New Owner with Questions

[karma]

After hanging around here for a few years, finally moving to Maui and getting PV on my roof, I pulled the string on a 2014 SV with Bose, full all around view camera and the LED pkg. Loving it but I have a few quick question for you seasoned veterans.

When I trickle charge it usually stops charging when it's at 100 percent. One time though it just kept showing it was charging even though it was at 100%. Why did it not stop charging that particular time? Why do the quick charge stations stop at 93%? Can I retrofit the homelink mirror in the SV without any mods needed? If I put a set of the 17" SL wheels and tires on, will the dealer recalibrate the speedo for me? Anyone have a set of 17" SL wheels and tires they want to sell? How can I monitor the charging on my smartphone?

Thanks in advance for any info you can share!

 

[keydiver]

The EVSE was probably equalizing the batteries that time. I notice many times that all 3 blue lights continue on for a while, and I assume it is equalizing.

 

[KillaWhat]

If I put a set of the 17" SL wheels and tires on, will the dealer recalibrate the speedo for me

Not enough info on the "one time charging past 100%" See if it happens again.
If you don't have a GID meter, you cant be sure where exactly the charge status was.

Read more about the nature of DCQC and you will understand the why's and wherefores of why it stops before 100%.

If truly needed, You can calibrate the speedo yourself.
It's talked about in here somewhere.

But you should replace the OEM tires with tires that are the same circumference.
No need to recalibrate, and you won't have a rubbing problem.
I think TireRack (.com) has a calculator program.

Good Luck

 

[karma]

Yea, if I get the 17" wheels I would mount the stock tire size and type on them. Anyone know what smartphone app I should use to monitor my charging? What about the SL Homelink mirror (which I've also seen on SV models)? Is it plug and play on my SV?

 

[ithinkmac]

I think you would have been better off to get the SL to begin with. Retrofitting after the fact on trim levels is never going to be cheaper than actually buying the trim. Always get the car loaded if you're having second guesses. Because once you drive it off the lot, it's more expensive to get the same options.

I use LeafLink on iOS to check my guesstimates on the charging time. GID monitor is probably the only/best way to go.

-ThinkMac-

 

[karma]

Almost did go with an SL but I didn't really want leather or a black interior. The only two things I would like to have is the 17" wheels and the homelink mirror. I can get the wheels and new tires for $1500 and the mirror is probably gonna be around $200. If it's plug and play that would be awesome. I have an android phone.

 

[JPWhite]

Why do the quick charge stations stop at 93%?

DC Fast chargers typically terminate earlier than the stated percentage. Many DC Fast chargers are preset to stop at 80%, the car may show 75% or less at charge termination despite the stated 80% limit. I don't understand why the car can't communicate its charge % to the DC Fast Charger so it knows when to stop.

 

[uglyduck]

Another n00b with questions here.... I bought a used Leaf with 32k miles on it last month. It still has all 12 capacity bars, but the bars just to the left of them are acting differently now. When I used to charge to 80% there would be 10 bars showing upon completion. Now when the timer stops the charge at 80% there are only 9 bars showing. Anybody have a guess about why that is?

 

[LeftieBiker]

Nine bars at 80% is pretty typical. I get the same, with all capacity bars. Are you sure it was 10 before?

 

[JPWhite]

Another n00b with questions here.... I bought a used Leaf with 32k miles on it last month. It still has all 12 capacity bars, but the bars just to the left of them are acting differently now. When I used to charge to 80% there would be 10 bars showing upon completion. Now when the timer stops the charge at 80% there are only 9 bars showing. Anybody have a guess about why that is?

When the car is new it charges to 10 bars for an 80% charge. As time goes on the "9-bar charge" is first indication that the battery is aging. Depending upon climate and mileage one can expect the first capacity bar to extinguish 6-12 months after the first 9-bar charge.

If your car has begun this just now at 32,000 miles it is doing very well compared to many others. I wouldn't let it concern you; you are doing better than most.

If you want to know the batteries health in more detail and have an Android phone/tablet I recommend LeafSpyPro app paired with a cheap OBDII bluetooth adapter. It will give you much more detail on the batteries health and provide you with a way to get a very accurate distance to empty.

 

[uglyduck]

Leftiebiker & JPWhite.... Thanks for the help, folks. You pioneers sure make it easier for the second wave of Leaf owners.

I'm actually resting easier now that I know my battery is showing the typical 1st sign of degradation. At least my battery condition fits into the data curve predicted for a Leaf with 32k on it @ 3.5mi/kwh. Some members suggested that an unscrupulous dealer may have bumped a degraded capacity bar number back up to 12 before I bought the Leaf. I was worried that someone may have covered up sup-par battery performance with some pretty new bars on the display. But from what I have learned so far, the car seems to legitimately act like its just on the cusp of dropping a capacity bar. I'm like, totally happy with that!

 

[LeftieBiker]

I'm actually Second Wave myself, although I've owned two-wheeled EVs for many years. Looks like I'll be losing a bar too, although I drive few enough miles that I'm hoping it will be a while before it happens. I have a bit over 8k miles on mine, and it's been charging to 79%/8 bars for quite a while now.

 

[uglyduck]

I'm fixin' to get an Android just to run LeafSpy. Do I need to pay a monthly fee to some mobile provider for the Android to work?

 

[HighDesertDriver]

I'm fixin' to get an Android just to run LeafSpy. Do I need to pay a monthly fee to some mobile provider for the Android to work?

No, it only needs to pick up the bluetooth to monitor the car. Wifi will connect to your home system. A mobile providor is only required if you need the cellular network for phone or data access.