Please help, How to check the Condition of the battery?

[allsold]

Hello all of the experts, I'm interested to buy a used Leaf and wondering how to check the condition of the battery? Someone mention the GID meter, but I don't want to invest too much before purchase, I have an android tablet, android phone, Iphone 4, OBD II adapter for Bluetooth connection, and wondering is it able to find out the condition of the LEAF battery?

Thanks in advance~!

 

[TomT]

Get the Bluetooth Android battery app discussed elsewhere on this forum.

Hello all of the experts, I'm interested to buy a used Leaf and wondering how to check the condition of the battery? Someone mention the GID meter, but I don't want to invest too much before purchase, I have an android tablet, android phone, Iphone 4, OBD II adapter for Bluetooth connection, and wondering is it able to find out the condition of the LEAF battery?

 

[Stoaty]

Get the Bluetooth Android battery app discussed elsewhere on this forum.

The app is discussed further in the link in my signature.

 

[keydiver]

If your adapter isn't compatible with the Leaf Battery App, look for the thread on the ELM327 dongle that plugs into your OBDII port. It will have links to the ones that are known to work on Amazon.com. http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=12785&start=40" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I believe this is the one I bought: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008U1MOM8/?tag=myelecarfor-20&/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Where are you located? Maybe a fellow Leaf owner with the App can check it for you.

 

[Boomer23]

But the problem is that a reading taken on a new LEAF with any of these devices can be wildly misleading because the car is new and its charging history is unknown. With the 2013 and 2014 cars, some new buyers have seen alarmingly low Gid and AH readings on Gidmeters and LeafSpy app. The buyers get quite alarmed and worried, but the Gid readings tend to climb after several battery charge cycles from low SOC to 100%. In the case of my 2013 car and others that have been reported here, careful range tests have shown that the battery condition and capacity were fine, even though the Gids and Amp Hours never rose to the same levels as with other new LEAFs.

So, unlike the 2011 and 2012 cars, whose Gid readings at 100% were quite a reliable indicator or capacity, there now appears to be significant variability in the readings that new LEAFs show on these meters, in spite of having battery packs that are in good condition.

Nissan's definition of a perfectly good battery is one that passes their own tests, and those have nothing to do with Gids or any other reading on a LeafSpy, so it is very likely that every new car you'll see will pass Nissan's own tests with flying colors.

I don't have a good solution for you, I'm afraid. You can get a meter or an app and go through every available LEAF on the lot and take the one that has the highest readings. You can explain Gids and Amp Hours to the dealer and see if he'll write into your contract that you can return the car if it doesn't show certain readings after you've had a chance to charge cycle the car a few times, but I doubt that most dealers will know what you're talking about or go along with something like this, at least I've never heard of one doing that. You can try to require that the car is capable of at least 85 miles of range from 100% to Turtle at a steady 62 mph on flat ground, but again, a dealer won't likely go along with guaranteeing that.

The best thing I can tell you is that everyone that has reported low initial Gid or AH readings on this forum has found out fairly soon that there was nothing to worry about. Either their driving range showed full expected capacity (which is tricky to determine because of temperatures, hills and driving enthusiasm), or their Gid readings climbed within a few weeks.

 

[surfingslovak]

I don't have a good solution for you, I'm afraid. You can get a meter or an app and go through every available LEAF on the lot and take the one that has the highest readings.

Phil, these are all excellent points, but wan't the OP looking to buy a used LEAF? That could change the perspective a bit.

Allsold, please have a look at this following Wiki write-up, which Stoaty mentioned above. On your Android device, look for the free version of LeafSpy in the Google Play Store. Get an ELM 327 device from Amazon or some other retailer, and try to pair it with your device. Then find a LEAF to see if it all works. If you had questions about the readings you are getting, you might want come back here and discuss.

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/wiki/index.php?title=Leaf_Battery_Application" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[allsold]

Thanks for all of your valuable information. For my understanding, the leaf battery might becomes end of life after 8 years, what should I do if I wanted to keep the leaf for maybe 15 years? I might ended up facing a huge sum of money to get the battery replaced?

 

[WetEV]

Thanks for all of your valuable information. For my understanding, the leaf battery might becomes end of life after 8 years, what should I do if I wanted to keep the leaf for maybe 15 years? I might ended up facing a huge sum of money to get the battery replaced?

The future is unknown.

Nissan isn't selling replacement batteries yet. There are several fairly good reasons, one of which is there are only a few Leafs off warranty. Will Nissan sell batteries in the future? Or rent them? Unknown details abound.

End of life doesn't mean that you must stop using it. There may quite a bit of life below the standard "End Of Life" of 70%. At least there is with some batteries. Unknown.

The best guide to this is experience. The problem is that there is too much new stuff with no experience. If you need only a short daily range, you might be able to continue using the original battery for the full 15 years. Or not. If Nissan and others gets the battery manufacturing stuff working well, a new battery pack might be reasonable. Or not.

 

[adric22]

Hello all of the experts, I'm interested to buy a used Leaf and wondering how to check the condition of the battery? Someone mention the GID meter, but I don't want to invest too much before purchase, I have an android tablet, android phone, Iphone 4, OBD II adapter for Bluetooth connection, and wondering is it able to find out the condition of the LEAF battery?

Just in case nobody has mentioned it to you yet. The first and easiest thing to do is look at the instrument display when the car is powered on. There is actually a battery state-of-health gauge on the dash. See #14 in photo below:

At first glance, the capacity bars appear to be just markers to help you keep track of your state-of-charge bars, but those little tick marks begin to disappear over time. A new Leaf will have 12 bars. Most used Leafs will have lost 1 or 2 bars already. If it looses more than 4 while the car has less than 60,000 miles on it, Nissan will replace the battery.

 

[Boomer23]

I don't have a good solution for you, I'm afraid. You can get a meter or an app and go through every available LEAF on the lot and take the one that has the highest readings.

Phil, these are all excellent points, but wan't the OP looking to buy a used LEAF? That could change the perspective a bit.

Allsold, please have a look at this following Wiki write-up, which Stoaty mentioned above. On your Android device, look for the free version of LeafSpy in the Google Play Store. Get an ELM 327 device from Amazon or some other retailer, and try to pair it with your device. Then find a LEAF to see if it all works. If you had questions about the readings you are getting, you might want come back here and discuss.

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/wiki/index.php?title=Leaf_Battery_Application" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You're right, I missed that.

However, even with a used 2013 (or even a 2014 when used ones are available), the readings may not be as useful as one would think. My 2013 Amp Hour readings hover around 60, while those of other new LEAFs are much higher. Given that reading, one might reject my car as a used car to buy, but in reality, the pack isn't degraded (at least not as much as the AH would indicate).

 

[Reddy]

Thanks for all of your valuable information. For my understanding, the leaf battery might becomes end of life after 8 years, what should I do if I wanted to keep the leaf for maybe 15 years? I might ended up facing a huge sum of money to get the battery replaced?

Wait a minute. If you plan to keep for that long, you'd better plan on useable range of 20 mi in the winter and 40 mi in the summer. Also, this depends on your location (please include general area). As others have said, Nissan hasn't been willing to "sell" a new battery, only "lease" one for $100/mo, taking your old one in the process and only guaranteeing the new one to more than "8 bars". Don't get me wrong, I bought for the long-term, but I have those end points in mind. Most of my in-town trips can be made in less than 10 miles. It may not be enjoyable having to charge to 100% just to drive 10-20 miles in 2025, but it will still be cheaper and more fun than driving my old gas car.