Leaf yearly scheduled maintenance info/cost?

[HXGuy]

We are looking to lease a Nissan Leaf and part of the process is trying to figure out the total cost of "ownership" over the life of the Leaf.

What scheduled maintenance must be done to the Leaf and what are the costs? Are they "recommended" like with a regular car's "Recommended 30,000 miles service" or are they a must in order to keep the warranty in tact? Do they have to be done at a Nissan dealership or can some of it be done at home (rotating tires, etc?).

Thanks for any help.

 

[EricBayArea]

For standard (not extreme) driving...

-Rotate tires & check brake pads every 7,500 miles (can be free at many tire centers)
-Replace brake fluid every 30,000 miles (market rate cost or several hundred at the dealership)
-Perform battery evaluation every 1 year / 12,000 miles (first 3 are free, cost after that is TBD - some dealers say it will always be free) - this is the biggie for warranty to remain valid on the battery system.
-Replace coolant every 10 years / 100,000 miles (again, market rate or several hundred at the dealership)

That's about it. Regular items like replacing tires and monitoring windshield washer fluid is standard.

The only unknown is when battery modules need replacing how much that will cost, but if you are leasing, you won't have to worry.

 

[HXGuy]

Thanks for the reply.

So if you are leasing, there really don't seem to be many costs. I can rotate my own tires and check the brake pads.
Replacing brake fluid would only happen once in the 39,000 miles of the lease. The 3 battery tests would fall under the lease mileage.

What is "standard" and what is "extreme" driving? How is each defined and how do they know which you are doing?

 

[scottf200]

Here is a link to the LEAF manuals

http://www.nissanusa.com/apps/techpubs" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There is a service manual there. See if this brings it up.

http://www.nissanusa.com/content/dam/nissan/pdf/techpubs/leaf/2011/2011-leaf-service-maintenance-guide.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

As point out above "Replace brake fluid" at every 30K or at every 15K for severe (hot climate? or lot of stop and go traffic?). I suspect "severe" has been discussed before.

 

[davewill]

... The 3 battery tests would fall under the lease mileage. ...

I'm pretty sure you only get two freebies. If you had a normal 36 month lease, you wouldn't need to do the third one, but with 39 months, you'll have to spring for one.

 

[planet4ever]

For standard (not extreme) driving...

That is definitely not how Nissan defines Schedule 2, the one you are quoting. Here is what the Service and Maintenance Guide says:

Generally, Schedule 2 applies only to highway driving in temperate conditions.

If you take short trips, or drive in hot weather stop and go conditions, or long distances at low speeds (i.e. not highway speeds), or use a car-top carrier, or deal with bad road conditions (dusty, rough, muddy, salted), then Nissan says you should follow schedule 1. I think a majority of the people on this board may be fooling themselves into thinking they are Schedule 2 when Nissan would call them Schedule 1 if it knew their driving patterns.

The other point I would make is that all of the recommendations are expressed as "xx miles or yy months". If you are leasing, you probably won't be driving more than 12,000 miles per year, so the correct condition to look at is the months, not the miles. Restated that way, and using Schedule 1, Erik's points become:

• Rotate tires & check brake pads every 6 months.
• Replace brake fluid and in-cabin micro-filter every year

As davewill said, you get two free battery checks rather than three. Also, those are annual, independent of mileage or schedule.
Finally, do not overlook the fact that you are entitled to a complimentary Multi-Point Inspection and report every time you visit your dealer.

Ray

 

[MikeD]

There is a 12v battery that will need to be replaced every so often. Although it doesn't have to put out a lot of current when starting (like for a typical ICE car), it is used even when the Leaf is off -- so typical Leaf owner experience with battery life has not been established yet. I inquired at a dealer what they would charge for a new battery -- about $90, I think. None of the usual auto parts stores seem to list a 12v battery for the Leaf yet.

If you like to listen to the radio (or use some other accessory) with the Leaf in Accessory Mode, I would recommend alternating between Accessory and Ready Mode every 30 minutes or less to ensure the 12v battery doesn't get too deeply discharged.

 

[planet4ever]

If you like to listen to the radio (or use some other accessory) with the Leaf in Accessory Mode, I would recommend alternating between Accessory and Ready Mode every 30 minutes or less to ensure the 12v battery doesn't get too deeply discharged.

I just leave the car in ON mode (press power button twice without brake) for that. The DC/DC converter will be activated as necessary in ON mode; you don't have to be in READY mode. The advantage of ON over ACC is that all power accessories can be used, in particular the windows and the fan.

Ray

 

[LEAFfan]

We are looking to lease a Nissan Leaf and part of the process is trying to figure out the total cost of "ownership" over the life of the Leaf.
What scheduled maintenance must be done to the Leaf and what are the costs? Are they "recommended" like with a regular car's "Recommended 30,000 miles service" or are they a must in order to keep the warranty in tact? Do they have to be done at a Nissan dealership or can some of it be done at home (rotating tires, etc?).
Thanks for any help.

I'm leasing and the only actual maintenance with Nissan is to have your battery pack checked once a year, regardless of mileage. The first two are free and if you get a 36-month lease, you won't have to worry about the third one, as someone has posted. There's a simple moisture test you can do with a DMM for your brake fluid. If it reads below .3V, then it is still good. I plan on getting mine replaced when it reaches .3 and for a minimal charge at EVIT in Mesa. I'm also going to have them replace my cabin filter after two years. If you have Discount Tire do your rotations (usually free/don't forget to tip), they recommend every 5K-6K miles, not 7500.

 

[RegGuheert]

From what I read here, it sounds as if your tires will wear out before 36,000 miles, so you probably will be replacing those under your lease. That may turn out to be your largest maintenance expense.

 

[Herm]

Testing your brake fluid with a DMM

http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Tech-Tip-Testing-Brake-Fluid-With-Your-DMM-Updated-42009/blog/209152/31710.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We all know that brake fluid is hygroscopic, able to draw in moisture like a sponge. It is no wonder, then, that the brake fluid in the master cylinder is often dark, almost black in appearance. But does that mean it has to be changed?
Not always. And while there are test strips to test the moisture content, here is a method that works just as well. Use your DMM (Digital Multimeter) to test the fluid! The procedure is easy enough. Hook up your negative meter lead to the negative battery post, and then insert your positive meter lead into the brake fluid while avoiding contact with the reservoir itself. Any reading over 0.30 volts is too much, and the fluid should be flushed. This test is a result of an SAE paper showing a distinct relationship between moisture content and the voltage measured. It is also a great demo to share with your customer when selling the repair!
Copper content is also a measure of the condition of the brake fluid. Look for a greenish tinge to the fluid color as an indication of excessive copper content, or use a test strip designed for this use. This, too, is cause for a fluid flush.


Note: put your DMM in the DC voltage setting, use the 1-2V scale if your meter is not autoranging.

 

[MikeD]

planet4ever: I agree the Leaf has more functionality as you stated in On Mode than Accessory Mode, but I don't believe you are correct that the DC/DC Converter operates in that mode -- I believe that it only operates in Ready Mode.

For several months now I have been monitoring the Leaf's accessory voltage via a voltmeter permanently plugged into the 12v power outlet below the center control panel. I can state from many observations that for my 2011 Leaf that that voltage is held to no lower than 13.1v in Ready Mode (evidence that the DC/DC converter is functioning), but I have seen no evidence that the voltage is likewise supported in On Mode (the voltage slowly drops, even below 11.7v).

I grant you that the 2011 Owner's Manual (both the Nov 2010 and Jan 2012 printing) seems to support your contention: "Use the power outlet with the power switch is in the ON or READY to drive position to avoid discharging the 12-volt battery.".

However, beginning on page 2-13 which discusses the "12-volt battery charge warning light" the DC/DC converter system's proper functioning is only discussed while "in the READY to drive" mode, which suggests the DC/DC converter is not expected to be functioning in On Mode.

This is not a small matter since you don't want to inadvertently discharge the 12v battery excessively as it not only reduces battery life but also runs the risk of rendering the car temporarily inoperable.

 

[MikeD]

EricBayArea: I think the recommended service interval of the coolant is even less frequently than you stated. According to page 8 of my "2011 Leaf Service and Maintenance Guide" (Oct 2010 Printing):

"The recommended service interval of the factory-fill coolant is 125,000 miles (200,000 km) or 15 years, whichever comes first. Subsequent replacement of Genuine Nissan Long Life Antifreeze/Coolant (Blue) should occur every 75,000 miles (120,000 km) or 5 years whichever comes first."

 

[Smidge204]

Use your DMM (Digital Multimeter) to test the fluid! The procedure is easy enough. Hook up your negative meter lead to the negative battery post, and then insert your positive meter lead into the brake fluid while avoiding contact with the reservoir itself.

That's a cute trick, but the description should probably be to hook the meter to the positive battery post, then stick the other probe in the fluid. otherwise you'd be measuring ground-to-ground voltage which better damn well be less than 0.3 volts! :lol:

Even the pic of the guy doing it shows the voltage is negative, meaning he has the probes reversed.
=Smidge=

 

[Cinnabar]

To answer the original question, my annual service cost $25 for the tire rotation, and the filter was not replaced. I had 15.7 k miles and the service, including battery check took one hour and forty minutes.

 

[jannen]

... Even the pic of the guy doing it shows the voltage is negative, meaning he has the probes reversed ...

Smidge,
Measure your fluid. The fluid makes it's own galvanic action and the + probe is measuring a negative voltage with respect to ground. If we measured to the + terminal of the car battery we would measure more (in absolute value) than the battery voltage (like -12V + (-.16) = -12.16). Try it.

 

[LEAFfan]

Use your DMM (Digital Multimeter) to test the fluid! The procedure is easy enough. Hook up your negative meter lead to the negative battery post, and then insert your positive meter lead into the brake fluid while avoiding contact with the reservoir itself.

That's a cute trick, but the description should probably be to hook the meter to the positive battery post, then stick the other probe in the fluid. otherwise you'd be measuring ground-to-ground voltage which better damn well be less than 0.3 volts! :lol:

Even the pic of the guy doing it shows the voltage is negative, meaning he has the probes reversed.
=Smidge=

It really makes no difference. I've done it both ways and it still reads the same except for a minus instead of plus. I posted about using a DMM a long time ago. Mine is a -/+.20 right now. You don't have to touch the battery at all when you use the pos in the fluid, just some metal on the car (ground).

 

[dsr302]

For standard (not extreme) driving...

-Perform battery evaluation every 1 year / 12,000 miles (first 3 are free, cost after that is TBD - some dealers say it will always be free) - this is the biggie for warranty to remain valid on the battery system.

The only unknown is when battery modules need replacing how much that will cost, but if you are leasing, you won't have to worry.

I was at my dealer last night and asked since I'm buying the Leaf, what the cost of the annual battery evaluation would be (once I got my 2 free ones).....the dealer said he didn't know since no-one at his dealership has brought in a Leaf outside of the 2-year-free-window. He did say that at their recent dealer meeting in Nashville, there was talk of what it would possibly cost....he said that some dealers 'felt' it would be somewhere between the cost of a Oil Change (~$40) and the cost of one billed hour of maintenance (~$85). I did not get a reassuring feeling of confidence in this statement....

Does anyone have a more concrete number if what these should cost?.....that will def factor into the yearly Leaf maintenance costs.

 

[EricBayArea]

Thanks for the clarifications... I don't claim to know everything (e.g. only the first 2 battery tests are free, not 3. Coolant flush is 125k miles and not 100)

As far as the battery tests go, I find it kind of sad that the dealers are sitting around a room going "um... what do we charge for this? How about 1 hr labor and the cost of a oil change?" I understand the 1 hr of labor because someone is "laboring" over a computer for an hour. However, adding the cost of an oil change on top of that is absurd since there's no consumable parts or fluid being changed out - only someone's time.

Additionally, has someone actually observed a battery test being performed? Do they hook up the car, hit a couple of buttons, walk away for an hour and then come back to a "report" screen? Or do they actively have to monitor the computer for an hour or so? Because if its the former, then I'd take issue with that.

At my job when I'm negotiating contracts with vendors and a vendor wants to charge me for travel time (say in an airplane) I put a clause in there that if they are spending time on the airplane on another client's work then they can't bill me for that travel time (honor system I suppose). But likewise, if that tech that I'm paying $85/hr for goes off and changes another car's oil or is working on something else for 45 min waiting for the results, s/he, that's double billing.

 

[davewill]

... As far as the battery tests go, I find it kind of sad that the dealers are sitting around a room going "um... what do we charge for this? How about 1 hr labor and the cost of a oil change?" I understand the 1 hr of labor because someone is "laboring" over a computer for an hour. However, adding the cost of an oil change on top of that is absurd since there's no consumable parts or fluid being changed out - only someone's time. ...

You misread. The statement was "some dealers 'felt' it would be somewhere between the cost of a Oil Change (~$40) and the cost of one billed hour of maintenance (~$85).". Not the two added together.