Maintenance on LEAF

[ekbaazigar]

I was wondering what is yearly maintenance costs on LEAF ? Since there is no oil change wondering what other yearly preventive maintenance would it need. Please share you experience. also how good is the OEM tires on the car? would it last 50K miles ? I know there are lots of factors that goes into it, but what has been the general experience ?

 

[ebill3]

Check your supplied maintenance publication. Unless you come under the "severe" category (most do not), there is very little required. The yearly battery check is mandetory, and you ought to rotate tires as with any automobile. The cabin air filter may require replacement, but you can do that yourself.

Tires? Many are OK with OEM, others much prefer a better performance tire. I think 50K is an unrealistic expectation for the supplied tires.

Again, check the manual. The experience of many high mleage owners is that maintenance costs are almost non-existent.

 

[Caracalover]

The Leaf maintenance costs are almost 0 for a year. Tire rotations every 6000 miles might cost you, although my tire shop has done that for me twice for free, and once it was $15.

Other than that I have 22,000+ miles on mine and have not incurred any other costs. There is a microfilter in cabin that costs about $6, but I haven't changed mine yet.

Tire issues is a good question. I drive mountain roads and a lot of lower speed driving, so my tires may have worn faster than some. They are likely going to need to be replaced around my next tire rotation, so I will keep an eye on them. My tire shop told me that it is not uncommon for the heavier cars to wear tires faster. They reccomended inflating the tires to a higher PSI, I went to 38, (I was at 32 I think) although many on this board go to 40.

I also do a lot of jackrabbit starts which with 100% torque at 0 RPM doesn't increase tire longevity.

Oh, and my brake pads showed less than 5% wear after a year of driving, around 15.000 miles.

 

[planet4ever]

Nissan says you should replace the brake fluid every year, or every two years, depending on usage schedule, but some people here question that.

Ray

 

[ztanos]

Nissan says you should replace the brake fluid every year, or every two years, depending on usage schedule, but some people here question that.

Ray

The test strips are the best route. GM said I should replace my saturns brake fluid every 3 years but I have owned the car for 12 and it is on the cusp of needing it done. If I were keeping it after December, I would get it done.

 

[TomT]

I just tested my Leaf and after 25,000 miles and 20 months, it is still at the first test strip indicator... A DVM test showed .05 volts...

Nissan says you should replace the brake fluid every year, or every two years, depending on usage schedule, but some people here question that.
Ray

The test strips are the best route. GM said I should replace my saturns brake fluid every 3 years but I have owned the car for 12 and it is on the cusp of needing it done. If I were keeping it after December, I would get it done.

 

[Deleted member 3147]

I just did my 15K service at Capitol Nissan in San Jose, CA. The service adviser didn't even mention having the brakes done. The only non-free item he even mentioned was the cabin filter, but it was up to me.

Unless you're driving regularly on dirt roads, I can't see even considering changing brake fluid before 30K.

 

[ebill3]

Unless you're driving regularly on dirt roads, I can't see even considering changing brake fluid before 30K.

Is drt or grit the primary concern? I don't think so, I believe the concern is water in the fluid, not solid matter.

 

[TomT]

Correct, and copper ions...

Unless you're driving regularly on dirt roads, I can't see even considering changing brake fluid before 30K.

Is drt or grit the primary concern? I don't think so, I believe the concern is water in the fluid, not solid matter.

 

[Deleted member 3147]

So what would make the Leaf break system more selectable to water/copper contamination than any other modern car?

 

[planet4ever]

So what would make the Leaf break system more selectable to water/copper contamination than any other modern car?

By a strange coincidence I looked at the "Click & Clack" column in the newspaper this morning, and Tom and Ray Magliozzi said:

You don't say what kind of car you have, but most manufacturers now recommend flushing and replacing the brake fluid at regular intervals -- often every two years or 30,000 miles.

Brake fluid absorbs any moisture that gets into the brake system, and it holds that moisture in suspension. But eventually the brake fluid gets to a point where it can't hold any more moisture. And then you're in danger of rusting your brake components from the inside, or having brake fluid that's susceptible to boiling under hard braking conditions.

And as your wise, honest and trustworthy mechanic told you, anti-lock braking system modules are particularly susceptible to moisture. They're also very expensive to replace.

Ray

 

[TomT]

Nothing. It is no different than any other modern vehicle. And all brake fluid in such systems is hygroscopic (absorbs moisture)... Every two to three years is more than sufficient.

So what would make the Leaf break system more selectable to water/copper contamination than any other modern car?

 

[mwalsh]

The ABS module in the LEAF is a very expensive part. Cheap-out on the fluid exchange at year two (even if you feel it unnecessary) and you might find yourself with a denied warranty claim if anything happens to it.

 

[TomT]

It's no different than the ABS module in most every other vehicle, none of which require a fluid change any earlier than three years at the minimum... It is simply profit margin for the dealer. I plan to do mine at the two year mark which is mid-lease for me and I still think excessively early.

Be sure to shop around too. Charges for the fluid change can run from as little as $89 to over $200...

The ABS module in the LEAF is a very expensive part. Cheap-out on the fluid exchange at year two (even if you feel it unnecessary) and you might find yourself with a denied warranty claim if anything happens to it.

 

[smkettner]

In 18 months and 24,000 miles I have done the free battery check and software updates at the dealer and rotated the tires once myself. Nothing else.
I bet there are plenty that do little to nothing as far as maintenance for the first 5, even 10 years.

 

[Nubo]

I'd equate a 2-year brake fluid replacement with the proverbial 3000-mile oil change. Somewhat cautious, but cheap insurance. A one year flush would be like a 1500-mile oil change-- kind of silly, imo, unless you have particularly unusual and extreme situation, like the car has been submerged, etc...

As others have mentioned, test strips are available if you want to know the true condition of the fluid.

At the other extreme, I have worked on vehicles that went a decade or more without a brake fluid change. This is why parts stores do a brisk business in rebuilt calipers and master-cylinders. There is a thing called "mechanical empathy". If you have it, you get a little twinge when you go to flush a brake system and the fluid comes out cloudy and rust-colored. :|

 

[Luft]

I had the one year battery check done a few weeks ago. The dealer told me that it was free under warranty but that they like to do a one year maintenance on vehicles at a cost of $225.00. I asked what they would do and was told that they would check all the hoses and tighten all of the belts. I declined. :lol:

 

[ebill3]

I had the one year battery check done a few weeks ago. The dealer told me that it was free under warranty but that they like to do a one year maintenance on vehicles at a cost of $225.00. I asked what they would do and was told that they would check all the hoses and tighten all of the belts. I declined. :lol:

Wow! Care to list the dealer?

I'll bet a lot of folks get talked (scared?) into it. What a shame.

Puyallup Nissan did the check and software update gratis and never suggested anything additional, as I had rotated the tires.

 

[Luft]

I had the one year battery check done a few weeks ago. The dealer told me that it was free under warranty but that they like to do a one year maintenance on vehicles at a cost of $225.00. I asked what they would do and was told that they would check all the hoses and tighten all of the belts. I declined. :lol:

Wow! Care to list the dealer?

I'll bet a lot of folks get talked (scared?) into it. What a shame.

Puyallup Nissan did the check and software update gratis and never suggested anything additional, as I had rotated the tires.

It was Olympia Nissan. I told the woman that being an electric vehicle that it didn't really have many hoses and belts that needed checking.

My car is approaching 15,000 miles so it will require maintenance soon but as I understand it the cabin filter is the only part that needs be replaced. The remainder of the maintenance is inspecting various things like the brakes, brake lines, reduction gear oil, etc. I'll have to call and see what they would charge me. If it's too much I'll take my LEAF to Auburn for the maintenance.

 

[ryanmccune]

So it pays to do your research... Today I went to Auburn Nissan to get my car serviced with the only real reason being that I knew that battery check was required for warranty. I am just over 12k miles and 1 year. I was surprised when the service person told me that the only way to get the mandatory battery check performed was through the 1 year / 15k mile recommended service (tire rotation, filter change, brake fluid, etc.). I questioned her at that point but didn't have docs or have time to do the research in the lobby. $200 later...

I'm disappointed in them. Hopefully others with a bit more time will take a lesson from my lack of diligence and avoid the most expensive tire rotation ever.