JDM Leaf Import

[dave]

My Leaf has finally arrived, and I thought I'd share some things in this thread, particularly things I would have loved to have known when considering. Hopefully this wall of text isn't too daunting, it's mainly for the version of myself that spent too many hours trying to piece together the puzzle and work out where the high value propositions were.

I bought a 2017 30G, with the help of Ben at J-Spec, some pics are available on his facebook page. I paid ~$30k by the time it was shipped, complied, stamp dutied, and registered with instrument cluster conversion and conversion of the EVSE cable (Japan is 110v). I would expect to be in positive territory if I was to sell but who really knows, I did pay more than I needed to I think but I didn't want to wait forever, the auctions have few models with the 360 camera available. Battery has all the bars but Leaf Spy reports SOH to be 83% - those things seem in-congruent to me but I am new to the Leaf world.

My intent was to get something fairly cheap as a second car (short commute distances and Tesla reservation), but I ended up going higher as my wife has some tight parking at work so I wanted to 360 camera support - it turns out this comes hand in hand with the Bose sound and you're pretty much at the top of the line with (as far as I know) every option ever offered in the Japanese market. I was unable to ever find evidence that the speed limiter was ever made available outside the US. The 360 camera does make parking really nice, every bit as useful as modern audio/visual sensors, and way more useful than basic sensors that just beep.

I'm in Brisbane, for compliance I used Japan Imports, and everything went smoothly with some bonuses, but one shouldn't be in a hurry as delays are inevitable. I had been prepared to pay quite a bit separately to get the instrument cluster converted to English, but Chris did this for $165 as part of the compliance which was a huge bonus both in convenience and savings of time and money. My only option for conversion of the head unit (currently) is removing and posting to somewhere in the Russian federation for around AU$1100 (incl Android Auto). Probs not going to go there, but maybe. I understand the car may be either undriveable or will complain heavily in the absence of the head unit. A cleaner option for those not wanting a high spec Leaf is to take the base model and replace the head unit entirely - this will be a truly bottom of the range though, not even basic cruise control. I've been able to connect my phone for calls and media streaming via bluetooth with little trouble, using Google Translate via the phone camera - pretty straightforward. GPS will never, ever work sadly, and the FM radio will require a little inline dongle to shift the Australian frequencies into the Japanese range, meaning 97.3, for example, won't be at 97.3.

Now come the surprises! Upon collection I discover this has a factory Nissan "Drive Recorder" (dashcam), Forward Emergency Braking (aka AEB), and, subject to some further investigation Intelligent Cruise Control. I've never heard of any of these as an option pre-2018 before, nor have I been able to find out anything googling, Chris at Japan Imports has similar options on a very nice 2016. The ICC a true blessing, coming from a Merc with Distronic Plus I have been dreading going back to "active" highway driving. I've only had a very brief drive today and can only say that it doesn't seem to work under 40kph, and did seem to work above 40kph, but I'll stop short of rejoicing until I am certain (and not seeing what I want to see). I didn't find evidence of the radar sensor, it's possibly camera controlled like my wife's BMW, will report back with facts when I have them. Quite possibly the telltale sign of this is windscreen camera visible in the pics, it's similar in shape to Merc and BMW assistance cameras, although it's possible some models could just have Lane Departure Warning and nothing else and still have the camera. Tech from the same year on a different Nissan uses the camera for pedestrian detection, that's all I know, any volunteers?. The dashcam didn't show up in the pics, but it's mounted to the driver side of the driver assistance camera and looks like a 3rd party dashcam until you see how it's wired. Seems to be great (I've spent a lot of money on various dashcams), but is only forward facing. Has a parking mode but I haven't tested that. The model is G20A0-C9980, made by Kenwood and required an SD card to be specially formatted with software before it would work. It also comes with software for viewing footage which appears to be written in dot net so there's a possibility of translating it if there's enough interest. The microsd card is readable on Windows too so the software isn't necessary.

In retrospect, if I had know about these options they would probably have made my must-have list. But there is very little info on the web, my guess being everything is only in Japanese so English search terms won't help.

[Feng]

Hi Dave, interesting write up, thanks for sharing. Your car looks a lot more plush compared to ours especially the leather interior with the heated seats. I like the colour scheme too. Have you read about the battery update for the 30kWh LEAFs? Supposedly the original software was miscalibrated and if you get it done your SoH will go up. I'd be curious to know if you can get that done here. Probably not through Nissan dealers since it's not an Australian model. Would aftermarket Nissan tuners have access to that?

[dave]

Hi Feng, indeed I did read about the firmware update (https://flipthefleet.org/2018/30-kwh-nissan-leaf-firmware-update-to-correct-capacity-reporting/), and I'm quietly hopeful that my reported SOH will improve if I can get it. The first step is to find out which version firmware my Lithium Battery Controller has, and I don't yet know how to do that, I wonder if any enthusiast here has any clues? We tried to get information from Nissan Japan based on VIN, but whether it's language barrier or just company culture we weren't able to get any useful information. There was an implication that the firmware update was for the US market not JDM, but who knows. My experience with Nissan Australia was, hmm, let's say not like my experience with Mercedes (probably a dozen different calls to different dealerships and none wanted a bar of me, with quite a repertoire of ways to get rid of me).

Also, to clarify my original post, sadly, NO adaptive cruise control. Was just a lucky coincidence on the very brief test where my acceleration was matching that of the car in front perfectly. I expect that the radar sensor will be visible from the front on any car with the feature (if such thing exists on pre-2018 Leaf's). The chap from Ikonic was hopeful that he would be able to apply the update at some point, so I guess my next port of call will be to contact him.

[rusdy]

Jan 25, 2019 3:12:57 GMT 11 dave said:

...Hopefully this wall of text isn't too daunting...

Thanks for the write-up. Please do spill as much as you can. That pretty much confirms my opinion that Leaf imports is the best deal anyone can get in order to get EV (much more bang for your buck compared to new Ioniq, for example).

Regarding battery full bar, that is odd indeed. At 83% should have 1 bar gone. Also, being built at 2017, I highly suspect it hasn't had a battery software update. That is way too quick to degrade that much in less than 2 years (even for 1st gen Leaf). 

[Feng]

Jan 25, 2019 11:47:09 GMT 11 dave said:

The first step is to find out which version firmware my Lithium Battery Controller has, and I don't yet know how to do that, I wonder if any enthusiast here has any clues?

LEAFSpy has a service menu and I think you can look it up from there.

[brunohill]

" Hi Feng, indeed I did read about the firmware update (https://flipthefleet.org/2018/30-kwh-nissan-leaf-firmware-update-to-correct-capacity-reporting/), and I'm quietly hopeful that my reported SOH will improve if I can get it. The first step is to find out which version firmware my Lithium Battery Controller has, and I don't yet know how to do that, I wonder if any enthusiast here has any clues? We tried to get information from Nissan Japan based on VIN, but whether it's language barrier or just company culture we weren't able to get any useful information. There was an implication that the firmware update was for the US market not JDM, but who knows. My experience with Nissan Australia was, hmm, let's say not like my experience with Mercedes (probably a dozen different calls to different dealerships and none wanted a bar of me, with quite a repertoire of ways to get rid of me)."

I think your best bet is to checkout some of the electric vehicle people in New Zealand. They have quite a few Japanese 30kWh leafs over there and seem to be doing everything with them. I think someone needs to become an Aussie agent.

[dave]

rusdy yes I test drove an Ionic. Very nice, but anything with a 200k range is generally a second car for all but a few, so $53k seems an lofty price point. Especially if drivezero's estimate of the Tesla cost is accurate, I would have quite a bit of bile in my mouth if I saw a new bottom-spec Tesla for less than I just shelled on a Hyundai. That aside, they have a lot of things going for them in the servicing and warranty dept - but I'm getting off my own topic.

brunohill Indeed I've actually read that Nissan NZ will apply the update for import owners - they seem to recognise the value in treating Nissan drivers nicely and they might see them in the dealership for an upgrade in the future. If only Nissan Australia had any clue what they are doing alienating potential customers. I can't say that current experience would see me in a Nissan dealership looking at new cars in the future. Perhaps next week I'll call a Nissan dealership in NZ and see what help they can offer.

Feng Thanks. I have LeafSpy lite, seems a bit buggy (some random phone reboots etc) but I haven't found the service menu yet. I might see if there's an iOS version for an old iphone I have lying around. I'm using a borrowed ODBC dongle so if anyone has any recommendations on a particular model to buy it would be appreciated.

One thing about the 30kwh version that really bums me out is Nissan removed the "charge to 80%" option. That was the main reason I was happy to get a 30 because I never intended to charge beyond 80%. So without carwings it seems rather inconvenient to be able to charge to 80% without going out, getting in the car, turning it on and waiting and then scrolling the dash messages until I get to current percent. So that's my only annoyance so far but I won't be surprised if I'm overlooking something simple. More positively, I love the drive and one would think having an electric motorcycle I'd be less blown away by the sound-less motor, but it still gets me.

[Barry White]

Has anyone bought a Japanese second hand import Leaf ? Any problems ?

[dac1811]

Hi Barry, there is another topic for this...
ozleaf.proboards.com/thread/1121/jdm-leaf-import?page=1&scrollTo=15080

[Feng]

Hi dac1811, Barry, I've moved the two comments to the relevant topic. Thanks.

[demod]

Jan 25, 2019 3:12:57 GMT 11 dave said:

The dashcam didn't show up in the pics, but it's mounted to the driver side of the driver assistance camera and looks like a 3rd party dashcam until you see how it's wired. Seems to be great (I've spent a lot of money on various dashcams), but is only forward facing. Has a parking mode but I haven't tested that. The model is G20A0-C9980, made by Kenwood and required an SD card to be specially formatted with software before it would work.

Thanks Dave!  This has saved me a lot of grief with the dashcam complaining about the SD (ess-ah-dee-ah) every time it was turned on.   Grabbed the software, formatted and its working great. 

My story is weirdly similar to yours.  I just received my 2016 30kw 'G' spec leaf last week (no Bose, no leather, no 360cam).  Used Ben at J-spec.  Took around 5 months from auction to door.  No dramas along the way, just have to be patient.    The only thing I am very jealous about is your leather seats. This was on my must have list, but I buckled and agreed to going for one without leather.  It was the 3rd or 4th attempt and I was getting impatient.   The car itself cost about $23k all up plus onroads.  Arrived in immaculate condition. 

My unit was shipped with the battery software fix already.  Confirmed with Leafspy.  I'm on Version 4NN4C.  I think the buggy software ends in 'A'.  (you need to enable service menu in settings, then read ECU versions).  Might only be in the pro version.  

Did a 109km drive one way to get the dash console converted in Melbourne at evolution Australia.  Was a little nervous, but made it without a problem.  As a bonus, Russ had a DC fast charger in the warehouse being tested before shipping.  So gave me a fast charge back above 90% while he did the dash conversion.   I didn't realize how slow the 3.6kw charger is.  

The kids love the Japanese greeting in the mornings, so i'm in two minds about getting the head unit converted (when available) - grabbing a frequency dropper on ebay to get around the FM radio for now.  But have been using the tunein app on the phone via BT.  Almost seamless.. jump in the car, phone connects, and starts playing the last station you were on.

How are you changing the clock?  I've just used the adjustment in the head unit to forward 1 hr, but I think that wont work when we get to DST. 

[tomkauf]

Wow, I'm glad I found this thread 🙂. I'm in exactly the same boat, and doing as much research as I can.

Got a 2015 30kWh Leaf X through Ben at JSpec. Also live in Brisbane (half way towards the Gold Coast in the hinterland), so will be using Japan Imports and have spoken to Chris.
The car is still in Japan, but we won the auction at Au$17k, so will be about Au$24k landed and complianced.

I also have full SOH Bars, and LeafSpy reported 85.4%. I also thought that was weird, but Ben said it'll lose 1 Bar shortly.

That's a very nice car Dave! I wish ours had leather seats and BOSE, but we just wanted a fairly cheap car and we only barely won this auction.

I've also been looking at Japanese to English conversion. I'm glad Chris can do the Instrument Cluster.

But Headunit conversion is definitely possible (both Language change, FM Expander removal, and Maps). That's in NZ, but better than sending to Russia. EVSEnhanced (2nd Link) even mentions not having to remove the Head Unit because of a new Firmware Update method. And on their YouTube channel, they say they have several partners in Australia now.

drive-ev-ltd.myshopify.com/products/nissan-leaf-english-language-conversion-for-2011-2015-x-and-g-head-units

evsenhanced.com/services/ze0-services/carwings-audio-navigation-unit-ze0-x-g-model-leaf-2011-2012/

Things like Nissan Connect (CarWings) is something we'll probably never get working though...

[tomkauf]

But Android Auto on the russian Head Unit sounds interesting! Would you have a link to that?

I will download LeafSpy, and already have an OBD Dongle. As others have said, it connects to the car and can give you the Battery Controller Firmware Version. But you need the Pro version of LeafSpy ($22) to give you that Info.

The JDM EVSE is only 10Amp, correct? Interesting that you got the cable changed, I didn't know that was an option.
It still won't be close to maxing out the 3.6kW onboard charger though, right (or does your EVSE now have a 15Amp plug)?

I'm looking at buying a better EVSE from EVolution ($549). That'll get close to the Level1 charging maximum, and I only need a 15Amp Plug Installed in the garage - no need for a fixed charger imo.

I've bought a Type 2 to Type 1 Cable, and Tesla Adapter. And AMPFibian 15Amp to 10Amp Cable, in case I'm really stuck somewhere...

Looking at LED bulbs soon. Our Leaf has LED Headlights, but Highbeams and Interior etc are not. Which is such a waste of energy.

Finally, looking at a Spare Tyre from a wrecker somewhere. Just a space save would be nice. Our JDM Leaf has a Jack, but almost guaranteed not to have a spare.

[tomkauf]

Sorry for all the posts, but I just saw Sunrise Cars even offer Australian Maps. But theirs requires a Headunit removal and exchange.

www.sunrisecars.com.au/nissan-leaf-english-language-conversion-service/

I'll probably use my phone most of the time anyway, but it'd be nice to have.
In our 2008 Subaru Liberty it definitely came in handy when phone reception was poor (in-built maps only require GPS signal, no phone reception).

[Feng]

Nissan never released map updates so I'm curious to know what they do for option 3. I'm going to mail them to ask.

I haven't got a dashboard mount for my phone yet and if I'm going somewhere unfamiliar I have this less than ideal arrangement of leaving my phone on the passenger seat with Google Maps running while using the car's map view to see where I'm going.

[tomkauf]

Oct 15, 2019 8:07:57 GMT 11 Feng said:

Nissan never released map updates so I'm curious to know what they do for option 3. I'm going to mail them to ask.

I haven't got a dashboard mount for my phone yet and if I'm going somewhere unfamiliar I have this less than ideal arrangement of leaving my phone on the passenger seat with Google Maps running while using the car's map view to see where I'm going.

Since they're doing an exchange Head Unit, I'd say they're going back to eg. Russia. Someone with the right equipment can open it up and do a memory dump from the chips in the unit.

So ask if they'll be 2012 maps (pretty likely). But Nissan would've used open-source maps, so it's possible that someone is replacing individual map files with newer freely available ones.
Subaru stopped releasing Maps for our 2008 Liberty, but they tell people to get freely available 'WhereIs' maps, which work.

Yeah, I'll have to wait and see where I can install a Mount when our Leaf arrives. I've had bulky mounts for many years, but this one in my work van is the cleanest install I've had. Just a little magnetic one that can swivel into most positions.

www.jbhifi.com.au/products/scosche-magicmount-original-car-mount

[tomkauf]

Oct 15, 2019 8:07:57 GMT 11 Feng said:

Nissan never released map updates so I'm curious to know what they do for option 3. I'm going to mail them to ask.

I haven't got a dashboard mount for my phone yet and if I'm going somewhere unfamiliar I have this less than ideal arrangement of leaving my phone on the passenger seat with Google Maps running while using the car's map view to see where I'm going.

Hi Feng, did you get a reply from Sunrise Cars about the maps? I'm curious about the details as well.

[tomkauf]

I spoke to Chris at Japan Imports (who are compliancing our car in Brisbane).

They can convert both the Instrument Cluster and Head Unit to English incl Radio Frequencies and Australian Maps .
I forgot to ask what Map version, but it's part of the conversion, so I'll let everyone know once I receive it.

Like Dave mentioned in his original post, the Gauge Cluster is approx $170 ($165 I think Chris said).

The Head Unit is more expensive, because it's sent back to NZ. I think he said that's $760... I should've written it down, but I'm 90% sure that was the price. Definitely well under $800.

He said he'd make sure he has a Head Unit ready in Brisbane for when the Leaf arrives in Dec. So there won't a downtime waiting for the exchange unit, which I'm very happy about.

[Feng]

Sorry I forgot to reply to your previous message. They never replied to me about the map version. There's a post on this site somewhere showing how to bring up a service menu to see the map version. Let me know if you need any help. Thanks for the update!

[tomkauf]

Nov 6, 2019 14:51:14 GMT 11 Feng said:

Sorry I forgot to reply to your previous message. They never replied to me about the map version. There's a post on this site somewhere showing how to bring up a service menu to see the map version. Let me know if you need any help. Thanks for the update!

Ok, thanks for the info - no problem. I was going to call Sunrise Cars, because it said Call us for Prices. But then I heard back from Chris, and I didn't bother (it wouldn't be as convenient for me anyway, since I'm not in NSW).

That was going to be my next question (how to check the version). Thanks for mentioning the Service Menu, I'll find the post and see how I go. Yeah, I'll let you know if I have any questions.

[tomkauf]

An insight into what the people do to unlock our Headunits

youtu.be/rcIDAsU0plo

[stewartm]

Oct 12, 2019 20:00:27 GMT 11 tomkauf said:

But Android Auto on the russian Head Unit sounds interesting! Would you have a link to that?

I will download LeafSpy, and already have an OBD Dongle. As others have said, it connects to the car and can give you the Battery Controller Firmware Version. But you need the Pro version of LeafSpy ($22) to give you that Info.

The JDM EVSE is only 10Amp, correct? Interesting that you got the cable changed, I didn't know that was an option.
It still won't be close to maxing out the 3.6kW onboard charger though, right (or does your EVSE now have a 15Amp plug)?

I'm looking at buying a better EVSE from EVolution ($549). That'll get close to the Level1 charging maximum, and I only need a 15Amp Plug Installed in the garage - no need for a fixed charger imo.

I've bought a Type 2 to Type 1 Cable, and Tesla Adapter. And AMPFibian 15Amp to 10Amp Cable, in case I'm really stuck somewhere...

Looking at LED bulbs soon. Our Leaf has LED Headlights, but Highbeams and Interior etc are not. Which is such a waste of energy.

Finally, looking at a Spare Tyre from a wrecker somewhere. Just a space save would be nice. Our JDM Leaf has a Jack, but almost guaranteed not to have a spare.

I may be wrong, but I don't think so. If your leaf has a large metal cover under the bonnet and 12 battery is longwise, and there is no bump behind the back seat, you have a 6.6kw on board charger, not a 3.6kw charger. Ergo with a 7.2kw 32 amp evse at home you will charge twice as fast. Also a type 2 mennekes cable to J1772 will allow you to charge faster in public, at shopping centres etc.
6.6kw


3.6kw

[tomkauf]

Thanks stewartm. I definitely have the Gen 2 (with the larger metal cover under the Bonnet).
Is the bump behind the back seat the Bose Amplifier you're talking about? Because our 2015 Leaf X doesn't have the Bose sound system.

I had read that all Gen 2 Japanese Leafs only had the 3.3kW onboard charger, but came with CHAdeMo fast charging. But the UK Leafs all had 6.6kW chargers.
We'll see what it'll actually be - arrival date from Japan is 11 December . It apparently displays it in the Instrument Cluster what option it has.

[tomkauf]

Jan 25, 2019 3:12:57 GMT 11 dave said:

The dashcam didn't show up in the pics, but it's mounted to the driver side of the driver assistance camera and looks like a 3rd party dashcam until you see how it's wired. Seems to be great (I've spent a lot of money on various dashcams), but is only forward facing. Has a parking mode but I haven't tested that. The model is G20A0-C9980, made by Kenwood and required an SD card to be specially formatted with software before it would work. It also comes with software for viewing footage which appears to be written in dot net so there's a possibility of translating it if there's enough interest. The microsd card is readable on Windows too so the software isn't necessary.

Hi Dave, thanks for the info on the Dash Cam. Our JDM Leaf is also getting close to arriving (a package with manuals and EVSE Cable arrived from Japan this week ).

And based on one of the Manuals, ours has a factory Dash Cam (Drive Recorder) as well. I already bought an aftermarket one though, so I'm deciding which to keep.

Have you managed to look at the videos on there? Is the quality ok?

Because the only discussion on them I've been able to find, is this one:
amp.reddit.com/r/leaf/comments/bqczbl/leaf_2014_x_japanese_builtin_dash_cam_no_idea_how/

And according to that, the video quality is low.
I'm interested in the Parking mode though. Have you been able to get that working?

Attachments:

[tomkauf]

Our 30kWh JDM Leaf has arrived. All good except the Rear Seat Base was damaged between the Auction and it arriving in Australia. No one wants to take responsibility for it, and we can't make an insurance claim because they say it was already like that when was put on the boat  .

Anyway, it's great in every other way  .

Chris from Japan Imports didn't have the Headunit ready for the swap. So I'll update everyone on the Australian Satnav version once I have it early next year.

Attachments:

[szern]

Dec 20, 2019 16:55:12 GMT 11 tomkauf said:

Our 30kWh JDM Leaf has arrived. All good except the Rear Seat Base was damaged between the Auction and it arriving in Australia. No one wants to take responsibility for it, and we can't make an insurance claim because they say it was already like that when was put on the boat  .

Anyway, it's great in every other way  .

Chris from Japan Imports didn't have the Headunit ready for the swap. So I'll update everyone on the Australian Satnav version once I have it early next year.

Who are you getting the SatNav conversion from?
Can’t seem to find anyone who can do the 2016 30kWh jap to English conversion for the Head Unit.

[tomkauf]

Chris from Japan Imports, in Virginia (North Side of Brisbane). He did the guage cluster during Compliancing (probably using an OBD Flash Tool, which I've seen online).

He said in November that they've just recently been able to get the converted Head Units. And he was going to have one ready for me (because that requires an exchange unit, which gets sent back to whoever does the work overseas).
But he must've forgotten, or not been able to get one in time, because that's now planned for January.

I didn't end up calling Sunrise Cars, but that's an option if you're closer to Sydney. They offer it on their website, incl optional Australian Maps. But they don't seem to respond to emails, so we might need to phone.
Ours is a 2015 30kWh, so shouldn't be much different.

[szern]

Yep. I just converted my dash/instrument cluster on my own recently with an OBD (Canbus) hacking tool.

Have heard of Sunrise, but based on some online reviews have decided not to approach them.
Some other guys can do the Head Unit (HU) but some say can’t do the Navigation portion yet.

I guess will just have to wait patiently.

[tomkauf]

Chris from Japan Imports Virginia called today, and is now saying that Australian Satnav won't be possible, and radio won't work as normal (FM works but frequencies shifted) . That's not what he said in December.

He then said that those things can be done on Carwings, but not on our newer Nissan Connect unit (30kWh Leaf). Annoying but I guess it's possible that he didn't realise in December what model we had.

[tomkauf]

Are the Oz Leafs also limited to max 117km/h cruise control?
Because our JDM Leaf definitely is :/, as I discovered today. Pressing Set at 118km/h or above does nothing. And pressing the switch up to increase speed also does nothing when 117km/h is reached.

You'd think that would be too fast for Australian roads, but the speedo over-reads by a LOT. As a result, 117km/h indicated is about 106km/h on the GPS, which is ok, but still under the speedlimit in a 110km/h zone.