Steal Your Battery program: Any news? Hello Nissan?

[thankyouOB]

a member of the advisory board told me that nissan asks for proof that we care about this and that it is not just a couple of board members' whining.

do you care about a battery replacement price?
has it affected whether you sell your LEAF and buy a new one?
has it affected your recommendations to others?

 

[gsleaf]

Since I haven't chimed in, I'm very interested in the battery replacement costs and yes it will affect my purchasing decision in the future.

 

[EvansvilleLeaf]

a member of the advisory board told me that nissan asks for proof that we care about this and that it is not just a couple of board members' whining.

do you care about a battery replacement price?
has it affected whether you sell your LEAF and buy a new one?
has it affected your recommendations to others?

Haven't chimed in either because at 8k in IN my battery is still fine and as a lessee not my problem. However yes it will certainly be a fairly significant factor in whether I buy another Leaf after my lease is up (I never typically lease and only did this time due to new and evolving technology - next time will be a purchase for longer term ownership)

 

[Stoaty]

a member of the advisory board told me that nissan asks for proof that we care about this and that it is not just a couple of board members' whining.

do you care about a battery replacement price?
has it affected whether you sell your LEAF and buy a new one?
has it affected your recommendations to others?

Yes, I care about a battery replacement price.
No, it won't affect whether I sell my Leaf.
Yes, it affects my recommendation to others.

However, we have been promised a date that is a week away. If Nissan doesn't release the price by then (or tell us it will be another week or two), then raising holy hell would be reasonable. However, your almost daily posting is the exact definition of "a couple of board members' whining".

 

[LEAFer]

Yes, I care about battery replacement cost, because

1. I care about TCO.
2. It could make the difference between turning in the leased LEAF, or buying it out next January.

HTH.

 

[TimLee]

Yes, I care about a battery replacement price.
No, it won't affect whether I sell my Leaf.
Yes, it affects my recommendation to others.

Yes, I care about battery replacement cost, because

1. I care about TCO.
2. It could make the difference between turning in the leased LEAF, or buying it out next January.

+1 on these comments.
As a May 2011 buyer of the LEAF, at this point the price does two main things. Tells me how bad I messed up by buying instead of leasing the LEAF. And tells me how bad I messed up by not selling the LEAF early summer last year like some people did (including one to uninformed Carmax) and switching to a lease of a 2012 LEAF.
Most people changed their opinion and recommendation on the LEAF to lease only the minute the LEAF community recognized that battery capacity was falling faster than most had anticipated. Precipitously fast for those in very hot climates.
With the falling values of used LEAFs most buyers are locked in at this point.
Some buyers like TaylorSFGuy with nearly 80,000 miles on the vehicle do need the price, but even he primarily needed the price a year ago.
But the people that leased clearly need the battery price to know whether to buyout the LEAF at the end of the lease.
Unless the battery price is very low, say <$4000 total cost with Nissan keeping the used LEAF battery, I think most will consider the LEAF to be a lease only vehicle. Very few will buy out their lease. And the buyers will be stuck.
Nissan has done very little for the buyers. $1000 loyalty program is sad and pathetic. If Nissan wanted to show loyalty do what Ford did for me in 1991 with $8000 on a Merkur Scorpio (which I loved so much I bought it back from the dealer) and enjoyed the $8000 price cut on a 1991 Ford Ranger that I also enjoyed till 2009 when Cash for Clunkers did it in, with purchase of a 2009 Altima.
If LEAF is a lease only vehicle, I don't see how that business model works long term. Resale prices will continue to plummet, and ultimately Nissan will have to raise the lease price due to plummeting residual value, and demand for the vehicle will ultimately be markedly less than Nissan needs it to be. :shock:

 

[thankyouOB]

thank you for the latest comments.
any others care about pushing nissan on the battery replacement issue?
is there anyone here at all who would be satisfied if we are left at the mercy of dealership pricing for replacement and trade in of your old battery?
recall that i was charged more than 3k by a dealer to have mine removed, stored and reinstalled for a paint repair.
do you want to experience that on TOP OF whatever is charged for a new battery?

As to stopping posting? I dont plan to get off your lawn but instead will keep rallying the troops, posting reminders to nissan that we care very much about the long-delayed announcement.

if they want good PR, they have to be good and transparent partners.
I get that andy and brian are good guys, and i give nissan a +1 for maintaining its leadership in EVs, but this is NO WAY to treat customers.
they should try a course in crisis communications, or listen to their PR guys' advice, which I am certain was for nissan to clear this up yesterday.

 

[TRONZ]

Yes, I care about battery replacement cost, because

1. I care about TCO.
2. It could make the difference between turning in the leased LEAF, or buying it out next January.

HTH.

^This!!!

 

[thankyouOB]

However, we have been promised a date that is a week away. If Nissan doesn't release the price by then (or tell us it will be another week or two), then raising holy hell would be reasonable. However, your almost daily posting is the exact definition of "a couple of board members' whining".

we were promised "in the spring," and that window opened more than two months ago.

 

[evnow]

Not sure why companies talk about spring/summer/fall etc. Just specify a quarter - so that we can all be clear on when it ends. If Nissan had said Q2 - we would know to expect the announcement on June 30th ;-)

 

[GetOffYourGas]

less than a week. nissan goes for the deadline it calls spring.

The day by day posting is getting old. Wait until June 21 to comment.

If it bothers you, stop following this thread until June 21st.

I care a lot. I will probably never buy a replacement with my cold climate and my short commute, but it makes a huge difference in whether I recommend a Volt or a Leaf for others.

 

[garymelora]

The cost of replacing the battery is the biggest factor in TCO behind the cost of the car itself. On a per mile basis, battery replacement will cost more than the electricity to run the car. No way would I buy a new or used EV without knowing the battery replacement cost.

 

[Stoaty]

However, we have been promised a date that is a week away. If Nissan doesn't release the price by then (or tell us it will be another week or two), then raising holy hell would be reasonable. However, your almost daily posting is the exact definition of "a couple of board members' whining".

we were promised "in the spring," and that window opened more than two months ago.

Yes, but Jeff from Nissan affirmed a week or two ago that we would hear by the 20th or 21st. We have a specific date. Let's wait until that passes to get more riled up.

 

[FairwoodRed]

I jumped into a purchase of new technology with the understanding that not everything would be ready right away. But this has been outstanding for far too long. There has to be reasons why it's taking so long, but I’ve been unable to guess at them. And Nissan has been too quiet on why.

I appreciate thankyouOB keeping this thread active. His actions on this point are a proxy for my own. Unfortunately, I feel that Nissan needs a gentle reminding that this needs a resolution. I find myself thinking about battery replacement costs almost as often as thankyouOB posts about them.

And yes, I also don’t want to be left to the mercy of dealership pricing on the install labor. It really should be fixed price, or available as parts only so I can take it to any qualified tech.

For a thread started to remind Nissan to provide a battery price, and its related grousing, thankyouOB’s posts are definitely on topic and relevant.

<edit: changed to correct spelling of gentle>

 

[Stoaty]

You feel that Nissan needs a gentile reminding them? Is there some reason Jews shouldn't be reminding them too?

 

[mwalsh]

The cost of replacing the battery is the biggest factor in TCO behind the cost of the car itself. On a per mile basis, battery replacement will cost more than the electricity to run the car. No way would I buy a new or used EV without knowing the battery replacement cost.

Of course, I've saved around $4k in gasoline alone for the last 30 months. If I can get to 60 months (or more) before I need to consider a new pack, I may be able to cover it based on the gasoline and oil savings (assuming a reasonable cost). Naturally that no longer provides the TCO edge that i would have enjoyed over a comparable ICE car, just the environmental satisfaction (which is fine by me).

 

[thankyouOB]

Thanks much to FairwoodRed.

 

[FairwoodRed]

You feel that Nissan needs a gentile reminding them? Is there some reason Jews shouldn't be reminding them too?

Well spell check didn't go red... so which word should I have used?

 

[mwalsh]

You feel that Nissan needs a gentile reminding them? Is there some reason Jews shouldn't be reminding them too?

Well spell check didn't go red... so which word should I have used?

LOL! I get it now. You used gentile instead of gentle. LOL! :lol:

 

[FairwoodRed]

You feel that Nissan needs a gentile reminding them? Is there some reason Jews shouldn't be reminding them too?

Well spell check didn't go red... so which word should I have used?

LOL! I get it now. You used gentile instead of gentle. LOL! :lol:

Thanks. It didn't look right, but spell check was OK with it. I've got it right now!