What DIDN'T you know when you took your Leaf home?

[KayserNissan]

Just kind of curious, either while you were doing your research, when you ordered your Leaf, or what the dealer neglected to tell you.

Wondering so as to better assist folks who pick them up, questions people didn't think to ask, or things people didn't consider looking at.

Thanks!

 

[kubel]

• Carwings supports RSS feeds (not implemented very well though).
• How the skip timer button works.
• How the timer is set.
• Lights auto-turn off.
• 12V cigarette lighter turns off when the car is turned off.
• How well 120V trickle charging is working out as a temporary measure while I wait for my L2 EVSE, despite commuting 60 miles per day.
• How archaic, primitive, rough, and unpleasant gas cars are to drive or even be around.

 

[DesertDenizen]

• Carwings supports RSS feeds (not implemented very well though).
• How the skip timer button works.
• How the timer is set.
• Lights auto-turn off.
• 12V cigarette lighter turns off when the car is turned off.
• How well 120V trickle charging is working out as a temporary measure while I wait for my L2 EVSE, despite commuting 60 miles per day.
• How archaic, primitive, rough, and unpleasant gas cars are to drive or even be around.

All of that, except the one on trickle charging which I have never used, plus how quick off the mark it is. And most prominently how it changed my driving style. With the feedback on energy use I have become a much more conservative driver, with concomitant enhanced sense of equanimity.

 

[caffeinekid]

Where to get the right seat covers. Seat covers are pretty much essential if you have children and/or a type-B spouse. :twisted: I am pretty sure Nissan offers no remedy for their too-light interior.

 

[DesertDenizen]

Where to get the right seat covers. Seat covers are pretty much essential if you have children and/or a type-B spouse. :twisted: I am pretty sure Nissan offers no remedy for their too-light interior.

+1

 

[Stoaty]

I didn't know how to get fan only (no heat) when the temperature is less than 60 degrees. Of course, I still don't know how to do it with the stock Leaf, because it can't be done. You have to purchase Ingineers modification.

 

[KJD]

Just kind of curious, either while you were doing your research, when you ordered your Leaf, or what the dealer neglected to tell you.

Leaving the car sit at 100% state of charge (SOC) is very bad.

The charge timer should be set with an "End Time" only (no start time) and it should be set at 80% for long battery life.

 

[N1ghtrider]

I didn't know how to get fan only (no heat) when the temperature is less than 60 degrees. Of course, I still don't know how to do it with the stock Leaf, because it can't be done. You have to purchase Ingineers modification.

I didn't know that you couldn't use the fan only to cool the interior when it is mild outside.

 

[IBELEAF]

I didn't know that I will be cold most of the time and that with my driving style I will be getting <60 mile range.

 

[KJD]

I didn't know that I will be cold most of the time and that with my driving style I will be getting <60 mile range.

You could always add seat heaters as described here.
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=6810" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[Nubo]

How to get set up with Carwings.

 

[leafkabob]

That if you live in a hot climate it won't matter how gently you treat your battery - you will lose battery capacity at an alarming rate. Which is normal. Unless you live in NorCal or PacNW, in which case it is normal for you to lose only negligible capacity. And if you live in Norway you will gain capacity. :shock:

 

[fooljoe]

I didn't know that this site existed or that there were better, cheaper EVSE options than the $2k Aerovironment install (like EVSE upgrade.) I think the best thing a dealer could do for a clueless new Leaf buyer is to point him here.

 

[skippycoyote]

I didn't know that you had to have a membership to use most of the public chargers out there (except for those at dealerships).

 

[RegGuheert]

Just kind of curious, either while you were doing your research, when you ordered your Leaf, or what the dealer neglected to tell you.

Wondering so as to better assist folks who pick them up, questions people didn't think to ask, or things people didn't consider looking at.

Thanks!

Here is another discussion on this forum which might also be of interest to the OP: Any assistance would be appreciated...

To answer the question more directly, here are some things I didn't know, even though our salesperson did a great job covering the vehicle:

- How much battery capacity I will lose over time (and I still don't know!)
- That the warranty on the LEAF begins at the time of purchase OR when the vehicle is put into service, whichever is first (This was an issue for me since I bought a demo vehicle.)
- That our LEAF did not include the cold-weather package (And I still don't know if I will miss it in the wintertime or not.)
- Where to charge the vehicle around here besides home and the Nissan dealer (And I still do not know!)
- That the climate-control system in the LEAF has a mind of its own! (Seriously! That must be the most poorly-engineered piece of the entire vehicle!)
- How to activate the climate-control system remotely or remotely via a timer (I'm still figuring that out. My attempt to use the remote timer this weekend did not seem to work.)
- That you should not charge to 100% and let the car sit like that
- How to set the charging timers
- How to raise and lower the drivers seat (It's not great, but it's something!)
- That the carpeting in the LEAF is not carpeting (I'm not even sure what I should call it!)
- Where the best place to buy Nissan accessories was (Amazingly, it was at my dealership!)
- That most of the built-in EVSEs available today seem to still have bugs or reliability issues yet to be worked out.
- That the Panasonic EVSE that comes with the LEAF is one of the best-made units on the market
- That I could get the Panasonic EVSE that came with the car upgraded to 240 VAC and that the upgraded unit will charge the LEAF just as fast as any other EVSE (This will not be true for a 2013 LEAF with the 6.6-kW charger.)
- That the charger in the LEAF would create electrical noise which would disrupt the powerline communications between our solar panels and their internet gateway (Since resolved thanks to help from members here!)

There are a LOT more things that I didn't know but that I learned from reading this forum!

 

[Stanton]

A couple of these are repeats, but I get asked them all the time by people looking at my Leaf:
1) There are MANY alternatives to the $2k+ AE charger (the only people that know about the EVSE upgrade are on this forum)
2) Set a daily morning (or whenever they go to work) END timer (only) to 80% and forget-about-it (OK, maybe not for weekends). Don't worry about all sorts of external timers/devices.
3) Make sure CarWings is working and give them an online tutorial BEFORE they drive off: otherwise they'll never be able to remote do ANYTHING (and they'll never know the value of CW).

 

[kolmstead]

That my dealer could re-program the car so that the doors unlock when I put the LEAF in park.

 

[SanDust]

That Nissan recommends charging only to 80%.

 

[EricBayArea]

Leaving the car sit at 100% state of charge (SOC) is very bad.

The charge timer should be set with an "End Time" only (no start time) and it should be set at 80% for long battery life.

+1

Also...
-They aren't called "chargers" they are called "EVSE's".
-The always-quoted "7-8 hours to charge the battery on a L2 EVSE" is bogus unless you run the battery to turtle and then back to 100%. Most of the time I'm charging for 2 to 4 hours.
-Using the "End Time" typically causes my car to be done charging 45min to 1hr early when using L2.
-The heater uses A LOT of juice
-I use my aftermarket seat heaters more than I thought I would
-The cabin gets fogged up in the winter very easily but,
-The AC in the LEAF is AMAZINGLY great
-Public Blink chargers are extremely unreliable (my home one is very reliable)
-Ecotality's claim of having upwards of 10 L3 QCs in the Bay Area by the end of 2012 was a pipe dream
-Took me a while to figure out how to turn out outside air up top without AC (from Off, press Mode to change to face - the air will start flowing)

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

1) the much better than expected battery pack degradation rate...(since i have yet to see it)

but the thing that really gets me is the forced climate control. EVERY car i have ever owned had a plain fan option. i live in a climate where this is one of the most important features of a car. about 6 months of the year we have temps in the low 50's where radiant heat causes the car to be way to warm and circulating unconditioned outside air is a MUST.