SIDE NOTES: I in my stupidity forgot battery health does suffer on EARLY Japanese Leafs due to chemistry make up, Checking leaf battery health can be done with a dongle or you can check number of health bars on battery down the right hand side. However again UK built leafs and Renault Zoes, BMW i3, Tesla's all have GREAT battery conditions and its EXTREMELY unlikely your find a bad one. AGAIN if its LEASED battery don't worry if it fails it gets replaced FREE OF CHARGE! (pun intended) Special Thanks to my Patron's listed in the description however welcome to my NEW patron "Darren Sant" thanks so much for your support this channel wouldn't grow without your financial help!
I've worked in the motor trade on and off since I was 16 (a long time) and its always good to hear from others. We all have different experiences and we all gain by sharing. I've been interested in electric vehicles for quite a while now, but I've got a fair way to go to catch you up :D I finally got a Zoe R110 3 months and 4,000 miles ago (renting) and its been excellent. There is nothing like living with an EV to learn the pros and cons and its pretty much all pros. It's worth mentioning when looking for damage on a Zoe to check the headlights, the brackets can get broken by minor knocks to the front. Hopefully see you at Fully Charged
Hi Doug yes good point if its had a light smash when you do your front bonnet open inspection checking them brackets havn't broken and lights have dropped in height. As you likely know Doug to go far and do well in the motor trade you either have to have a passion for what you self or blag the hell out of it. My passion for large engine cars started to disappear as i became more environmentally focused. Then I looked into EV's and the environmental benefits. Then I drove an EV and the instant speed hit me! This is when my passion started to come back into the motor trade. However this time i now spend LOTS of my personal time researching the tech, learning more about the electronics and tech and its more a hobby that i get paid to do.
AC charging is the most important to check as that checks the on-board charger - even witha granny charge if no proper outlet is available. Apart from the connector, there's not much hardware in the car dedicated to DC charging so less likely to be an issue
Apparently, with Zoe a fairly minor bump at the front can leave no obvious sings externally but results in a snapped headlight fixing so check that neither of the two black plastic fixings on each lamp unit has snapped. They may still be aligned so pull each lamp unit forward a little at the top and check that the straps which attach them to the body have no signs of cracks or repairs
Check of the handbrake is sticking on the older Nissan Leaf. They do tend to corrode and start to stick sometimes. Rear tyres can also wear unevenly. Some issuers were found with earlier models on the rear axle alignment.
Check its got its locking wheel nut tool - my Leaf had an unrepairable puncture, that the tyre repair kit couldn't fix, about a week after I bought it and when I discovered that the locking wheel nut tool was missing. It was quite a battle to get the dealer to supply one (there are a lot of different patterns).
If you have any blue badges still intact , get replaced to chrome, only a matter of time for blue to come off , dongle good to see how much life on battery at time of purchase , Renault tells me mines 100% after 4 years , yes seriously , obviously not 100% but shows how little sometimes the service department know
For i3 check it has the DC Rapid charge port on early cars it was optional. Haggle on worn tyres as they are expensive being i3 specific. The least reliable bit on an i3 (REX) is the petrol motor :)
Check for seat heaters, optional on '14 i3, you should get them, or at least get a huge discount. We had our panel replaced on our '15, they put in the wrong one, no seat heater buttons, didn't notice for three months, getting it replaced now.
Hi Jim, we get cars direct from finance companies a lot of the time and they don't deal with public, this was more to inform you that unlike many would like you to believe checking an EV over and buying from a private buyer is pretty easy
Hi Nick, Thank you so much for this video and to all your commentors, I am considering buying a used EV and this is very useful. I now have a list of things to check when I go back to the dealer.
@@NicolasRaimo you are next in on my list if I don't drop the price more. I think they have over priced the one I am looking at compared to other used models available further away. I don't think they have factored in that it is a battery lease model on the price
@@niamhirl i got 4 zoes in with 2 more due in not all displayed on my site so worth giving me a buzz there currently all 40's just sold my 22kwh yesterday
My understanding is if your heat pump is leaking or not working, there is a chance your batteries wont charge necessarily correctly, as the pump cools the battery whilst charging.
Thanks Nicolas. This is probably your most useful and valuable videos so far, so I've bookmarked it, and shall refer others to it. Where are you based, please? Cannot see it on your website. You might have some new customers because of this upload!
Thanks thats great to hear! and your a STAR on my channel i think you've commented on all my videos which blows me away the loyalty you've shown me. My place of work is listed on EVnick.com under recommended companies, i try not to promote it here on youtube as the videos are here to help people and i don't want anyone to think am using it to sell cars
Under settings on the Zoe you can find Network Status and it will show if the car is connected or not. My phone app used to work brilliantly but recently stopped working. I think Renault have changed something because their technical department say they know what the problem is but they need to contact my local dealer for what they describe as an intervention to fix it.
Quick fix tip here, try disconnect network status LEAVE it for 24 hours, then reconnect see if that works. Failing that try factory reset and repeat steps. If still not working ask customer services if there's any expired contacts still on your ZE account causing issues
Check for broken or glued headlight mountings - fixing this is expensive - the headlights are £200 a piece. Check both the key fobs work. Turn the steering and listen for creaking.
Sure, when I check an EV, I always check the oil, transmission fluid, radiator, hoses, air filters, exhaust pipe, transmission, clutch, and drive belts. All the same stuff. Sure.
Hi my name is Jeffery from Blackpool I live in a tent in the back of a van I have for nearly 2 year's I owned a Gwiz it's getting harder to charge and cep on the road money is tight a the moment so I thought Toyota Prius maybe a plug in if you have one for sale or now of one it can be out of mot and need paint work and need now drive batteries
I have not been bought an electric car and target to buy a Nissan leaf. 13;40 Refer to your video, the battery of the electric car seems reliable. Is it common to carry out Pre-Purchase Inspection?
Hi Nicolas i have a Zoe 22 R240 16 plate, can you pre heat using the latest app on the iPhone called My Renault my display on the vehicle tab only display the range, miles plug status
Hi Nicolas, I have a 2015 i3 that I love, but one problem and it only happens at a Electrify / America charger DC. When I plug it in some times it does not want to start. There customer service has had me do some strange things. Like hold the cable up so the weight does not pull down. On the outlet. I'm not a electrician but this is not the trouble. It always turns out to be a program problem. With there charger. The last thing is and this has happen at more then one location. Everything works I plug it in to my car and it starts to charge. At the end of the charge its time to unplug. It will not let go, and the charging will not stop. I have had Electrify / America reboot there station and after 2 or 3 reboots it will let go and turn off the power. I have been told that it's a 2015 BMWi3 thing by Electrify/ America. ( A Problem with BMW) It only happen when I use there charger. Has this happen to you in the UK?
5:14 you are a car dealer and talking about automatic gearbox of an electric car? Don't you know, that electric cars don't have a variable gear box, wether automatic neither manual? The stick in the Zoe is to change the drive mode, forward, backward or neutral. But that has nothing to do with a gearbox.
I more said gearbox to reffer to the shift handle for non EV folks to understand, yes shifting from Reverse to drive is just changing motor but it should still be checked they work as intended and feature like reverse camera appear when they should. Also i like to keep my content evergreen and some future EVs may have 1 or 2 gears ⚙️ similar to formula E cars
Hello , what EV car you recommend me to get for my business as I’m driving instructor and I make average 25K per annum, also what is poross and cones of PCP contracts? Many thanks
any 40kwh battery will be prefect all will do this winter and summer no issues. For driving instructor i'd say your wanting hatchback under 25k? So either Zoe, Leaf. New should be possible. Second hand you got even more choice even maybe an i3 if your wanting a REX. My 40kwh i3 is for sale at £27500
U mentioned the Zoe front wheels, whats the deal with them? I think i missed what u said previously. Also in the handbook it says "Changing wheels around This practice is not recommended" why is this? Isn't it standard practice?
REALITY CHECK ZOE 22kw gets Real world range from 50-70. Well thats what i have been getting from zoe for the last 12 months across 11k Miles. Average 60miles. pretty sheeet To be honest as its my Only Car.
Your car sounds like it needs the BMS update check my video LIBRARY for a video about BMS update, am currently getting 100 now in this warm weather and never seen 50! even in our cold Derbyshire winters. PS please star your swear word or change to a POO emoji thank you
@@ChowStudios the dealership wouldn't of changed a battery cell. Check you 100% had your BMS done use canze to check. Also your mpkw is VERY VERY VERY LOW for summer i'd expect near 5 so try a 2 pedal reset to clear old driver data
Nicolas Raimo haha thanks for your help. I’m actually happy with that MPKW because in December I was getting 2.5 and it was horrible around 40 miles a tank. Maybe becuse im in central london. I dont drive on roads over 40. Just the city roads of 20 N 30mph
Apart from Japan built leafs never seen issues with Newer leafs or Zoe's. Early Zoe's and leafs had a firmware update which corrected an issue with wrongly reported SOH
CLICKBAIT ALERT!! - Man, your video is good - if you are interested in what to look for - but your title is completely and utterly misleading - its clickbait - and you shouldn't do this if you want people to think you are trustworthy - I would have subscribed other than this - but you are just wasting peoples time!!
Sorry you feel that way Rory but many disagree with you, youtube and the word is designed to entice you to watch a video fact you clicked and watched it all means it worked
SIDE NOTES: I in my stupidity forgot battery health does suffer on EARLY Japanese Leafs due to chemistry make up, Checking leaf battery health can be done with a dongle or you can check number of health bars on battery down the right hand side. However again UK built leafs and Renault Zoes, BMW i3, Tesla's all have GREAT battery conditions and its EXTREMELY unlikely your find a bad one. AGAIN if its LEASED battery don't worry if it fails it gets replaced FREE OF CHARGE! (pun intended)
Special Thanks to my Patron's listed in the description however welcome to my NEW patron "Darren Sant" thanks so much for your support this channel wouldn't grow without your financial help!
ok, so just the front wheels to 40psi? What about: the handbook it says "Changing wheels around
This practice is not recommended"?
I've worked in the motor trade on and off since I was 16 (a long time) and its always good to hear from others. We all have different experiences and we all gain by sharing. I've been interested in electric vehicles for quite a while now, but I've got a fair way to go to catch you up :D I finally got a Zoe R110 3 months and 4,000 miles ago (renting) and its been excellent. There is nothing like living with an EV to learn the pros and cons and its pretty much all pros. It's worth mentioning when looking for damage on a Zoe to check the headlights, the brackets can get broken by minor knocks to the front. Hopefully see you at Fully Charged
Hi Doug yes good point if its had a light smash when you do your front bonnet open inspection checking them brackets havn't broken and lights have dropped in height.
As you likely know Doug to go far and do well in the motor trade you either have to have a passion for what you self or blag the hell out of it. My passion for large engine cars started to disappear as i became more environmentally focused. Then I looked into EV's and the environmental benefits. Then I drove an EV and the instant speed hit me! This is when my passion started to come back into the motor trade. However this time i now spend LOTS of my personal time researching the tech, learning more about the electronics and tech and its more a hobby that i get paid to do.
AC charging is the most important to check as that checks the on-board charger - even witha granny charge if no proper outlet is available. Apart from the connector, there's not much hardware in the car dedicated to DC charging so less likely to be an issue
Apparently, with Zoe a fairly minor bump at the front can leave no obvious sings externally but results in a snapped headlight fixing so check that neither of the two black plastic fixings on each lamp unit has snapped. They may still be aligned so pull each lamp unit forward a little at the top and check that the straps which attach them to the body have no signs of cracks or repairs
Check of the handbrake is sticking on the older Nissan Leaf. They do tend to corrode and start to stick sometimes. Rear tyres can also wear unevenly. Some issuers were found with earlier models on the rear axle alignment.
Check its got its locking wheel nut tool - my Leaf had an unrepairable puncture, that the tyre repair kit couldn't fix, about a week after I bought it and when I discovered that the locking wheel nut tool was missing. It was quite a battle to get the dealer to supply one (there are a lot of different patterns).
If you have any blue badges still intact , get replaced to chrome, only a matter of time for blue to come off , dongle good to see how much life on battery at time of purchase , Renault tells me mines 100% after 4 years , yes seriously , obviously not 100% but shows how little sometimes the service department know
For i3 check it has the DC Rapid charge port on early cars it was optional. Haggle on worn tyres as they are expensive being i3 specific. The least reliable bit on an i3 (REX) is the petrol motor :)
Check for seat heaters, optional on '14 i3, you should get them, or at least get a huge discount.
We had our panel replaced on our '15, they put in the wrong one, no seat heater buttons, didn't notice for three months, getting it replaced now.
I thought you were going to be giving us links to where the trade gets their electric cars cheap ;) - another good video
Hi Jim, we get cars direct from finance companies a lot of the time and they don't deal with public, this was more to inform you that unlike many would like you to believe checking an EV over and buying from a private buyer is pretty easy
Hi Nick, Thank you so much for this video and to all your commentors, I am considering buying a used EV and this is very useful. I now have a list of things to check when I go back to the dealer.
If a zoe feel free to pop in mine always got EVs for sale
@@NicolasRaimo you are next in on my list if I don't drop the price more. I think they have over priced the one I am looking at compared to other used models available further away. I don't think they have factored in that it is a battery lease model on the price
@@niamhirl i got 4 zoes in with 2 more due in not all displayed on my site so worth giving me a buzz there currently all 40's just sold my 22kwh yesterday
@@NicolasRaimo 40kwh out of my price range unfortunately, then again range wise I probably don't need more then 22kwh. I average 6000 miles a year.
@@niamhirl We do finance, your yearly mileage doesn't matter too much its more your longest trip non stop. i've got some 2017 plates due in also
My understanding is if your heat pump is leaking or not working, there is a chance your batteries wont charge necessarily correctly, as the pump cools the battery whilst charging.
on the zoe yes, this is normally caused by a damaged aircon pipe that was very common.
Screwfix sell granny charges for aboyt £220
Thanks Nicolas. This is probably your most useful and valuable videos so far, so I've bookmarked it, and shall refer others to it. Where are you based, please? Cannot see it on your website. You might have some new customers because of this upload!
Thanks thats great to hear! and your a STAR on my channel i think you've commented on all my videos which blows me away the loyalty you've shown me. My place of work is listed on EVnick.com under recommended companies, i try not to promote it here on youtube as the videos are here to help people and i don't want anyone to think am using it to sell cars
Under settings on the Zoe you can find Network Status and it will show if the car is connected or not. My phone app used to work brilliantly but recently stopped working. I think Renault have changed something because their technical department say they know what the problem is but they need to contact my local dealer for what they describe as an intervention to fix it.
Quick fix tip here, try disconnect network status LEAVE it for 24 hours, then reconnect see if that works. Failing that try factory reset and repeat steps. If still not working ask customer services if there's any expired contacts still on your ZE account causing issues
(California) Fiat 500e front valance scrapes easily, check for grind damage.
Thanks Robert thats a super rare EV also i've only ever seen 1 in my entire life!
Check for broken or glued headlight mountings - fixing this is expensive - the headlights are £200 a piece.
Check both the key fobs work.
Turn the steering and listen for creaking.
Thanks Nic- the one you are looking at looks pristine!
it was indeed it came from someone watch's the VLOG and like yourself is a fellow Pateron!
Sure, when I check an EV, I always check the oil, transmission fluid, radiator, hoses, air filters, exhaust pipe, transmission, clutch, and drive belts. All the same stuff. Sure.
Thank you for posting 😀👋
Do people need to be concerned with certified used programs from the original manufacturer or do these programs generally catch issues
Am sorry what do you mean?
Hi my name is Jeffery from Blackpool I live in a tent in the back of a van I have for nearly 2 year's I owned a Gwiz it's getting harder to charge and cep on the road money is tight a the moment so I thought Toyota Prius maybe a plug in if you have one for sale or now of one it can be out of mot and need paint work and need now drive batteries
Zoe - roll bar drop links, shock absorbers.
Yep drop links very common, why it’s always important to test drive any car and listen for them signs
Great video, but how do you buy cheap used EVs?
EVs in this price bracket are “cheap” by there nature
David K car auction
@@NicolasRaimo Everything 'cheap' is relative, cheap for me is 2-3k not 10k!!!!
Great video, Nicolas!
Thanks Mitchell I wanted to make this one for the community of new owners and I was pretty happy with the end result
leasing a 2020 Renault Zoe R135... Water comes in the front door seals in heavy rain, sat still or driving.
For a Leaf I would always ask for a Leafspy report on the battery.
I have not been bought an electric car and target to buy a Nissan leaf.
13;40 Refer to your video, the battery of the electric car seems reliable.
Is it common to carry out Pre-Purchase Inspection?
We do when we purchase specially if it’s a Nissan Leaf as they suffer with much worse issues due to no thermal management
You don't mention EV cars needing a coolant change after a few years costing several hundred pounds similar to a cam belt change on an ICE vehicle?
Hi Nicolas i have a Zoe 22 R240 16 plate, can you pre heat using the latest app on the iPhone called My Renault
my display on the vehicle tab only display the range, miles plug status
Yes you can you may need to pay for a subscription but last time I checked they renew it for free
@@NicolasRaimo do i do that in R-link & could you tell me the name of the required app thanks for the reply
Great video!! I subscribed!! Would a used bmw i3 be a good first car for a teenager??
I think you’d struggle to get them insured on it for a good price maybe start with a zoe or a leaf
Nicolas Raimo besides the insurance part is it a good car overall for a teen or no?
@@satisfyingasmr3009 very easy to drive, good visibility. Very Quick, easy to park
Nicolas Raimo thank you!
Leaf , top of front struts corrosion.
Hi Nicolas, I have a 2015 i3 that I love, but one problem and it only happens at a Electrify / America charger DC. When I plug it in some times it does not want to start. There customer service has had me do some strange things. Like hold the cable up so the weight does not pull down. On the outlet. I'm not a electrician but this is not the trouble. It always turns out to be a program problem. With there charger. The last thing is and this has happen at more then one location. Everything works I plug it in to my car and it starts to charge. At the end of the charge its time to unplug. It will not let go, and the charging will not stop. I have had Electrify / America reboot there station and after 2 or 3 reboots it will let go and turn off the power. I have been told that it's a 2015 BMWi3 thing by Electrify/ America. ( A Problem with BMW) It only happen when I use there charger. Has this happen to you in the UK?
@John Edwards Thank you
5:14 you are a car dealer and talking about automatic gearbox of an electric car?
Don't you know, that electric cars don't have a variable gear box, wether automatic neither manual?
The stick in the Zoe is to change the drive mode, forward, backward or neutral. But that has nothing to do with a gearbox.
I more said gearbox to reffer to the shift handle for non EV folks to understand, yes shifting from Reverse to drive is just changing motor but it should still be checked they work as intended and feature like reverse camera appear when they should.
Also i like to keep my content evergreen and some future EVs may have 1 or 2 gears ⚙️ similar to formula E cars
Hello , what EV car you recommend me to get for my business as I’m driving instructor and I make average 25K per annum, also what is poross and cones of PCP contracts? Many thanks
The bigger question is whats the most mileage youd do in a day without any breaks then we can look at best battery sizes then cars
Nicolas Raimo thx for reply, i do max 90 ore 100 miles per day
any 40kwh battery will be prefect all will do this winter and summer no issues. For driving instructor i'd say your wanting hatchback under 25k? So either Zoe, Leaf. New should be possible. Second hand you got even more choice even maybe an i3 if your wanting a REX. My 40kwh i3 is for sale at £27500
U mentioned the Zoe front wheels, whats the deal with them? I think i missed what u said previously. Also in the handbook it says "Changing wheels around
This practice is not recommended" why is this? Isn't it standard practice?
Tyres go due to people using Renaults recommended tyre pressure, if you increase the pressure to 40psi they don’t wear uneven
Nicolas Raimo oh ok, just the front tyres to 40psi and the rear to 36?
I tend to have front 40’and rear 38
@@NicolasRaimo thanks! and what r ur thoughts on swapping front and rear tyres around?
I'd do it ;)
Check battery battery battery ! 70% car price is battery
most EV's are showing VERY VERY high SOH and if you have a lease battery less of an issue but agree issue for IMEV
REALITY CHECK ZOE 22kw gets Real world range from 50-70. Well thats what i have been getting from zoe for the last 12 months across 11k Miles. Average 60miles. pretty sheeet To be honest as its my Only Car.
Your car sounds like it needs the BMS update check my video LIBRARY for a video about BMS update, am currently getting 100 now in this warm weather and never seen 50! even in our cold Derbyshire winters. PS please star your swear word or change to a POO emoji thank you
Nicolas Raimo I’ve had a BMS update and battery cell changed at dealership. Average MPKW is 3.10
@@ChowStudios the dealership wouldn't of changed a battery cell. Check you 100% had your BMS done use canze to check. Also your mpkw is VERY VERY VERY LOW for summer i'd expect near 5 so try a 2 pedal reset to clear old driver data
Nicolas Raimo haha thanks for your help. I’m actually happy with that MPKW because in December I was getting 2.5 and it was horrible around 40 miles a tank. Maybe becuse im in central london. I dont drive on roads over 40. Just the city roads of 20 N 30mph
Are you using the heater or Aircon a lot?
Battery health is the big one, range Etc
Apart from Japan built leafs never seen issues with Newer leafs or Zoe's. Early Zoe's and leafs had a firmware update which corrected an issue with wrongly reported SOH
Hi Nicolas, how to find and change horn unit on Zoe?
do you mean the sound? there's a video here showing how to change the noise ua-cam.com/video/LRYt3w0il8E/v-deo.html
CLICKBAIT ALERT!! - Man, your video is good - if you are interested in what to look for - but your title is completely and utterly misleading - its clickbait - and you shouldn't do this if you want people to think you are trustworthy - I would have subscribed other than this - but you are just wasting peoples time!!
Sorry you feel that way Rory but many disagree with you, youtube and the word is designed to entice you to watch a video fact you clicked and watched it all means it worked
Abe
I
This is barely specific to EV's. Useless! 🙄
kinda the point Toni