South Orange County (CA) Nissan leaf owner needs help

I need a progressive dealer in California who understands the product it sells ?? I call my dealership and clueless. They can't even tell me what kind of battery I have and I gave them my vin # ! :shock:

I have a 2012 SL Leaf and I want to know how much a new battery costs ? What's the mileage on the new battery, I am down to 50 miles on my original battery. Or should I just bite the bullet and buy a new Nissan Leaf with the 150 miles =)

Thanks for any help

A new battery would give you roughly 75 miles of range, and cost about $6500 installed. Your best bet financially would be to lease a 2017 Leaf at a bargain price. That would give you about 105 miles of range.

LeftieBiker said:

A new battery would give you roughly 75 miles of range, and cost about $6500 installed. Your best bet financially would be to lease a 2017 Leaf at a bargain price. That would give you about 105 miles of range.

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+1

The 2018 leaf will probably initially sell for close to MSRP (just like the Bolt). The discounts won't come in until sales slow down (mid-late 2018?). Whereas you can get a 2017 now with huge discounts - especially if you're a current SDG&E customer! https://www.sdge.com/clean-energy/electric-vehicles/10000-means-affordable-electric-cars-sdge-customers

If you've been fine with the 2012 leaf, then everything else is gravy.

Just checked the map. Sorry, you're not an SDG&E customer.

There's still the regular NMAC $4000k discount for financing with them, which should help.

Let the 2012 go. Get the 150 mile LEAF or a 230 mile BOLT.

OP: What date did original delivery take place and how many miles are on the odometer ?
You may be eligible for a new replacement battery under warranty, or at least substantial financial assistance from Nissan.

SageBrush said:

OP: What date did original delivery take place and how many miles are on the odometer ?
You may be eligible for a new replacement battery under warranty, or at least substantial financial assistance from Nissan.

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My free battery option ended last November and I didn't have the necessary miles/low battery to get it boooo I still have 9 bars on my battery.

Thanks everyone for answers ! Yes I am on SCE, not SDGE, am I still eligible for the $7500 discount per the Nissan website ?

I'll just go with the 2018 Leaf =) I signed up for one.

SCE: not currently eligible for rebate.
Warranty: you could drive your current car until it loses its 9th bar and then apply for battery replacement with financial assistance outside of the degradation warranty. Nissan has been pretty obliging lately. 60 - 80% off msrp seems pretty typical, so around $2000 out of pocket to renew your car for another 5 years or so.

LeafSpy would tell you just how close you are to losing that 9th bar.

SageBrush said:

SCE: not currently eligible for rebate.
Warranty: you could drive your current car until it loses its 9th bar and then apply for battery replacement with financial assistance outside of the degradation warranty. Nissan has been pretty obliging lately. 60 - 80% off msrp seems pretty typical, so around $2000 out of pocket to renew your car for another 5 years or so.

LeafSpy would tell you just how close you are to losing that 9th bar.

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I'll have to do some digging and see, thanks for the heads up !

Sondy132001 said:

SageBrush said:

OP: What date did original delivery take place and how many miles are on the odometer ?
You may be eligible for a new replacement battery under warranty, or at least substantial financial assistance from Nissan.

Click to expand...

My free battery option ended last November and I didn't have the necessary miles/low battery to get it boooo I still have 9 bars on my battery.

Thanks everyone for answers ! Yes I am on SCE, not SDGE, am I still eligible for the $7500 discount per the Nissan website ?

I'll just go with the 2018 Leaf =) I signed up for one.

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The SDG&E discount was $10,000, so not sure what you're referring to with the $7500 one?

Was it the federal tax credit for buying an EV? If so, then it depends on your tax situation (did you pay more than $7500 in federal taxes last year?). If not, then you're going to need to fill in some more detail.

On another note, fellow SCE customer, have you applied your clean fuel rebate yet? https://www.scecleanfuel.com/

It's a $450 credit for current SCE customers who own an EV.

Oils4AsphaultOnly said:

Sondy132001 said:

SageBrush said:

OP: What date did original delivery take place and how many miles are on the odometer ?
You may be eligible for a new replacement battery under warranty, or at least substantial financial assistance from Nissan.

Click to expand...

My free battery option ended last November and I didn't have the necessary miles/low battery to get it boooo I still have 9 bars on my battery.

Thanks everyone for answers ! Yes I am on SCE, not SDGE, am I still eligible for the $7500 discount per the Nissan website ?

I'll just go with the 2018 Leaf =) I signed up for one.

Click to expand...

The SDG&E discount was $10,000, so not sure what you're referring to with the $7500 one?

Was it the federal tax credit for buying an EV? If so, then it depends on your tax situation (did you pay more than $7500 in federal taxes last year?). If not, then you're going to need to fill in some more detail.

On another note, fellow SCE customer, have you applied your clean fuel rebate yet? https://www.scecleanfuel.com/

It's a $450 credit for current SCE customers who own an EV.

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Seriously you rock I just filled that out with SCE, had no idea ! I don't pay taxes I get money back, per the IRS website looks like I get back $7500 back federal and $2500 back from California if I buy an electric car, not sure on leasing tho? But to get that amount back I'd buy a new leaf .

Sondy132001 said:

Seriously you rock I just filled that out with SCE, had no idea ! I don't pay taxes I get money back, per the IRS website looks like I get back $7500 back federal and $2500 back from California if I buy an electric car, not sure on leasing tho? But to get that amount back I'd buy a new leaf .

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Well, technically, you did pay taxes; you've simply gotten back the overpayment you've made each year. But anyway, since you've already checked the IRS site, then you qualify to receive the tax credit.

In a lease, NMAC (Nissan's financing branch) takes the federal tax credit and passes that on to you as a discount in your lease payment calculations. This is a loophole that permits lower income folks to benefit from the tax credit without fully qualifying for it.

The California state tax credit cannot be gamed in the same way, so you'll have to apply for that yourself regardless of purchase or lease.

Let us know how your 2018 leaf works out!

As far as knowledgeable SoCal dealers, I got my 2012 Leaf from Frank Consoli at Tustin Nissan. Hopefully he still works there, because he was extremely knowledgeable about the car, and mentioned things I should know about like not leaving it fully charged for long periods of time, and about the battery degradation issue (this was before the Klee settlement was finalized).

It's a bit of a drive for you (and won't be possible in your old Leaf unless it has QC), but when the Leaf was new to the market, a lot of people were buying them from Fontana Nissan even if they didn't live in that part of SoCal.

Oils4AsphaultOnly said:

The California state tax credit cannot be gamed in the same way, so you'll have to apply for that yourself regardless of purchase or lease.

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And unless you are a "low income buyer" the CVRP fund is currently out of money, so you'll be put on a waiting list. Do still apply for it as soon as you get the car*, because pending applications are funded on a first-approved basis until the money runs out again.

*Unlike with the HOV stickers, you don't have to wait for license plates to be assigned to apply. I did it on Frank Consoli's computer at the dealership.