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kjpowers

Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2016
Messages
15
So I am looking to get a new battery in my 2012 leaf with 73k miles on it. I was told by Nissan this would be around 8k. I still owe 4k on the car and Nissan said they would give me around 2k for it if I was to trade it in. So I’m looking at getting a new car. I love my leaf but I’m also in the notion that I can get a 2015 leaf with 20k miles and full bars for 10k. So I’m at a hard place and just want some advice from the community.

1. Lease a fiat 500e for ~109 @36 months
2. Buy a '15 for 10K+2k(my old loan)
3. New battery for 4K +8k = 12k

I am leaning to the new battery because its a new battery, I assume, it will be a better battery then the '15 (most 15's on the market I see in my area have only one bar loss at 60k )


Current commute is 26mile round trip with an 8 mile 700ft climb
Current GOM is 40mi
Current '12 actual mileage ~22 - 24mi (3.2kwh/mi)

I have to keep my payments low as I have a new baby on the way and very little funds. I will have 2 kids and that is why I am not moving more towards the lease as it is a small car.

I was looking at an ICE but at the 10k price I worry about maintaining an ICE and in the long run being worse off than a leaf.

Just looking for advice, feeling overwhelmed and stressed. Hope you all can help?
 
More info would be helpful.
1) Have you lost 4 bars (which leads to the question)
2) Have you submitted a (partial) warranty claim to Nissan

Location would also be helpful. If you are under as much financial stress as you imply...maybe a different approach is in order (including a $1000 "beater")?
 
Stanton said:
More info would be helpful.
1) Have you lost 4 bars (which leads to the question)
2) Have you submitted a (partial) warranty claim to Nissan

Location would also be helpful. If you are under as much financial stress as you imply...maybe a different approach is in order (including a $1000 "beater")?

1) Yes Well beyond I am at 73k miles and i have lost 6 bars
2) they told me no because I am to far from it.

I live in Sothern CA
 
Note that the new battery comes with a full warranty. Check with Nissan for the exact details. That might influence your decision.
 
kjpowers said:
Stanton said:
More info would be helpful.
1) Have you lost 4 bars (which leads to the question)
2) Have you submitted a (partial) warranty claim to Nissan

Location would also be helpful. If you are under as much financial stress as you imply...maybe a different approach is in order (including a $1000 "beater")?

1) Yes Well beyond I am at 73k miles and i have lost 6 bars
2) they told me no because I am to far from it.

I live in Sothern CA

There's a disconnect somewhere.
If you are down 6 bars about 1 year beyond the 5 year warranty limit (2012-2017), then you should have been down 4 bars long before the 5 year limit.
Were you unaware of the warranty replacement policy? I would imagine Nissan would still give you some sort of partial coverage down that many bars at this point.
 
4th bar lost at 63k. I did not try to get anything because I read so many people saying nissan just told them to pownd ground.
 
kjpowers said:
4th bar lost at 63k. I did not try to get anything because I read so many people saying nissan just told them to pownd ground.

All I know is that 100% of the people who didn't ask...didn't get anything. Just sayin'
 
Is the rest of the car in good shape? Personally, I would rather have a new, warrantied battery in a car whose history I know (assuming it is good) rather than roll the dice on a used car with an unknown history.

With 2 young kids I would steer clear of a beater unless you have a dear friend who likes working on your car.

Edit to add: Used Leaf prices seem to have gone up lately and finding a 2015 with 20k miles for $10k may not be as easy as it once was. Also, I doubt the replacement battery will be better than the 2015 battery but a 2015 battery should be much better than the one that came with your 2012.
 
I am in the exact same position as you (minus the kids). I wish I had an answer for you, but I'm not even sure what I'm going to do yet. I would prefer to replace the battery but the cost is prohibitive. I'm starting with the dealership, then I'll move up to Nissan. Asking about any kind of discount or prorated price.
 
The dealer is trying to low ball you. Check Kelley Blue Book for recommend value. If you just want to get to get rid of the car then you will probably get more money selling it to a private party.

Remember, even if you don’t replace the battery, someone will have to eventually or turn the car into scrap. Maybe you can talk Nissan into shipping you one of those remanufactured from Japan. There are currently 56 wrecked Leafs up for auction on Auto Bid Masters, you can always buy a wrecked Leaf for a couple grand and yank the battery out of it.
 
I just wanted to add one more thing. Most Leafs, as well with most electric vehicles, are going to be on the roads for hundreds of thousands of miles, until the cars are just too worn out or too old to get parts for. Any EV can go through multiple battery swaps in its’ lifetime.

Replacement of the batteries is very much akin to replacement of tires. You don’t throw away a car just because the tires are worn out. No, you buy knew tires just like you should buy a replacement when the battery pack is worn out.
 
if you can still bear the range, a guy is making a range extender that installs in the trunk and hopefully will be done by the end of the year or early next, this would be cheaper than a new battery.

https://muxsan.com/preorder.html
 
kjpowers said:
So I am looking to get a new battery in my 2012 leaf with 73k miles on it. I was told by Nissan this would be around 8k. I still owe 4k on the car and Nissan said they would give me around 2k for it if I was to trade it in. So I’m looking at getting a new car. I love my leaf but I’m also in the notion that I can get a 2015 leaf with 20k miles and full bars for 10k.

* "12 bars" is not equivalent to a new battery
* The new car will have additional taxes
* The New to you but used 2015 will be an unknown quantity
* The original car will cost you more if totaled and you are banking on insurance money

Pick your poison. If your car is in otherwise excellent condition I would curse Nissan and buy a battery. And never buy Nissan again.
 
DaveinOlyWA said:
kjpowers said:
4th bar lost at 63k. I did not try to get anything because I read so many people saying nissan just told them to pownd ground.
that was a mistake
BS. Show me that long list of people you know of that received Nissan consideration once the goodwill program was discontinued.
 
I too am thinking of replacing the battery. I just bought a 2012 SL with 34k and 10 bars and it lost a bar already(I ran the battery down to the last bar a few times in the first month and I think the computer may have been reset). So now I have a 9 bar car... Anyhow, I'm still happy with the purchase 7k out the door. I've looked into extenders, but don't want to lose the trunk, I've looked into a new battery but still get 45 highway miles. Anyhow, I'm thinking that these 2011/2012 cars are all getting to 96k(12k/year) and they all will need battery refurb or replace so the market is probably just ramping up now; the plant in Japan completed Feb,(another future in US maybe???). So I see my $6,300 gen1 is a great investment; I see the price of batteries/upgrades/refurbishment all declining in the next year or two.

I'd hold onto your car and wait for the battery price to fall as the market for battery fixing gets going. It takes time for inventive people to get their hands on super cheap cars and develop strategies for battery problems.

Something I discovered is that if I charge with 120v to 100% I suddenly have double the range than charging 240v to 80%. I live in North Texas and I think I'll be fine charging 80% in the summer; I only have a 16 mile commute each way and I can charge at work.

On a slightly unrelated topic: Has anyone seen a small A/C that I can put inside the battery box? I've been thinking of getting a low watt (40-100)compressor and run it 12v with a little evaporator and fan and a condenser somewhere hidden and safe... I don't think I'd need very much at all just something to get the ambient air outside 110F(summer) down to 80F or so. The main problem is here in north Texas the night Temp usually doesn't drop below 95F and I don't have a garage, just some trees and gravel that I park on. So I'm guessing that my battery temps will be between 110F to 130F(maybe higher)during the late summer. Or maybe some 1/4" soft copper coiled around the battery box, run other end to radiator(heater core) behind car's AC evaporator and a little pump to slowly push antifreeze and insulate outside with spray foam, maybe an aluminum skid under it all to protect the foam??? Downside of this solution is that I'd have to have the car on to get any active cooling and any heat during charging would go into the cabin. Has anyone here tried a solution? I'm not sure if I'm in the right place...
 
I've sort of wondered the same thing as far as trying to fit some aftermarket or DIY cooling system for the Leaf and I'm also in North Texas. Something like a large sized computer chiller mat or something, but I'm sure it's not as easy as that though.
 
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