Arizona and other hot climates

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johnr said:
StrangerTides said:
Interesting, but then if Nissan comes through with a warranty of 5(+?) years, then those of us in the hot states ought to be hoping it fails before then so we can get a free replacement and be good to go for another 5. :cool:
I like how you think, but I'm sure it will be a prorated warranty ;)


Most certainly so..... Time + capacity remaining, etc then the depreciated replacement cost based on full retail.
 
I asked my Nissan dealer about the warranty today. I told him people are going to want to see it before they proceed with this purchase any further. He agreed and has communicated this to Nissan several times. He said he was told there would be a 10 year warranty, but he wants to see it in writing first before he tells too many people about it. Maybe if everyone here goes on the Nissan chat box on Monday and demands to know what the warranty will be, they would get the message it is about time to make it public.
 
I would imagine that doing the summer in Phx. the Leaf will avg. in ECO mode about 80 miles per charge.. I need to get 60 in Phx on a daily basis so that gives me 20 + miles to get home safely..
 
mark13 said:
I would imagine that doing the summer in Phx. the Leaf will avg. in ECO mode about 80 miles per charge.. I need to get 60 in Phx on a daily basis so that gives me 20 + miles to get home safely..

I've been driving conservatively/hypermiling for a long time and don't expect much difference with the LEAF. I will absolutely be able to get at least 100 miles in the summer in Phoenix. I'll give you an example: If you read the EPA mileage for the 2000 Honda Civic GX, it says something like 28 city / 34 hwy. After I bought my ScanGauge II, I started averaging 38-39 every tank. Since I've had a valve job, now I can average 42. I've obtained over 51 mpg hwy and can average in the 40's city. If I do use A/C (for a passenger), it drops my mileage 3-4 mpg, but I rarely (every few weeks to keep the seals lubricated) use A/C since I love the dry heat of AZ. :)
 
garygid said:
At low speeds, windows down would usually be better, but at high speeds ... ???

This topic concerns different kinds of window tinting, and was locked before coming to any conclusion about what, if any, tinting would be good to reduce the AC drain on the battery.

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=481&hilit=window+tinting

I'm really interested if anyone knows the answers, and I bet you folks in Phoenix know as much about coping with hot sun as anyone in the country. Do you use tinting? Is it durable these days? Can you estimate what its impact would be on your range? Thanks.
 
walterbays said:
garygid said:
At low speeds, windows down would usually be better, but at high speeds ... ???

This topic concerns different kinds of window tinting, and was locked before coming to any conclusion about what, if any, tinting would be good to reduce the AC drain on the battery.

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=481&hilit=window+tinting

I'm really interested if anyone knows the answers, and I bet you folks in Phoenix know as much about coping with hot sun as anyone in the country. Do you use tinting? Is it durable these days? Can you estimate what its impact would be on your range? Thanks.

I've always had dark tinted windows (max allowed) here in AZ. I haven't ever had any trouble with my tinted windows. I always have bought a high-quality tint. I would probably get these tinted too, except I'm leasing (planning on buying after 3 yrs.) and not sure they will allow me to do it. If they do, I will do it. Gonewild mentioned something about putting a clear reflective coating over the tinting that reflects the heat and rays even more. When it comes to the LEAF, I really don't think it will make that much difference on the batteries, just the interior for our comfort, and the color WILL make a big difference on the interior heat. Darker colors will absorb and transfer it inside, whereas light colors, such as white, will reflect much more of the heat. I've compared my old red one to my bright white for proof.
 
Has anyone else researched V-Kool window tint? There is a place in Mesa, but none in Tucson. It is pricey but I think it could be worth it here in AZ.
 
I have found a tint dealer that I will be using both normal premuim tint and I forgot the name but YES it is clear and will reflect about 85% of the IR and UV. I am even thinking of using the clear film on the front windsheild as well to block the heat. I will have to ask the dealer will it scratch over time. You tend to wipe the front window more the the side windows. Beleive me there is a HUGE difference in tinted cars and non tinted car temps.
 
leaffan said:
How much did it cost for your windscreen? What do you have on the other windows and how much was it?

Here's some information on tinting, though it's San Diego specific, not Phoenix.

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2010/jan/27/best-buys-window-tinting/

From the article it looks like it may have come a long way from the time years ago that I had windows tinted. It lasted about a year, then turned purple in the heat, bubbled, cracked, and began peeling off in random patches. It remained stubbornly stuck in most places, though, and I had to spend a lot more to have the junk removed than I had paid to apply it. I'm not at all interested in repeating that experience, and I'm more than a little nervous about putting anything on my windshield.
 
I sent the following questions to Nissan over a week ago and heard back yesterday that they don't have an answer for me yet. My questions stemmed from the survey we took a couple weeks ago about range and batteries.
Thank you for taking the time to personally contact us about your interest in the Nissan LEAF.

(My email and questions:)
I ordered my LEAF on Sept. 7 and then was asked to participate in a survey on Sept. 10. There was information on the survey that caused me to ask questions. On the survey it says,
"To help maintain battery capacity: · Park/store in moderate temperature Excessive capacity reduction could be attributed to: · Driving or storing your LEAF in extreme temperatures"
What is Nissan's definition of "moderate temperature" and "extreme temperatures"? I live in Tucson. Our garage can get to 105 degrees on some days in the summer. I'm afraid I will not air condition my garage for this car. Thank you for this information.

(Their response:)
We apologize for the delay in response. Your inquiry has been sent to the appropriate parties for research. Once we have a response we will contact you. In the mean time, the information provided in the survey is also available within your online reservation account. Simply click on the "how far can I go" link in the upper right-hand corner, found under your name. There are three tabs within the white screen that will pop-up, great information is available on each tab. We appreciate your patience in this matter.

I would like some numbers here instead of words like "extreme temperatures". I will post answer, when and if I get one.
 
Gonewild said:
I have found a tint dealer that I will be using both normal premuim tint and I forgot the name but YES it is clear and will reflect about 85% of the IR and UV.

Nissan uses UV reducing glass in many of their vehicles already (check out the "Exterior" specs). Before going to the expense of adding needless additional UV tint, you might want to wait and find out what Nissan has already done for the LEAF. While not heavily tinted, the UV reducing glass does reduce interior temperatures as well as reducing fade and deterioration of interior upholstery.
 
LEAFguy said:
Gonewild said:
I have found a tint dealer that I will be using both normal premuim tint and I forgot the name but YES it is clear and will reflect about 85% of the IR and UV.

Nissan uses UV reducing glass in many of their vehicles already (check out the "Exterior" specs). Before going to the expense of adding needless additional UV tint, you might want to wait and find out what Nissan has already done for the LEAF. While not heavily tinted, the UV reducing glass does reduce interior temperatures as well as reducing fade and deterioration of interior upholstery.
Here in AZ UV is good to block but I want IR that is the heat UV only fades the interior.
 
LEAFguy said:
Gonewild said:
I have found a tint dealer that I will be using both normal premuim tint and I forgot the name but YES it is clear and will reflect about 85% of the IR and UV.

Nissan uses UV reducing glass in many of their vehicles already (check out the "Exterior" specs). Before going to the expense of adding needless additional UV tint, you might want to wait and find out what Nissan has already done for the LEAF. While not heavily tinted, the UV reducing glass does reduce interior temperatures as well as reducing fade and deterioration of interior upholstery.



All laminate glass blocks UV, it's inherent to the product.
 
EVDRIVER said:
All laminate glass blocks UV, it's inherent to the product.

All vehicles have laminate windshields. Most vehicles use tempered glass for side and back glass. Nissan/Infiniti products use iron oxide in the tempered glass to reduce UV. This is not typical of most manufacturers. :)
 
mark13 said:
I would imagine that doing the summer in Phx. the Leaf will avg. in ECO mode about 80 miles per charge.. I need to get 60 in Phx on a daily basis so that gives me 20 + miles to get home safely..

I get 80 miles in Dallas on hot days with the AC on when it is 102 outside. Get 7 bars on the battery temp too though :(
 
tzzhc4 said:
I get 80 miles in Dallas on hot days with the AC on when it is 102 outside. Get 7 bars on the battery temp too though :(

It showed 104 degrees on my car yesterday and went to 7 bars temp for the first time. If I drive conservatively (hypermiling), I can go 100 miles or more with an 80% charge.
 
I find much of the discussion in this thread based on the naive assumption that Nissan has bet the company's future so foolishly that casual observers could point out the flaw. Since the majority of Leafs are leased if they fail in hot weather, Nissan will get a lot of junk back and lose a fortune along with its reputation.
 
Desertstraw said:
I find much of the discussion in this thread based on the naive assumption that Nissan has bet the company's future so foolishly that casual observers could point out the flaw. Since the majority of Leafs are leased if they fail in hot weather, Nissan will get a lot of junk back and lose a fortune along with its reputation.

Nissan had several test cars here all last summer, some of them are still being tested here. They were left outside and fast charged often. I do not think they are expecting problems.
 
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