alex hamilton
Member
I'm going to buy a 2015 Leaf and wondering if going with LeafSpy is as good as what the Nissan dealership service shop can tell me about the battery condition. Thanks for any input.
LeafSpy vs Nissan Dealership Inspection
- Thread starter alex hamilton
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danelo
Well-known member
I doubt they do any type of check of the battery. I bet looking at the battery capacity gauge is the most they do. If even that much, so definitely bring LeafSpy with you.
You will definitely learn more from LeafSpy readings than what the dealer will tell you. The battery evaluation the dealer provides you is basically no more than you can learn by reading the displays on the vehicle. I presume dealers have equipment which provide more information (such as condition of individual cell in the battery pack) but, as far as I know, they don't share that information with owners.
alex hamilton
Member
Thanks very much for the advice. I appreciate it.
Jerther
Well-known member
I asked for a battery check when I bought my 2022 two months ago at a Nissan dealer. Here's what they gave me. Indeed, probably nothing more than what's on the car's display.
The sad thing is there are people who swear by that readout like it's Gospel!
alex hamilton
Member
Thanks very much for the help. LeafSpy it is then. Cheers.
Jerther
Well-known member
Well judging by the average customer at this particular Nissan dealer, I'd say the information in this report is pretty much all they could swallow anyway, let alone anything we can get with leafspy. I guess this is what they do in the "recommended" annual check which nobody does 
I guess I COULD have asked for a more detailed report, but I was already happy with that and my Leaf Spy readouts. I doubt they would've agreed to anyway (unless I paid for it of course).
I guess I COULD have asked for a more detailed report, but I was already happy with that and my Leaf Spy readouts. I doubt they would've agreed to anyway (unless I paid for it of course).
alex hamilton
Member
Thanks very much.
pstarSR
Active member
As a new leaf owner, I want to chime in about leafspy. Im a tech guy, so its ok for me. but if you tossed leafspy at me while I was trying to BUY a leaf. I would have ZERO clue what the readings ( other than SOH ) would help me.
the dealer review will check some metrics that still show state of health of the battery. its better than nothing to get the report if they offer it for free. DONT PAY for it. if you trying to buy it used from a dealer.
the system they use to test it, is all automated and through the OBD2 port, the report is generic because they dont need to give most customers a detail of how many GIDs they have lost, or CELL voltage histograms. they just want a bar chart and a "you good" or "your bad"
the dealer review will check some metrics that still show state of health of the battery. its better than nothing to get the report if they offer it for free. DONT PAY for it. if you trying to buy it used from a dealer.
the system they use to test it, is all automated and through the OBD2 port, the report is generic because they dont need to give most customers a detail of how many GIDs they have lost, or CELL voltage histograms. they just want a bar chart and a "you good" or "your bad"
alex hamilton
Member
Thank you. I'm buying the Leaf from a private seller but they have agreed to drop it off at a Nissan Dealership for the inspection. It seems like a good sign to me that they are willing to have it inspected. Cheers.
pstarSR
Active member
yeah, thats a good sign.
Hi. I had my 2021 leaf serviced and the battery health was showing 100%. This was in Nov 2023, and in March 2024 my battery started draining at 63% mark. Took it to Nissan for test and they came back with battery pack replacement at £29,988. Am really disappointed.
Bobjenkins
Member
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If the dealership battery check is pretty useless where can I take it for a Leafspy inspection and obtain an interpretation of the readings . I live in the Toronto area . Perhaps there is an owner in the area where I can gladly pay for this .
Jerther
Well-known member
@Bobjenkins If you can't find anyone, you could buy the mobile app and a compatible bluetooth dongle (both are quite cheap) and post screenshots of your readings in a new topic here. Some people here will gladly do the interpretation part
Would it still be under warranty for the HV battery pack?
It is worth looking at the age and condition of the 12V battery--an old, weak or worn out 12V can cause a multitude of false issues, including faults that cause the dealerships to condemn the HV battery pack.
If the pack was really 100% in November, then 63% in March, well that is a phenomenal upset, and nearly impossible to believe it could be real...More likely the 12V is bad than the HV pack, especially if it is the original 12V that came with the car.
Thanx for reply. Maybe I didn't explain clearly. Even now the battery health still shows 100%. I charge the car normally and as I drive it goes down as expected but when I get to around 63% left, and on high speed the gauge drops drastically.
Jerther
Well-known member
That's what I understood. 63% for sudden drops is fairly high. No doubt the dealer could easily replicate your problem and call for a battery replacement under warranty. I've had two such events on my previous 2018 SL 40kWh, but they only occurred in freezing weather and for the second event I had to go through quite a long process, taking notes and pictures. It's nice you didn't have that struggle
You would benefit from looking at the cell voltages when this happens using leafspy with an obdii dongle.
There may be a weak or defective cell although that should normally throw a DTC.
