Warning: Battery Replacement Cost Increase (now $8500)

[smkettner]

WOW. That sucks. I have a 2011 and have been wondering about new batteries as mine is done to 35 miles on a good day and heaven help me if I have to drive 55 mph... but $8500???? I like the car and is in good shape other than that but WOW. That pretty much makes the leaf a throw away car! Looked up the KBB and is only worth $1500.
Financially now wondering if a EV is even worth it? Seems like there was the bush to get us into them and then they no longer care and just say screw you.

Yes even at $200 per month you are looking at 3.5 years for the new battery to sorta pay off.

 

[UBUYGAS]

WOW. That sucks. I have a 2011 and have been wondering about new batteries as mine is done to 35 miles on a good day and heaven help me if I have to drive 55 mph... but $8500???? I like the car and is in good shape other than that but WOW. That pretty much makes the leaf a throw away car! Looked up the KBB and is only worth $1500.
Financially now wondering if a EV is even worth it? Seems like there was the bush to get us into them and then they no longer care and just say screw you.

For me I am going the Fenix route. $99 a month is a lot less expensive than any other EV i could buy or even lease.

My LEAF has a 1000 Watt Stereo, Sunroof, Truck Horns, Spare Tire. I don't want to lose all that or transfer it all to another car.

So, $99 a month for a battery that has a guaranteed SOH sounds great to me!

 

[Lothsahn]

So, $99 a month for a battery that has a guaranteed SOH sounds great to me![/b]

Indeed it does. But one should be clear that as a startup with zero installed products to customers, it is very high risk.

I too hope Fenix is successful, but they have a long way to go.

 

[UBUYGAS]

So, $99 a month for a battery that has a guaranteed SOH sounds great to me![/b]

Indeed it does. But one should be clear that as a startup with zero installed products to customers, it is very high risk.

I too hope Fenix is successful, but they have a long way to go.

To me gambling $150 was not a Very High Risk.

If they fail all I lose is $150, That's not very high risk.

 

[Randy]

I think determining the level of the risk and thinking about the amount you stand to lose are two very different things.

I think the correct way to phrase it would be something like....Yes, there is a high chance that I may never get this battery under the terms it was promised, but if it all goes down, I will only lose $150 (so I'm okay with it)...

 

[UBUYGAS]

..Yes, there is a high chance that I may never get this battery under the terms it was promised, but if it all goes down, I will only lose $150 (so I'm okay with it)...

Unfortunately I do not feel this way at all. For me I think there is a very high chance I am getting this battery and since I did pay so early I will save $1350 because in a year the installation cost will be $1500.

 

[OELE0ELEOE0L]

Anyone who buys a Leaf is a fool.

I definity regret not paying an extra 5k and buying a Volt.

My 2011 Leaf I bought in 2015 and have driven for almost 4 years is down to 54% SOH from 74% when i bought it. I am at 7 bars for a while now and only get about 34 miles driving conservatively and more like 15-20 freeway speeds. This is all in the moderate climate of San Francisco CA USA. Nissan is not a respectable company. I used to poke fun at the likes of Hyandai and Kia but those are far more reputable brands now.

My employer has tens of chargers and i tell everyone who asks me to avoid Leafs like a plague, new battery technology or not. Volt and Bolt were designed far better. Now with Tesla 3 coming at same price point and better in every way, I struggle to see why anyone would still buy a Leaf. The depreciation on Leaf may be among the most of any vehicle in history.

 

[Randy]

Well, I bought my LEAF in 2011 and deliberately made that choice. Specifically because I didn't want to lease it and maybe have it pulled back ala GM and the EV1 if things didn't work out.

It eventually got a new battery pack and is going strong.

 

[GerryAZ]

Well, I bought my LEAF in 2011 and deliberately made that choice. Specifically because I didn't want to lease it and maybe have it pulled back ala GM and the EV1 if things didn't work out.

It eventually got a new battery pack and is going strong.

+1

I wanted to buy an EV1 and could not. I purchased my 2011 to avoid the possibility of it being taken back when the lease expired. I would probably still be driving it if I had not been forced to replace it at only 50,000 miles. My 2015 has almost 76,000 miles. If I had to replace the 2015 now, I would look at all of the EVs available in AZ (contenders on the rather short list include BMW, GM, Jaguar, Nissan, and Tesla) and buy whatever would best match my driving and long-term parking needs. There is a lot more to choose from in other states.

 

[WetEV]

Anyone who buys a Leaf is a fool.

There are fools that have bought LEAFs.

I've got 50k miles and 5 years on mine, and the SOH is over 90%. I generally keep cars about 10 years. After that repairs are usually expensive enough to make it cheaper to buy a newer car. Doesn't look to me like the purchase was foolish.

 

[gncndad]

Another fool here. Bought used (6800 miles), Now right at 31k miles, getting 80-85miles per charge. Only cost has been wiper blades, cabin filter, tires (at 27k, accident ruptured one, decided to replace all 4...still had 10k miles remaining), 12V AGM battery ($150)

No regrets whatsoever. It serves our (exclusively) local purposes, rarely sees the interstate.

It's not for everyone, for sure. I, too, would have preferred Volt, even owned a 2014 Cadillac ELR (similar to Volt chassis) for 4k miles (6 months). I LOVED that car, but 2-doors made for LONG, heavy doors, extremely low front fascia...my wife just didn't want to deal with it. WAY overengineered (complex electronics). Sigh...I still think it's one of the most beautiful cars on the road.

 

[garsh]

Fool here as well. But unfortunately, I do feel like one. I really wanted to own an EV. But after 6 years and 101,000 miles, the car no longer had enough range for anything but really local trips. It won't even make the 30 miles to work one-way in the winter. When it was new, I could make the round-trip, and then back again with a little hypermiling, even in cold weather.

It was kept in a climate-controlled garage at home, and in a parking garage at work (so no exposure to direct sunlight). I live in Pennsylvania, so we only get a handful of "hot" days per year. The battery was about as babied as it could possibly be.

I was hoping to keep it for the 16yo to use, but the range isn't even enough for him to pick up his girlfriend, go to dinner, drop her off, and get back home. I'm probably going to sell it this summer and pick up something like a used Civic.

 

[LeftieBiker]

I was hoping to keep it for the 16yo to use, but the range isn't even enough for him to pick up his girlfriend, go to dinner, drop her off, and get back home. I'm probably going to sell it this summer and pick up something like a used Civic.

A good used 2014 or 2015 Leaf would also be good. You are one of the many people who got ripped off by the early battery chemistry, and by Nissan's refusal to voluntarily fix it. I missed being in your boat by just one month...

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

Anyone who buys a Leaf is a fool.

I definity regret not paying an extra 5k and buying a Volt.

My 2011 Leaf I bought in 2015 and have driven for almost 4 years is down to 54% SOH from 74% when i bought it. I am at 7 bars for a while now and only get about 34 miles driving conservatively and more like 15-20 freeway speeds. This is all in the moderate climate of San Francisco CA USA. Nissan is not a respectable company. I used to poke fun at the likes of Hyandai and Kia but those are far more reputable brands now.

My employer has tens of chargers and i tell everyone who asks me to avoid Leafs like a plague, new battery technology or not. Volt and Bolt were designed far better. Now with Tesla 3 coming at same price point and better in every way, I struggle to see why anyone would still buy a Leaf. The depreciation on Leaf may be among the most of any vehicle in history.

Bolt wasn't available in 2015 so you couldn't have gotten one at any price. Yeah, used car purchase is a gamble. Has been since the dawn of time. But that is the price we pay for used car savings, right?

 

[Valdemar]

You are one of the many people who got ripped off by the early battery chemistry, and by Nissan's refusal to voluntarily fix it. I missed being in your boat by just one month...

My 2015 replacement pack of the supposedly "later" chemistry is performing similarly to the original. If it's better it is better just enough to better protect Nissan from "loss of capacity" warranty claims. Overall it is a disappointment. I don't feel like a fool only because I was able to squeeze a new pack from Nissan through BBB.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Anyone who buys a Leaf is a fool.

I definity regret not paying an extra 5k and buying a Volt.

My 2011 Leaf I bought in 2015 and have driven for almost 4 years is down to 54% SOH from 74% when i bought it. I am at 7 bars for a while now and only get about 34 miles driving conservatively and more like 15-20 freeway speeds. This is all in the moderate climate of San Francisco CA USA. Nissan is not a respectable company. I used to poke fun at the likes of Hyandai and Kia but those are far more reputable brands now.

My employer has tens of chargers and i tell everyone who asks me to avoid Leafs like a plague, new battery technology or not. Volt and Bolt were designed far better. Now with Tesla 3 coming at same price point and better in every way, I struggle to see why anyone would still buy a Leaf. The depreciation on Leaf may be among the most of any vehicle in history.

Bolt wasn't available in 2015 so you couldn't have gotten one at any price. Yeah, used car purchase is a gamble. Has been since the dawn of time. But that is the price we pay for used car savings, right?

You may want to edit your post, Dave.

 

[gncndad]

I think OELE0ELEOE0L needed to edit HIS. I'll bet he meant to type BOLT, not VOLT. Bolt to Leaf is comparing apples to apples, right????

 

[LeftieBiker]

I think OELE0ELEOE0L needed to edit HIS. I'll bet he meant to type BOLT, not VOLT. Bolt to Leaf is comparing apples to apples, right????

That doesn't necessarily follow. He is saying that NOW he wished that he had bought a Volt, because of the lack of range anxiety. Dave just misread his post.

 

[gncndad]

I think OELE0ELEOE0L needed to edit HIS. I'll bet he meant to type BOLT, not VOLT. Bolt to Leaf is comparing apples to apples, right????

That doesn't necessarily follow. He is saying that NOW he wished that he had bought a Volt, because of the lack of range anxiety. Dave just misread his post.

After re-reading OELEOELEOE0L's post, you're right. I got stuck on the "extra $5k" for a Volt. AFAIK, in 2015, entry-level Volt pricing was similar to a Leaf. That confused me.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

Anyone who buys a Leaf is a fool.

I definity regret not paying an extra 5k and buying a Volt.

My 2011 Leaf I bought in 2015 and have driven for almost 4 years is down to 54% SOH from 74% when i bought it. I am at 7 bars for a while now and only get about 34 miles driving conservatively and more like 15-20 freeway speeds. This is all in the moderate climate of San Francisco CA USA. Nissan is not a respectable company. I used to poke fun at the likes of Hyandai and Kia but those are far more reputable brands now.

My employer has tens of chargers and i tell everyone who asks me to avoid Leafs like a plague, new battery technology or not. Volt and Bolt were designed far better. Now with Tesla 3 coming at same price point and better in every way, I struggle to see why anyone would still buy a Leaf. The depreciation on Leaf may be among the most of any vehicle in history.

Bolt wasn't available in 2015 so you couldn't have gotten one at any price. Yeah, used car purchase is a gamble. Has been since the dawn of time. But that is the price we pay for used car savings, right?

You may want to edit your post, Dave.

What part? The used car part? I think I will leave it as is.