RECOMMEND Independent Shop for 24 to 40 kWh swap w/i 1000 miles Memphis, TN

My Nissan Leaf Forum

Help Support My Nissan Leaf Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

gmcjetpilot

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 30, 2017
Messages
133
I know there are shops o plenty in OR, CA, North East... But Mid Atlantic not so much. I have 4 Nissan dealers within a 30 mile radius. Dealer will not do this kind of swap (I think correct me if I am wrong).

I am looking for a 40 kWh battery to upgrade my 24 kWh.... It makes no sense to get a battery if I can not get it installed. I watched thee YouTube videos and I think I could DIY it, and may end up having to do that.

Willing to transport car and battery (tow) to and from... OR, CA too far. I figure, OK, TX, FL, GA, MS, NC, KY, IL, AR, AL...
 
Stanton, had his done in Tx I believe. There is a guy in Madison Wi,
Green Tec has a shop in TN. I am not sure if they will install your battery or only one of theirs.
You'd have to weigh buying a battery and transporting, vs buying and having installed all from the same place.
I have no recommendations to make about shops, just info on what I have found out about having a battery replaced.
 
Last edited:
Up date I found a shop near Nashville. Two things... One he only did one LEAF battery swap and he hated it. Two he said I should just sell my 2015 and get the current credit being offered (on used EV's). He is more of a used EV car dealer but claims he does repairs and rebuild battery packs... only 3 hours away I may go visit.

Really my idea to drive this LEAF until it it gets down to 8 bars (or less) is still PLAN A---- But I am still looking for a 40kWh pak.

Anyone know a good leaf within 1000 miles of Memphis.
 
If he did it and hated it, I would steer clear. I think Green Tec has a shop in Nashville also, it is their bread and butter. I am not making a recommendation only that I know that is what they do.
I'm not sure buying a wrecked or used Leaf for the battery is going to be cheaper. Companies that specialize in that are going to have the contacts at the auctions and CO-part and get 1st shot at it. You'll get no warrante buying yourself, and no recourse if the battery isn't what it 1st looks to be.
Just my 2 cents worth.
 
Green Tec is 3 hrs away, Goodlettsville TN, North of Nashville. I'll give them a call.

The one I Ref is Franklin TN South of Nashville, "hybrid and electric car sales & repair center". I talked to owner and lead technician. He was honest he'd work on LEAF swap, he just did not like to, thought it a bad idea. Since they sell used EV's, hyvrids, plug'in hybrids and BEV's he pushed to sell it and buy a used EV. Nothing wrong with that opinion, valid way to go.

Green Tec not against turn key battery installed where they supply battery and likley keep your old pak. I guess $14,000 for 40kWh.. That is non starter. I'll just drive it as is. I want to explore all options.

The China 40kWh LEAF packs are less than.$5,000. I have no idea of quality or if they full of rocks. DIY is not impossible but weight of pack, cable mod/repace, and re-flashing computer is not impossible but not trivial, specialized.

YouTube vid of competent shop in UK has done many LEAF upgrades. They can do 2 a day. Me, take a month or three and fear I might brick the car. Physically dropping heavy pack and lifting new concernes me. People do it, but pro lifts make it safe...
 
Last edited:
@gmcjetpilot
I'd be interested in talking with you more about a 40 kWh pack for your Leaf.

I install the LRN 40 kWh pack for the Nissan Leaf at my shop in Wisconsin, but there is a shop nearer you.

There is a Leaf Repair Network shop in Georgia. Very reputable guy with a lot of Leaf knowledge.

I handle most of the inquiries about the pack (as noted on the Web site), so feel free to call me at 608-729-4082.

Basically
- all New cells
- 150 mile range
- 3 year/36,000 mile part warranty

I'd be happy to talk about many of the things you mentioned including the Asian "40 kWh pack for less than $5,000" (Spoiler: If it sounds too good to be true..it is.)

I enjoy talking through the options, even if it isn't one we provide at the shop. It's good to get a lay of the land when it comes to battery replacements.
 
Last edited:
There is a Leaf Repair Network shop in Georgia. Very reputable guy with a lot of Leaf knowledge.
I handle most of the inquiries about the pack (as noted on the Web site), so feel free to call me at 608-729-4082.
I would do this unless you are looking to source the pack yourself (which I did via salvage).
Do not mess with any "China sourced" packs.
 
Anything is possible, but for the risk, it is pretty hard to get someone reputable in the US to do it.

It was done many, many years ago by Engineer in the US. They eventually went out of business.

Most US shops just want a finished product delivered that we can install in a customer's car.

If you have the money and fortitude to do a project like this, feel free to call me to discuss some sort of custom one-off. What Leaf are you driving?
 
I think it is all too easy to imagine the nuts and bolt of either a battery swap or battery repair, and think "not much to it, I can do that"! 1st is a safety issue, working with HV DC is not like changing the 12 volt battery, it can and will kill you if you mess up. That is why PPE and insulated tools are a must.
None of that comes into play if you just drop the whole pack out and install a new one, but, you can damage the pack if you don't support it correctly, you need to make a cradle to support the pack and lift the car off the pack, not drop it down with jacks.
Dala is a well respected member here and has solved many problems with doing pack swaps and other issues. Look at his videos about his 64Kwh pack install. Yep, even he bought a pack that was damaged from the get-go and had to repair it. He has the tools and knowledge to do it safely, but still it wasn't a straight forward, un bolt-re bolt swap.
I have made my living doing repairs for 50 years on all kinds of mechanical stuff, there is very little I am not going to tackle, and that includes diesel fuel injection and hypoid gear sets. I have done all that and more.
True the mechanics of HV battery work is not complex, but it does require stuff that most, including myself don't own. To "kit up" to do battery work for one car makes no economic sense. The PPE and insulated tooling alone will cost you dearly, then add you really need a lift table or hyd lift to remove the battery without damaging it and you have exceeded to cost of a new battery just getting to the point of being able to "do it yourself". The add to that the learning curve, even Dala had to take his out at least twice, and that price quoted to have it done looks better and better. Add to that you have recourse if something goes wrong, you don't if you buy from auction and find out it doesn't make the car any better.
Fine, if you want to set your self up to do many cars for hire, I would encourage that kind of business, we need more that can do the work if electrics are going to be viable in the long run.
Those who bought a cheap 2nd hand Leaf find that they can be had much cheaper with much fewer miles on them than hybrids and ICE cars. Where some go wrong, is they expect the battery to be able to be repaired or replaced equally as cheaply as the bought the car. When they find it isn't so, they are upset that replacing with a new battery cost more than buying another used cheap Leaf. If you like the car, and want to keep it, then invest in it. Yeah it will cost about the same as buying a similar year/mileage hybrid when your done, but you'll have an electric. There is no free lunch, and if you based your purchase on the car price alone, without doing research, you will be disappointed.
 
I know there are shops o plenty in OR, CA, North East... But Mid Atlantic not so much. I have 4 Nissan dealers within a 30 mile radius. Dealer will not do this kind of swap (I think correct me if I am wrong).

I am looking for a 40 kWh battery to upgrade my 24 kWh.... It makes no sense to get a battery if I can not get it installed. I watched thee YouTube videos and I think I could DIY it, and may end up having to do that.

Willing to transport car and battery (tow) to and from... OR, CA too far. I figure, OK, TX, FL, GA, MS, NC, KY, IL, AR, AL...
I too, am looking to upgrade my 24 kwh to 40kwh. Live in Portland, OR. Lets amp our purchasing power? David
 
Premier Automotive Export performs this service and located in Maryland. All module upgrades are covered for 3/36 warranty.
 
Have you talked to the folks at EV Rides in Portland. That should be one of your first steps.
Hi Douglas, I have and they only still replace batteries with used batteries from wrecks. I am interested in putting in new and eliminating this issue repeating itself. I have been looking into the CATL batteries offered at Aliexpress for $5k. Have you been following that? David
 
Hi Douglas, I have and they only still replace batteries with used batteries from wrecks. I am interested in putting in new and eliminating this issue repeating itself. I have been looking into the CATL batteries offered at Aliexpress for $5k. Have you been following that? David
I am aware that Chinese battery packs are being direct marketed, and I am aware that it is not possible to purchase new battery packs directly from Nissan. I personally would not take the chance on an imported pack of unknown quality with no meaningful warranty. I am willing to let others take the chance ;), and will be listening on line to hear how it worked out. At this point I think that late model low use battery packs installed by a competent shop are the best you can do in the US. Keep us informed about what direction you choose and how it works for you.
 
At this point I think that late model low use battery packs installed by a competent shop are the best you can do in the US.
In a perfect world, those kinds of packs would be plentiful and vetted. But that's simply not where we are at.

As mentioned above, and it's worth repeating, even when someone as experienced as Dala bought a Used pack, it turns out it was damaged.

When I can know the full, or at least recent, history of a Used/degraded pack, that makes this a bit less risky. But still a risk.

That's why I'm glad to have an option for purchasing/installing a fully assembled, aftermarket pack that has all New cells, and is backed up by a warranty here in the US.

While I have the skills and tools to assemble piles of loose batteries into a pack, I much prefer to just buy it assembled. For lots of reasons.
 
I have no problem with the repairing of packs, there is a company out there I have mentioned before, that is their whole business model. I have no idea how good they are at it or how careful they select the replacement modules. The Nissan Leaf battery was designed from the get-go to be repairable.
That said, when you start looking into upgrading from a smaller KWh pack to a 40, the price break between new and used goes away (or almost). As far as I know, to go to 64Kwh your only choice is used.
It comes down to the people you are dealing with and how well they stand behind their work.
I understand the desire to do the job yourself, esp if you can retain the old pack to use for solar or wind power storage (a much easier use on the battery). However, just about all wrecks are sold at auction and you'll not likely be allowed to test the battery before bidding. If keeping the old battery and re-ferbing it yourself for power storage, then you'll likely be well versed on the problem and dangers.
Both used and new have been proven to work, the risks and rewards are something you'll have to weigh for yourself. Take a hard look at the company you are going to use and ask for references, same as you would for any large purchase.
Being the design of the pack was with servicing in mind, it does seam somewhat of a waste not to take advantage of that fact.
 
I can access 62's with New cells, but they are completely unvetted. Which is gamble. If that's how someone wants to spend their money, I can help them do it. Just as long as we all understand what we are getting into. Feel free to call and chat about it.
Servicing a 2013 and newer pack is much more effort than the earlier pack.
Scraping/slicing through a hardened gasket on newer packs is much more work than simply lifting off a dry/rubber gasket.
 
Back
Top