100K service for 2011 leaf

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azrael1234

Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2011
Messages
15
Hey all,

Does anyone have any experience on needed service for our Leaf's.. I've had a 2011 for 100k miles, and pretty much I've only ever done the brakefluid change (because a sensor was going off from the fluid getting chunky).

I called up Nissan and they say gear reduction oil replacmeent, and brake fluid change. They wanted to charge me $900...I'm planning on going to a local mechanic to do it.

thoughts on servicing these vehicles? my shocks are squeaky, but that's pretty much the only thing wrong with the car.

Let me know if you guys have any advice.

Thanks,
Jeff
 
If you're at all handy (e.g., if you can change the oil in an ICE vehicle), the necessary maintenance items described by LeftieBiker are pretty easy to do yourself. You can find tutorials for each of these jobs online.

You should definitely do the cabin air filter yourself. Why pay someone to undo some screws in your glove box? I changed the filter in my wife's Leaf, while doing a bunch of vacuuming and cleaning under the dash, in about 30 minutes of lackadaisical effort. You have to contort your body a bit, but it's not difficult.

If you want to change the gear oil, make sure that you can remove the fill plug before you remove the drain plug.

If you want to change the brake fluid, make sure you understand how to properly bleed the brakes afterwards.

Changing shocks and struts at home is possible, but you need a few more specialized tools and there is a greater risk to hurt yourself if you do something incorrectly. At 10+ years/100K miles it's likely that these parts are worn out, but it's worth your effort to properly assess their condition (e.g., are they leaking? do they work at all?). You can find videos online that give tips on assessing the condition of your shocks and struts.

Alternatively, if you don't want to attempt any of these jobs yourself, I would recommend that you purchase all the supplies (cabin filter, gear fluid, etc) ahead of time. That way you can shop around for the best prices and make sure you are using the proper Nissan-recommended products, if that's something you care about.

An independent mechanic should be able to do this work (minus the shocks/struts) for much less than the dealer quoted you, especially if you bring your own fluids.
 
azrael1234 said:
Hey all,

Does anyone have any experience on needed service for our Leaf's.. I've had a 2011 for 100k miles, and pretty much I've only ever done the brakefluid change (because a sensor was going off from the fluid getting chunky).

I called up Nissan and they say gear reduction oil replacmeent, and brake fluid change. They wanted to charge me $900...I'm planning on going to a local mechanic to do it.

thoughts on servicing these vehicles? my shocks are squeaky, but that's pretty much the only thing wrong with the car.

Let me know if you guys have any advice.

Thanks,
Jeff

I charge around $100 for oil reduction and brake fluid change, liquids and service included down here in Costa Rica, every quart of Matic S or compatible should be around 8-15, and a couple of small cans of brake fluid, if you can do it yourself you will be saving like 800 dollars minimum
 
azrael1234 said:
I've had a 2011 for 100k miles, and pretty much I've only ever done the brakefluid change (because a sensor was going off from the fluid getting chunky).

I called up Nissan and they say gear reduction oil replacmeent, and brake fluid change. They wanted to charge me $900...I'm planning on going to a local mechanic to do it.

Wow, $900 is pure profit for the stealership.

For brake fluid, annually take a Turkey Baster suction device & draw out what you can in the reservoir, and replace it with any brand "DOT 3" brake fluid. Do that every year (easy 2 do) and it will keep the hygroscopic fluid fresh. Recycle the old fluid as engine oil at walmart or auto parts store, needs to be recycled for sure, not put down the drain.

For gear reduction oil, any DexronVI-rated automatic transmission fluid is right. Several youtube videos on changing it if you want to see it done. It only takes 1.5 quarts, easy job to do if you are handy and can safely put the car on jack stands and crawl under (safety, safety, safety, get somebody who has experience in this to show you lifting methods or have a mechanic put it on a lift to do it, quick job, like 15 minutes tops). ... recycle old fluid as engine oil at walmart, auto parts stores, etc.

Certainly the advice on first opening the Fill Plug is wise since you don't want to be caught emptying it out and then the Fill Plug turns out to be stuck!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOQpZvpPSYo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gA7rQL1V_E
 
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