Leaf maintenance for leasing

I just leased one 2013 SL Ocean blue for 24 months, love it. But the dealer tried to sell me a package for 4 times service for around $700. Can anyone give me some idea what I should do? The dealer said the scheduled service should be complied with requirements in the user manual. What kind of maintenance I need to do with the Nissan dealer to comply the lease requirement. Anyone leased a leaf and can give me any advice? Really appreciate.

Thanks a lot
MZ

For 24 months all you really need is one annual battery check which is free. Tell the dealer to take a flying leap!

Carlos Ghosn should throw him out of the auto business.

mexy888 said:

I just leased one 2013 SL Ocean blue for 24 months, love it. But the dealer tried to sell me a package for 4 times service for around $700. Can anyone give me some idea what I should do? The dealer said the scheduled service should be complied with requirements in the user manual.

Thanks a lot
MZ

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A pure and simple ripoff: If you go with this dealer's "package", you might as well bend over and have him stick-it-to-ya.

EVs are so maintenance free, and since dealers depend heavily on maintenance for profit, deceptions (scams) are common. Some time ago, someone reported a dealer had a package including changing the gear reduction unit oil, even though it appears that it never needs changing per the maintenance schedule.

As said, do the free battery check - it is required.

You should have the tires rotated every 7500 miles, but it doesn't have to be done by the dealer - it's just to keep the wear even. You *might* want a new cabin filter after one year if you live in a dusty or otherwise dirty area, but you can do it yourself if the dealer wants too much. There is a brake inspection mentioned, but it can be done by any mechanic, and probably also by you, if you know how. Don't forget to top off the washer fluid! ;-)

As already mentioned, the only thing you MUST do at a Leaf-certified dealer in order to keep the warranty intact is the annual battery check. It's to be done around the anniversary date of the sale/lease of your Leaf, regardless of mileage. The first two are free, but with a 2 year lease you only need to do one, at around the 1 year mark.

All the other services can be done by any mechanic you choose. You can also do them yourself if you have the skills to do so:

Every 6 months/7500 miles: rotate tires
Every year/15k miles: cabin filter, series of checks/inspections (outlined in the Leaf Maintenance Guide)

Brake fluid is recommended to be flushed every 2 years/30k miles, but by then you would have given back the car, unless you decided to purchase it. Coolant does not need to be changed until 5 years/75k miles.

BTW these ARE the recommendations in the Leaf Maintenance Guide. Do you think it's worth $700? I didn't think so :lol:

I love all the replies. Thank you.

Contrary to what the manual says, to make your tires last longer, Discount Tire may give you a complementary rotation between 5k and 6k miles.

If the $700 package included changing the blinker fluid, you should jump on it. It's expensive to have someone else do it...

I wouldn't bother rotating the tires. As long as they are legal when you turn in the car, you are OK.

Overcharging for a legitimate service is one thing, but these people are either grossly incompetent or criminals. I wouldn't do anything to help them that I didn't have to.

garymelora said:

I wouldn't bother rotating the tires. As long as they are legal when you turn in the car, you are OK.

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Some folks appear to have worn out their Ecopias in only 20k or so miles, so if you want them to last an entire 2 year/24k mile lease interval it's best to baby them as much as possible.

Klayfish said:

If the $700 package included changing the blinker fluid, you should jump on it. It's expensive to have someone else do it...

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No, Klay, it's the headlight fluid that needs to be changed.


Wow, this dealer is either totally clueless or genuinely evil (?), greedy, unscrupulous, yeah that's the word.

Last year I signed a 2-year lease on a '13 Leaf. I've driven an average of 500 miles per month, so after a full year there's less than 6100 miles on the odometer.
After recently receiving a friendly postcard reminding me that my 12-month service is due, I called the dealership and asked what they charge for that service. The answer was $299. So, I said "thank you," consulted this forum, then called them back and made an appointment just for the battery check and tire rotation (I don't mind paying $20 to get it done while I'm there, even though if I checked around I could probably get a free rotation at Goodyear).
WIthin 12 hours I received the following email from the dealership:

Dear "Pointybongo",

Can you believe one year has passed since you took delivery of your Nissan LEAF?
On this first anniversary, I would like to remind you that I'm still very interested in helping you with all of your transportation needs. If you need anything or just have a question, please feel free to give me a call at (xxx) xxx-xxxx or email me at *****@ShadyNissanDealer.com
It will be nice to hear from you again.
Also, this would be a good time to review the warranty provisions on your vehicle. The warranty information will be found in your owners manual.
Again, "Happy Anniversary" and thank you for allowing me to participate in your automotive needs.

Seems to me they're implying that I'm violating the terms of the lease or the warranty by not having the in-cabin microfilter replaced & the brake system flush performed. The warranty is a bit sketchy in that regard:

"As a condition of this warranty, you are responsible for properly using, maintaining and caring for your vehicle as outlined in your OWNER’S MANUAL and your NISSAN LEAF SERVICE & MAINTENANCE GUIDE, and maintaining copies of all maintenance records & receipts for review by Nissan. You are required to perform annual EV Battery Usage Report at intervals of 12 months, 24 months, etc."

I would think that after only 6050 miles, it would be silly to replace the in-cabin microfilter. And I'm guessing that they want to replace the brake fluid as well.
My question is: are there any negative consequences for me (when I return the vehicle at the end of the lease term) if I stick to my guns and refuse to pay for these unnecessary procedures?

Thanks!

No warranty will be invalid for not changing the air filter.
Brake fluid is every 24 months. Manual may say 12 months in severe conditions that will rarely exist for LEAF.

Get the free battery check and tell them you will see them next year.

BTW I would not count on the dealer doing ANY work beyond the free battery check and keeping the $299 as a service/inspection fee.

The only thing that you have to do that is absolutely essential for the warranty is the yearly battery check.

smkettner said:

...I would not count on the dealer doing ANY work beyond the free battery check and keeping the $299 as a service/inspection fee.

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Maybe I'll make a secret little mark on one of the wheels, to see if they actually rotate the tires!


Thanks for the responses!

Do make the mark. I'm pretty sure my dealer didn't rotate mine when I was in there at the 1 year because the tire wear is noticeably different front to back.

At my second year battery check the dealer told me the first battery check was never done :roll:
(different dealers)

smkettner said:

At my second year battery check the dealer told me the first battery check was never done :roll:
(different dealers)

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That's why it's important to either get (and keep) the 5-star report or a service order showing that's what you took the car in for, even if they didn't do it.