The Battery Replacement Thread

[Stanton]

Got some bad news today from the dealer: not only did my battery pack not arrive as originally promised ~1 week ago, but now they say it will be an additional 2-3 weeks. I thought the original 1 week estimate was too good to be true, but when I was told it was "in production", I said to myself this could be even longer than 2-3 weeks.

I'm not going to complain when I'm getting a free replacement battery and free loaner car, but I'm really disappointed that Nissan hasn't built up a stock of these things when they know some are needed. Now that it's actually started to turn cold, I wouldn't have had the range to make some of my normal trips in the Leaf anyway.

 

[Evoforce]

Well the dealer told me today it would be a 3 week wait for my battery to show up. So, maybe they just teased you a little. We will see if they gave me a teaser too!

 

[TimLee]

... but I'm really disappointed that Nissan hasn't built up a stock of these things when they know some are needed. ...

Also a bit surprised.
But these are special 2015 S packs that are manufactured without the battery heater for use in 2011 pre cold weather package pack replacements.
Packs need to be manufactured close to when they are needed.
Hate to see what the wait may be for the last of these 2011 LEAFs that win the capacity warranty lottery in June or July next year

 

[boyodublin]

Dropped my car into Nissan Puente Hills here in Los Angeles last Wednesday AM, and they called late Thursday afternoon to say ready.
Picked up on Friday.
When I started car with new battery replacement it showed 109 miles.....Woohoo!
But by they time I rolled out of the Dealer's parking lot it was down to 79 miles-------????
I think the software that measures this is completely F----cked up!

Anyway, really happy that I have my 12 bars back!

Good luck to everyone in this process......

 

[fooljoe]

After I got my new battery I noticed that the GOM was very sensitive to whether the climate control was on. As I drove out of the dealership I recall it showing +24 miles to turn the climate control off (and it was just barely blowing AC). Clearly the mysterious GOM algorithms are reset during the replacement process, but over time it should re-learn your habits and get back to its usual less-bad guessing ways.

 

[mwalsh]

Dropped my car into Nissan Puente Hills here in Los Angeles last Wednesday AM, and they called late Thursday afternoon to say ready.

So around 5 weeks total from the day you took it to be verified? I can live with that. In fact, it fits my original plan of having it done over the school's Christmas break very well.

 

[boyodublin]

Before leaving the dealership, I glanced at the invoice for the battery replacement and it came in at $6,500.......Wow!
Very grateful to all those involved in the class action suit, and the follow-up to make all of this happen for us few lucky-son's guns! (Sorry, in this climate I shouldn't be using any gun language in an idiomatic expression!)

 

[TomT]

It is interesting... I am not impressed with how my Lizard replacement battery is holding up after 7 months and 8,000 miles during the San Fernando Valley summer heat... (See my sig below...)

 

[kolmstead]

Since it is looking like my car won't qualify for capacity warranty, would it be worth buying a new battery? I might consider $6500 to make my Leaf as good as new for four or five years. But I'm not buying another battery that loses 10% capacity per year. Been there, done that, even have the Leaf T-shirt. The reports by TomT and Evoforce are very disappointing. In fact, they sound very similar to the original battery under hot conditions. The "lizard" sounds more like a salamander.

It looks like I can use the car this winter. I'm hitting LBW about three miles from home, and I'm still able to use low heat. Thank goodness for LeafSpy! Assuming that the car remains usable all winter, next summer shouldn't be a problem. But by fall, the range will be less than my commute. Unless the lizard battery has proven itself by then, my Leaf is going to charity.

-Karl

 

[GRA]

Since it is looking like my car won't qualify for capacity warranty, would it be worth buying a new battery? I might consider $6500 to make my Leaf as good as new for four or five years. But I'm not buying another battery that loses 10% capacity per year. Been there, done that, even have the Leaf T-shirt. The reports by TomT and Evoforce are very disappointing. In fact, they sound very similar to the original battery under hot conditions. The "lizard" sounds more like a salamander.

It looks like I can use the car this winter. I'm hitting LBW about three miles from home, and I'm still able to use low heat. Thank goodness for LeafSpy! Assuming that the car remains usable all winter, next summer shouldn't be a problem. But by fall, the range will be less than my commute. Unless the lizard battery has proven itself by then, my Leaf is going to charity.

-Karl

I like to think of the 30kWh LEAF as a car for people who find the LEAF's range satisfactory now, but only when they don't use the heater. The 30kWh allows heater use year-round on the same trips where the 24kWh owner has to do without.

 

[Valdemar]

Since it is looking like my car won't qualify for capacity warranty, would it be worth buying a new battery? I might consider $6500 to make my Leaf as good as new for four or five years. But I'm not buying another battery that loses 10% capacity per year. Been there, done that, even have the Leaf T-shirt. The reports by TomT and Evoforce are very disappointing. In fact, they sound very similar to the original battery under hot conditions. The "lizard" sounds more like a salamander.

It looks like I can use the car this winter. I'm hitting LBW about three miles from home, and I'm still able to use low heat. Thank goodness for LeafSpy! Assuming that the car remains usable all winter, next summer shouldn't be a problem. But by fall, the range will be less than my commute. Unless the lizard battery has proven itself by then, my Leaf is going to charity.

-Karl

There was one report on MNL about an out of pocket replacement, the cost was $5500. I may do it in a couple of years. I suppose I can live with the fact that the Lizard is a dud, but what really bothers me is that if the car is totaled with the recently replaced pack you're likely screwed as the insurance won't pay for it. Because of it I see myself going the junkyard route, get a donor battery and swap the modules. I can see there will be plenty of places willing to sell you a slightly used pack from a wrecked Leaf in a couple of years. For non DIY-inclined, there will likely be shops willing to do it for a fee, overall it should still be much cheaper than a dealer install if one can live with the idea that the replacement battery has no warranty.

 

[mwalsh]

Since it is looking like my car won't qualify for capacity warranty

Don't give up hope yet Karl. You still have a month.

 

[DaveEV]

I like to think of the 30kWh LEAF as a car for people who find the LEAF's range satisfactory now, but only when they don't use the heater. The 30kWh allows heater use year-round on the same trips where the 24kWh owner has to do without.

The 30 kWh LEAF has a lot of benefits over the '11 LEAF:

1. 6 kWh more capacity - over 20 miles more range in most conditions.
2. Better efficiency - Even with the same 24 kWh battery, most newer LEAFs seem to be able to drive farther more easily than the '11-12 LEAF.
3. Heat-pump (on the SV/SL) - Very low heat use in cool weather, similar to A/C consumption.
4. Seat/steering wheel heater - almost free heat.
5. 8 year, 100k mile capacity warranty - Even if you just miss out on the capacity warranty, you get another 3 years and 40k miles of warranty - and then you still have a 21 kWh pack - more capacity than a 24 kWh 1-bar loser.

So for someone where a 24 kWh LEAF has worked for 5 years - a 30 kWh LEAF will probably work for at least twice as long making it a much better value.

Now for ~$6k one can get a new lizard pack out of warranty and then get at least another 5+ years out of their LEAF (hopefully significantly more since it's supposed to be more durable!), that's effectively paying $100/mo to keep on using the LEAF. Compared to a new car, it's a good deal if the range works for you. Even if you score a new 30 kWh LEAF for $17.5k after all taxes/rebates/trade-in and it lasts 10 years, that's still $145/mo (ignores trade-in on both LEAFs at EOL).

Personally if looking at a new car and driving around 40-45 miles / commute out in Ridgecrest, I'd have to seriously look at the new Volt which has a good chance of making the commute year round on electricity, has proven itself to have a durable battery and can still take longer trips at 40 mpg.

Of course, the longer one can hold out, the better the odds that a 40+ kWh affordable EV will be available and one of those should truly remain usable for almost everyone for it's entire life.

 

[RegGuheert]

Valdemar, your signature is yet more evidence of accelerating degradation in the MY2011 LEAFs:

'11 SL
-1CB@33k/21mo,
-2CB@53k/33mo,
-3CB@68k/41mo
-4CB@79k/49mo
40.7AHr, SOH 62%, 82k miles

CB1->CB2: 20k miles/12 months
CB2->CB3: 15k miles/8 months
CB3->CB4: 11k miles/8 months

 

[Evoforce]

So... I have tracked the stats and crunched the numbers for my hot climate cars in Arizona.

The first battery lasted 3.5 years in the AZ climate and the second battery is on track to do the same or slightly less. What this means for AZ users, is that with these numbers and qualifying for a free replacement battery, you will get approximately 7 years, from owning the car new, on your 2011 or 2012 Leaf.

Now you might be able to extend that if you can continue to drive your car after dropping to 8 bars and waiting right before your warranty expires to get the free replacement providing you don't also go over the 60,000 mileage limitation.

After all this of course, then it will be your own dime of approximately $6,100 for another 3.5 years based on what is available to us right now. Hopefully before that, batteries will have more capacity and longer life.

But for now, your next free battery (if qualifying) will last you approximately 3.5 yrs based on what they are letting us have right now. I want the 30kWh battery, NOW! I don't want some bogus lame excuse that the software won't work with it.

I'm sure they want all of them for the new cars currently in production...

 

[Valdemar]

Valdemar, your signature is yet more evidence of accelerating degradation in the MY2011 LEAFs:

'11 SL
-1CB@33k/21mo,
-2CB@53k/33mo,
-3CB@68k/41mo
-4CB@79k/49mo
40.7AHr, SOH 62%, 82k miles

CB1->CB2: 20k miles/12 months
CB2->CB3: 15k miles/8 months
CB3->CB4: 11k miles/8 months

Yes, I think there's now enough evidence to say it's probably true. Although this may be related to more frequent use of QC in my case over the last year.

 

[kolmstead]

drees: I have considered Volt a few times. Back when I bought the 2011 Leaf, the Volt was about $9K more expensive, which ruled it out. A local EV enthusiast bought a black 2011 Volt not long after I got my Leaf. He got rid of it in about a year and a half. His feeling was that it couldn't handle the desert heat. The brake light lenses softened and slumped, and during the time that he owned the car, both of the LCD display panels failed.

The 30 kWh Leaf might be an option, but not until the early adopter premium goes away. Frankly, in my opinion, the 2016 Leaf is kind of a stopgap. Same old body, same limited performance and handling. Six years is a long time to keep the original, unattractive styling. And then there's my determination to never buy another Nissan product if they didn't stand behind the early adopters like me.

-Karl

 

[Stanton]

drees: I have considered Volt a few times. Back when I bought the 2011 Leaf, the Volt was about $9K more expensive, which ruled it out. A local EV enthusiast bought a black 2011 Volt not long after I got my Leaf. He got rid of it in about a year and a half. His feeling was that it couldn't handle the desert heat. The brake light lenses softened and slumped, and during the time that he owned the car, both of the LCD display panels failed.

That is shocking: I'll have to remember that story!
I remember how excited I was when I first heard about the Volt...until I found out it was a hybrid.
Then I was so relieved when Nissan announced the Leaf. I waited all my life to by an EV, and I hope I never have to buy an ICE car again (at least for me...my wife hates them).

 

[RegGuheert]

Yes, I think there's now enough evidence to say it's probably true. Although this may be related to more frequent use of QC in my case over the last year.

Perhaps, but deeper discharges and more frequent QCs are part-and-parcel of battery degradation.

 

[Stoaty]

Valdemar, your signature is yet more evidence of accelerating degradation in the MY2011 LEAFs:

'11 SL
-1CB@33k/21mo,
-2CB@53k/33mo,
-3CB@68k/41mo
-4CB@79k/49mo
40.7AHr, SOH 62%, 82k miles

CB1->CB2: 20k miles/12 months
CB2->CB3: 15k miles/8 months
CB3->CB4: 11k miles/8 months

My degradation isn't accelerating, it still closely matches the Leaf Battery Aging Model (although it is a tad faster than the model, I am still within 1.5% of the predicted capacity loss). However, I am still driving about 10,000 miles a year, so only have 46,000 miles on my Leaf so far, much less than Valdemar. Also, I don't have QC.