Most common LEAF service issue in first 3 yrs

[indyflick]

With the 1000's of EVs which have been on the road over the last decade you would think there would be empirical data available regarding typical maintenance items and service issue. I recall the GM mechanic in "Who Killed the Electric Car" mentioned he basically just toped off fluids, rotated tires, and sent them back on the road.

 

[jfsquires]

When I got a look at a Leaf at the Portland Marathon Expo last weekend, I remember seeing two (or maybe three) filler caps. I know the inverter is water-cooled. What other fluids need attention? Brake fluid probably. But the filler caps looked to be metal, which suggests they are under pressure.

 

[SilverLeaf]

I am pretty sure the most common LEAF service issue will be

"One of the folks on the MyNissanLEAF Forum got this really cool pedestrian sound update"

The most common tech reply will be

"Sorry, but that update is only available on a Cayenne Red eTec LEAF"

 

[Dav]

With the 1000's of EVs which have been on the road over the last decade you would think there would be empirical data available regarding typical maintenance items and service issue. I recall the GM mechanic in "Who Killed the Electric Car" mentioned he basically just toped off fluids, rotated tires, and sent them back on the road.

indyflick, there is such empirical data available. Just nobody posting it here. Besides the normal fluids and tire rotation, there were 5 things that happened to some RAVs.

1) Aux battery not strong enough - caused lots of phantom problems.
2) Air conditioner/heat exchanger - vibrated a lot, or needed topping up
3) CV Joints (approximately) - car would squeak cornering if boots corroded and spline shaft lost lube
4) Charge capacitor - lots of juice, they could simply fry
5) Charge port fan - could clog or fail, port would overheat and stop, but only intermittently

much less common
charger failure
loose connections in electric panel - causing overheating or sag so charging stops

 

[Nubo]

My guess would be computer/software glitches.

 

[Jimmydreams]

You're all wrong...


The most common service issue for the first 3 years will be trying to wipe the smile off the driver's face!

:lol:
(ok, it wasn't THAT funny. Back to your regularly scheduled thread)

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

there is actually tons of data for other EV's, but what of it? there are a ton of EV owners at priuschat, greendrive, EVowner, etc. they post stuff all the time, but how much of the experience in a RAV 4 EV can we equate? its a different car and even if it had the same battery technology which it doesnt, it would still have different charge management, different vehicle weight, Cd of drag, like it would be different every thing.

unlike gas the common denominator in cars that really vary very little, charge is not the same as it varies from battery to battery, system to system, etc.

 

[mark13]

Hmmm after thinking this over for a full second..I say the body shop stays buisy because the Leaf will be so quiet that people will walk into it while your driving in the parking lot or the driver will fall a sleep @ the wheel :shock:

I actually think it will be the car batteries lasting more then 5 years in Phx AZ..

 

[daniel]

I've been driving a Zap Xebra EV for 3 or 4 years now. This is not a well-designed or well-constructed car, but even so, once the minor fixes relating to poor construction were taken care of, and I had replaced the original battery pack which I ruined because in those days we didn't understand battery maintenance, there's been no maintenance other than greasing the one zirt.

Nissan is an established company (unlike the Chinese maker of the Xebra) and the battery pack will have built-in protections, which my Xebra does not have.

So the most common maintenance will be whatever is required as routine. The most common repair will be damage from accidents. The most common complaints will be comfort and layout issues: Someone thinks the seat should be different, or the cup holders should be in a different place or the shift lever should have been implemented differently, etc.

I'm pissed at Nissan over the ordering fiasco, but the car will be solid and will require no maintenance, and in the absence of an engine, there will be about 5% as many manufacturing defects as in a comparable stinker.

 

[TRONZ]

:arrow: When gas hits $8.00 a gallon... keeping it from being stolen :!:

 

[EVDRIVER]

Got my LEAF the other day, the heater does not work at all, looks like the pump may be dead.

 

[kolmstead]

EV: at the risk of hijacking this thread, I take it you're seeing power consumed by heater, but no heat coming out of vents?

Back on topic: After my experience this morning, I expect a common problem to be that EVSE faults off and car won't charge. That'll make the car useless rather quickly. I was lucky; the battery charged before the failure. Fault probably occurred when the EVSE came back on during the preheat. No idea why.

-Karl

 

[EVDRIVER]

No power consumed at full heat, looks like a bad pump and that shuts the heat core off.

 

[kolmstead]

Could be. Especially if you monitor power right as you turn heat on, and see 5 kW, dropping almost immediately to zero. I guess you're still mainly in the heating season; I used heat this morning and A/C this afternoon...

I think wind noise, squeaks and rattles will be big service items. Personally, I think that side windows don't seal that well; I hear wind noise from both front windows.

-Karl

 

[AndyH]

Got my LEAF the other day, the heater does not work at all, looks like the pump may be dead.

BS.

 

[palmermd]

Got my LEAF the other day, the heater does not work at all, looks like the pump may be dead.

BS.

Why? Just because the one outspoken critic of the liquid based heating system gets delivered a car that has a broken pump. I find it ironic, but I have no reason to disbelieve him.

 

[AndyH]

Got my LEAF the other day, the heater does not work at all, looks like the pump may be dead.

BS.

Why? Just because the one outspoken critic of the liquid based heating system gets delivered a car that has a broken pump. I find it ironic, but I have no reason to disbelieve him.

The irony is screaming - absolutely. Add to that a number of 'this just in from left field' posts missing winks, pink text, and [sarcasm] tags...

I figure if it was real there'd be some heartfelt complaining and some "I told you so"s rather than just an off-handed comment.

I could be wrong, though -- Fess up, EVDRIVER -- que paso?

 

[EVDRIVER]

Andy, would you like to make a bet on it? How about dinner in SF or in your town if I lose? As I have said all along the are some things on the car I don't think are up to snuff and what do you know, no heat on day one. 50/50 chance I am joking right, and when have I ever joked on anything that was not clearly absurd or sarcastic that most could figure it out immediately?

Well- how about that bet?

 

[TomT]

I had something like that almost happen to me yesterday. I was heading up a fairly steep hill at about 20 and a cyclist on the right of the road suddenly turned left right in front of me. Apparently he had decided to serpentine up the road. Since it was a steep uphill, I was able to stop very quickly but the look on his face said it all: He had no idea there was a car there. When I came back down about ten minutes later, he was walking the bike up the hill...

Hmmm after thinking this over for a full second..I say the body shop stays buisy because the Leaf will be so quiet that people will walk into it while your driving in the parking lot.

 

[AndyH]

Andy, would you like to make a bet on it? How about dinner in SF or in your town if I lose? As I have said all along the are some things on the car I don't think are up to snuff and what do you know, no heat on day one. 50/50 chance I am joking right, and when have I ever joked on anything that was not clearly absurd or sarcastic that most could figure it out immediately?

Well- how about that bet?

Are you really asking me to believe that Nissan - in a window of hyper-QC - would release a car with a problem severe enough to set one of five diagnostic trouble codes?

It's possible, but the probability is so amazingly low - even without going into a karma or law of attraction tangent.