Servicing grey import ZE1

[nutsodeluxe]

Hi all from a newby to EVs and to this forum.

I've recently imported a 2019 ZE1 e+G which arrived in excellent condition, despite having 85,000km on the clock.

It's booked in for rego at Vicroads next week, so we're just about right to go, but there's one thing I haven't quite worked out yet.

Where do people go (and how often) for servicing?

I rang the local Nissan dealership today and they were very helpful, saying a minor service is $291, but that basically just involves having a look around and replacing/topping up any fluids that might need it. The major service is about another $100.

But the main thing that concerned me was that they said they wouldn't be able to do any software updates.

Is that a problem? I know I don't need them for the stereo or navigation, so what other updates might there be?

Also, what alternatives are there (in Melbourne) for servicing?

The books that came with it show a service of some kind at 82,300km, but I don't read japanese, so I don't know what that involved.

Any advice welcome.

[tomkauf]

Hi nutsodeluxe, personally I haven't done anything since we imported our Leaf from Japan in 2019. New tyres when it arrived, and occasionally top up washer fluid.
Like you said, they don't really do anything apart from check for damage and see if it's showing any errors. And maybe rotate tyres.

I know some people want to keep the servicing going to maintain the value of the car, but it's just giving the dealer money for nothing (unless it needs some work). Rubber suspension bushes and shocks will eventually wear out, but they're not EV specific - any mechanic can do it. I'm not sure with suggestion for Melbourne, sorry.
There were firmware updates that fixed issues in various Modules in the ZE0 Leaf (30kWh BMS and Brake Controller), so the ZE1 may have different issues. But by now you would think they would've found any problems on a 2019 model, and updated firmware already. So I don't think there's a big need for updates, unless you have issues with the car.

[EVangelist]

Feb 6, 2024 18:23:12 GMT 11 nutsodeluxe said:

Hi all from a newby to EVs and to this forum.

I've recently imported a 2019 ZE1 e+G which arrived in excellent condition, despite having 85,000km on the clock.

It's booked in for rego at Vicroads next week, so we're just about right to go, but there's one thing I haven't quite worked out yet.

Where do people go (and how often) for servicing?

Welcome to the forum!  Unfortunately traffic here has died to a crawl.  We are moving beyond the innovator/early adopter phase of EVs and Nissan have very little market share of BEVs as Tesla, BYD, MG and others show them how it’s done.  So not many people visit here anymore.

To answer your questions though:

Servicing:  Find a local mechanic who is competent and comfortable servicing EVs.  Just ring around or check out their websites.  We haven’t used Nissan for servicing since 2021.  If they are charging $291 for a “minor servicing” then go elsewhere.

Third party auto mechanics won’t be able to deal with any traction battery, software or map issues but they should be able to do the rest, like rego inspections, checking tyres and suspension, fluids, mechanical issues etc.  We had a wiper washer pump issue that Nissan wanted hundreds of dollars to fix - which was the trigger for us to look elsewhere.  The local mechanic we found had a diverter valve that fitted and charged us about $90 to install.  Mechanics can order parts from Nissan if needed.

The best thing is that EVs don’t need much servicing.  They have very few moving parts, and those parts aren’t subjected to massive temperature variations, friction and vibration like parts in an ICE vehicle.  So they don’t wear out nearly as fast.  We take our LEAF in to our mechanic once a year for rego inspection, and often there’s nothing else that needs looking at.  It’s now 9 years old and the wiper pump/valves is about the only thing that has ever needed fixing.

We’ve taken our Tesla in for inspection once every 2 years (doesn’t need rego inspection yet).

Software Updates:  It doesn’t matter.  Our car probably hasn’t had a software update since 2018.  For a start, there’s not much in the way of actual vehicle operation in the LEAF that depends on software.  Cruise control is about it.  Everything else is the GUI, and if there’s nothing to fix there or no new features being added (which Nissan never did anyway) then you don’t need software updates.  It will keep working on whatever software version it has.

Map updates:  We’ve survived without those too, even though there are lots of new roads in Sydney since the original maps provided with the car (2014).  Nissan charged a ridiculous amount for map updates, whereas in Tesla they are downloaded for free.  Since our LEAF is our city car and we almost always know where we are going, we almost never use the Nav.