I bought a 2012 Leaf in May this year and it has been a heap of trouble. First the touch screen/radio/SatNav system wouldn't work. The touch screen didn't respond. Nissan don't have replacements, but if they did they would cost in excess of £2,000. I had to have one imported from a breaker in the US and cannibalise it for parts to repair the one fitted to the car because it had to be the exact same model number to work and Nissan changed it every few months. When I got the touch screen working the Open/Tilt mechanism went into spasm and kept opening and closing until it ran down the battery. After going into the unit again and cleaning the contacts in the frame, it worked. Then I went to use the CHaDeMo rapid charger (going on holiday with my family), and it didn't. Turns out no Nissan dealer near where we broke down had both a CHaDeMo charger and a Consult diagnostic system, so it couldn't be diagnosed, let alone repaired. Then in November it started to get cold so I turned on the heater. Nothing. Again, I tracked one down in a breaker's yard in California and imported it. Luckily it worked and I now have heat. But the rapid charger still doesn't work. The only dealer who can diagnose it wants £250 just to try to tell me what's wrong, and wants to keep the car for up to 3 weeks to do so. Nissan won't guarantee a courtesy car. If they do diagnose it successfully, it could cost up to £3,000 to repair.
So what do I do? Is it even worth getting it diagnosed? It could be a component has failed or it could be a signalling issue. It might not cost £3,000 to fix (they will put the £250 towards any repair cost if I choose to get it repaired by them). I could just run it as a short distance car, but I would get considerably less for it when it comes time to sell and upgrade to a car with greater range (which will probably be in a year or two) and some semblance of reliability. Less than 5% of my trips require me to go further than 50 miles. But I'd really like the flexibility. On the other hand, why invest more in a dodgy car? Any advice? Anyone have experience of getting a CHaDeMo charger fixed? I have all the fault codes from LeafSpy. All advice gratefully received! Thanks.
So what do I do? Is it even worth getting it diagnosed? It could be a component has failed or it could be a signalling issue. It might not cost £3,000 to fix (they will put the £250 towards any repair cost if I choose to get it repaired by them). I could just run it as a short distance car, but I would get considerably less for it when it comes time to sell and upgrade to a car with greater range (which will probably be in a year or two) and some semblance of reliability. Less than 5% of my trips require me to go further than 50 miles. But I'd really like the flexibility. On the other hand, why invest more in a dodgy car? Any advice? Anyone have experience of getting a CHaDeMo charger fixed? I have all the fault codes from LeafSpy. All advice gratefully received! Thanks.