Some questions about maintenance/warranty

[AdamFist]

Reviving an old topic here...

Can anyone tell me what other maintenance @ dealership is required other than the 12/24 month traction battery check?

I'm in disbelief over what I thought I heard: The salesperson is telling me that I need to have tires rotated at any Nissan dealer to maintain the warranty on the vehicle.

I hope I misheard salesperson. Comments please?

Thanks,
Adam

 

[dgpcolorado]

...I hope I misheard salesperson. Comments please? ...

Complete BS. You can have your tires rotated anywhere or do it yourself. The annual battery check is the only warranty requirement and the first two are free.

Other maintenance items can be done anywhere unless they are LEAF-specific and require specialized equipment and skills.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Watch out for gotchas on canceling the warranty. We're about to do the same for the GMPP warranty on our new Volt because, for some reason, it ended up on our sales contact for $800 more than we'd negotiated.

When we leased my housemate's Prius PHEV they "forgot" to include our $1k deposit in the final bill. The eye candy we were dealing with insisted it was correct, then afterwards insisted that they would have mailed us the $1k once the "mistake" was found. She seemed Miffed at my Irkage. This was the second Toyota dealer we dealt with: the saleswoman at the first one took a deposit on a PHEV that didn't exist, and was waiting for the end of the month so she could sell us a non-PHEV Prius instead after the sale ended. They had a total of six deposits on cars they didn't have and couldn't get. Never assume that a car salesman (or woman!) is honest, no matter how nice they seem.

 

[smkettner]

I don't think the dealer or Nissan even warranty's the tires. You would need to make a claim with the tire manufacturer. Although the dealer might facilitate that claim. Still the rotation would just be for a mileage warranty not a tire defect warranty.

There is also something about changing the brake fluid every two years. I am not doing it until it needs brakes. So probably never.

Any maintenance can be done at another shop or DIY.

 

[nosuchthing]

There is also something about changing the brake fluid every two years. I am not doing it until it needs brakes. So probably never.

+1
Yep. I have never changed that fluid in any car. It's such a baloney, AFAIC.
This is the classic case of "if it ain't broke..."

 

[GIBBER]

Brake fluid is hygroscopic (absorbs moisture from the air). Over time this accumulation of water lowers the boiling point and will measurably affect the braking performance. The rate of absorption is not affected by use (mileage) and should be done every 24 months.

There is also something about changing the brake fluid every two years. I am not doing it until it needs brakes. So probably never.

+1
Yep. I have never changed that fluid in any car. It's such a baloney, AFAIC.
This is the classic case of "if it ain't broke..."

 

[derkraut]

GIBBER said: Brake fluid is hygroscopic (absorbs moisture from the air). Over time this accumulation of water lowers the boiling point and will measurably affect the braking performance. The rate of absorption is not affected by use (mileage) and should be done every 24 months.
Well, that may be so; but I have a 1957 Chevvy Belair, and, to my knowledge, the brake fluid has never been changed. The brakes work just fine. :roll:

 

[TomT]

Correct.

I don't think the dealer or Nissan even warranty's the tires. You would need to make a claim with the tire manufacturer.

 

[TomT]

Bendix did some research a few years ago and concluded that 3 to 5 years was fine... If in doubt, use a test strip or meter to check it...

Brake fluid is hygroscopic (absorbs moisture from the air). Over time this accumulation of water lowers the boiling point and will measurably affect the braking performance. The rate of absorption is not affected by use (mileage) and should be done every 24 months.

 

[braineo]

The tires must be rotated every 5k miles. Any tires Plus or maybe firestone will do them for free if the are bridgestone tires (ecopias) since those stores are owned by Bridgestone.

I had my 4 tires replaced under warranty by bridgestone which is limited to 50% of their replacement cost when my car hit 10,500 miles. Std warranty is 1 year or 12k miles whichever comes first. only my front tires were gone on the sides. Bridgestone required to do a tire alignment check performed by. nissan to confirm issue wasn't due to misalignment and allowed me to replace all 4 tires. I selected Turanza Serenity plus and love the grip and total silence. But i paid a 5% mileage penaltyy compared to the ecrapias. not an issue in my 46 rtp commute.

 

[ebill3]

The tires must be rotated every 5k miles.

No. Maybe "should" is OK, but not must. Nissan says 7,500, and most independent tire shops I am aware of recommend 6,000 to 7,000 miles. Of course, since acceleration and most braking is via the front wheels, aggressive drivers might be happier with 5,000 miles.

Just a sideline. Once upon a time, the fronts did the stopping, and the rears did the going. That is still the case with the higher end imports.

Now, most stopping and going is by the fronts.

Comes the Tesla model S, and all going and most stopping is via the rears.

 

[ebill3]

Bendix did some research a few years ago and concluded that 3 to 5 years was fine... If in doubt, use a test strip or meter to check it...

The business of brake fluid change has been discussed and cussed in other threads. Personally, I've never done it and am pretty much a ten year car keeper. The last Toyota I owned (2000) and last GM (2002) did not require fluid change. Do any Chrysler, Ford, GM cars require it?

 

[Vuman]

Quick question,

Just did my one year battery check 7 days ago. I live in Phoenix, before last week, was down to 10 bars. Mileage on the car was 19,400.
My range have decreased from around 100 miles per full charge when new to about 80 right now, so 10 bars should be correct.
After the battery check, capacity bars are at 12. I have driven another 500 miles and have charged the car 6 times and capacity bars are not resetting to 10 bars. They are still at 12.

Is this unusual? Will it go down to 10 bars soon?

 

[ksnogas2112]

1979 Ford Pinto - no brake fluid changes - 2 years
1985 Mercury Lynx - no brake fluid changes - 5 years
1992 Ford Ranger - no brake fluid changes - 6 years
1998 Saturn SL - no brake fluid changes - 2 years
2000 Saturn LS - no brake fluid changes - 1 year - lemon
2002 (2) Saturn SL - no brake fluid changes - 10/11 years respective
2010 Toyota Corolla - no brake fluid changes - 2 years

 

[derkraut]

Quick question,

Just did my one year battery check 7 days ago. I live in Phoenix, before last week, was down to 10 bars. Mileage on the car was 19,400.
My range have decreased from around 100 miles per full charge when new to about 80 right now, so 10 bars should be correct.
After the battery check, capacity bars are at 12. I have driven another 500 miles and have charged the car 6 times and capacity bars are not resetting to 10 bars. They are still at 12.

Is this unusual? Will it go down to 10 bars soon?

I'm surprised that you could drive up to 80 miles with 10 capacity bars, unless you constantly drive under about 45mph on level ground without climate control. I'm also puzzled that your display went from 10 bars back to 12 bars after your "battery check", and is staying there. Strange....... They must have done some software changes during the battery check. I would expect your capacity bars to go back to 10 quickly.
Keep us posted.....this is rather interesting, especially for a PHX car.

 

[Stanton]

Bendix did some research a few years ago and concluded that 3 to 5 years was fine... If in doubt, use a test strip or meter to check it...

The business of brake fluid change has been discussed and cussed in other threads. Personally, I've never done it and am pretty much a ten year car keeper. The last Toyota I owned (2000) and last GM (2002) did not require fluid change. Do any Chrysler, Ford, GM cars require it?

What is the benefit of ignoring a REQUIRED maintenance action (per the manual) on a car that requires almost no maintenance anyway?! I did mine after 2 years and it was only $100. I did my own cabin air filter, but there's almost nothing else I would (or could) do myself on the Leaf.

 

[ebill3]

What is the benefit of ignoring a REQUIRED maintenance action (per the manual) on a car that requires almost no maintenance anyway?! I did mine after 2 years and it was only $100. I did my own cabin air filter, but there's almost nothing else I would (or could) do myself on the Leaf.

Good point, fair enough.

I would like to know why manufacturers seem to be all over place on this one. Reminds me of those stupid 3,000 mile ICE oil changes that the dealer, not the manufacturer, demanded.

 

[rslatkin]

My dealer just strongly suggested that I replace the reduction gear oil at 24,000 miles instead of just inspecting it. I declined. They replaced the brake fluid, rotated the tires, put on the wiper blade inserts I had ordered but never installed, and did the second free battery check. I did the cabin air filter earlier. $131

 

[braineo]

Reduction gear?

I'm under the impression tehre is no transmission in the car.

Fleeced?

 

[smkettner]

I don't recall any service interval for the reduction gear oil change.
Otherwise I assume it would be same as a differential at 100,000 to 150,000 interval.
Oil lasts a long time with minimal heat and no combustion byproducts.