Help With Battery Health

Hello!

First time poster here. Apologies if this thread belongs elsewhere.

I have a 2013 Leaf S with 48k miles and the warranty is up Nov 2018. The SOH is 76% and im down two bars of capacity.

I drive about 12k miles a year, so if im going to try and make it to four bars down I'll need to start now. I also live in Florida and it's quite hot this summer.

Why question is: is it a reasonable goal to get the car down to four bars in the next year? Or will i be damaging the battery too little too late?

Thanks for any advice!

What's the build month on the car? It's on the driver's side door sticker.

Its Nov 2013, so as i understand, i have until Nov 2018 to be eligible for the warranty.

takeittothemax said:

Its Nov 2013, so as i understand, i have until Nov 2018 to be eligible for the warranty.

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It also means that you have the battery with revised chemistry and it will be more difficult for you to intentionally lose capacity than someone with a pre-4/13 battery.

It's taken almost four years to lose two bars, so the math is against you. Nissan improved the battery chemistry in mid 2013 specifically to avoid having to replace more packs for free.

Thanks for the input! When i bought it Fall 2016 it was at 79% and I've been babying it ever since, but with the temperatures especially high right now in Florida i figured it was now or never If i was going to intentionally make it to 4 bars.

You need to know about another little trick that Nissan pulled as well, then. The fourth bar is much more "reluctant" to drop than the first three. This is apparently to get the fourth bar loss to just outside the warranty period, if the improved chemistry fails. Quite a few people have fallen victim to that one, although Nissan now seems somewhat willing to pay for half or even most of the replacement pack's cost for out of warranty 4th bar loss.

I really hate it when people buy a used car and try to cheat the odds by trying to beat the car down to get a new battery... You make it bad for the rest of us and are trying to get something for nothing.. I wouldn't even answer that ridiculous question..

powersurge said:

I really hate it when people buy a used car and try to cheat the odds by trying to beat the car down to get a new battery... You make it bad for the rest of us and are trying to get something for nothing.. I wouldn't even answer that ridiculous question..

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Uh, no. There's no "cheating the odds" happening here. The car is warranted in a certain way, as long as the driver doesn't engage in fraud, it should be covered. Having parts repaired under warranty, when no fraud is involved, is absolutely not "getting something for nothing". It's "getting what you paid for".

If the warranty didn't transfer to people who are looking to take advantage of it, the resale value of a 4+ year old leaf would approach zero dollars. If the Leaf battery weren't so ridiculously fragile despite being priced like a nice new car, it wouldn't be an issue.

Fraud: wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain.

Unless you're willing to disclose to Nissan about your treatment of the battery to accelerate deterioration of capacity during your 'claim' of faulty equipment, I'd say it could be construed as deceptive. Pretty sure the warranty is there to cover faults under normal operation and use, not negligence.

Not sure if Nissan even inquires about the history of the car, so you may be in the clear on your claim. Otherwise, Illegal, probably not. Deceptive, absolutely.

eatsleafsandshoots said:

If the Leaf battery weren't so ridiculously fragile despite being priced like a nice new car, it wouldn't be an issue.

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I accept your comments about the warranty being what it is. I have to question this statement however. On what do you personally base your statement? I am on my second LEAF and that has not been my experience.

Dooglas said:

eatsleafsandshoots said:

If the Leaf battery weren't so ridiculously fragile despite being priced like a nice new car, it wouldn't be an issue.

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I accept your comments about the warranty being what it is. I have to question this statement however. On what do you personally base your statement? I am on my second LEAF and that has not been my experience.

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Most new cars will last 20+ years, a Leaf will last less than half that long when used regularly - despite only recently being priced appropriately.