Capacity Loss on 2011-2012 LEAFs

[linkim]

ya that sucks. is your low mileage due to modest needs or degradation reducing the car's usefulness? if its the latter, I might consider legal action for a replacement pack on that basis...

My low mileage is due to the fact I do not commute, and also have a Prius available for longer trips. So far I have done 68 QCs, according to LEAFSpy - don't think that is excessive. Most are done in Daly City where the temp is usually lower than in the South Bay where I live. I attribute the calendar life for the loss of the first capacity bar which occurred on 9/14/14 [22906 mi, 55.66 Ahr, 70.52% Hx]. Since then, the battery capacity has not lost too much of its capacity.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

ya that sucks. is your low mileage due to modest needs or degradation reducing the car's usefulness? if its the latter, I might consider legal action for a replacement pack on that basis...

My low mileage is due to the fact I do not commute, and also have a Prius available for longer trips. So far I have done 68 QCs, according to LEAFSpy - don't think that is excessive. Most are done in Daly City where the temp is usually lower than in the South Bay where I live. I attribute the calendar life for the loss of the first capacity bar which occurred on 9/14/14 [22906 mi, 55.66 Ahr, 70.52% Hx]. Since then, the battery capacity has not lost too much of its capacity.

ah ok.

 

[HighDesertDriver]

...We lost our 4th capacity bar yesterday morning, 12 June 2015. Our dealer had a maintenance slot and personnel to take a look, confirmed the loss and got authorization to order the parts. We'll know next week when the parts will be in, and we have the car back to drive until everything arrives...

The dealer called yesterday to say that "both packages, the new battery and the misc parts", were delivered on the morning truck. The first available single day install appointment is tomorrow, so I'll have the car there at 0700. Before I cut them loose on the work, I'll confirm the received part numbers with postings here on NML to make sure the battery is the new 2015 "Lizard" edition. Many thanks to you members of NML who have contributed this information, and especially to those who have been through the warranty exchange before us.

The return to full capacity is especially timely for us. With recent temps in the low 100Fs and our fulltime use of A/C, range has dropped into the low 40s, forcing less Leaf use while recharging and more ICE mileage. The Nissan dealer has offered the free rental car during the exchange, but we'll likely avoid the hassle and just take the shuttle home to use our more comfortable ICE for the day.

Here's the car's current Leaf DD details:

Date: 23 Jun 2015
Miles: 55,509
Gids: 176
AmpHours: 42.89

 

[mwalsh]

The dealer called yesterday to say that "both packages, the new battery and the misc parts", were delivered on the morning truck. The first available single day install appointment is tomorrow, so I'll have the car there at 0700. Before I cut them loose on the work, I'll confirm the received part numbers with postings here on NML to make sure the battery is the new 2015 "Lizard" edition. Many thanks to you members of NML who have contributed this information, and especially to those who have been through the warranty exchange before us.

Don't forge to ask for (demand?) the IC card that encodes the pack's ID into your car's BCM.

They may not want to give it to you, but without it, if you get into an accident that totals your LEAF anytime soon, and your insurance payout will only get you another 2011 with a degraded pack, you won't be able to transfer your new Lizard pack to the replacement car.

 

[HighDesertDriver]

Don't forget to ask for (demand?) the IC card that encodes the pack's ID into your car's BCM.

They may not want to give it to you, but without it, if you get into an accident that totals your LEAF anytime soon, and your insurance payout will only get you another 2011 with a degraded pack, you won't be able to transfer your new Lizard pack to the replacement car.

Thank you! for this additional insight. I'll add it to my list as an expected item.

 

[jhm614]

Don't forget to ask for (demand?) the IC card that encodes the pack's ID into your car's BCM.

They may not want to give it to you, but without it, if you get into an accident that totals your LEAF anytime soon, and your insurance payout will only get you another 2011 with a degraded pack, you won't be able to transfer your new Lizard pack to the replacement car.

Thank you! for this additional insight. I'll add it to my list as an expected item.

Typically, if an insurance company totals a car, they own it and will not let you remove any parts. Not sure if this would apply in a Leaf situation.

 

[dhanson865]

Don't forget to ask for (demand?) the IC card that encodes the pack's ID into your car's BCM.

They may not want to give it to you, but without it, if you get into an accident that totals your LEAF anytime soon, and your insurance payout will only get you another 2011 with a degraded pack, you won't be able to transfer your new Lizard pack to the replacement car.

Thank you! for this additional insight. I'll add it to my list as an expected item.

Typically, if an insurance company totals a car, they own it and will not let you remove any parts. Not sure if this would apply in a Leaf situation.

They usually offer to let you buy it back from them at what they expect to get for it at auction.

If that number is lower than a couple of thousand and somehow the 2015 style pack is salvageable it might be worth buying it back.

 

[fooljoe]

Don't forget to ask for (demand?) the IC card that encodes the pack's ID into your car's BCM.

They may not want to give it to you, but without it, if you get into an accident that totals your LEAF anytime soon, and your insurance payout will only get you another 2011 with a degraded pack, you won't be able to transfer your new Lizard pack to the replacement car.

It seems to me that in this scenario you have a very convincing argument that a 2011 with a degraded pack is not a fair replacement for your car. Unless your insurance company is absolutely terrible they should do better. Do we know of any examples of this actually happening? With my one experience in having a car totaled my insurance company (Mercury - not exactly a "premium" carrier) was very accommodating and offered a sum that allowed me to get the same model car for a replacement but one that was 2 years newer, and they made sure I was satisfied that the amount offered was enough for a suitable replacement.

 

[HighDesertDriver]

Don't forget to ask for (demand?) the IC card that encodes the pack's ID into your car's BCM.

They may not want to give it to you, but without it, if you get into an accident that totals your LEAF anytime soon, and your insurance payout will only get you another 2011 with a degraded pack, you won't be able to transfer your new Lizard pack to the replacement car.

Thank you! for this additional insight. I'll add it to my list as an expected item.

I think the important issue here is to make sure one can properly prove the car's configuration, especially the battery, in the event of an accident. I appreciate the three prior comments and will make sure this is noted in the service record and in my collection of paperwork.

 

[mwalsh]

They usually offer to let you buy it back from them at what they expect to get for it at auction.

If that number is lower than a couple of thousand and somehow the 2015 style pack is salvageable it might be worth buying it back.

+ 1. My experience in buying back late model salvagable vehicles from the insurance company (two so far) is under $1000.

BTW, it is aslo possible that sufficient damage may exist for an insurance company to total out a car, but it can be realistically (and safely, depending on the damage) repaired for just a fraction of your insurance payout, especially so if you're capable of doing some of the work yourself. Been there, done that with one of my two write-offs.

 

[HighDesertDriver]

...The dealer called [Monday] to say that "both packages, the new battery and the misc parts", were delivered on the morning truck. The first available single day install appointment is tomorrow, so I'll have the car there at 0700. Before I cut them loose on the work, I'll confirm the received part numbers with postings here on NML to make sure the battery is the new 2015 "Lizard" edition...

I was unable to confirm part numbers before catching the morning shuttle home, but the parts worker was able to read "5/15/15" on the side of the crate. The mechanic called at 4:45pm to say that the new battery was in, but "had come with only a 2% charge" and would continue L2 charging overnight to reach 100% before he could do the next steps and reprogram the computers. Carwings reported charging complete at 9:25pm. This morning, a check of Carwings reports 109 miles of range, a number we've never seen since getting the car. Even accounting for the vagaries of the GOM, it will be great to have more than 40 miles range again.

 

[charge]

2012 lost first bar today at 46,500 miles. I guess I should consider myself lucky but still hurts

 

[Becky50]

_________________
"Hope this will be me and my leaf in 10 years..."I sit in my old car, same one I've had for years
Old battery's running down, it ran for years and years" "

I, too, hope this will apply to me on my 10 year anniversary. I still have 12 bars, but I can tell range is less than when new.

 

[dhanson865]

Well in all the frustration over the slow forum 91040 sneaked in to the wiki without me noticing until today and posted his 5th bar loss.


| #2
| July 20, 2015
| 91040
| Los Angeles, CA
| 101,200
| 50.5 months
| 03/11
| 2011
| 1732
|
|
|38.38Ahr


Impressive to see a 100,000+ mile 5 bar loser on the list.

Just for easier comparison here is the other 5 bar loser, since replaced with a new battery.

| #1
| October 15, 2014
| TickTock
| Queen Creek, AZ
| 44,241
| 41 months
| 04/11
| 2011
| 03626
|
|
| Still working for me. My commute is 49 miles round trip. [later replaced under warranty] see http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=5582&start=588

 

[Valdemar]

Impressive in what sense? There will be cars with higher mileage with -5 bars I'm sure.

 

[dhanson865]

Impressive in what sense? There will be cars with higher mileage with -5 bars I'm sure.

Impressive that they didn't sell it, or upgrade the battery, or just park it.

They actually kept driving it. Pretty much without change of driving style.

 

[Valdemar]

Impressive in what sense? There will be cars with higher mileage with -5 bars I'm sure.

Impressive that they didn't sell it, or upgrade the battery, or just park it.

They actually kept driving it. Pretty much without change of driving style.

Well, yeah, why not if you can cope with the reduced range? Once you lost 70% of what you paid 3-4 years ago keeping the car is probably the smartest thing you can do. I'm in the same boat, I'd be happy to unload the car but at the current resale value I'll just push it as far as I can.

 

[Staque]

Most of my trips are 10-20 miles. I can totally see using my leaf (in the summer) with 60% or more degradation.

I wouldn't be able to commute anymore though, unless they get L1/L2 at the office. If I could charge at work, I could deal with 75% degradation (again, only in summer). I'm kind of curious if the car will still work when it gets to that point.

 

[Becky50]

I lost my first bar sometime yesterday. My LEAF is a 2012 SL purchased on Aug. 2, 2012. Mileage 20,336. I had the P3277 recall performed on Oct. 1, 2013. I charge to 80% the majority of the time. I do charge to 100% anytime I am going to travel more than 50 miles which is about twice a month. I am retired and live in San Jose, CA and find it still meets all of my driving needs.

 

[dhanson865]

OK, those of you from Chandler/Gilbert Arizona area who turned in the 2013 leaf from a 2 year lease with 3 bars lost?

|- style="background:#ffffff;" valign=top
| #43
| unknown date of loss, occurred during 2 year lease
| goodtimessd
| Chandler/Gilbert, AZ
| unknown miles at time of loss, currently 28,729
| 24? months
| 3/13
| '''2013 model year'''
| 405652
|
|
| unknown date of loss (3 bar loss occurred during previous 2 year lease in AZ). Current City = San Diego (3 bar loss occurred in Gilbert, AZ. Auctioned to San Diego Dealer 5/30/2015, purchased in San Diego 7/22/2015, 2013 SL Trim)

Hopefully we can put to bed the false rumor that 2013 leafs have a better battery. Or at least acknowledge that the difference isn't worth paying for.