6 month and 1-year checkup - is it necessary?

i am coming up on 6 months (all of them a lot of fun) with my leased Nissan Leaf. I'm wondering if I truly need to have the car go through the service checkup. I figure it is mostly an opportunity for the dealer to squeeze some extra dollars out of me. I haven't driven much (I'm under 2,000 miles so far - i know, i'm definitely a low-mileage driver), and i just don't believe a service check is necessary at this point.

Is it required that i schedule the recommended service on a lease?

The only item that's normally needed at six months is a tire rotation...and that's really at 7,500 miles, which you haven't reached. You don't want to skip the battery check at one year, though. However, Nissan covers the first two of those gratis, which gets you through the lease.

Thanks!

davewill said:

The only item that's normally needed at six months is a tire rotation...and that's really at 7,500 miles, which you haven't reached.

Click to expand...

In reality, Nissan recommends tire rotation at six months or 7,500 miles, whichever is less. But that can be done anywhere. Having said that, I have to admit I didn't rotate my tires until one year, which was also 7,500 miles. Unlike the required one-year battery check, tire rotation is not a major warranty issue.

I should point out that with your very low mileage you could well meet the "Repeated short trips of less than 5 miles" criterion, which Nissan says means you should follow Schedule 1. That does call for an inspection at six months.

Ray

that's definitely me - my commute to work is less than 4 miles each way and most of my use is going to and from work. weekends are for fun driving, though!

AFAIK the annual battery check is required by the battery warranty.
First two checks are supposed to be free (included).

Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act says you are under no obligation to perform any service, maintenance, repairs, or modifications at the dealership in order to maintain a warranty. They can't void your warranty for not doing them there. But if you totally skip out on maintenance and something breaks and it can be demonstrated that your failure to perform maintenance caused the failure, they can refuse to fix that part under warranty.

I don't think the required battery check is legal but there aren't enough LEAF owners making noise to get Nissan to change. It's sad, but a majority of people assume that maintenance must be done at the dealership and strictly according to the time tables they have laid out.

nschuster said:

Is it required that i schedule the recommended service on a lease?

Click to expand...

No!

kubel said:

I don't think the required battery check is legal but there aren't enough LEAF owners making noise to get Nissan to change.

Click to expand...

If you read closely you will see that Nissan's position is legal. From the Warranty Information Booklet:

You are required to perform annual EV Battery Usage Report at intervals of 12 months, 24 months, 36 months, 48 months, 60 months, 72 months, and 84 months. These EV Battery Usage Reports can be performed by a Nissan LEAF certified dealer or any qualified repair shop facility.

Click to expand...

Translation: By "qualified" they mean one that has a LEAF Consult-III.

So their warranty statement is legal and should be able to withstand challenge so long as it is theoretically possible for a non-Nissan shop to purchase or lease a Consult-III. Never mind what astronomical price they might put on that. They also have two years grace, since they promise that the first two evaluations will be free.

Ray

thank you, all, this is very interesting and helpful.

Other than dealer profit, there is no reason why tire rotation should be based on anything other than mileage and need (uneven wear).

planet4ever said:

In reality, Nissan recommends tire rotation at six months or 7,500 miles, whichever is less.

Click to expand...

that's the appropriate term - dealer profit.

i got rid of a 14 year old car when i got the leaf. admittedly, i was less than stellar on maintenance for a car that old. i probably went 5 to 7 years without a tire rotation (about 25,000 miles). didn't seem to result in any tire issues or uneven wear.

planet4ever said:

I should point out that with your very low mileage you could well meet the "Repeated short trips of less than 5 miles" criterion, which Nissan says means you should follow Schedule 1. That does call for an inspection at six months.

Ray

Click to expand...

Interesting. I can understand that proviso for an ICE vehicle where predominantly short trips create a harsher operating environment due to the engine not reaching operating temperature. That leads to oil contamination, potential spark plug fouling, catalytic converter issues, etc...

But I'm not sure why "repeated short trips" would be a maintenance issue for LEAF, unless one was topping off the battery at the end of them?

There is no good reason. Five mile and stop and go provisions don't apply to the Leaf. I can't see where the severe schedule would apply to anyone with a Leaf unless all their driving is on unpaved roads in the desert...

Nubo said:

planet4ever said:

I should point out that with your very low mileage you could well meet the "Repeated short trips of less than 5 miles" criterion, which Nissan says means you should follow Schedule 1. That does call for an inspection at six months.
Ray

Click to expand...

Interesting. I can understand that proviso for an ICE vehicle where predominantly short trips create a harsher operating environment due to the engine not reaching operating temperature. That leads to oil contamination, potential spark plug fouling, catalytic converter issues, etc... But I'm not sure why "repeated short trips" would be a maintenance issue for LEAF, unless one was topping off the battery at the end of them?

Click to expand...

TomT said:

There is no good reason. Five mile and stop and go provisions don't apply to the Leaf. I can't see where the severe schedule would apply to anyone with a Leaf unless all their driving is on unpaved roads in the desert...

Nubo said:

planet4ever said:

I should point out that with your very low mileage you could well meet the "Repeated short trips of less than 5 miles" criterion, which Nissan says means you should follow Schedule 1. That does call for an inspection at six months.
Ray

Click to expand...

Interesting. I can understand that proviso for an ICE vehicle where predominantly short trips create a harsher operating environment due to the engine not reaching operating temperature. That leads to oil contamination, potential spark plug fouling, catalytic converter issues, etc... But I'm not sure why "repeated short trips" would be a maintenance issue for LEAF, unless one was topping off the battery at the end of them?

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

+1 I have to agree with Tom on this one.

What about excessive wear of start button and door knobs?
And they should grease door hinges more often if you open and close the door more often because of the shorter trips

TomT said:

There is no good reason. Five mile and stop and go provisions don't apply to the Leaf. I can't see where the severe schedule would apply to anyone with a Leaf unless all their driving is on unpaved roads in the desert...

Nubo said:

planet4ever said:

I should point out that with your very low mileage you could well meet the "Repeated short trips of less than 5 miles" criterion, which Nissan says means you should follow Schedule 1. That does call for an inspection at six months.
Ray

Click to expand...

Interesting. I can understand that proviso for an ICE vehicle where predominantly short trips create a harsher operating environment due to the engine not reaching operating temperature. That leads to oil contamination, potential spark plug fouling, catalytic converter issues, etc... But I'm not sure why "repeated short trips" would be a maintenance issue for LEAF, unless one was topping off the battery at the end of them?

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

i KNEW i should have paid a little extra for the heavy-duty start/stop button and the commercial-grade door hinge!

UkrainianKozak said:

What about excessive wear of start button and door knobs?
And they should grease door hinges more often if you open and close the door more often because of the shorter trips

Click to expand...

Well certainly the touch screen will develop a divot where the "OK" button is displayed! I think they will need a software patch to move it around. :lol:

didn't you get the non-abarasive high capacitance smart fingertip surgically added to your index finger? it was an aftermarket dealer option.

planet4ever said:

kubel said:

I don't think the required battery check is legal but there aren't enough LEAF owners making noise to get Nissan to change.

Click to expand...

If you read closely you will see that Nissan's position is legal. From the Warranty Information Booklet:

You are required to perform annual EV Battery Usage Report at intervals of 12 months, 24 months, 36 months, 48 months, 60 months, 72 months, and 84 months. These EV Battery Usage Reports can be performed by a Nissan LEAF certified dealer or any qualified repair shop facility.

Click to expand...

Translation: By "qualified" they mean one that has a LEAF Consult-III.

So their warranty statement is legal and should be able to withstand challenge so long as it is theoretically possible for a non-Nissan shop to purchase or lease a Consult-III. Never mind what astronomical price they might put on that. They also have two years grace, since they promise that the first two evaluations will be free.

Ray

Click to expand...

I still don't think Nissan is following the spirit of the law. If the battery fails, they would need to prove that the failure was the result of not having a battery usage report performed in order to void the warranty. I don't see that happening.