Questions about my Leaf 2015 S

Hi!

I've been driving my Leaf for a month now, here in Montreal, Québec, Canada. I'm very happy with my choice but I have a few questions :

- Is it ok to leave the Leaf plugged in all night? Or all day?
- Can I heat up the car while it's plugged in? If so, how does it works? And I don't mean using the timer. I mean during the day, if I want to go for a drive and it's really cold!
- Is it ok to wash my Leaf in an automatic car wash?

Thanks in advance!

Jeanne

* Don't leave the car plugged in while not charging, unless you can connect a 12 volt battery maintainer to it. Being plugged in but not charging for many hours will run the 12 volt accessory battery down, due to poor design.

* Heating an S while plugged in isn't easy, but can be done. I'll leave that one for another S driver. (I drive an SV.)

* Do you mean the kind of automatic car wash with tracks, that pulls the car through? I use one in which the car stays parked, and the nozzles and dryer move, instead. This issue has come up with the Bolt, and that's a real problem with that car, but I'm honestly not sure if the Leaf will happily stay in Neutral. You'd at least have to leave the car On, in Ready mode (Yellow-green car icon on dash lit).

Thank you!

jeannedarche said:

Hi!

I've been driving my Leaf for a month now, here in Montreal, Québec, Canada. I'm very happy with my choice but I have a few questions :

- Is it ok to leave the Leaf plugged in all night? Or all day?
- Can I heat up the car while it's plugged in? If so, how does it works? And I don't mean using the timer. I mean during the day, if I want to go for a drive and it's really cold!
- Is it ok to wash my Leaf in an automatic car wash?

Thanks in advance!

Jeanne

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It is okay to leave the car plugged in. Some of them experience battery drain, but I do not remember any reports of it on 2015 models. I leave my 2013 SV plugged in whenever not being driven, and have no issues. I use the Climate Control to condition the car about 15 minutes before driving.

This method should work to condition the car before driving. It works best with a 240 volt EVSE, but not very well with the one that comes with the car. While it is plugged in, start as normal with foot on the brake pedal. Turn on the Climate Control. It should start working. At least one of the blue charging lights should come on. When you are ready to leave, turn the car off. Unplug the charging cable, and then start again. Some have reported this does not work, or shows error lights that require leaving the car off for five minutes to reset. Try it and see if it works for you.

Having gotten two conflicting answers, here is how you can tell if your particular leaf can be left plugged in. Release the hood latch and leave the car sitting for at least an hour, with everything turned off and all doors closed. Then measure the 12 volt battery voltage at the battery terminals, with the car still off and doors closed. You can buy a cheap multimeter for $15 or less to do this. If the voltage measures above 12.5 volts then you are doing fine. 12.5 volts is marginal, and below 12.5 means that even if the car behaves ok, the 12 volt battery is undercharged. 12.3 or lower means you have to charge that battery ASAP.

baustin said:

This method should work to condition the car before driving. It works best with a 240 volt EVSE, but not very well with the one that comes with the car. While it is plugged in, start as normal with foot on the brake pedal. Turn on the Climate Control. It should start working. At least one of the blue charging lights should come on. When you are ready to leave, turn the car off. Unplug the charging cable, and then start again. Some have reported this does not work, or shows error lights that require leaving the car off for five minutes to reset. Try it and see if it works for you.

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You can also just unplug the car and then
1. Turn the car off by pressing the power button with foot off the brake
2. Start normally

RE car wash: 2013S - never had any problem - power on, shift to Neutral and gets pulled through.

However, I believe that car detailing pros consider the Nissan clearcoat to be rather soft. Do your car a favor and hand-wash it. Automatic car washes are really tough on paint.

An unpaid plug for my favorite carwash product: Optimum No-Rinse (known affectionately as ONR) This bright-turquoise stuff is diluted to the tune of 1/2 oz per gallon of water. I use maybe two capfuls + two gallons of water to wash my entire Leaf. Slop it on generously with the sponge or mitt of your choice, dry with microfiber towels, and your car will look like you just waxed it. No rinsing necessary, as it's not a soap. It's really amazing stuff. Available through car-wash supply joints like Autopia, and I think they're selling it on Amazon too now.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D8DR0AO/

To get the HVAC working while plugged in on the "S" model LEAFs, do the following:

1. Leave the car plugged into your charging station.
2. Get in and start the car in Run mode (foot on brake).
3. Press the charge timer cancel button (yes, even if you don't have a timer set). The blue charging lights will start cycling and your HVAC will work.

I may have gotten step 2 and 3 reversed, but you will be able to figure it out.

I think that everyone has overthunk this... I think the lady is asking if she can leave the car plugged in after the car has completely charged....

To that, my answer is a total "yes". When the car reaches a full charge, the car signals to the charger to stop. At that point, the car can stay plugged in as long as necessary because the charging process has ended. You can tell that charging has stopped because non of the dash blue lights are blinking.. To the car, it is like it is not connected at all. That is My $4 worth....

To that, my answer is a total "yes". When the car reaches a full charge, the car signals to the charger to stop. At that point, the car can stay plugged in as long as necessary because the charging process has ended. You can tell that charging has stopped because non of the dash blue lights are blinking.. To the car, it is like it is not connected at all. That is My $4 worth....

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The car will regularly verify the EVSE connection when plugged in and not charging. This uses power from the accessory battery. If the accessory battery is low, and the car is plugged in for long enough, it will drain the accessory battery. This is more an issue with pre- 2014 Leafs, but it can still happen if the car is left plugged in around the clock, for days.

It will be fine.

Jeanne,

Here is some additional information to add to the answers you have received so far:

It is fine to leave the car plugged in after charging is complete as long as you intend to drive it in the next day or two. If the LEAF will be parked for extended time, it is best to park with it unplugged and with about half charge (between 30% and 70% is ideal with higher level in cold weather). The car will automatically charge the 12-volt battery periodically and turn on the traction battery heater, if necessary. I park at the airport or my office frequently for as long as a month at a time without issue.

Although hand washing is less likely to damage the paint, I use automatic car washes periodically. To put the LEAF in neutral, just pull the shifter to the left and hold it until the N is displayed on the dash, release the shifter, and do not touch the power button.

Gerry

When my 12 volt battery got so low it couldn't unlock the doors, the car had been plugged in and not charging for less than two days. I think it's unwise to tell people that leaving it plugged in after charging for more than 6 hours or so is fine. It will likely work the first couple of times you do it, but maybe not the third, or fourth...

LeftieBiker said:

When my 12 volt battery got so low it couldn't unlock the doors, the car had been plugged in and not charging for less than two days. I think it's unwise to tell people that leaving it plugged in after charging for more than 6 hours or so is fine. It will likely work the first couple of times you do it, but maybe not the third, or fourth...

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Your situation is not the reality for everyone else. You should warn that leaving the car plugged in can result in a dead 12v battery, not that it will result in one. My 2013 Leaf SV is always plugged in, unless it is being driven. It has sat for as long as 10 days plugged in with no problems. I realize that my situation is not the same as others. I also check the 12v battery a few times a year and top off the cells with distilled water, as needed. Unlike others, I do not need to use a battery tender or to periodically attach an external charger to the battery.

LeftieBiker said:

To that, my answer is a total "yes". When the car reaches a full charge, the car signals to the charger to stop. At that point, the car can stay plugged in as long as necessary because the charging process has ended. You can tell that charging has stopped because non of the dash blue lights are blinking.. To the car, it is like it is not connected at all. That is My $4 worth....

Click to expand...

The car will regularly verify the EVSE connection when plugged in and not charging. This uses power from the accessory battery. If the accessory battery is low, and the car is plugged in for long enough, it will drain the accessory battery. This is more an issue with pre- 2014 Leafs, but it can still happen if the car is left plugged in around the clock, for days.

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I would find this discussion more enlightening if I knew the power drain for the periodic EVSE checks, so I could compare it to the 12v charging that accrues from driving and charging. I'm interested because most of the trips in our LEAF are only a couple minutes long and I want to set delayed charging for the early morning hours when the weather warms up.

Or I'll just add a 12v battery check to my quarterly maintenance log. LeafSpy does report the 12v voltage but I am unsure if that should be used since the car is on.

I'm not sure that anyone has ever documented the actual drain figure from the EVSE check. I agree that it would be helpful. Checking the battery occasionally is a good idea. Pop the hood, turn the car off, leave it off a couple of hours, and when you come back, check the terminal voltage without opening or starting the car. You want better than 12.5 volts.