I was quoted $199 and $329 for 12 month service at Boardwalk

[ENIAC]

I agree, it's about a 30 minute job and very simple. I bought one of these Brake Bleed Vacuum Pumps to make it a one person job. Otherwise you need someone to depress the brake pedal while you let the air out.

No way. I can do it in 30 minutes, a professional mechanic should be able to do it in half that.

It would be interesting to know what "the book" (I don't know the proper name for it) says. You are charged, and the mechanic is paid, for the amount of time that the book says the job should take. A good mechanic makes out by being able to do a job faster than the book says it should take. Conversely, if there's something that causes a job to take longer than the book says it should - like frozen bolts, or in this case frozen bleeder nipples - the mechanic gets screwed.

I would think the brake fluid could take a few hours..

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

i dont understand the need to flush brake fluid after just a year. keep in mind, regen could potentially reduce brake usage quite a bit if most driving is done at street speeds.

is the flush recommended due to the brakes NOT being used as much? or is this a ploy to get some cashflow thru the service dept? (my suspicion)

 

[Ingineer]

The hydraulic braking system on the Leaf is very complex, there are a lot of valves, ports, sensors, etc. Because of this added complexity, the system is more likely to have a failure when contamination in the brake fluid enters the system. Since brake fluid is hygroscopic, which means it readily sucks moisture right out of the air, this means it will enter the system in time. Changing the fluid and flushing all the lines ensures that the system will stay trouble-free.

-Phil

 

[gasmiser1]

....................................mechanic is paid, for the amount of time that the book says the job should take. A good mechanic makes out by being able to do a job faster than the book says it should take. Conversely, if there's something that causes a job to take longer than the book says it should -............................... - the mechanic gets screwed................................
.............

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yodrak- Yup. This is the case per my mechanic friend. Some days he gets paid for only a few hours and the rest is free labor because of "the Book" and the rigid repair time frames. Not all repair jobs go without problems/complications.

**************Re: Service at Boardwalk****************

I called again to speak to someone higher up in the service department at Boardwalk. Verified: as LEAFer copied from the service schedule---the annual mandatory battery health check-up is once a year measured in months, (12 months max.) regardless of mileage.

There seems to be a lot of misinformation regarding the LEAF. As an early EV adapter, I really appreciate the MNL forum for the wealth of knowledge from fellow EVers

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

The hydraulic braking system on the Leaf is very complex, there are a lot of valves, ports, sensors, etc. Because of this added complexity, the system is more likely to have a failure when contamination in the brake fluid enters the system. Since brake fluid is hygroscopic, which means it readily sucks moisture right out of the air, this means it will enter the system in time. Changing the fluid and flushing all the lines ensures that the system will stay trouble-free.

-Phil

thanks for that Phil. how often are you flushing yours?

 

[ENIAC]

Since brake fluid is hygroscopic, which means it readily sucks moisture right out of the air, this means it will enter the system in time.

Which, by the way, is why you must always use fresh brake fluid.

 

[Ingineer]

thanks for that Phil. how often are you flushing yours?

I am not even coming up on 10k yet, so I haven't given it much thought. I may ship a sample off to a lab at 10k and see how it's doing. Since I'm in the SF Bay Area, and my car is parked inside a warehouse each night, It will not be exposed to much Delta-T or any condensing moisture. This makes me think I won't need to do this often. I'd say the longest I'd wait is probably 25k. Factors such as exposure to condensing moisture and wide temperature swings greatly change the degradation of the fluid.

-Phil

 

[ENIAC]

thanks for that Phil. how often are you flushing yours?

I am not even coming up on 10k yet, so I haven't given it much thought. I may ship a sample off to a lab at 10k and see how it's doing. Since I'm in the SF Bay Area, and my car is parked inside a warehouse each night, It will not be exposed to much Delta-T or any condensing moisture. This makes me think I won't need to do this often. I'd say the longest I'd wait is probably 25k. Factors such as exposure to condensing moisture and wide temperature swings greatly change the degradation of the fluid.

-Phil

Phil, are you going to use Nissan brand brake fluid or do you use another brand. On my GM vehicles, I've always used Castrol GT LMA.

 

[derkraut]

Doesn't the Leaf use Silicon brake fluid? If so, my understanding is that silicon fluid will not attract and retain moisture

 

[ENIAC]

Doesn't the Leaf use Silicon brake fluid? If so, my understanding is that silicon fluid will not attract and retain moisture

No, it's DOT 3 brake fluid. They call it "Genuine NISSAN Super Heavy Duty Brake Fluid".

 

[Spies]

Wanted to report back that I had my battery check and inspection done today at Boardwalk and I was not charged for the service. They also "washed" the outside of the car but I suspect they just ran it through a machine. The entire process took a little over an hour. Chris the service writer mentioned that they would normally be a charge for the inspection but the first one is free on account I bought the vehicle there. I got a "Quality Vehicle Inspection" printout and the "Battery Information Sheet" for my troubles.

 

[ENIAC]

Chris the service writer mentioned that they would normally be a charge for the inspection but the first one is free on account I bought the vehicle there.

Nope, first two years are free regardless where you bought your LEAF.

 

[aqn]

I agree, it's about a 30 minute job and very simple. I bought one of these Brake Bleed Vacuum Pumps to make it a one person job. Otherwise you need someone to depress the brake pedal while you let the air out.

I used one of those once. Once! There are too many joints in that thing that need to be air tight; if one joint fails or performs poorly, the whole thing is useless.

If/when I bleed the brakes, I would use one of these instead:

The only snag is it's unclear from their application guide whether they have an adapter that would fit the LEAF. I suppose it wouldn't be too hard to find out: I just need to see if the LEAF's brake fluid reservoir's cap fit one of the Nissans listed in the application guide.

 

[Ingineer]

Doesn't the Leaf use Silicon brake fluid? If so, my understanding is that silicon fluid will not attract and retain moisture

You must mean SILICONE not silicon. BIG difference, and often confused. But no, the Leaf doesn't use either, just standard Dot3 fluid. Incidentally Silicone (DOT5) is NOT compatible with most systems, and do not even consider putting it in the Leaf ever!

-Phil

 

[davewill]

You must mean SILICONE not silicon. BIG difference, and often confused. ...

Yes, I smirk inside when people say, "SILICONE Valley." I always assumed it must be where all the best plastic surgeons have their offices...I always picture it with two conical hills, one on each side...

 

[Spies]

Nope, first two years are free regardless where you bought your LEAF.

I believe that only covers the traction battery check. I am pretty sure they are free to charge anything they want for the general vehicle inspection even though the Leaf service book says its complementary at "participating" dealers.

 

[DeaneG]

...Yes, I smirk inside when people say, "SILICONE Valley." I always assumed it must be where all the best plastic surgeons have their offices...

It's in the Los Angeles area, often called "Westside".

 

[JPWhite]

Chris the service writer mentioned that they would normally be a charge for the inspection but the first one is free on account I bought the vehicle there.

Nope, first two years are free regardless where you bought your LEAF.

While the battery inspection is free, the other inspections may not be. CV boots, etc. Even the less severe service schedule has 3-4 other inspection items in addition to the mandatory battery check. They may have done those inspections for free in addition to the battery check.

 

[TomT]

And I also believe in the tooth fairy...

They may have done those inspections for free in addition to the battery check.