless the charge voltage affects battery life, I'm not seeing a need for it. We also kept her truck, so if she needs to take a longer trip, that's still available.

It seems like my questions should be answered in a sticky post somewhere, but I didn't see one relating to what to check for a newly purchased used Leaf.

 

[desiv]

We just bought a 2012 Leaf SL with 21k miles and 10 months left on the factory warranty for $11995.

Congrats!!!

Is there anything we should have checked out with a Nissan dealer?

Probably, but you're past that now.. ;-) If you could have been REALLY forward thinking (I wasn't either), an Android device with an OBD2 device and Leaf Spy (or there is an iPhone version of Leaf Spy now (still in beta?))to check the battery health a bit more in depth.
Always good to check Carfax for service histor; did it come from a hot climate, etc...
But that's fairly low mileage, and sounds like it's been good for you so far!!
As soon as you can (if it hasn't happened according to the reports (carfax or ?)), you should get a battery health check to make sure your battery warranty is in shape still. Also a good time to meet the local dealer/service center.

She only commutes 7-8 miles one way, so she's been charging it about every 3 days via the 110 charger. With a full charge it says it has a 90 mile range, which seems really optimistic.

Sounds like a perfect fit for her situation. You could have a fair amount of battery degradation (not that I'm predicting that) and still be perfectly fine!! Good match it seems!!
As for the 90 mile range, that's from the GoM, or Guess O Meter as we call it. It's either optimistic of pessimistic depending.. ;-) Another reason to get Leaf Spy. I use that for MUCH MUCH better battery information that really helps me understand my range...

Is there any reason to have a 220 line installed? It charges over night via 110, so unless the charge voltage affects battery life, I'm not seeing a need for it. We also kept her truck, so if she needs to take a longer trip, that's still available.

Ah, the eternal question (well, one of the many, but...). ;-)
I drive much farther, so it made much more sense for me..
That said, the main reason I did it was convenience.. In that, I really didn't like unplugging the 110v charger every day and I like having it with me in the car (even tho I have yet to use it away; as I said, convenience).

One thing people will point out (if they haven't by the time I've posted this) is that the 110v EVSE draws a LOT of AMPs and you need to make sure your receptacle is in good shape.
Imagine plugging in a space heater and using it a LOT for hours at a time...

A lot of your decision will probably end up depending on the cost. The convenience of having the 220V charger is nice (and you have a 2012 (like mine) so your Leaf will only draw about 16A; less than a lot of the current EVSEs) but the cost can be an issue. My install location was about 2 feet from my breaker box and I didn't need any major space work (a tandem breaker to free up space) so the install was under $200. Then and EVSE is generally around $400 and up.
(Or you can send in your current 110v EVSE for an upgrade in the $300 range from evseupgrade.com. I didn't do that, but it's a nice service.) But, some electrical work can hit four digits depending on the run length, etc..

Good luck!!

desiv

 

[bbrowncods]

^ +1

1. Battery Check for piece of mind on warranty/meet dealer.
2. Leaf Spy Pro to learn the vocabulary and "see" how the battery is.

 

[nbast]

Thanks for the great response.

We're know the Infiniti side of the dealer already as I have a G37x. Hopefully the Nissan folks there are equally as helpful. I'll call them and set up an appointment after I get baseline numbers myself.

I have an iPhone, but one of my coworkers with an Android downloaded Leaf Spy, and I have a Bluetooth ELM327 on the way. I actually have a WiFi ELM327 already, but the app description indicated it only works with Bluetooth...

I have a Kill-A-Watt that I've never really used that I want to hook up to the 110 charger in the garage, but the outlet has a cover on it, so it won't fit. I've also ordered a 14 gauge socket extension so I can use the monitor.

 

[NYLEAF]

Your wifi ELM would work with the iPhone version of Leafspy

 

[Reddy]

She only commutes 7-8 miles one way, so she's been charging it about every 3 days via the 110 charger. With a full charge it says it has a 90 mile range, which seems really optimistic. Is there any reason to have a 220 line installed? It charges over night via 110, so unless the charge voltage affects battery life, I'm not seeing a need for it. We also kept her truck, so if she needs to take a longer trip, that's still available.

Congratulations. Similar to my 8 mi RT commute. You can search my name and see previous responses, but I set my timer to charge M-F to 80% for about 4 hours every night (1-5am) to be grid friendly. I try to keep the battery "around" 4-7 bars. Some days I plug in, some days I don't. My Sat/Sun timer is set to 1-8am up to 100% and my driving distances are a bit longer. I try to get it up to 100% once a week, just to remind the battery where 100% is, but it's not critical. If traveling less than 40 mi per day, L1 works just fine. Several 50+ mi days in a row will require some planning, but still doable. Above those miles (or lower in winter), it is definitely more difficult or impossible. The only "problem" with L1 is that pre-heating below 25 F is minimal at best and is probably useless below 0 F or if you park outside. Inside an insulated garage, it's probably fine.

 

[desiv]

The only "problem" with L1 is that pre-heating below 25 F is minimal at best and is probably useless below 0 F or if you park outside. Inside an insulated garage, it's probably fine.

Ah! Good point! I forgot about that, and with their range, shouldn't be too much of an issue..
But I did the preheating for a bit with L1 before I got my L2 installed.
Was in a garage, so not too bad, but preheating with L1 takes battery energy.
(You can see it with the Energy Info screen on the Leaf.)
I had to make sure I had enough time to charge considering the pre-heat was going to take some percentage points off of my batteries charge.
Even with L2, pre-heat can draw more power than the EVSE provides (with a 3.3kW 2012 Leaf), but only for a bit.
I find that if I pre-heat for more than 30 minutes (or right around there) with L2, I get "back" to near full.
15 minutes of pre-heat on L2 and it costs me some battery.

desiv

 

[Darryl]

We also just bought a used leaf 2012 leaf with 20k miles. Yes, there are things I wish I would have known then. The car showed a full capacity battery but had dropped its first bar six weeks after buying it. I have yet to use Leaf Spy, but am interested. We did pick up a unused 2013 Nissan Altima Spare tire for use on the car which works on all four wheels without a problem. Now we have to decided if we want to store the spare underneath like some have modified their car to do.

As for the Level 2 charger, we used the 110 volt unit for a while and decided to get a the cheapest Clipper Creek unit for $395 and just plug it into our dry outlet since our dryer was gas and the outlet wasn't being used. http://www.clippercreek.com/store/p...-station-22-ft-cable-nema-14-30-with-holster/
This unit is a low Level Two 3.6 kw charger, but since that is the max our Leaf will use without modification anyway we felt it was good for us. And required no additional electrician/wiring cost. Though there are several other step ups available from Clipper Creek should you decide you want to future proof yourself.

I think we could have gotten by with the 110 volt charger, but it has been nice having a dedicated cord waiting for you. As I was also packing up the 110v cord to carry in the card each day. Also there has been a few days where we came home nearly dead from a trip and were able to charge up at home and then go back out later that evening. There is a nice difference between 4-5 miles per hour verses 11-12 miles per hour in charging.

And where we live we do not have many places other than our home to charge.

 

[LeftieBiker]

We also just bought a used leaf 2012 leaf with 20k miles. Yes, there are things I wish I would have known then. The car showed a full capacity battery but had dropped its first bar six weeks after buying it.

I wonder if this is an example of the infamous "battery reset" that will mask a degraded pack for a short time...

 

[Travis]

When we bought ours it was for short commutes like you are using yours. After having it for a brief period of time I got a whole lot more comfortable stretching the range.

Personally I cannot say enough about evseupgrade. I got one of their upgraded cords and that has REALLY made the car work for me. Basically everywhere becomes a charging spot.

I install a cheap outlet everwhere I commonly go. It is a heck of a lot cheaper than installing EVSE equipment everywhere. I also have adapters to fix dryer/range/rv outlets. Now we rarely ever drive the gas car anywhere we go. I carry that cord with me everywhere I go.

 

[Sondy132001]

When we bought ours it was for short commutes like you are using yours. After having it for a brief period of time I got a whole lot more comfortable stretching the range.

Personally I cannot say enough about evseupgrade. I got one of their upgraded cords and that has REALLY made the car work for me. Basically everywhere becomes a charging spot.

I install a cheap outlet everwhere I commonly go. It is a heck of a lot cheaper than installing EVSE equipment everywhere. I also have adapters to fix dryer/range/rv outlets. Now we rarely ever drive the gas car anywhere we go. I carry that cord with me everywhere I go.

Can you elaborate more please and thanks

S

 

[ishiyakazuo]

When we bought ours it was for short commutes like you are using yours. After having it for a brief period of time I got a whole lot more comfortable stretching the range.

Personally I cannot say enough about evseupgrade. I got one of their upgraded cords and that has REALLY made the car work for me. Basically everywhere becomes a charging spot.

I install a cheap outlet everwhere I commonly go. It is a heck of a lot cheaper than installing EVSE equipment everywhere. I also have adapters to fix dryer/range/rv outlets. Now we rarely ever drive the gas car anywhere we go. I carry that cord with me everywhere I go.

Pretty sure my boss would be ticked off if I just bring an outlet with me to work and go to town on our electrical panel...

 

[Travis]

Can you elaborate more please and thanks

Sure. $287 Just click on the link on the word evseupgrade and it'll take you to the website.

You send in the factory charger and they upgrade (modify) it for 240 volt usage and put a different plug on it. It will still function on a standard 120 volt outlet just as it did before with an adapter. When you plug it into a 240 volt outlet it charges at the same rate as a standard L2 charger. They sell adapters to fit nearly any type of 240 volt outlet.

I have had mine now for over a year and I couldn't imagine not having it. I've been lucky with some clients having their service panels outdoors. Which made adding the outlets trivial. My furthest client was convinced to do it when I said I would wave my trip fee if they installed it.

Some of my friends have dryers installed in their garages. I just unplug the dryer and plug in. I was in a pinch once and parked outside a kitchen window and plugged into a range outlet. Heck even RV parks become charging spots.

The car wouldn't work for me without it.

 

[Sondy132001]

Can you elaborate more please and thanks

Sure. $287 Just click on the link on the word evseupgrade and it'll take you to the website.

You send in the factory charger and they upgrade (modify) it for 240 volt usage and put a different plug on it. It will still function on a standard 120 volt outlet just as it did before with an adapter. When you plug it into a 240 volt outlet it charges at the same rate as a standard L2 charger. They sell adapters to fit nearly any type of 240 volt outlet.

I have had mine now for over a year and I couldn't imagine not having it. I've been lucky with some clients having their service panels outdoors. Which made adding the outlets trivial. My furthest client was convinced to do it when I said I would wave my trip fee if they installed it.

Some of my friends have dryers installed in their garages. I just unplug the dryer and plug in. I was in a pinch once and parked outside a kitchen window and plugged into a range outlet. Heck even RV parks become charging spots.

The car wouldn't work for me without it.

I plan on buying the evseupgrade, I was just curious how you had plugs installed, yeah friends houses I get and the rv parks, it was the other places (clients) you have. Thanks for the info.

 

[nbast]

I finally have battery info from Leaf Spy. Could someone help interpret the data? The graph didn't stay constant, so I'm including two screenshots.

If it matters, the car was on, but had not been driven in several hours. It was about 50 degrees outside, unusually cold for May...

Sorry for the image sizes, I edited a few times to try to reduce them, but either BBCode doesn't support image sizing on this forum, or I can't find the right syntax.

Thanks!

 

[mwalsh]

I finally have battery info from Leaf Spy. Could someone help interpret the data? The graph didn't stay constant, so I'm including two screenshots.

The lines in the graph changing colors is just representing cells shunting as the pack balances. Perfectly normal behavior...nothing to worry about.

 

[nbast]

What do the percentages mean, SOC, SOH, and Hx?

Is SOH% of original capacity? If so, 90% seems pretty good.

I checked here, but I don't see a definition of terms section to define what the various acronyms mean. I see that SOC is 'State of Charge', but I don't know what that actually means.

I'm sure I'll be fluent in all jargon before long...

 

[dhanson865]

What do the percentages mean, SOC, SOH, and Hx?

Is SOH% of original capacity? If so, 90% seems pretty good.

I checked here, but I don't see a definition of terms section to define what the various acronyms mean. I see that SOC is 'State of Charge', but I don't know what that actually means.

I'm sure I'll be fluent in all jargon before long...

SOC equals the percentage of maximum charge.

The battery has a 0% to 100% range different than what is shown on the dash.

The dash 100% is somewhere in the 90s SOC wise. Dash 0% is somewhere in the single digits SOC wise. They do that to prevent you from damaging the battery (it physically damages the battery to sit at 100% SOC or 0% SOC and to a lesser extent can do so if you get close to either extreme).

I'll let someone else explain SOH and Hx.

 

[ishiyakazuo]

As I understand it, SOH is the percentage of the original battery's capacity that is still available. In your case, it has 90% of original capacity (i.e. if you charge it to full now, it'll have 90% as much juice as it did back when it was new). That's pretty good for a car with over 20k miles on it, as I understand it.

 

[mjblazin]

One thing I noted after reviewing the LeafSpy results was the number of charges. In 2013 SL I saw 1900 plus charges, only 3 QC, over what was likely an 18 month period by prior owner. That is 3+ a day. My current rate is 2-3 a week.

I guessed if someone finished charging at home after midnight, started charging before midnight, and charged at work, you could pile up a lot of charges.

I saw some comments about max charge cycles. Is the number of charge cycles on used EV something to watch?