What DIDN'T you know when you took your Leaf home?

[gbarry42]

Some of you are going outside the bounds of "what the dealer should have told you" as if you expected them to read the owners manual to you. And some of these items aren't even in the manual.

I'd like to answer from a different perspective. Picking up this brand new space-age techno toy was huge thrill. How much of the dealer's explanation do you think I actually remembered? It was mostly a blur. I did make one recommendation. Nissan should have created a Nav unit "simulator", something you could run on your PC, to explore all the menus and screens to find out where they are and what they do. I realize telling the sales rep isn't the way Nissan finds out, but at least you all have heard the idea now.

 

[Rauv]

My initial thought during the first 1000 miles of ownership:

1) I love the navigation, but not if you want directions to a public EVSE.
2) Much better acceleration than expected. I expected golf-car acceleration, however.
3) Climate control somewhat non-intuitive. I have been able to use fan without A/C on mine simply by turning AUTO off and cranking up fan speed.
4) Auto door locking when moving is starting to annoying to me, especially with passengers. I think there is a way to change it. Maybe reading the Owner's manual would help
5) What is a gas station?
6) Trees growing on my dash is really stupid. Sorry. How about a LEAFScan unit put there instead of trees?
7) Many clocks, none with the right time.
8) one set of golf clubs will fit; not two
9) Rear seat headrests block view and were removed on day #1.
10) Silent driving is amazing!
11) Worried about winter cabin heat, even with 2012 cold weather package. Will check back in 6 months.

 

[KayserNissan]

Some of you are going outside the bounds of "what the dealer should have told you" as if you expected them to read the owners manual to you. And some of these items aren't even in the manual.

Well before coming here I was at the other side of the spectrum as far as green goes....Land Rovers...and IMO they are seriously the most complicated things on the market I've shown Land Rover trainers tricks with the Rovers that they didn't know after TEACHING people about the cars for 10+ years. One thing that I tried to do with those machines was to go through the 60-90 min delivery process, then set up an appointment 2 weeks later after they had the car and ran into things they couldn't figure out or remember.

There is A LOT about this car the Leaf that needs to be explained, taught, demonstrated, ect... the big trick will be probably pointing people to this website for some of their questions, but some of the recurring themes from the posts I'll be sure to go into more detail.

Thanks for all the replies so far!

 

[KayserNissan]

oh and as far as some of the unknowns still for some of you....

How much battery capacity I will lose over time (and I still don't know!)

It is *projected* from Nissan that it will have 80% of its capacity after 5 years, 70% after 10

Where to charge the vehicle around here besides home and the Nissan dealer (And I still do not know!)

Should be a nice shortcut in your navigation system to pop up recharging stations, it won't be great, but might help find a couple of stations to use. Otherwise the Leaf guy at your dealership should have a good idea, I know only Madison well, sorry.

4) Auto door locking when moving is starting to annoying to me, especially with passengers. I think there is a way to change it. Maybe reading the Owner's manual would help

That is actually a safety feature, doors autolock at like 15mph. There might be a goofy way to change it (lock doors, unlock doors, hold the start button, lock the doors, pat your head and rub your belly while saying the ABC backwards) but not aware of it yet, owner's manual mentions it, but not that you can disable it. As a safety feature, not sure if they'll let you easily disable it.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

My pack degradation comment was made because I had fully expected to see some loss by now but have not so it had been a good thing

 

[smkettner]

I did not know that I would make it home from the dealer until I was 3/4 home.

 

[davewill]

...3) Climate control somewhat non-intuitive. I have been able to use fan without A/C on mine simply by turning AUTO off and cranking up fan speed. ...

Rauv, You will find that this technique will allow the heater to run if the temperature drops below what whatever the thermostat is set it to. Most of us end up lowering it to 60, which, annoyingly, can still allow the heater to run sometimes. :roll: Of course, then you have to crank it back up if you want to use the A/C.

 

[Stoaty]

3) Climate control somewhat non-intuitive. I have been able to use fan without A/C on mine simply by turning AUTO off and cranking up fan speed.

Yes, but try to get this to work when temperature is less than 60 degrees. That's the problem.

6) Trees growing on my dash is really stupid. Sorry. How about a LEAFScan unit put there instead of trees?

Yup. Stupidest idea (the trees) I can imagine. The space could have been utilized for something really useful.

9) Rear seat headrests block view and were removed on day #1.

I hope you don't have anyone riding in the backseat with this setup.

10) Silent driving is amazing!

It still amazes me one year into owning my Leaf. I love it!

 

[thankyouOB]

Things I really like that I thought I wouldn't care about:
-back up camera
-auto door locks at 15 mph
-ease of using the L1 at work

Things I like but didnt realize would be a key ingredient:
-never having to GO to a gas station. I already knew I wouldnt have to buy gas.
-hands free phone, though the voice system in the audi is far simpler to talk with.
-navigation

Surprises
-acceleration
-that my solar, switched to TOU and on the EV rate, would cover the cost of powering car and house, except for about $10 a year. (that's going 13k a year.)
-how much a miss it while it is being fixed from rear-ending
-the ease of getting the 5k and 7500 rebate and tax credit
-how much my wife likes it, but still prefers her audi for her alone driving
-how much we use the leaf instead of the ICEs
-fun fun fun

dont like:
-the paint's ease of scatching
-the seat position relative to having an uncomfortable perch on the door sill for my left elbow
-the odd-shaped side mirrors' failure to create full sideviews
-the head rests in the back (gone) and the lack of electric, fully adjustable seats

 

[TomT]

Unless you live in Phoenix or Texas... :lol:

 

[eclecticflower]

I didn't know my LEAF "expert" at my dealership still wouldn't be able to figure out how to charge a LEAF to 80%. He always tells me "it's charged up and ready to go - 80%!" and I get in to take it home with a full charge, showing all 12 bars, every time! :lol: I didn't know how much of a guess the GOM really is. :roll: Love my LEAF and I just laugh at the GOM!

 

[LEAFfan]

You could tell your customers (after they buy or lease) that if they get the LBW (happens when capacity is at 17.4%/9-11 miles on the GOM) not to panic because if they drive 35-40mph they can drive another 20 miles before Turtle. If they get VLBW (8.5% capacity left/---on the GOM), they can still drive 5-6 more miles before Turtle. If the Turtle icon comes on, they may have less than a 1/2 mile left.

 

[gbshaun]

.... how much I'd prefer driving the Leaf than any other vehicle I've owned, rented, or borrowed.
The smooth, lurch-free, silent acceleration, with none of the engine-revving or torque-converter slip in other cars.
Not feeling that every extra inch of throttle comes at a cost of noise, wasted gas, and excessive mechanical wear.
How stop signs and red lights no longer seem seen such an inconvenience when you can store energy from deceleration, and release it again when it's time to go.

Shaun

 

[timhebb]

Biggest revelation that evolved in my consciousness slowly over the course of my first year driving the Leaf: how negligible the Leaf's required maintenance is and, therefore, what a considerable savings it seems likely to offer over time.

 

[davewill]

You could tell your customers (after they buy or lease) that if they get the LBW (happens when capacity is at 17.4%/9-11 miles on the GOM) not to panic because if they drive 35-40mph they can drive another 20 miles before Turtle. If they get VLBW (8.5% capacity left/---on the GOM), they can still drive 5-6 more miles before Turtle. If the Turtle icon comes on, they may have less than a 1/2 mile left.

Actually, I don't think he should. Too many people would ignore the drive slow part and just remember distances, and then he'd have angry clients calling to complain they stranded themselves. It's up to other owners (or Nissan) to do this education.

 

[Volusiano]

I didn't know that Nissan is going to "lie" to me by not fully disclosing to me about the high possibility of my first year 15% capacity bar loss up front as a customer in Phoenix, and by dismissing it as a fluke that only happens to a very few Leafs.

 

[videographer]

I didn't know how much the black paint shows every speck of dust for miles around! (I know, my mistake...)

I didn't know how much I would dislike the buttons on the steering wheel. The two toggle switches are much too easy to trip when you are steering, and the rest of the buttons are not well laid out. The Prius and a Honda van I recently drove were much, much better - I actually miss the Prius steering wheel.

I didn't know that my Fiamm horns came with a different bracket than shown in the (excellent!) walk-thru, but I managed a fix.

I love driving a car that is unique, yet basically invisible. I love driving by gas stations - EVERY gas station.

I can't wait for the happy announcement (I give it 18 months) that there will be a pack upgrade to take us to 200 miles range. And the announcement that the quick charger will be retro-fittable.

Overall...one of the coolest things I have ever purchased.

BAJ

 

[N1ghtrider]

Even though I think of my self as an observant type, and have opened the rear hatch dozens of times over the 6 months I have owned the LEAF, I did not know until today that my LEAF had a rear window wiper. I turned it on by accident today and first saw it moving.

 

[TomT]

I do hope you also believe in the tooth fairy... :lol:

I can't wait for the happy announcement (I give it 18 months) that there will be a pack upgrade to take us to 200 miles range. And the announcement that the quick charger will be retro-fittable.

 

[foobert]

To the OP's questions:

I don't believe it matters if every detail is covered in the whirlwind and excitement of purchasing. It's simply too much information to absorb in a single sitting. I think you are doing the right thing by scheduling a follow-up to handle the stuff that's actually troubling, and let people figure out other nuances on their own.

For instance, I had no idea that the trunk switch actually had 2 switches and you could lock the car with the button to the right of the trunk release. Would it have helped if the dealer told me? Maybe it would have. Maybe he actually did tell me, but, I simply forgot it by the time I got home. About a week later, I discovered the other button (prolly while reading the manual) and it became important enough to remember there after.

There might be a goofy way to change it (lock doors, unlock doors, hold the start button, lock the doors, pat your head and rub your belly while saying the ABC backwards) but not aware of it yet,\

Changing the auto-lock, and auto-unlock is quite trivial:

Disable/enable auto-lock:
Turn the car on and then hold down the lock/unlock button in the lock direction for about 5 seconds until it beeps and the parking lights flash.

Disable/enable auto-unlock:
Turn the car on and then hold down the lock/unlock button in the unlock direction for about 5 seconds until it beeps and the parking lights flash.


Both sequences are toggle events, thus, if it's on, the first time the sequence is done will turn it off, and the second time will turn the feature back on.