Everything went wrong! Meet Tony, who bought a lemon LEAF at auction and is still smiling. Part 3

[@MrEV]

It's clear Tony had a nightmare buying this LEAF at auction and I'm sure to get comments like "I'd never buy an EV at auction", but we've bought both our EVs (24kWh LEAF and e-Niro) at auction and would happily do it again. You just need to make sure you know what to look for! Going through a company like eco-cars.net ( www.youtube.com/@JonathanPorterfield ) can help avoid the issues Tony had as they can give advice and know what red flags to look for.

[@davidspencer7254]

JP has become something of a byword for trustworthy.

[@johnnodge4327]

Any car can be a lemon, ICE or BEV. With modern cars, a full electrical diagnostic is needed, before parting with any money.

[@FFVoyager]

@@davidspencer7254 🤣

[@davidspencer7254]

@@FFVoyager 🤣😂 etc.

[@RWBHere]

Tell Tony not to buy a hybrid of any kind. They burn fuel, irrespective of what the manufacturer's hype says. The batteries are no better than Leaf ones, maybe worse, and they're smaller and often very slow to recharge. He'll finish up using the engine for most of the time, in a car which also has to lug around a battery, its motor and the control circuitry. Furthermore, of all vehicle types, hybrids are the most likely to catch fire, according to reliable sources. A BEV, on the other hand, is the least likely to catch fire. With young children and a wife, I'm sure that their safety is a high priority in his life. Thanks for the series, Andrew; it has been both interesting and revealing. I'm very glad that we decided not to buy a Lesf of any kind; their efficiency isn't great, and battery longevity is always a concern, especially with the 30 and 40 kWh models. Nissan's (lack of) Customer Care reputation is also very suspect. Do let us know when Tony has sold the Leaf, and whether he recouped most of his expenditure.

[@PaulNewall-h9d]

Absolutely top marks to Tony for being prepared to go through the whole story on video. Its great how this shows all these things: research, read fault codes, EVs fail but quite often can be fixed without spending a huge amount.

[@londonwestman1]

Second that. Many thanks to Tony for an honest and clear explanation.

[@charlesantoney1769]

Tony's great attitude, determination and level-headedness are quite admirable. He can really accomplish many things in life with those qualities.

[@MrEV]

I agree! Lovely guy. I'm not sure many people would handle it as well as he did.

[@EppingForest304]

I’m very impressed by the Leaf owners tenacity & determination at fixing his “lemon”. Google research, Facebook groups & OBD scanner really helped him out! 😊

[@MrEV]

I agree!

[@simonpaine2347]

I would like to see Tony's progress on his EV journey. You both make for an interesting conversation

[@MrEV]

I'll certainly be back to do a follow-up if he does get another EV some time.

[@talesfromtony]

Thanks, glad my experience can help others.

[@leejordanful]

An excellent video. It was obviously a lot of pain but Tony fell on his feet by finding you Andrew and then figuring out how to get everything fixed. Certainly for older cars it shows the benefit of independent specialists and the general online community.

[@seeseeteevee]

Amazing story and all because his lemon Leaf was dumped outside Andrew’s (Mr. EV’s) house! What luck!!!

[@talesfromtony]

Exactly!

[@tpow5906]

Yep, my thoughts too

[@celynjones6239]

I am glad you sorted the car out eventually and it hasn’t put you off EV’s for good. I followed Andrew’s advice last year and bought a Hyundai Ioniq5 Namsan and have really enjoyed the ownership. I bought it outright and will probably keep it for years as I am now retired. With a 250 plus mileage range I have no anxieties with either range or charge time so I would deffo recommend them if you can go that far. Either the I5 or the Kia EV are both excellent options. Good luck !

[@ronb4633]

Great video Andrew, thank you to Tony for sharing his experience. Nice video editing with the mixed roadtrip sections.

[@colinphillipson4830]

This series of videos is what I like, getting into the details of EVs. For context I was an original Nissan LEAF and e-NV200 Innovation Specialist. The early 24kWh LEAF had the charge to 80% feature but it was then removed on all the later models. Why? In America the EPA would only give their maximum range approval to that 80% as it had that function, so Nissan removed it with a software update, then the official EPA higher range was now approved to 100%.

[@MrEV]

I had no idea! That's fascinating but baffling. "Long Life Mode" wasn't switched on by default (or was it?), so it shouldn't have affected the EPA range. Plenty of other EVs have variable charge limits but presumably aren't affected either. Thank you so much for the information!

[@colinphillipson4830]

@@MrEV Don't forget years ago ~2015 the LEAF was probably the only EV that had that 80% feature and the original EPA were thinking they have to give it's minimum mileage range because it has that setting available to use. There was only the LEAF, eNV200, Zoe and the Triplets as mainstream. Today it's totally different.

[@RWBHere]

@@colinphillipson4830 The later Zoe's don't have the charge limit feature either. Nor do they show recharging speeds. Very annoying omissions. That said, I usually recharge at 2.4 or 3 kW, estimating the time to 80-84% SOC. It works for me.

[@PJWey]

Thank you for your honesty and positivity in spite of a really painful experience. Buyer beware, or have leafspy 😊

[@talesfromtony]

Never buy a Leaf without it! LeafSpy is definitely king!

[@Bennyboy-dog]

I'm considering a used EV too so Tony's experience is well worth sharing. Much learnt, thanks both.

[@bibliotek42]

You did a really good interview, and gave Tony loads of time to tell the story. I'm impressed by his positivity and tenacity! Hope he can get a good price for it. At least he can document the repairs.

[@oliver90owner]

He has sold it. And without too much of a loss (not taking into account all the hassle involved in getting it put right).

[@talesfromtony]

@@oliver90owner Once I found the right Hevra mechanic it was smooth sailing from there. But a massive learning exercise & one I hope people can learn from.

[@oliver90owner]

@@talesfromtony Yes, but first and foremost - don’t buy blind, whether from an auction or a private sale. Only the good points get emphasised and some ‘invisible’ faults are simply not mentioned in adverts. You were lucky to have Andrew, to get you out of the mire! I’ve just covered over 600 miles, in the last 6 days. Charged overnight at home and cost me less than £15 on my electric bill.

[@talesfromtony]

@@oliver90ownerDo you also have solar at home or just an ev tariff?

[@oliver90owner]

@@talesfromtony I don’t currently charge from the very limited solar I have, but I have picked up a PHEV battery from which I have constructed seven 48V batteries. I’m hoping to connect those in parallel and use either cheap grid energy, or solar, to power some of my household/workshop items and part-charge my car in the solar season. I’m not into high tech stuff - just panels, solar charge controller, batteries and inverter at the present time.

[@raymillar1499]

An extremely informative video. Thanks for making it and thanks to Tony for being so honest. Great job 👍

[@olski001]

Tony is great on camera, you should get him to co-host some of your other EV reviews. A great way for him to learn all the pros!

[@MrEV]

I agree! Sadly I'm moving away but I hope to be back if Tony ends up getting another EV.

[@chowettgoes]

Fantastic to hear this experience, thanks both for being so honest and sharing - we all learn 👍

[@JonathanPorterfield]

Great video , Good Old BCA , i really loathe them massively, yes the assured report is worth and means NOTHING , especially when an issue arises! Nissan main dealers, again numpties most of them. This is the motor trade summed up ! HEVRA is brilliant and exists for the benefit of everyone 👏 Tony needs an E NIRO ! PHEV batteries are worse than nissan leaf gen 1 packs ! No thermal management, and small capacity so they are well cycled etc , stay away from plug in hybrids ! 😊

[@MrEV]

I fully agree with all that!

[@petertaylor6369]

Well done Johnathan, I was wondering whether you would see this. Should have gone to your favourite auction in Shoreham.

[@michaelgreen5515]

Stop sitting on the fence JP and saying what you really think lol. Tony seems a decent bloke. BCA should do a battery health check it's not hard

[@nicksportster8711]

Thank you to Tony for sharing his experience. Fully endorse the expertise that can be found on Facebook EV specific model user groups. Great source of knowledge.

[@xr400dr]

I completely agree. I have followed Jonathan and MrEV for a couple of years. I bought a 71reg niro_ev because of their experience. 😊

[@PJWey]

The need for a battery health certificate is essential. Imagine buying an ICE with a blown engine or leaky fuel tank

[@talesfromtony]

It should be mandatory I feel for all used EVs!

[@KevL3452]

@@talesfromtony ..and a comparable report for ICE cars, so many of my friends and colleagues have had engine and transmission problems on a newly purchased used car.

[@oojimmyflip]

A used low milage ice engine in a 2015 vehicle isn't really going to cost as much as this did overall.

[@johniooi3954]

Great story & nice to see that Tony has not been put off another EV. It's that bug that can never be got rid of, once you have had one. As a fellow e-niro owner. A wise choice, especially now the prices as dropping to a level of affordability.

[@snowbuddynation]

What a journey! You’ve chronicled these modern Canterbury tales into a thrilling digital format.

[@dwinterx]

Very interesting, thanks both!

[@Cobraguy321]

Great to hear your story and glad with determination you got it fixed.

[@01jvb]

Really interesting Andrew. Thank you. I think the most useful bit of this for a lot of people is to find out how much a cell replacement costs. Really quite a modest amount considering how expensive the repairs on ICE cars can be.

[@talesfromtony]

Agree, the battery and traction motor are the most vital parts and seem to last for ages on more modern EVs with better temperature management etc. Get those right and the rest is very easy serviceable and a much cleaner job for a mechanic to work on too over ICE vehicles.

[@batemanlife]

This guy has way more patience than I would have had. Sounds like a neverending nightmare. I do want to my next car to be an EV and I hope the one's releasing now are a lot easier to deal with.

[@MrEV]

They are! My 2020 e-Niro has 98% battery health. Newer EV batteries last ages.

[@batemanlife]

@@MrEV excellent. Kia is making some great cars now and they look good 👍🏻

[@alicebailey4353]

Well done for seeing it through.

[@michaelgreen5515]

Thank you so much for this. I was about to buy an ev on bca and no chance now. Been watching JP and yourself for a while so keep up the good work. Only reason i have not bought already is awaiting my BCA account. My friend let me log on his and I had marked a few as favourites to track. The battery check on the car and pics on the system screenshot should be standard. Tony would have avoided it. Really poor customer service. Just because you are the biggest does not make you the best.

[@DougSteventon]

Tony has a great attitude. Not sure I would have been as level-headed.

[@talesfromtony]

For every problem life throws at you - there is always a solution! That's my mantra anyway...

[@NigelTrevor]

Really interesting and insightful conversation, thanks both

[@frankgooding2023]

Fair play to Tony for taking it n the chin and doing the research, especially the camera bit. Main dealer possibly 22 year old master tech's with alleged decades experience. Great to see some good independent repair shops coming up this is defo the last piece of the ev jigsaw, The biggest message is the community and how we all share in the lived experience. Someone somewhere has probably had the problem and is happy to share.

[@talesfromtony]

Yeah I simply should have reached out to the community groups first. Would have got all the advice I needed and more!

[@RachelTheives]

Great story, and I’m happy for Tony the car got fixed.

[@alaneasthope2357]

My son bought a 2014 LEAF off Gumtree. I took my OBD2 dongle and plugged it in whilst going through a checklist downloaded off the internet. 85% SOH and all checks passed and he has a great little run about as his first car. Why can't auction houses take 5 minutes to plug in a dongle?

[@restfulplace3273]

Auction houses exist to clear stock. The better ones will have a full disclosure policy. Hire external Mechanics to inspect every vehicle pre auction. Then the problem of knowing every vehicles quirks exists. Having a dongle & phone app to suit etc. In Australia, we recently had a national auction house with multiple outlets around the country exposed for misleading customers. So yeah, it’s a real problem.

[@raptorpome2577]

Was it a 24kwh or 30kwh

[@chrisj6321]

​@restfulplace3273 which one was that pickles or manheim. I'm thinking of buying an ev at auction in aus

[@restfulplace3273]

@@chrisj6321 I’ve found most of the auction houses won’t allow any form of in person inspection pre auction. I’m sure there are insider benefits. Much of this changed with covid, auction houses found they could lock out customer which reduced their costs. Then decided to keep this practice since it was accepted.

[@talesfromtony]

This was the smart way of buying. I guess if BCA did this they would not sell a lot of their vehicles, thats why!

[@chunkybeats79]

Not a leaf owner but a Note epower owner (you fellas in the UK didn't get this awesome car). I second Facebook user groups, amazing people on there and so helpful. I'm getting a leaf next year so I'll know what I get myself into. Glad Tony got sorted in the end, he will be a user group expert after his experience!!!

[@CarolSteele]

Oh my gosh, my heart goes out to Tony - what a nightmare introduction to EVs 😢. Just glad he was able to solve all the problems.

[@MrEV]

Thanks Carol!

[@londonwestman1]

And keep smiling.!

[@talesfromtony]

Thanks for your comment, I refused to be beaten! My tenacity prevailed on this occasion...

[@harley883ap]

Brilliant 3 vlogs u could do with more people breaking down outside ur house.But seriously Tony was so lucky to have Mr EV as a neighbour. Was really shocked that you could pay for a report & still not have any come back when it was so obviously not correct

[@Hayles6677]

It’s great to hear this. I belong to Citroën Ami groups and am one of the original owners in U.K. great to be able to ask them for advice. I always wanted to have a Mercedes but now my dream car is a Tesla which I have just picked up this week. It’s fantastic so far. Glad to hear his story. BCA hasn’t come out well in this. £50-£100 for a useless guarantee that doesn’t help at all. Jonathan Porter loves his down south auction house who does more than that.

[@clivepierce1816]

We recently drove our almost 8-year old 30 kWh Leaf from Devon to the Lake District and back without any issues, although it took more than 3 hours longer each way than other family members in their ICE vehicles. I know this is tempting fate, but we’ve never had any issues with the traction battery and we still have 11 bars and 83% SOH. That said, I have always made sure the battery SOC is kept close to 50% when the car isn’t in use.

[@potter2702]

Will be interested what car Tony will get next, it's great he shared his story.

[@MrEV]

He has promised to keep in touch and let me know. I think an ID.3 or Cupra Born would be a great replacement for his Golf actually.

[@RobakaUKDizDad]

The facebook community for EVs is amazing, and the eniro one (which Andrew is a mod in) has been so useful

[@UpsideDownFork]

What a rollercoaster. Most owners would have given up. Commendable tenacity! In the Mercedes world we simply call the "foot operated hand brake" a "parking brake" £125 per hour for a main stealer is cheap! Most are now £160+ per hour. The cell replacement cost is cheaper than a clutch/DMF on most ICE cars these days. A timing belt for most would be at least half the cost too. Dont even get me started on the cost of DPF replacement. Great advert for that garage! Avoid the hybrid. Really enjoyed the series. Will there be a part 4 follow up in a couple of years?

[@MrEV]

Definitely. I was amazed Tony had a smile on his face throughout the ordeal! We're moving away sadly, but Tony has agreed to call me back if he gets an EV - so, fingers crossed for a part 4! I can see him swapping his Golf for an ID.3 or Born.

[@talesfromtony]

⁠@@MrEVThey are both on my radar!

[@talesfromtony]

@UpsideDownFork Hopefully would not keep you waiting that long!

[@ricco123tube]

I had a plug-in hybrid and got rid of it after 6 months. EV for 3 years now, a Kona 64kwh, and I'll not go back now.

[@oliver90owner]

The model I would have bought, but I’m not expecting to change the car I bought.

[@geoffersvoiceofreason2534]

Snap, re Kona. Astounds me I don’t see far more Konas on the road. Range and efficiency of the 64KWh is perfect.

[@leesmart1971]

Had my 64kWh Kona for over 5 years now. 60k miles. New 12v battery and washer jets are all that went wrong.... 90% SoH so range still 250 miles in Summer. Will drive it until it dies!!!!

[@davidlewis4399]

@@geoffersvoiceofreason2534 Probably because most of us have to do real journeys and dont have off road charging. Biggest killer for me though is the insane repair and depreciation costs on them.

[@MrEV]

Great to hear! The Kona really is incredibly good.

[@Ivdag]

Thanks for telling Tony‘s story! Impressive that Tony is staying positive despite the horrific problems he’s had. Also very interesting that the car ended up costing only £395!

[@oliver90owner]

Ignoring the worry, frustration and the hassle getting it repaired, of course!

[@Ivdag]

@@oliver90owner yes, all of that is a huge cost of course.

[@oliver90owner]

@@Ivdag Well some financial cost and a lot of personal time expenditure. Overall cost would depend on what rate for personal time and whether/how that time expended was calculated in £p.

[@AliWade1971]

The video we have been waiting for. Tony did well to only lose £395 (plus a lot of time and stress). Proof that you need to be careful buying any vehicle - but particularly if you are bidding on cheap cars at auction unseen. If it had been an ICE car, and needed a replacement engine, then the costs would have been uneconomical. Andrew kept very calm when faced with the H word 😀

[@K12beano]

Loving Tony’s overall patience and perseverance - and so much thanks to him for sharing his story! Look forward to hearing Tony and Family’s next adventures - and wishing all the luck in it going well! E-Niro sounds a great prospect, but there’s plenty of bargains out there, depending upon personal preferences. Sadly, you’d need a Tesla (Model Y, for best ever safety?) for Netflix and games 😂 on those long journeys with the kids. But I wonder if an ID.3 or (better) Cupra Born would be an interesting compromise to live with?

[@MrEV]

As someone else mentioned, the Google OS cars (Polestar/Volvo/Renault) would work fine - and there is a CarPlay gadget as well. I think Tony would love the ID.3 or Born: a great replacement for his Golf.

[@talesfromtony]

Thank you. I agree with those recommendations.

[@abgmac67]

I quite happily listened to Tony for 46 minutes telling us about his experience. He's also quite easy on the eye😜

[@joelmarold]

Another great video and so much more enjoyable when it’s only you andrew !

[@mrv8rick2]

Great little Series Thanks I have been looking at buying EV's from BCA but this tells me not to, Battery problems are rare but if that's there policy no thanks. They work on commission so it would be in their interest. A simple test on battery isn't hard

[@talesfromtony]

If you are a dealer buying many vehicles through them, they can be more lenient in helping you I hear. But they don’t care about a private buyer or a small time dealer buying a handful of cars. Any decent cars go through their Cinch platform at much higher prices for consumers.

[@PaulNewall-h9d]

I love Andrew's face when Tony says the H word

[@K12beano]

😂🤣😂

[@gordonmackenzie4512]

Great story, and educational. I’ve had my first EV for less than 3 weeks and still a lot to learn. However I took family to the airport this morning. 4 adults, little person and loads of luggage. No problems with space and little effect on performance.

[@xtairsoft]

Cool chat, glad Tony got it sorted and punted it on. Be interested to know what he got afterwards

[@TheZitherish]

I always include an educational rebate, whether I’m buying or selling. Never learn tho. Great story.

[@tonrotterdam]

Awesome story and thanks for sharing it! Btw, don’t get the hybrid, it’s indeed the worst of both worlds.

[@jcflippen1552]

It was very good of Tony to appear in this video. Research is the key but at some point you have to just go for it. Perhaps next time use Jonathan Porterfield’s Eco Cars to help identify a good buy from an Auction. Anyway thank you both for a very informative video. 👍👍

[@dougbamford]

There is a really good MGEV community forum as well. Someone on there will probably know the answer to a question or problem someone has. Very reassuring when you are getting your first EV.

[@Damadchef]

SOH report should be the bare minimum in any EV report

[@decimal1815]

Battery health certificates are coming for used EVs. Just need to be mandated by law.

[@colinwiseman]

Agreed. Took my e208 for its service and tli asked about that. Nope, £60 extra charge...which would need to happen every time.

[@talesfromtony]

@@decimal1815 Could not agree more!

[@rob_lightbody]

There's a great video on fully charged show where they update the entire battery pack to be far better than new. It wasn't cheap though!

[@talesfromtony]

I saw that. It was costly!

[@adrianupnorth]

Get great service from my local Hevra garage. They are always booked up for a 3/4 weeks in advance. Great video Andrew don't waste your money on a hybrid, stay with petrol if you're that unsure.

[@antoniopalmero4063]

Well done guys , very interesting . You should have bought my 68 plate Tekna 40 .

[@johnrobinson3094]

A nice and very useful lot of information gathered from this story. We were told by Toyota to charge up too 80% as it saves the life of the batteries !!! We have a Toyota BZ4X, that I have always charged to 80%, which feels ideal, we dont see very many of them around, but we love it all the same. Thanks for explaining this story of the Leaf, my son in law had one, but it was hit by a Taxi and became unuseable, but it certainly was safe to drive, even after the crash.

[@davethevicar88]

Had mine In hevra they're amazing guys

[@robertwdavenport7311]

Thank you for this information

[@drigans2065]

Very entertaining and informative. I have the same car and love it, but similarly my SOH is only 68% (9 bars) after 64K miles and I get about 85 miles. What is surprising is my car has only done 25 quick charges and 2100 slow charges, so wouldn't have thought the SOH should be so low whereas Tony's car had done over 300 quick charges.

[@MrEV]

What really finishes it off is being parked at 100% for a long time. Could that have been what happened with yours?

[@drigans2065]

@@MrEV Could be. I don't commute, so tend to do longer journeys at the weekend, return home with very little charge left, fill up to 100% overnight and then only use it for going to the shops until the next weekend. Now, what I tend to do, is if I have more than 25% left I don't charge it until the night before I know I'm going to use it for a longer jaunt. But I only started doing that recently. I bought it used three years ago after it had done 43000 miles and was on 11 bars (didn't know the SOH % then) and have done 20000 since. A point of comparison is a 2015 Zoe, which I had used in the same way, and I still have it, which hasn't deteriorated nearly as much, in fact I'm not sure how little it has deteriorated.

[@talesfromtony]

I think battery age catches up quickly on these vehicles. What year is yours?

[@drigans2065]

@@talesfromtony 2016

[@jeffg9706]

I bought a Seat with a DSG gearbox and had a similar experience as you, Just goes to show that all vehicles can fail after purchase, If only people who sell cars where open and honest.

[@tomkimber9072]

Yeah I have an EV and a car with a DSG and definitely much more wart about the dsg failing.

[@talesfromtony]

I had an Audi A4 Quattro Avant. The DSG gearbox failed on a motorway journey just 10 months into ownership and it was going to cost over 3k to replace. Lack of gearbox servicing from previous owner took its toll. The car at the time was only worth 4-5k tops. So made the decision to sell. I am now obsessed with getting all my cars gearbox’s serviced, even those supposedly “sealed for life” and well before recommended intervals. That’s why EV’s with single gear systems interest me. Less moving parts to worry about!

[@the_real_NickBull]

Zoe would've been a better shout tbh, our 2017 40kWh has just clocked 100,000 miles and still has over 150 miles of real world range and has been 100% reliable. Only downside with the older Zoe is AC only charging, but as it's a second car to our Kia eNiro that's fine.

[@bartvanhoof6278]

When we sit there charging ... we watch HBO or KZbin. My kids like playing Angry Birds ... but I get too nervous playing that. :) Never a dull moment really. I wouldn't buy a hybrid as a replacement for a second car ... but hey. Try an ID3 instead, they can be pretty cheap second hand. Cheers for the excellent series!

[@talesfromtony]

It would probably be the only time my wife and I would encourage more screen time for the kids! 😅 Yes we do like VW’s, so ID.3 is definitely up for consideration & a bit more roomier than a Golf I think?

[@nickline6888]

Great video 👏

[@Paulruk]

Get an VW ID3 Tony, good range, it’s fairly small but it fits 5 adults , decent boot, great fun to drive and it shifts if you need to overtake.

[@MrEV]

That's a great suggestion. It'd be a perfect replacement for his Golf and ID.3s are great value on the used market now.

[@AprilStaines]

Battery state of health needs to be something thats easily reported on a dashboard like the odometer reading, its just as important. We will eventually get there but its a journey

[@tivvy-xf4kz]

I know someone who bought a Mondeo at auction and he said to me it's making a clonking noise which seemed to be coming from the wheels. When the wheels came off it had washers on the studs. Only initial thought was maybe it had alloy wheels and someone had fitted steel wheels. Took a little while to discover it had been fitted with 13" wheels instead of 14" wheels so they were catching on the calipers hence the washers. He had to find some correct alloys at extra cost. Auctions are not always the best place to get cars.

[@typxxilps]

unique & great content and story

[@oliver90owner]

Yes, it most certainly demonstrates the possible occasional risks of buying second hand, but also showed that, even with the worst initial outlook, it can turn out to be a successful result in the end.

[@TomReid10]

Really interesting video thanks for posting. I still fancy buying a 24Kw Leaf one day, as I soo wanted one if them when they were new, but I was not at all convinced by public charging when I test drove one in 2014.

[@gryzman]

Hevra is EU wide too, as was discussed on Take it EV Podcast

[@MrEV]

True! takeitev.transistor.fm/47

[@peted7295]

I bought a 2014 mk2 24kwh leaf after doing loads a reading. Apart from the limited range, it was so well thought out. Nissan clearly put in so much effort to get everything right in the development stage, why won't every other manufacturer put the charge port front and center. It's so accessible unlike those situated on the wings.

[@GordonHudson]

Apparently the 30KWhr Leaf dumps a lot of current into the middle of the pack under regeneration. Those are the cells at the back. It might just be down to the internal resistance of the pack. I think it can cause those cells to go out of balance and the BMS has to correct that which equals heat.

[@MrEV]

That’s really interesting. Thank you!

[@alanbowling9739]

@@MrEV This shows that....kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y6q2gKaml9ljeK8

[@misreb1]

Sorry to hear about all the trouble Tony. Glad you can recall the story now with a smile on your face. I am glad it didn't put you off EVs completely. I would honestly push against the hybrid as they are useless for long journey with dismal fuel efficiency on the motorway once the battery is depleted. Understandable that you want to sell this car now. You are lucky to have a knowledgeable neighbour and I am sure your next car will be perfect :)

[@talesfromtony]

Thank you. Yeah I did not realise how much hysteria I would create mentioning a hybrid in my considerations! ☺️

[@antmoto6668]

Nice video. useful info. thanks

[@lecrab]

Never had a RR. But I do have an Ionic5. Has all the bells and whistles. Goes anywhere. Charges superfast. Might be an option.

[@talesfromtony]

I need to test drive one I think, I do like the sound of having AWD on an EV.

[@martinbingham-l5m]

96 miles range and 11 bars health on my 24KwH 2015 leaf. Cost me 4800, so at end of the day he's more or less where he should be now. 82 miles might improve next summer, takes a little while to consistently drive above 4.5miles/KwH. So maybe by next summer, with EV friendly driving and warmer weather he'll be upto 90 miles himself.

[@talesfromtony]

The range was increasing after every charge cycle before I sold it. Just was not getting used much to fully see the improvement. It could well be closer to 100+ now?

[@ianlamond8955]

Hi Martin, what is the mileage on your 2015 Leaf? I am looking to buy one in a couple of days with 45000 miles & 11 bars

[@martinbingham-l5m]

@@ianlamond8955 63K. If its still got 11 bars then user has hardly ever fast charged it. Best tip I can give you is to follow his lead. Enjoy you leaf. Ps, in current freezing weather only getting upto 85 miles range 4.5M/KwH. And even that was only after putting tyres back up to 36PSI. So make sure your tyres aren't low due to cold as my Leaf+ was at just 28PSI and 3.5M/KwH before I pumped them up to 36PSI again.If this is your first e-car as it is mine, you're going to be blown away :)

[@ianlamond8955]

Thanks so much for the reply, yes it’s my first ev, the wife’s got an MG4 Trophy & we are having a home charger fitted tomorrow so I thought why not lol.. my commute to work is a 2 mile round trip anything further we will use the wife’s car, hopefully a monthly home charge or two will do for the leaf

[@martinbingham-l5m]

@@ianlamond8955 Strongly suspect once you've got used to the odd foot hand brake, you'll start making excuses up to go out in the Leaf. Enjoy!!!

IMHO, I think buying a first EV with low range but needing greater range it will definitely disappoint and be harder to justify it to a skeptic wife/family about the technology. My first EV was/is a Ioniq 5 and it's been great, for longer trips the car charges really fast (as Andrew knows first hand) and it still can be an annoyance to the family, but it was easier to demonstrate the viability of the technology as it currently stands. If it was a car with much lower range, I can see that they would pressure me to sell it.

[@JimBronson]

A car that charges as fast as an Ioniq 5 is an annoyance to the family? I'd tell them they're welcome to get jobs and buy their own ICE cars if it's such a burden. 😂😂😂

[@sussexbikerpillion]

Exactly what we did tested the waters with a cheap leaf. Was a great car and converted. Sold a year later and bought a new Mg ,ZS. It’s been fantastic. Currently looking at a replacement another MG, 4 or a band of new models on the way. Also considering a BYD. Think range anxiety is creeping in lol. Hybrid humm 🤔

[@oliver90owner]

I was looking for a cheaper second hand electric car for a couple of years. I discounted the Leaf at a very early stage (even before I was actually looking to purchase). The BMW i3 Rex was high on my list until the Kona 64kWh caught my eye (and the Kia equivalent).

[@tonyireland2234]

I have the perfect solution for anxiety range.Its called petrol.

[@oliver90owner]

@@tonyireland2234 A diminishing resource. A polluting fuel. Very little going for it now that clean, renewable energies are becoming prevalent. My wife was more anxious about the range than I was. It has never been a problem - I just consider remaining battery energy level and decide whether (or when) I need to stop for a charge. Usually only need enough to get home with a small reserve. Even plugging in at home, on peak rate, would be better than stopping at the cheapest rapid charger. The perfect solution is to recharge before the range anxiety takes over. Some don’t seem to think ahead until the range becomes an issue. The worst range anxiety for me was whether a fuel station was still open in Fort William, very late on a Sunday night when travelling home and my diesel GOM stopped providing an estimate of range as soon as it reduced to below about twenty miles. Finding a fuel station, late on a Sunday night, in Inverness, used to be a bit hit-and-miss. Now the electric charging stations are well mapped on several internet sites, finding a charge point is simple enough for most - but maybe not for you?

[@tech_dad_tom]

That's what happened to me, but luckily I was able to return mine. I really liked it, but it was possibly going to be months before the replacement modules for the battery would be in at the dealer.

[@MrEV]

That’s interesting. Would Nissan have replaced the cells under warranty?

[@tech_dad_tom]

@@MrEV Yes, the one I got was a 2020. It still had a lot of warranty on the powertrain. It seems to be a common problem with Nissan though. The mechanic said they had another in the shop that needed 7 modules, and they were going to have to wait a year for parts. I swapped mine out for a 2019 Kia Niro EV. I did the purchase through carvana. It was a pretty easy process.

[@AncalimeNL]

Great videos Andrew, most surely keep them coming. I will most likely order my EV next week, once we have decided which one, a fully specced 208 or a reasonably specced 64kWh Kona Smart Comfort. Your vids put me a bit back on the Hyundai track! Greetings from Holland

[@MrEV]

I love the 208 but it'd certainly be the Kona for me. Once you've had about 500km of range, it's hard to go for anything less!

[@ouethojlkjn]

First problem here was to have anything at all to do with BCA. I remember buying a Ford Sierra many many moons ago from a BCA auction and in my case I was not able to get it to start at all. A lucky escape, they tried very very very very very hard to get it started. a 2.3 litre V6 lump it was. Also, in case you were not aware, you can now get intelligent adapters that will allow a Chademo vehicle to charge on a CCS charger. About £1k but may be worth it for flexibility. I have seen them around including on ebay.

[@TheRamblyChannel]

I like a happy ending! So pleased it got sorted and great that the community came to the rescue. My Ariya also doesn’t allow you to set the charge to 80% either. I also have to clock watch. Makes no sense. Tony’s experience at the dealer is a shame. As a Nissan owner myself I feel so disappointed with them. It doesn’t give you confidence in them for the future. I can’t blame Tony looking elsewhere for his first longer range EV. (Don’t get a hybrid Tony!!!!! 🤬)

[@MrEV]

Thankfully the Ariya's battery is less likely to be killed by leaving at 100% for ages. Still madness not to have some sort of limit though. Tony's experience with Nissan is disappointing, although personally I always experienced good service with Nissan in Canterbury. Their EV sales guy was the one that got me driving a LEAF in the first place. Perhaps their service department isn't quite as EV-friendly.

[@TheRamblyChannel]

@@MrEV That’s a good point. Actually to give the Ariya its due, the battery has been terrific. The range I get is typically above the WLTP rating, and it’s not often you can say that! The local Nissan dealer near me has been pretty good too, although thankfully I haven’t had to use them for anything too drastic yet! 😀

[@darrenadams2640]

In relation to the cost of public charging on longer journeys, don't forget that you can charge at home on an EV friendly tariff for as low as 7p per kWh but public fast charging can be as high as a massive 90p! That's pretty much twice as much as running an equivalent diesel.

[@clansome]

Personally very happy with our Merc GLA 250e (PHEV). As a retired couple even down here in Cornwall, we don't go great distances. Any short distances are pure electric and having Solar the smaller 15Kw battery is easily charged. We decided not to get a Charging Point and will rely on our Granny charger. Our intention is for our sparks to fit a dedicated Commando Socket and plug on the Granny charger so we can draw full current through it and then have an adapter to 3 pin plug in the car if we are away to complement the standard EV charging cable.

[@grahambate1567]

Really brave guy, I have had a 39kwh nissan leaf from new, I have had it for just over 2 years and have done 39,000 miles Range anxiety is a problem, so if i replace it, i will probably go for a second hand tesla

[@nicnak4475]

Oh god old BCA, I remember so many things about them when I was in the trade years ago !

[@spiderswebs11]

Appalling how BCA treated you how can they have green tick when the battery is knackered and the wipers would fail a mot check?

[@mekekeli9354]

This is a typical BCA behaviour. I have had the worse nightmares with them.

[@talesfromtony]

It was a complete joke that tick list!

[@joolsmorgan7032]

I'm such an EV nerd I found this riveting! 😂

[@joolsmorgan7032]

....and Tony don't get a hybrid. They're for people who can't commit to EVs. Get an another EV, you won't regret it.

[@RichardNelson-h4b]

Always do your homework on any purchase especially a car, it is usually people’s second biggest purchase why would you not? I would not trust anyone they are just strangers selling a car. A bit of time spent will avoid situations like this, but well done tony for been positive about a negative

[@kenneedham4674]

Very interesting viewpoints. EV repair is a specialized business and without considerable training can be very dangerous. The high voltage circuits run at 400 volts or more. There are 4 levels of certification required to work on EVs and many other rules which prevent legacy garages undertaking the work. Whilst a cell may be changed it wont be long before another cell dies. Old EVs are a significant gamble. The battery Will need replacing at some time at a cost far higher than the cars value.😅

[@gazzaman28]

There is definitely homework needed before buying any car. I bought a 2019 Hyundai Kona 64kWh earlier this year with just a couple of months left of its warranty. I knew it had an outstanding recall so immediately booked that in (with a 2 month waiting list). But unfortunately the car broke down 320 miles from home (utter nightmare!) before the recall could be done. When the local Hyundai garage first looked at it, they blamed a non-standard service and initially said the car wasn't covered by the manufacturer's warranty! Luckily they were persuaded by the garage who sold it to me (who were otherwise liable for a refund if I'd rejected the car) to honour the warranty, and in the end it turned out that the recall work due was an entirely new traction battery! In hindsight, although all is now good, we were without the car for 2 months and I should probably have walked away from the purchase. I think sellers should not legally be allowed to sell cars with outstanding recalls due on them, they are, after all, safety issues.

[@MrEV]

Oh wow! A stressful experience but great to get a whole new battery. I remember hearing about those Kona issues.

[@gazzaman28]

@@MrEV Yep, I was very worried for a few weeks that I'd bought a total lemon. It's all good now though!

[@tonyireland2234]

should have got a petrol.

[@gazzaman28]

@@tonyireland2234 They never go wrong do they! ;)

[@michelguerard5591]

I have a 2023 Nissan Ariya and you can only set charging via a schedule and not by state of charge at the end of charging. When I plug it in at home I do an offline calculation to determine how much time I require to achieve an end state % battery charge and then set the timer accordingly. I believe Nissan consciously changed their software a couple of years back for the Leaf to be this way and carried over to the Ariya. Itsa bit of a bother but easy enough to do

[@change2023now]

@30:20 the independent garage are gems. 900 for all that work and the cells is super value. And to think the Nissan dealer wanter 1h +4h (£600) to toggle a menu switch to enable the rear camera (which they didn't even achieve the robbing thieves

[@PJWey]

MG4 SE is my recommendation, one year into mine and 16k miles and love it

[@davidlewis4399]

Congratulations you own the least reliable car on the roads allegedly.

[@boyasaka]

A one year old 16k miles is virtually brand new Wonder what it’s like with 120 k at ten years old

[@hojnikb]

@@davidlewis4399 wow, just made that shit up, didn't ya?

[@boyasaka]

@@hojnikb according to a recent what car survey with data from the AA RAC and customer surveys MG were the most unreliable cars in the uk kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJ_JoWmaeLFnpacsi=YU7q9qkSRdYSFDUU

[@tonyireland2234]

MX5 is my recommendation.50mpg on the motorway with the cruise control set at 76mh.You will fly past al the EV's doing 50Mph clenching the steering wheel waiting for the next charger at £0.79 KWH.

[@BrianLawe]

I have a Nissan Leaf 2011 having the same issue with the battery life looking to do the same thing to change the battery cells lovely car to drive .

[@tonybkent]

I had a plugin hybrid Niro for a couple of years and only did short trips, but it still used petrol to run the heater. I obsessed too much over avoiding using fuel and went full EV instead. On my second now and never going back.

[@MrEV]

Great to hear. Did you go for an e-Niro?

[@tonybkent]

@@MrEV we decided to salary sacrifice and got an e-tron 50 (crazy deal!) for three years and have had a Tesla Model Y for a year now. Our son has a Zoe 50 and we sold the 2013 Aygo so are now 100% EV. My explanation on why I dropped the PHEV - kzbin.info/www/bejne/iqK8fp-Nfqlojtksi=WldD5uAhrF1oSS7L

[@dougowt]

Really interesting and honest mini series of videos. (I like the EU trips too) I'm happily motoring along with my 8 year old Model S, free supercharging and 266k miles so far. But if I was looking now, the price of the Tesla Model 3 LR or Performance is a no brainer! I can't charge at home and do a lot of long trips, Italy, Germany etc so that does dictate my choice, as the Tesla set up is still the best (IMO). I'm looking to head down to southern Italy again, later this year, but fancy stopping in France or Switzerland for an overnight stop this time. Can you recommend the best overnight stops from your experience? I've always driven in one go before, but having watched your trips, the stopover looks very appealing! Less the plastic bed covers 😁

[@spiritualdeath101]

*This is an excellent video* I've been tempted to do this but I wouldn't know how to tinker with an ev to keep it going. 400 volts would deter me from poking around. But as a 'hobby' car or 'project car' it is OK - but who has the time and inclination to do this ? especially busy mums and dads. One or two of my ev neighbours are going back to ice/hybrid cars - it is a practicality thing.

[@ascorpio1]

Has anybody else realised Pierce Brosnan sitting in the passenger seat 😮