Oil changes on the Leaf.

Just wondering how many of you have had a similar experience. Shortly after buying my Leaf, I got a coupon in the mail from my dealer for a free oil-change, encouraging me to come visit them for all of my maintenance needs on my 2011 Nissan Leaf. Obviously in this case it was probably mailed by a computer system that has not been updated to include electric vehicles.

But then a few weeks later I actually got a call from somebody at the dealership also asking me to bring my "2011 Nissan Leaf" in for its first free oil change. I asked the lady if she realized it was an electric car. She didn't seem to understand what I was talking about. After a bit of explaining, she reluctantly admitted a mistake and hung up.

I wonder how long this type of thing will go on.

One of the dealerships here is planning on charging MSRP + $1000 for their Platinum Service which primarily includes free oil changes for the life of the car.

I also got the oil change coupon from my Tucson dealership. I had a scheduled vehicle check yesterday, at 3000 miles. I took the coupon with me. I thanked the general manager for the coupon and his reaction was, "Oops!". He put someone in charge of reworking the computer generated mailing of the coupons. I asked him if I could use it for something else and he said they would make good on the coupon. The mechanic came out from the service area and said there was nothing for them to do to my LEAF since its software had already been updated a couple months ago. He said to bring it in at 6,000 miles for tire rotation, but there would be very little for them to do on it. I think the 3,000 maintenance appointment was also set up automatically like it is for their new ICE vehicles. It was good to hear about the many LEAF deliveries they have had. They had two more LEAFs in the parking lot ready to be delivered to their owners that day.

I would go to the dealer, ask them how much an oil change is, and then ask for that amount of money in the form of a refund. If they offer that service 'free' for an ICE purchase, the dealer obviously has that small price-point built into the sale price of the car. If they sent you a coupon, they obviously have built in a 'free oil-change price' into the sale of a car that doesn't need it and, well, that's BS and I'd want that money back.

Good luck with that, though.

Yeah I got an email this morning from Santa Monica Nissan, saying to bring my Leaf in for its "3750 mile service." What a crock even for ICEs! When I drove my 04 Matrix, the service manual recommended service every 7500 miles.

rnkepler said:

One of the dealerships here is planning on charging MSRP + $1000 for their Platinum Service which primarily includes free oil changes for the life of the car.

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Ha ha... It was a real challeng getting our software to exclude the Leaf from our regular service follow up campaign. Seemed like a simple request, but proved not to be. At last I think we have it worked our so our reminders match the service schedule that's in the maintence book. Be patient with these dealers as many of them won't be selling as many Leaf's so quickly and won't realize the need to modify their automated follow systems.

Yes, I got message with them telling me to come in for my oil change...then half way through the speech, I hear..."Oh, never mind, you have a LEAF". The funny thing is that on all the email reminders it tells me I purchased a 350Z.

I just got this from Nissan on my email. My actual mileage as of today is 10,689. Carwings must think I have 13,000+

You've driven 13,201 miles in your Nissan LEAF since you took delivery. That's a lot of time exploring what life is like behind the wheel of a 100% electric vehicle. It's also time to head to your Nissan dealer for your 15,000-Mile service visit. While minimal maintenance is one of the best reasons for owning a Nissan LEAF, there are a few essential maintenance services that should be completed to make sure your vehicle offers optimal performance, safety and reliability.

In addition to a complete inspection, NISSAN OF VALENCIA will run a diagnostic check on your EV battery and provide you with an EV Battery Usage Report. This is an essential warranty requirement for your EV battery. It's the single most important maintenance service on your Nissan LEAF and is provided to you at no charge.

Come in for your 15,000-Mile
service and NISSAN OF VALENCIA will:

- Provide a comprehensive complimentary EV
Battery Usage Report
- Replace brake fluid
- Replace in-cabin microfilter
- Rotate tires

Inspect the following:

- Axle and suspension
- Brake lines and cables
- Brake pads and rotors
- Charging port
- Drive shaft boots
- Front suspension ball joints
- Reduction gear oil
- Steering gear and linkage
- Steering linkage ball joints

mossyleaf said:

rnkepler said:

One of the dealerships here is planning on charging MSRP + $1000 for their Platinum Service which primarily includes free oil changes for the life of the car.

Click to expand...

Ha ha... It was a real challeng getting our software to exclude the Leaf from our regular service follow up campaign. Seemed like a simple request, but proved not to be. At last I think we have it worked our so our reminders match the service schedule that's in the maintence book. Be patient with these dealers as many of them won't be selling as many Leaf's so quickly and won't realize the need to modify their automated follow systems.

Click to expand...

Hey, Leon @ Mossy KM personally promised me "free oil & filter changes" for the life of my Leaf, when I picked it up today.

Whatta guy!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

derkraut said:

Hey, Leon @ Mossy KM personally promised me "free oil & filter changes" for the life of my Leaf, when I picked it up today.

Whatta guy!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

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Hey, congrats! Nice meeting you yesterday. Can't wait for your "I got my LEAF" post, I'm dying to know whether your red one came in or you pulled the swap for the white one.

malloryk said:

Yeah I got an email this morning from Santa Monica Nissan, saying to bring my Leaf in for its "3750 mile service." What a crock even for ICEs! When I drove my 04 Matrix, the service manual recommended service every 7500 miles.

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Several of the synthetic blends modernly are good for 10K miles too.

derkraut said:

mossyleaf said:

rnkepler said:

One of the dealerships here is planning on charging MSRP + $1000 for their Platinum Service which primarily includes free oil changes for the life of the car.

Click to expand...

Ha ha... It was a real challeng getting our software to exclude the Leaf from our regular service follow up campaign. Seemed like a simple request, but proved not to be. At last I think we have it worked our so our reminders match the service schedule that's in the maintence book. Be patient with these dealers as many of them won't be selling as many Leaf's so quickly and won't realize the need to modify their automated follow systems.

Click to expand...

Hey, Leon @ Mossy KM personally promised me "free oil & filter changes" for the life of my Leaf, when I picked it up today.

Whatta guy!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Click to expand...

Yeah, but he told me that was only after you bought Mossy's extended warranty on the exhaust system :lol:

When I picked up my Leaf I noticed they had put one of those "remember your oil change at 3000 miles or xx date" on the upper left portion of my windshield.

tzzhc4 said:

When I picked up my Leaf I noticed they had put one of those "remember your oil change at 3000 miles or xx date" on the upper left portion of my windshield.

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That is bad PR for an ICE let alone for LEAF. :roll:
At least use the interval mentioned in the owner's manual.

Well, at least they got the basic service requirements right. Though, I must say that a brake fluid change at one year or 12,000 miles is silly and wasteful. Two years or 24,000 is more than plenty. Unless you are in a very dirty environment, that is probably true for the cabin filter too...

hobbyguy said:

I just got this from Nissan on my email. My actual mileage as of today is 10,689. Carwings must think I have 13,000+

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Brake fluid at 12,000 miles? That's odd. Why the accelerated schedule?

Frankly, dealer profit is the only thing that comes to mind... Every other car I have ever owned has always been two to four years..

GroundLoop said:

Brake fluid at 12,000 miles? That's odd. Why the accelerated schedule?

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GroundLoop said:

Why the accelerated schedule?

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Money?

mogur said:

Frankly, dealer profit is the only thing that comes to mind... Every other car I have ever owned has always been two to four years..

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Agreed, the Leaf service schedule seems tied to inspecting batteries (research for Nissan) and dealer profit.

I got a postcard in the mail today from a local Nissan dealer differnt from the one where I bought my Leaf. The postcard said I should consider them for oil changes and service on my "2011 Nissan Leaf". It was obviously some sort of form that gets spit out based on a list of recently sold vehicles. Just gave my wife and I a good chuckle.