One year battery check -> only 4 stars in a category?

[BoulderLeaf]

Hi all,

I just had my 1 year battery check done and I got 5 stars in all categories except for the "Frequent charging when battery state of charge is already high". In that category, I got 4 stars.

This is surprising to me since at my 6 month check, I had 5 stars in all categories. And, from what I've read from folks here is that the battery check is kind of a joke... everyone always gets 5 stars. I still have 12 capacity bars, but haven't check my actual capacity in a while... when I did several months ago using Leaf Spy, I was down about 5%. I'm at just about 16K miles now.

If I had to make a guess, suppose I only got 4 stars in this category since in the winter I use Carwings to remotely turn on the climate control to pre-heat the car while plugged into shore power... and since my 2012 has the inefficient heater and only a 3.6 kW OBC, I easily end up drawing from the battery for the first few minutes before it "catches up" and the battery charges a bit more. I really wish there was a feature like "Pre-heat the car using ONLY power from the charger, no battery", even if it meant the car was pre-heated at reduced capacity. Am I totally off base here? I feel like using Carwings to pre-heat shouldn't penalize me when it comes to battery health.

So, has anyone else received 4 stars on any part of their 1 year battery checkup?

 

[HighDesertDriver]

Several people have had less than 5 stars, usually for circumstances like your's. One was even dinged because of numerous QCs. . . I recall that hey were actually just quick connections during the first year to check out a new QC installation. The car's counter did not distinguish between connections and charging. :roll:

 

[planet4ever]

The battery check is "kind of a joke" in the sense that it doesn't tell you - the owner - anything about the state of the battery. It only dings you on actions that Nissan thinks might be deleterious to battery health. In another sense, though, it is not a joke at all. It includes a dump of a wide variety of counters maintained by the LBC, the computer that controls the battery. That data dump is sent to Nissan, and can be analyzed to determine quite a bit about the state of the battery.

Incidentally, it is called a "battery check", not a "battery test", because it doesn't really run tests to exercise the battery. Its primary purpose is to get that historical data dump.

Ray

 

[BoulderLeaf]

Ah, thanks for the feedback everyone.

I realize that this is a check on the health of the battery rather than a test, but I hadn't really read where others have had anything less than 5 stars in all categories. That surprised me.

I try to take good care of my battery as I purchased my LEAF, so this was a surprise to me.

 

[vsaphill]

Several people have had less than 5 stars, usually for circumstances like your's. One was even dinged because of numerous QCs. . . I recall that hey were actually just quick connections during the first year to check out a new QC installation. The car's counter did not distinguish between connections and charging. :roll:

At my one year check I knew I was going to get dinged for QC connections as I have over 700 QC all from when Andromeda Power used my car for testing there ORCA 50 kW DC charger

 

[Nubo]

It's mainly for Nissan to collect data to better understand how their batteries are working in the field. And maybe occasionally detect the rare instance of abuse. But they're certainly not going to "ding" you in any way for a 4-star result. As for the true health of your battery there are plenty of aftermarket meters and gauges to show you that in great detail if you're interested.

 

[brg2290]

I just passed 12 months on a 2 year lease. Is the battery check mandatory (I'm guessing no)? Is there a charge for the battery check? Just from what I've read here, I sounds like it is of dubious value. And while my car has QC, it has never been used as there are none in the vicinity.

 

[BoulderLeaf]

I just passed 12 months on a 2 year lease. Is the battery check mandatory (I'm guessing no)? Is there a charge for the battery check? Just from what I've read here, I sounds like it is of dubious value. And while my car has QC, it has never been used as there are none in the vicinity.

Yes, they are mandatory, at least at certain intervals. Someone can correct me, but I think the first mandatory one is at one year, and then every year afterward? The first two should be free, as I recall.

Not sure how this applies in a lease situation, but since I own my LEAF, I'm very careful about performing the correct maintenance.

 

[planet4ever]

Yes, mandatory, every year, whether lease or purchase. I think it must be done within 90 days of the anniversary. Yes, free, for the first two years, and even if you have a three year lease that means always free unless you buy out the lease. Dubious value? Not at all. The report the dealer gives you doesn't say much of anything, but the very complete report they send to Nissan is used as the basis for approving any warranty claims. No battery report, no battery warranty.

Ray

 

[brg2290]

BoulderLeaf and Ray,
thank you for your replies. I'll act upon your advice and get this scheduled. Thank you for the input.

Gary

 

[brg2290]

Several people have had less than 5 stars, usually for circumstances like your's. One was even dinged because of numerous QCs. . . I recall that hey were actually just quick connections during the first year to check out a new QC installation. The car's counter did not distinguish between connections and charging. :roll:

At my one year check I knew I was going to get dinged for QC connections as I have over 700 QC all from when Andromeda Power used my car for testing there ORCA 50 kW DC charger

Sitting here in the dealership while the battery check is going on out in the shop, so I thought I'd revisit some threads on the subject. When I came across this post, I thought - geez - Nissan should have given you a developmental fee for doing your part to improve QC deployment, not dinged you for helping their cause, not in Eastern Washington.

One thing I know for sure, I won't get dinged for having too many quick charges, the QC port on my Leaf has never been used. There are two Nissan dealers in town, neither of which have a QC. And while Washington State is very supportive of charging infrastructure and EV's generally, a preponderance of that support is on the West (I-5 corridor / Seattle) side of the state, not in Eastern Washington.

 

[davewill]

... No battery report, no battery warranty.

They can't actually do that. They would have to assert that skipping the battery check CAUSED the fault you were making a warranty claim on. Since the battery check doesn't actually DO anything...that would be hard to do.

 

[GIBBER]

... No battery report, no battery warranty.

They can't actually do that. They would have to assert that skipping the battery check CAUSED the fault you were making a warranty claim on. Since the battery check doesn't actually DO anything...that would be hard to do.

Yes Dave they can. A Mfg can require a particular inspection/service be performed at a prescribed interval in order to maintain warranty coverage. However some states (California being one) require the service/inspection be free of charge. Ferrari found out the hard way when they stated owners had to use a particular engine oil (developed by Shell if I recall) in the Enzo to maintain warrantability (the oil back then was rumored to be $100 per Qt.) When Ferrari found out that in California (their biggest US market) they would have to provide the oil free of charge it became the "preferred" oil and not the "required" oil.

 

[dgpcolorado]

I've been meaning to get my second battery check but a rock slide on January 13th has closed the highway to the dealer. I guess I'm glad that I apparently have 90 days after my purchase anniversary to get it done. I hope that the DOT will get the road open, and I can find a few days with decent weather, to make the long trip — 92 miles and three mountain passes — before then! Last I checked, the next nearest dealer is 300 miles, and a whole lot of mountains, away in Denver.

 

[kubel]

Nissan would have a difficult time in court if they tried to deny a warranty claim due to not having the battery check performed. They would need to prove that not having a check caused damage to the car, which is not possible. For that reason, I don't consider the check to be mandatory. I did it just because it's free and I had to have them fix something else.

 

[GIBBER]

Nissan would have a difficult time in court if they tried to deny a warranty claim due to not having the battery check performed. They would need to prove that not having a check caused damage to the car, which is not possible. For that reason, I don't consider the check to be mandatory. I did it just because it's free and I had to have them fix something else.

Legally what you think or how you feel does not matter. The terms of the warranty are set forth before you purchase/lease a product be it a car or a DVD player, you and the Mfg are bound by those terms. Not a big deal with a $30 DVD player but a heck of a gamble with a multiple thousands of dollars battery pack.

 

[matth]

However some states (California being one) require the service/inspection be free of charge.

Very interesting. Do you have a cite for that? If so, it would mean that battery checks are free for the duration of battery warranty coverage in CA.

 

[Nubo]

Yes, mandatory, every year, whether lease or purchase. I think it must be done within 90 days of the anniversary. Yes, free, for the first two years, and even if you have a three year lease that means always free unless you buy out the lease. Dubious value? Not at all. The report the dealer gives you doesn't say much of anything, but the very complete report they send to Nissan is used as the basis for approving any warranty claims. No battery report, no battery warranty.

Ray

Which all seems a rather wasteful way of doing things, since the car has the relevant information onboard, AND it has cellular data communications. What's so hard about sending a few Kb of information once a year without having to schedule a shop appointment?

 

[Nubo]

Nissan would have a difficult time in court if they tried to deny a warranty claim due to not having the battery check performed. They would need to prove that not having a check caused damage to the car, which is not possible. For that reason, I don't consider the check to be mandatory. I did it just because it's free and I had to have them fix something else.

Legally what you think or how you feel does not matter. The terms of the warranty are set forth before you purchase/lease a product be it a car or a DVD player, you and the Mfg are bound by those terms. Not a big deal with a $30 DVD player but a heck of a gamble with a multiple thousands of dollars battery pack.

But also legally, there is more to a contract than an agreement on terms. But I do think that Nissan COULD make the case that skipping a check resulted in a problem that could have been remedied less expensively at an earlier stage. Even though in the real world it's exceedingly rare for anyone to get less than a "good" rating on the stupid report.

 

[brg2290]

Yes, mandatory, every year, whether lease or purchase. I think it must be done within 90 days of the anniversary. Yes, free, for the first two years, and even if you have a three year lease that means always free unless you buy out the lease. Dubious value? Not at all. The report the dealer gives you doesn't say much of anything, but the very complete report they send to Nissan is used as the basis for approving any warranty claims. No battery report, no battery warranty.

Ray

Which all seems a rather wasteful way of doing things, since the car has the relevant information onboard, AND it has cellular data communications. What's so hard about sending a few Kb of information once a year without having to schedule a shop appointment?

...like Tesla, which regularly does upgrades remotely. However, unlike Tesla, Nissan has a dealer network - with service departments - that need to generate income to justify their existence. While the dealer supplied precious little info. about battery health or charging practices, they did perform a "Free 32 point check", possibly to unearth an income opportunity. I loved reviewing the sheet where no entries could be made for items like "muffler, exhaust system, fuel filter, coolant, oil filter, air filter, etc."

The document I received from the dealership for my battery check was of little value. It states that the check was performed, and the battery checked out "OK". The service rep.said something about the report I will be mailed will go into greater detail. Is this how it worked for the rest of you? Your full report on charging habits, etc. came in the mail from Nissan?