Leaf Owners Beware

[JeremyW]

You're getting 203 Gids on a full charge (16240/80=203 exactly). My car (and a lot of 2011-2012's) only charge to 90-93% SOC. Those values are coming from the Consult III+ at the dealer.

You could have a weak cell that is limiting your bottom end range.

 

[CrumpledLeaf]

JeremyW:

Thank You. How can I tell if I have a weak cell; would this be something that the dealership would need to test for?

 

[TimLee]

... How can I tell if I have a weak cell; would this be something that the dealership would need to test for?

See page 1.

...
Has the dealer done the service manual Cell Voltage Loss Inspection (CVLI) test?
If you have android device, ELM Bluetooth adapter, and LEAF Spy Pro you can do the test yourself.

A lot more discussion of the test in this P3227 software reprogram thread link:
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=13273&start=510#p393388" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If you are going to get Nissan to replace bad cell pair modules you will have to get the dealer to do the test.
But using LEAF Spy Pro you can know the results in advance.

 

[CrumpledLeaf]

TimLee: I am sorry for the delayed response, but I have installed the ELM and Leaf Spy Pro. Please let me know what you think.

89.3% SOC
185 GIDS(65.8%)
14.3 kWh
228Wh
AHr= 46.02
SOH=70%
Hx= 49.39%
Voltage Histogram- min. 4.066 avg. 4.074 max. 4.085


All these readings are with a full charge.

 

[kubel]

There is significant degradation. This shouldn't be showing 12 (skinny) bars on the dash. You should be showing 9 bars.

 

[CrumpledLeaf]

Kubel:

I start every charge with 12 bars....any suggestions?

 

[mkjayakumar]

Kubel:

I start every charge with 12 bars....any suggestions?

The above statement makes me believe OP does not understand the difference between Charge bars and capacity bars.

Also 2.8m/kWh ? Wow, how is that even possible on city streets? I could be drag racing every light and I still can't get it to low 3.0

While something might be wrong with your battery, but something is sure seriously wrong with wheel alignments, balancing and a host of other things.

 

[billg]

I start every charge with 12 bars....any suggestions?

I suggest you look at this thread, and especially pay attention to the picture and the explanation, and then tell us again how many capacity bars you have.

 

[QueenBee]

Maybe start posting scans of the documents you've been quoting as well. Based on your LEAFSpy readings I would expect that you should only have 9 capacity bars and be half way to losing another one which means you should qualify for a battery replacement under the capacity warranty when this happens. It might take a few months for the dash to update to match this though.

 

[CrumpledLeaf]

mkjayakumar:
QueenBee:
billg:

I cannot upload the pictures to show you, but I was looking at the charge bars and not the capacity bars(had them backwards). I have been taking pictures before, and after every charge and found that I had 12 capacity bars at 35,000 miles and now have 10 capacity bars at 36,000 miles.

Is it normal to lose two capacity bars in a 1,000 mile span? or is there no rhyme or reason?

Thank you again for the clarification!

 

[dhanson865]

I had 12 capacity bars at 35,000 miles and now have 10 capacity bars at 36,000 miles.

Is it normal to lose two capacity bars in a 1,000 mile span? or is there no rhyme or reason?

No the only way you are going to lose two bars in 1000 miles is to bake the car in an oven* or park it in the Arizona desert for a few months.

*baking is sometimes used to cure paint after a repair.

 

[kubel]

Is it normal to lose two capacity bars in a 1,000 mile span? or is there no rhyme or reason?

I would suggest taking the data you collected from LEAF Spy to your insurance provider and tell them the repairs are not acceptable.

My theory is your battery was damaged, either as a result of the accident or during the time that the car was being repaired. It is not normal to lose 2 bars worth of capacity over the course of 2 months and 1,000 miles unless the battery was damaged. One can theorize that the battery was not removed from the car prior to curing the paint, which involves baking the car at temperatures that exceed the heat tolerances of the battery- resulting in damage that translates to a large drop in battery capacity. There are other possibilities that could have happened during the 2 months that the car was being repaired, but this is the most plausible explanation. Another theory is that some of your cells were damaged in the collision, but Nissan should have spotted this and corrected the issue.

 

[CrumpledLeaf]

kubel:
dhanson865:

Thank you. I have sent all the information, and have now lost another capacity bar...

I sent them pictures showing that I have gone from 12 capacity bars to 11, back to 12, down to 10 and now down to 9 capacity bars in a matter of 1,481 miles.

 

[DaveEV]

I sent them pictures showing that I have gone from 12 capacity bars to 11, back to 12, down to 10 and now down to 9 capacity bars in a matter of 1,481 miles.

In which case - congratulations! You now qualify for a new battery under the battery capacity warranty as long as your LEAF is under 5 years old and has less than 60,000 miles.

 

[TimLee]

In which case - congratulations! You now qualify for a new battery under the battery capacity warranty as long as your LEAF is under 5 years old and has less than 60,000 miles.

No.
You only qualify with 8 out of 12 original capacity bars.
You have to lose four bars.

 

[DaveEV]

Whoops, got confused. Either way at this rate he'll be there soon.

 

[CrumpledLeaf]

drees:
TimLee:

Thank you, and at this rate I should lose the 4th bar by Christmas...

 

[CrumpledLeaf]

It has been a while since I posted last, but wanted to post an update from Leaf Spy Pro:

Leaf Spy Pro Readings from 3/3/15
95.6% SOC
192 GIDS(68.3%)
14.9 kwh
Ahr= 44.90
SOH= 68%
Hx= 47.54%
Voltage Histogram- min. 4.075, avg. 4.082, max. 4.094

Leaf Spy Pro Readings from 11/13/15
89.3% SOC
185 GIDS(65.8%)
14.3 kWh
228Wh
AHr= 46.02
SOH=70%
Hx= 49.39%
Voltage Histogram- min. 4.066 avg. 4.074 max. 4.085

 

[dhanson865]

wow, just reread the first post after writing a quick reply.

Are you around 40,000 miles now?

Sounds like you get a free battery replacement soon. Just make sure you don't drive it past 59,000 miles before getting that battery.

 

[CrumpledLeaf]

dhanson865:

I have 37,045 miles...