So many problems...

I bought a 2012 Leaf in May this year and it has been a heap of trouble. First the touch screen/radio/SatNav system wouldn't work. The touch screen didn't respond. Nissan don't have replacements, but if they did they would cost in excess of £2,000. I had to have one imported from a breaker in the US and cannibalise it for parts to repair the one fitted to the car because it had to be the exact same model number to work and Nissan changed it every few months. When I got the touch screen working the Open/Tilt mechanism went into spasm and kept opening and closing until it ran down the battery. After going into the unit again and cleaning the contacts in the frame, it worked. Then I went to use the CHaDeMo rapid charger (going on holiday with my family), and it didn't. Turns out no Nissan dealer near where we broke down had both a CHaDeMo charger and a Consult diagnostic system, so it couldn't be diagnosed, let alone repaired. Then in November it started to get cold so I turned on the heater. Nothing. Again, I tracked one down in a breaker's yard in California and imported it. Luckily it worked and I now have heat. But the rapid charger still doesn't work. The only dealer who can diagnose it wants £250 just to try to tell me what's wrong, and wants to keep the car for up to 3 weeks to do so. Nissan won't guarantee a courtesy car. If they do diagnose it successfully, it could cost up to £3,000 to repair.

So what do I do? Is it even worth getting it diagnosed? It could be a component has failed or it could be a signalling issue. It might not cost £3,000 to fix (they will put the £250 towards any repair cost if I choose to get it repaired by them). I could just run it as a short distance car, but I would get considerably less for it when it comes time to sell and upgrade to a car with greater range (which will probably be in a year or two) and some semblance of reliability. Less than 5% of my trips require me to go further than 50 miles. But I'd really like the flexibility. On the other hand, why invest more in a dodgy car? Any advice? Anyone have experience of getting a CHaDeMo charger fixed? I have all the fault codes from LeafSpy. All advice gratefully received! Thanks.

First, don't think of the car as an equity asset. Unfortunately, the 2011 & 2012 Leaf has enough major drawbacks to be considered a liability. A good example with a decent battery can be a good EV, at least in cooler climates. So your choice is really between fixing the car and driving it, and unloading it for a few thousand. I would personally recommend the latter.

I wrote a used Leaf buying guide a few years ago, and it is useful, but still not widely known. I'll link it shortly.

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=538030

Thanks, Leftie. Wish I had read your buyer's guide before I bought it.

I'm sorry about that. I don't do much social media, so I try to encourage people to post the guide at Facebook and similar sites.

If you're still on an original battery, and you're not in a cold climate (think: Summer temps are typically <21C/70F and winter temps are consistently <40F/5C), it's going to degrade fast. You'll probably lose ~5% a year.

How many bars do you have left? If you have 11 or more battery bars still left, it's probably been a warranty replaced battery--because the original batteries died fast. In that case, you would likely have the new or updated chemistry from 2013 or 2015. That means the battery won't degrade fast--in my 2011, the warranty replaced (2015) battery has been losing 1-2% capacity/yr, and it's still going strong at ~84% (bought it at 90% from a VERY hot climate 4 years ago).

I'm very happy with my 2011, but I have the warranty replaced battery and it's been very reliable. I've had one failure from the passenger seat airbag which I fixed myself, but otherwise, the car's been reliable and solid. I haven't had any heater issues (although it is a common failure point in all leafs, especially 2011/2012) and touch screen failures are uncommon. What I'm saying is: Except the battery, I don't believe the 2011/2012 Leaf is a bad car, although the 2013+ is much better.

Obviously, your current car ended up to be a lemon. Sorry. Definitely test all the systems the next time you buy one and look for any codes in LeafSpy. Error codes can also help you negotiate: I got $500 off mine due to a failed rollover sensor code--turned out to be a low 12V battery from sitting in the lot!

Now that you have it (mostly) fixed, look at your needs. If it doesn't meet your needs, I'd be tempted to sell it. I would not invest significant money into fixing the CHADEMO charging port: CHADEMO is on the way out so many charging stations don't support it, and the Leaf is a very short range car anyway. You'd be much happier with a cheap EV with 2-3x the range and CCS. My 2011 doesn't even have a CHADEMO port.

If you want to post your LeafSpy codes, we might be able to give you advice on the CHADEMO port. It's probably not, but maybe it's a cheap fix.

P.S. The touchscreen head units from junkyards can really be hit or miss. A lot of them are from cars that have been smashed up and have either water leaks or moisture intrusion, which they tend to dislike. I suspect the contact corrosion is from that more than any sort of manufacturing defect. You're probably fine on the touchscreen going forward.