Maintenance Question

[pauldesr]

I had been told to bring my 2013 Leaf in for maintenance at 7500 miles. I called my dealer (Autonation Nation, Irving, TX) to make an appointment and asked what was done at that interval to find out how long the process would take. I was told that it would probably be "oil and filter change, plus tire rotation." When I pointed out that the car was electric and didn't take oil, she put me on hold for a long time. Then another lady came on the line, asked me to repeat all the information I gave the first lady, and said that a technician would call me back in a few minutes. That was 48 hours ago.

What is done at 7500 miles?

 

[TomT]

Nothing other than maybe a tire rotation. Look in the manual under normal service interval...

What is done at 7500 miles?

 

[RonDawg]

Any Nissan dealer who tells you your Leaf needs an oil change is a Nissan dealer you need to stay away from. Either they are just plain incompetent, and/or all they care about is to separate you from your money.

As Tom said, all you really need is a tire rotation (and some would argue it's unnecessary at this interval, but I would do it anyway).

BTW Nissan's recommended service intervals are for time or mileage, whichever comes first. So if you put low miles on your car (as it appears you do), you should be having it serviced every 6 months, and not every 7500 miles. The exception is the annual battery check; that needs to be done around the time of the yearly anniversary of the purchase/lease of the car, regardless of mileage.

Since all you missed is that tire rotation, I would say wait a couple of months to bring it in, and have the mandatory battery check done (first two are free) and have the tires rotated then. If you really want to pay for it, then have the recommended inspections done. However, for my annual check I only had them do the tires and the battery check, and most of the "recommended" inspections were done for free as part of their complimentary safety check. If they tell you that you need a brake fluid flush at this time, do a Nancy Reagan and "Just Say No." :lol:

 

[smkettner]

Get the battery check at 12 months, 24 months, 36 months....... etc. to preserve the battery warranty.
Everything else is optional fluff.

 

[Graycenphil]

I might be tempted to bring it in, and see if they charge you for the oil change.

 

[ERG4ALL]

WE got one of those "free oil change" coupons from our dealer for being a loyal customer. I brought it to their attention and got a tire rotation and a wash for free.

 

[greengate]

I might be tempted to bring it in, and see if they charge you for the oil change.

I'd also want to look around to see where they put it!!

 

[johnrhansen]

Get the battery check at 12 months, 24 months, 36 months....... etc. to preserve the battery warranty.
Everything else is optional fluff.

How about the cabin air filer? How dirty do they get and how often should I really change it?

 

[RonDawg]

How about the cabin air filer? How dirty do they get and how often should I really change it?

Nissan recommends once a year, but if you don't drive on dirt roads and it's not dusty where you are, you might be able to go longer. This is something that will vary by location and owner, just like with the furnace filters in your home.

 

[LeftieBiker]

The Ecopia tires that most leafs seem to come with should definitely be rotated every 5k miles, unless you decide to not rotate them at all, and replace the pair that wears out early, rather than replace all of them at about 20k miles.

 

[johnrhansen]

The tires : if they only last 20000 miles, then it seems to me you only need to rotate them once at 10000.

the air filter: does air go through it regardless of if you are in fresh air or recirc? I always run in the fresh air mode.

 

[smkettner]

Get the battery check at 12 months, 24 months, 36 months....... etc. to preserve the battery warranty.
Everything else is optional fluff.

How about the cabin air filer? How dirty do they get and how often should I really change it?

I did mine at two years. I recommend five.

 

[LeftieBiker]

The tires : if they only last 20000 miles, then it seems to me you only need to rotate them once at 10000.

Yes, there is a wide range of lifespans for these tires, from about 12K to over 50k miles. I chose what seemed like a reasonable figure, based on what I've read here.

 

[RonDawg]

The air filter: does air go through it regardless of if you are in fresh air or recirc? I always run in the fresh air mode.

It definitely is in the air stream in Fresh Air mode, not sure about Recirc.

 

[Stanton]

The Ecopia tires that most leafs seem to come with should definitely be rotated every 5k miles, unless you decide to not rotate them at all, and replace the pair that wears out early, rather than replace all of them at about 20k miles.

That's actually pretty good advice; I rotated mine early and STILL had to replace them (with Michelins) @20k miles!

 

[Stanton]

Get the battery check at 12 months, 24 months, 36 months....... etc. to preserve the battery warranty.
Everything else is optional fluff.

How about the cabin air filer? How dirty do they get and how often should I really change it?

I did mine at two years. I recommend five.

I replaced mine (so easy you can do it yourself) @2 years also, but I don't know that I would recommend waiting *5* years; I certainly wouldn't do it any more often than every 2 years/20k miles or so (unless you live in the country).

 

[smkettner]

The biggest thing is to get out of the mindset of interval service that dealers love to reel you in with.
For those on a 3 year lease your scheduled maintenance could easily be ZERO cost. Two free battery checks, a set of tires and turn it in.