Please Help

I took my 2011 leaf to get serviced was told the 12 volt battery needed to be replaced after this i was told i had a $380 charge because after changing the 12 volt battery they had to reprogram the computer because it lost power.

Is this correct / normal ? should they not have taken measures to insure the computer did not loos its program when doing a simple 12 volt battery change out.

I also told them my main battery is down to 8 bars and asked if it could be replaced as i purchased an extended warranty. they told me that it does not cover normal ware and would only replace a faulty battery not an old one.

I feel like they are either taking advantage of me or they themselves do not know what they are doing.

Please help

if you did not get that estimate in writing BEFORE they performed the service, then simply don't pay it. Call your State AG and post your experience on every social media site you are a member of...

You were cheated. The 12-volt battery going completely dead or being disconnected will set a bunch of error codes, but it will not cause the computers to lose their programs. The error codes can be reset with Leaf Spy Pro for those replacing their own 12-volt batteries. The dealer reads and resets the codes with Consult and that should be part of the nominal installation fee for the new battery. Assuming you live in USA, the traction battery warranty is 5 years or 60,000 miles for capacity (replacement at 8 bars) and 8 years or 100,000 miles for defects. Calendar clock starts when vehicle was first placed into service (generally original purchase or lease date).

Gerry

Thank you..

I figured as much i unfortunately already paid the bill in order to get my car back.

but they state the main battery is not eligible for replacement even although it is on 8 bars and i purchased an extended warranty from them at time of purchase.

I am just tying to get all my facts together before contacting them to discuss what they will do to make this all right.

At this point i think they will surly correct the error they made in charging me. I have no way to know that the 12 volt battery was in fact defective only there word that it was i authorized over the phone to have the 12 volt battery replaced thinking it would be no more than $100 or so max. I was shocked as to the final bill but they said the reprogram of the computer was the reason and this is normal for electric cars.

aboyce64 said:

Thank you..

I figured as much i unfortunately already paid the bill in order to get my car back.

but they state the main battery is not eligible for replacement even although it is on 8 bars and i purchased an extended warranty from them at time of purchase.

I am just tying to get all my facts together before contacting them to discuss what they will do to make this all right.

At this point i think they will surly correct the error they made in charging me. I have no way to know that the 12 volt battery was in fact defective only there word that it was i authorized over the phone to have the 12 volt battery replaced thinking it would be no more than $100 or so max. I was shocked as to the final bill but they said the reprogram of the computer was the reason and this is normal for electric cars.

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paying the bill has nothing to do with whether they can charge you. In WA they must give you a written estimate of repairs before they can bill you a dime. Did they do that?

Also if something comes up that was unexpected and significantly changes the cost, it must be run by you before they can fix it. Did they do that?

To me it sounds like they went to replace the battery, did something wrong that required the extra charge and simply passed it on to you. a TON of people have had their batteries replaced and no one has reported this extra fee

Your profile show the delivery date as October 16, 2011, but the VIN is about 3000 lower than my 2011 which I purchased June 12, 2011. If the original in service date is October 16, 2011, then you just got it to the dealer in time for the battery warranty (assuming it has less than 60,000 miles. Make sure your paperwork documents that you expressed concern about the traction battery.

Gerry

Yeah i purchased it used so i do not know the original delivery date. i believe it is outside the factory warranty but when i purchased it one year ago i was sold an extended warrantee which is suppose to cover the battery. However I have a sinking feeling they sold me a standard extended warrantee plan that you would get on a regular car. I did ask them at the time and was told that it would be covered by this plan.

Ouch... :?

Yeah i purchased it used so i do not know the original delivery date.

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Nissan can provide you with the in service date given the VIN. Call them now! Anyone have the number?

aboyce64 said:

Yeah i purchased it used so i do not know the original delivery date. i believe it is outside the factory warranty but when i purchased it one year ago i was sold an extended warrantee which is suppose to cover the battery. However I have a sinking feeling they sold me a standard extended warrantee plan that you would get on a regular car. I did ask them at the time and was told that it would be covered by this plan.

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I have the extended warranty from Nissan. It is an exclusion warranty and one thing that is excluded from that warranty is the LI-ion battery.

That was no big deal, since the warranty for the LI-ion battery which came with the car standard covers the battery for 8 years or 100,000 miles. But that warranty excludes gradual capacity loss. The warranty for capacity loss was added later, but it only extends for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Like you and others, based on your low VIN, I suspect your capacity loss has expired on time.

If your LEAF can meet your driving needs, then I recommend you continue driving it. Otherwise, you should know that you can purchase a new replacement LI-ion battery from a Nissan dealer with a 5-year, 60,000-mile capacity warranty. The price SHOULD be about $6000.00, but you may have to shop around to find a dealer who will not try to charge you significantly more.

Best wishes and welcome to the forum!

I have a record that shows this car being orphaned....the original owner cancelled the order, so the car went to the dealer and was probably snapped up shortly thereafter (but I have no way of knowing). That happened on 4/5/2011. If my info is correct, your car is white.

Also, I replaced my 12V last spring. Removed it, took it into the store (to compare sizes), and once I got the new one, took it outside and installed it. I think I had to re-set the timers and the clock, not much else.

Used to be that a good mechanic would just put a 12 volt alternate power supply on the car, disconnect the negative and then put the positive in an insulated sock after he removed it using an insulated wrench when he swapped in a new battery so settings would not be lost and computers would not have to be reset.

gbarry42 said:

I have a record that shows this car being orphaned....the original owner cancelled the order, so the car went to the dealer and was probably snapped up shortly thereafter (but I have no way of knowing). That happened on 4/5/2011. If my info is correct, your car is white.

Also, I replaced my 12V last spring. Removed it, took it into the store (to compare sizes), and once I got the new one, took it outside and installed it. I think I had to re-set the timers and the clock, not much else.

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It is white and this is interesting I am going to investigate it further today. Hoping it may have sat for a few months at least till after October in which case they may be required to replace the battery.

This is becoming a good reason for me to either sell it now and honestly i do not think electric is a good solution based on this. $6,000 + for a new battery every few years is way to expensive the car is only valued at 8,000 and i have a note on it for around the same so with the battery i am basically upside down around 7,000 on this car after one year.

Learning experience for sure.... thought i was doing a good thing getting all electric but i guess the technology is not quite there yet.

aboyce64 said:

This is becoming a good reason for me to either sell it now and honestly i do not think electric is a good solution based on this. $6,000 + for a new battery every few years is way to expensive the car is only valued at 8,000 and i have a note on it for around the same so with the battery i am basically upside down around 7,000 on this car after one year.

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The battery life issue is largely limited to the first-generation LEAF (2011-2016). I doubt this will be much of an issue with the new battery chemistry (NMC) being used on most new BEVs.

In any case, I am sorry to hear about your issues. To put it lightly, it seems the seller was not overly forthcoming with you. I seriously doubt they would have sold the car if they could have simply claimed a new battery under warranty, but definitely check it out to be sure.

877-664-2738 is the number for EV support at Nissan. You can start a chat window with them at this link.

Yet another reason I avoid Nissan dealerships...

You got ripped off. I replaced my 12volt: put a battery charger on the wires, removed the battery, then put it back together. A breeze.

I have 'unplugged' that battery from the car many times when I was having problems with my display. You just have to reprogram timers, etc; also, remove a fault code. Easy.

I wonder if going to a different dealer might help, vis a vis, your main battery. Needless to say, find a reputable mechanic; stay out of Nissan's repair bays.