Roddzilla
Member
Never thought my 2012 SL would end up having a better battery than my current 2016. It wasn’t always like this.
I had a very fun 2012 v8 Audi S5 when I decided to pull the trigger on a 24 month lease on a 2012 Leaf. That Leaf was the perfect commuting vehicle and the lease payment and electricity cost me less per month than simply putting premium gas in the S5. I sold the Audi and never looked back.
I ended up extending that lease for an additional year and put right at 43,xxx miles on that thing. Mainly commuting to work and evening/weekend errands. Life was good, but at the 30th month, I lost a bar and then another about 4 months later. I had lost 2 bars and was reading on here about the new chemistry and 30KWh capacity in the new ones. I decided to to turn the 2012 back into Nissan at month 36.
Fast forward and I finally find a good 36 month 15k mile per year lease on a 2016 SL with the new, big battery!
First year of driving the 2016 (same exact commute and charging pattern as the 2012) and I was getting between 100 and 123 miles of real range. I was very happy!
Then, toward the end of the second year, I lost a capacity bar. Then a month later, another bar disappeared. The third bar disappeared just weeks after the 2nd bar. I’m three capacity bars down and it’s time for the 24 month battery check at the dealer. Ironically, my report says the battery is in great condition despite my range complaints and 3 bars being gone.
I left the dealership and decided to buy an OBD Bluetooth dongle and Leaf Spy. Initial scans show SOH is in the low 70s and Hx is in the 60s.
I write an email to Nissan North America complaining about the battery... I get no response.
I decided to take a new job and make the move from Atlanta to Denver — the Leaf was shipped and arrived perfect (except the 3 lost capacity bars!). You know what else arrived? An email from Nissan telling me there was a software update that would calculate my battery capacity properly. Seriously?
I had the update done Friday and now I am super sceptical. Am I wrong for thinking this is an update that simply prevents these cars from losing their 4th bar (and thus prevents Nissan from replacing the battery under warranty)?
LeafSpy before the update:
AHr = 51.27
SOH = 64.51
Hx = 58.34
ODO = 35,813
3 capacity bars gone
After update:
AHr = 65.30
SOH = 82.16
Hx = 58.34
ODO = 35,815
1 capacity bar gone (2 were recovered by the update!)
No charging after the update and the 2 miles added to the odometer was the dealership moving the car around during the service (also had them do the tsb for axle clunking). Not sure if range is better as I haven’t charged or driven it much this weekend.
Is this software update legit, or is it kicking warranty claims down the road for a Nissan?
Thanks for reading, I know this message is long but I am super curious what others think??
DR
I had a very fun 2012 v8 Audi S5 when I decided to pull the trigger on a 24 month lease on a 2012 Leaf. That Leaf was the perfect commuting vehicle and the lease payment and electricity cost me less per month than simply putting premium gas in the S5. I sold the Audi and never looked back.
I ended up extending that lease for an additional year and put right at 43,xxx miles on that thing. Mainly commuting to work and evening/weekend errands. Life was good, but at the 30th month, I lost a bar and then another about 4 months later. I had lost 2 bars and was reading on here about the new chemistry and 30KWh capacity in the new ones. I decided to to turn the 2012 back into Nissan at month 36.
Fast forward and I finally find a good 36 month 15k mile per year lease on a 2016 SL with the new, big battery!
First year of driving the 2016 (same exact commute and charging pattern as the 2012) and I was getting between 100 and 123 miles of real range. I was very happy!
Then, toward the end of the second year, I lost a capacity bar. Then a month later, another bar disappeared. The third bar disappeared just weeks after the 2nd bar. I’m three capacity bars down and it’s time for the 24 month battery check at the dealer. Ironically, my report says the battery is in great condition despite my range complaints and 3 bars being gone.
I left the dealership and decided to buy an OBD Bluetooth dongle and Leaf Spy. Initial scans show SOH is in the low 70s and Hx is in the 60s.
I write an email to Nissan North America complaining about the battery... I get no response.
I decided to take a new job and make the move from Atlanta to Denver — the Leaf was shipped and arrived perfect (except the 3 lost capacity bars!). You know what else arrived? An email from Nissan telling me there was a software update that would calculate my battery capacity properly. Seriously?
I had the update done Friday and now I am super sceptical. Am I wrong for thinking this is an update that simply prevents these cars from losing their 4th bar (and thus prevents Nissan from replacing the battery under warranty)?
LeafSpy before the update:
AHr = 51.27
SOH = 64.51
Hx = 58.34
ODO = 35,813
3 capacity bars gone
After update:
AHr = 65.30
SOH = 82.16
Hx = 58.34
ODO = 35,815
1 capacity bar gone (2 were recovered by the update!)
No charging after the update and the 2 miles added to the odometer was the dealership moving the car around during the service (also had them do the tsb for axle clunking). Not sure if range is better as I haven’t charged or driven it much this weekend.
Is this software update legit, or is it kicking warranty claims down the road for a Nissan?
Thanks for reading, I know this message is long but I am super curious what others think??
DR