evaluate battery of used 2012 on dealer lot/test drive, HOW?

[paxfamilia]

I have found 2 models (2012) to consider for purchase. I am in the US and have an old iphone and my daughter has a newer iphone (if one needs the internet to check, download an app, etc.).

I considered a week ago or so, got freaked out that I would be the one who would get a 'lemon', but then figured ICE cars can have just as much if not more 'electrical module' issues these days as EV, unless one buys a very old ICE which I am not so keen on because of improved safety (air bags, stability control, better cage design, etc.), for my 18 year old.

She gets free J charging for four years at university, so it would be stupid NOT to consider the i-MiEV, I think. Need SIMPLE directions on what to look for for control module and battery health, so I don't buy a problem. (Don't expect 100% as new battery life, but don't want something with lot of bad cells.) Also, what does battery re-conditioning costs (renew/replace individual cells)?

Both of these cars have less than 30K miles on them, and both have chademo. Both have been driven in the central states (Arkansas, Missouri).

 

[Don]

The only way to know for sure is Canion - Buy a dongle, download the app and it will tell you everything you need to know about the battery - There's a long thread here explaining all you need to know and spending an hour or so reading through it will get you up to speed

That said, a 30K mile iMiEV isn't going to have a 'degraded' battery which will significantly cut the range of the car - That just doesn't seem to be happening to virtually anyone with so few miles. The only real problems have been an occasional bad cel which prevents the battery from charging fully (you won't see all 16 bars on the fuel gauge when it shuts off) and that means you need a new battery, which Mitsu has always replaced under warranty - !0 years, 100,000 miles

If I was shopping for another one and found a 30K car for a good price, I wouldn't be worried about the battery . . . . at all

Don

 

[jray3]

Hello again Paxfamilia,
The CanIon app won't work on iPhones, and is a bit picky with different Android devices and bluetooth OBDII scanners. Myself and others have iCarsoft plug-in scanners that work just like the dealer's MUTIII diagnostic tool, but those also require some familiarization, probably 30+ minutes playing with it in the car to get all the data for a newby. I'd be willing to ship it for your use if you want to give it a try. Hopefully the dealer is still equipped to do a battery capacity test, as was initially the only item on our annual maintenance schedule.

However, if the RR meter reads over 60 after a full recharge, all 16 bars are visible on the gauge, and the range does not fall disproportionately after a test drive of at least 15 miles, I'd be satisfied without detailed data. (Note that the range remaining gauge will fall 10 miles immediately when you turn on the heater, and not quite as much when you blast the AC.)

Best of Luck,
Jay

 

[paxfamilia]

Thank you both, that's sounds easy to check (bars after full charge, long enjoyable test drive). Thanks!!

 

[zzcoopej]

Hello again Paxfamilia,
The CanIon app won't work on iPhones, and is a bit picky with different Android devices and bluetooth OBDII scanners.

Our App EvBatMon has an iPhone version (see links in the footer of this post).