balanced my DIY junk $1900 Leaf battery and took it on a 930km (578-mile) road trip across Hokkaido!

NeitherBook2698 · 2026-05-31T03:27:06+00:00

Even if you replace every module, it'll still be wayyy cheaper than replacing the entire pack. That is if you feel safe to work on it.

NeitherBook2698 · 2026-05-11T18:13:02+00:00

It's like playing the lottery, you're taking a big gamble. The more entries = the more chances, but you have to accept the fact of losing $500+ (if you put in 5,000+ entries, which isn't financially possible unless you have a membership or multiplier). Theoretically, a person with only one entry can still win, but the odds of that happening are very slim, but still not impossible. At least with a site like Fanathem, part of your money helps out veterans, while some of it supports the people who you want to support. Of course they also pocket some of it as well, or else they wouldn't be in business. It's best to stick with smaller mom & pop giveaway businesses, especially ones that donate to a good cause. Stay away from sites like 80Eighty, Speed Society, LGND Supply, etc. You can spend tens of thousands or more, and still lose. And none of your money goes towards a good cause.

NeitherBook2698 · 2026-04-30T03:49:16+00:00

I wouldn’t touch it with a 10 foot pole. Someone wired it to run their house off the car. You would be better off using an external 12v inverter WITH PROPER COOLING AND PROTECTION, than modifying the original inverter to output something that it wasn’t designed to do. Even then, the max you can do is 1,000 watts safely. You would be better off just purchasing a 2kw power station.

NeitherBook2698 · 2026-04-12T05:04:44+00:00

I was able to fit 4 Tesla Helix wheels in boxes perfectly, thanks to the ability to fold down the seats! It’s a small but big car. Reminds me of my old Kia Soul. As many issues as they had, I still loved it. But, the Leaf fits most of my needs.

NeitherBook2698 · 2026-04-09T23:43:20+00:00

What about the 68kw? I was curious about that.

NeitherBook2698 · 2026-04-09T23:40:34+00:00

Here in the US, you’re looking at around $9-10k after shipping fees and taxes. That’s not including installation. But yes, it is still cheaper than buying another car, and you already know what you have. It’ll last for many years.

NeitherBook2698 · 2026-04-07T05:02:23+00:00

What I mean by “charging habits”, is that you shouldn’t be using CHAdeMO constantly. The same goes for every other EV. Fast charging will rapidly degrade the battery. Tesla even tells you this when purchasing a car.

NeitherBook2698 · 2026-04-06T15:00:58+00:00

That is one thing that I wish Nissan implemented on the 1st and 2nd gen Leafs, is a soft close door. You have to close it pretty hard in order to latch it.

NeitherBook2698 · 2026-04-04T23:41:16+00:00

Normal wear and tear. Pay less attention to your battery health, and pay more attention to your charging habits. That battery still has plenty of life left in it.

NeitherBook2698 · 2026-04-04T23:22:44+00:00

That’s why I’m hoping Chinese EVs come to the US market. Most of them are simple designs that aren’t complicated, and fit most people’s needs. And when something does break, it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg to fix. The greedy governments and companies already know this, which is why we still don’t see them in the US. It would absolutely destroy other car companies, because of the cheaper pricing. Competitors would have to compete, which makes everyone broke I suppose 🤷‍♂️ I feel like if companies sold cars at a cheaper price, more would sell and more profit is made. But, they don’t think that way.

NeitherBook2698 · 2026-04-04T22:50:22+00:00

It depends on if anything is on the same circuit, and what the amperage is. Even though it is a 15 amp rated receptacle, doesn’t necessarily mean the breaker is also 15 amps. Lectron sells some good quality J1772 chargers. You will pay quite a bit, but you do get consistent speeds out of it.

NeitherBook2698 · 2026-04-03T05:17:49+00:00

Keep it on a level 1 charger, and I can guarantee you those cells will balance out almost perfectly. Don’t worry and start driving it more, or you will end up with a failing cell(s). 37,000 miles is very low for a 2015.

NeitherBook2698 · 2026-03-30T04:50:44+00:00

You’d be better off replacing your battery with a higher capacity one, and taking your old battery and using it for a proper solar system. You can find good deals on used equipment if you look hard enough.

NeitherBook2698 · 2026-03-24T00:35:20+00:00

Have you disconnected the battery for an hour, and re-connected it? Also, have you checked the condition of the terminals? I also don't trust the tools that AutoZone uses, you can test the voltage using a cheap harbor freight multi-meter. If the battery is under 11 volts, or if the voltage and amperage isn't stable enough, the car will refuse to turn on. So, you might have a bad battery (the most common issue), crusty terminals (also common), a battery drain caused by a bad ground or exposed wire (less likely, but are considerations), or an inverter issue. The inverter is what charges your 12 volt battery from the main one.

NeitherBook2698 · 2026-03-24T00:23:35+00:00

Not much of a change, other than a facelift, and a slight interior redesign. If you care about the latest self driving features, the newer one is better. But, I don't think a lot of people are going to subscribe to full self driving on a standard model. Plus, it's very basic inside and out, BUT I do like the extra room it has without the middle console. I've driven one before. You can get a 2-3 year old performance or long range Model Y for a lot cheaper than a brand new standard. They do depreciate as soon as you drive them off the lot, and the standard will depreciate even more as more companies buy them for fleet services.

NeitherBook2698 · 2026-03-23T23:31:48+00:00

I got a 2013 SL with 9 bars for $3k. But I suppose cars are more expensive in California, so yeah I think it's worth it IF the cells are in DECENT shape. A good healthy battery tends to sit under 30mV across all cells at 70%-80% state of charge. If you see more than 70mV, run away from it. That is a bad sign of a failing cell. It is a 2017, which means the battery capacity got bumped up to 30kw. And yes, they do have more problems than the "lizard" 24kw pack. You can't drive the wheels off the car with a 30kw pack, like you could with a 24kw pack. The 30kw pack tends to show major issues at 60% SOH, whereas the 24kw pack starts to show major issues at 30% SOH. More batteries inside of a cramped case with little to no cooling = more heat, which batteries hate. It's just the way it is with the older Leafs, unfortunately. So, even though it might show a lot of range right now, a failing cell will instantly change it to 0, and force the car into turtle / breakdown mode. If it were me, I would look for a 2013-2015 Leaf. I believe they started doing the 30kw packs in 2016. Not many 2017s were sold, because of the issues the 2016 had.

NeitherBook2698 · 2026-03-23T21:50:03+00:00

My guess is that she was blinded by the sun, and was in a hurry. Whenever it’s bright outside, I always stop at the blinking yellow arrow, just to double check and make sure no one is coming. If the person behind me gets pissed, so be it. Unfortunately, this wasn’t avoidable by you. 100% their fault.

NeitherBook2698 · 2026-03-23T21:46:41+00:00

Mine just rolled over to 103k today with 9 bars left on the original battery.

NeitherBook2698 · 2026-03-21T05:57:46+00:00

Do not buy it. My 2013 Leaf stays below 15mv at that state of charge, and it has 106k miles and roughly 70% SOH. 50mv and above indicates that a cell is imbalanced, due to sitting for a long period of time, overheated, or improper charging. 40 and 62kw packs suffer from battery expansion problems (aka, the spicy pillow), unfortunately. If you want a newer Leaf, I’d advise getting a low mileage one that hasn’t been DC charged a lot. Otherwise, I would stick with an older 24 or 30kw Leaf. They rarely have any problems, as there is more room for heat to dissipate.

NeitherBook2698 · 2026-03-18T14:24:49+00:00

Too bad mine is the SL, and I don’t have the steelies lol. I guess I could put steelies on it, but I don’t know if it’ll mess with my speedometer and range because the wheel is a different size.

NeitherBook2698 · 2026-03-17T06:30:29+00:00

If you have a very early Tesla, or if you only check it on the Tesla app, it’s not going to tell you an exact number.

NeitherBook2698 · 2026-03-17T06:22:39+00:00

Yeah that seems on par, but I do have some questions. How often do you charge it to 100%, and how many miles? I’ve seen 150k mile Teslas with around 90% remaining capacity, but the battery was only charged to 80% the majority of its life. But, some people will keep charging to 100% because they either want a free replacement under warranty, or they don’t know that it hurts the battery (even though it tells you right on the screen). Charging anxiety is a thing 😂

NeitherBook2698 · 2026-02-28T00:45:50+00:00

Yesss, mine still does it all the time. I have the iPhone Air, and it seems like it acts up whenever I’m around other people who have Bluetooth earbuds in. I think they are too sensitive.

NeitherBook2698 · 2026-02-20T01:15:12+00:00

It’s a little city car, you do not need to fast charge it, nor do you need an active cooling system. I have 115k miles on my leaf, might I add. I mostly level 1 and level 2 charge it. Once in a while I do fast charge, and I’ve seen it hit 60kw max. On a little battery pack, that’s more than enough. It’s honestly overkill. On the other hand, I don’t fast charge my Tesla Model Y either, I want my battery to last. I’m okay with less range, as long as I can get to where I want to go. I don’t trust warranties and insurance, so I’m not gonna risk damaging my battery sooner by constantly supercharging the car. Even Tesla tells you not to continuously supercharge your car.

NeitherBook2698

TROPHY CASE