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Comments
let's say you get this car back, and everything works fine... it runs fine...no more problems....would you be happy?
now, if problems continue to arise, eventually the New York State lemon law would apply, right? let's say you have the exact same problem and the dealer has had 3 opportunities to fix it-- doesn't the lemon law kick in at that point? so you're covered there, right?
i once was in an accident (head on at 55 mph/air bags deployed, engine dropped down like it should, crumple zones, all that stuff, not my fault!) and the total cost of repair was $14,000 ... during the 3-4 months i was without the car and was driving rentals, I was test driving other cars since i figured i'd be selling the one i had once i got it back...but as soon as i drove 500 yards with my repaired car, it drove better than anything i was test driving... i guess what i am saying is, if the repairs are done right, and they use new genuine nissan parts, it's amazing how cars turn out just fine... i drove another 50000 miles with my crashed car ,....
sure, little fella, i know how you feel with the concerns that it'll never run right...but if they put in a new engine (not a refurbished one), and they do the job right....i think you're covered. and if they're offering you that free extended warranty, take it. but again, i'd make sure you have a copy of the lemon law in the state, cause i think it' something like-- if you have the same problem 3 times, and 3 times they can't fix it, it's a lemon. but i'm no lawyer.
Oh, yea, she had some front brake pads replaced at only 20,000 miles, too. The originals were shot, and that's pretty early to change them. Then, at 60K, we had to replace the pads and rotors both. That was a bit premature.
Overall, we didn't get much help from our local Nissan dealership for warranty items, and we felt like they were "blowing us off". I wasn't used to that treatment since I had an Acura and Infiniti. I never had any real problems with the high-end dealerships, although Acura was better than Infiniti overall in my experience. Still, Nissan, in our experience, is not the greatest with customer satisfaction when it comes to warranty and service items. But, it really depends on the dealership's philosophies on taking care of customers. There are some dealerships that will go the extra mile. With Nissan trying to "come back" from their lack of sales in the last half of the 90's, they should try a little harder when it comes to service. It's a bummer to hear they haven't learned their lessons. Their products are good, though. We only had the nagging belt squeak, the premature pad and rotor wear, and then the alternator failure at 90K. That's it besides normal maintenance. No one should have to put up with crappy treatment from a dealer's service, though. They love to sell, sell, sell, but hate to service.
Flarearrow, if I were you, I would've threatened Nissan that you were going to go "postal" on them. Not like that would help (I dunno, it may), but it'd be fun to see their faces, hehe. Seriously, you may need some legal representation, and you need to become aware of your state's lemon law in depth. I'd tell your Nissan dealer and Nissan Motor Corp. that you're seeking legal representation and will settle in court ("light threats" sometimes get you places), since they're not doing their share to keep you [rightfully] happy. If Nissan were to give you a fresh engine straight from the factory, you may have to settle for that. That should give you the new car you deserve, but you may not get an entirely new car. You may want to have another Nissan dealer do the warranty work for you (I would), if you can get them to give you a new engine. I would not settle for anything less than a new engine myself, and I'd be such a pain-in-the-[non-permissible content removed] to them, they would have to do it.
I sympathize with your desire to have the car replaced, but this is not a part of the warranty on the new car, allow some time to pass and see if the car is a lemon or not.
I have had engines disassembled and parts replaced twice before and the cars (non-Nissan) were problem free after the work.
Best of luck on whatever course of action you take.
Also, does any one live in NJ and know of a really good dealer? The dealer where I bought the car is not opened on Saturdays and so isn't convenient for me to use.
Thanks
Thanks
Your mileage should be 210miles/(13.2x0.75)gal
=210miles/9.9gal
=21.2mpg
appreciate it. I'm trying to stir something up and get
noticed by Nissan.
Some of you want to know of the details. I figured writing this
would also benefit me to help me remember dates and events
that I would need to know to bring it up in arbitration or court.
I'll apologize beforehand for the length of this posting.
November 18, 2000 Saturday
My 2001 Altima SE in Titanium Frost/Dusk was home delivered
to me in the morning. I bought the car from Carsdirect and
the car came from Freehold Nissan on Rt. 9 in Freehold
NJ. (I have another thing with Carsdirect, but I'll save
that story for another time.) The car was driven over.
(I was hoping for flatbed service, but again that goes back
to my whole Carsdirect experience which I'll save for
later.) I made sure I tested everything, ie lights,
switches, radio, A/C, windows, sunroof, and everything
was working before the delivery left. Besides from having
79 miles on it already from the trip over, the wheel
alignment being slightly off and the tire pressure
in all 4 wheels being over 40 psi(!!!), everything was
fine.
Nov 18, 2000 - Dec 3, 2000
I was really excited about my new car. I couldn't wait to
really feel how the car performs after the break in period.
Going easy on the gas and keeping the spedometer under 55,
I was able to log 1000 miles in 2 weeks (making trips out
to LI, NJ, and Conn for Powerball tickets). I would take
my Altima out when ever I got the chance to get miles on
it to finish breaking the engine in.
During this time, I noticed a coolant leak. The green stuff
left a streaking mark on the front of the iron block next
to the tranny. I thought nothing of it. I thought it was
something as silly as a loose hose clamp. I mean, it's a
"brand new" car, and what could possibly go wrong.
December 4, 2000 Monday
I bring my Altima in for service to have the wheel alignment
adjusted and have the coolant leak looked into. I took it
to Star Nissan in Flushing, Queens.
Later that day I get the phone from the assistant service
manager saying that I'm going to need a new engine....
that the coolant leak is coming from the block. I'm not
sure what it's suppose to be called, but it seems like at
the shop "cracked" and "pourous" are used synonymously.
So then, the assistant service manager and service manager
were explaining to me that they can't procede with any
repairs until a Nissan technical advisor(?) can inspect
my vehicle and advise on the proper remedy. They were
explaining that Nissan has some sort of technical advisor/
engineer/auditor going around from dealership shop to
dealership shop to investigate new cars with oddball
defects, and is the one who has the final say on the
remedy for the problem. The assistant service manager said
this person was coming from New Jersey, the service
manager said this person was coming from California, and
the people at 1-800-NISSAN-1 Nissan (does not) Care line
said something on the lines of, "What engineer? If a
dealership shop says the engine is cracked and it needs a
new engine, we believe them and give approve to replace the
engine, no questions asked."
December 5, 2000 Tuesday
The supposed technical advisor from Nissan pays a visit to
Star Nissan service, inspects my car, and gives the go-
ahead to replace the defective iron block of the engine
(just the iron block). The work is begun to remove
everything from under the hood of the car. A new iron block
is ordered from Tennessee.
December 11, 2000 Monday
The whole engine compartment is gutted. The new iron block
arrives. Service begins to disassemble old engine and
prepares to replace the iron block.
December 12 or 13, 2000
Service discovers a problem with the aluminum head
assembly while disassembling it from old engine and
putting on the new iron block. As stated on my service
receipt:
"...while removing cylinder head found camshaft sprocket
bolt striped..."
New aluminum head assembly is ordered from California.
December 15, 2000 Friday
Aluminum head assembly arrives. Work is complete on
rebuilding the engine. Car is kept for the weekend
because "fine" tuning needed to be done on Monday.
December 18, 2000 Monday
Finally after 2 weeks I get the car back.
Dec 19, 2000 - Dec 27, 2000
During this time I'm breaking the engine all over again.
I was able to get in about 500 miles before some of the
problems got serious enough that it had to be brought
back to service.
Some of the things that happened were:
1) An oil leak this time is making a streaking mark on the
same spot as the infamous coolant leak.
2) The engine is very rough at a stop. Feels like the
engine is going to stall because it's like struggling
to maintain a minimum idling RPM.
3) The idiot lights on my dash were coming on and off. And
the interior and exterior were dimming.
4) When the car hits a sharp bump, like a expansion joint
on the highway, it sounds like something is not bolted
down tightly, and there's this rattle in front of the
driver position.
On Dec 27, I called the 1-800-NISSAN-1 number to voice
my complaint to the company about my Altima. And I demanded
a replacement. The rep was no help saying that my car does
not fit the definition of a lemon... that the car is cover
under the warranty... that I'm not paying for the repairs...
it's not Nissan's policy to replace or buy back cars...
The rep did take note of my request for a replacement
vehicle and forwarded my case for review by their review
board.
December 28, 2000 Thurs
I bring my Altima back to the shop for the problems above.
December 29, 2000 Friday
Star Nissan service gives the car back to me. The
electrical problems (idiot lights and lighting) was
because of a loose wire to the aternator. The oil leak
was from a loose tranny hose clamp. They couldn't
duplicate the rattling when the car hits a hard enough
bump. And the engine idle problem is because of the
valves not opening and closing properly, and their
positioning needs to be adjusted using shims. The shims
are ordered, and service tells me to bring the car back
when the shims come in.
Jan 2, 2001 Tues
I call the 1-800-NISSAN-1 Nissan (does not) Care line again
to voice my complaint, reiterate my request for a replacement,
and try to find the status of my case. The rep told me that
the review process takes 5 business days.
Jan 4, 2001 Thurs
I call the Nissan (does not) Care line again just to annoy
them and find status of my case. No status.
Jan 5, 2001 Fri
I received a message on my home answering machine from Star
Nissan service that the shims arrived.
Jan 8, 2001 Mon
The 5th business day and Nissan (does not) Care does not
call. What a surprise. (sarcasm)
The 6th business day. I call the 800 number to find out myself
what the hell is going on. The rep tells me that there is a
regional rep (Tiaesha? pronounced as ti-e-sha) handling my
case and that I'll get a phone call from her later in the day.
Guess what? No one calls me back. What a surprise.
(sarcasm)
Jan 10, 2001 Wed
I bring my Altima in for service to get the shims installed
for the valves.
The 7th business day. No one from Nissan (does not) Care
call me back. What a surprise. (sarcasm)
Jan 11, 2001 Thurs
I had to call Nissan myself, again, to find out what the hell
is going on. I finally get in touch with this mysterious
Tiaehsa person. Tiaesha also re-iterated that my Altima does
not fall under the definition of a lemon, that they are
honoring their warranty, I'm not paying for the repairs, and
is offering to me the 7 year/100k mile $50 deductible
extended service contract free of charge to satisfy my need
for compensation.
Yeah, sure.... not a lemon?.... you got to be kidding me!
Today is Jan 17, 2001. I got the car Nov 18, 2000. My car
is still in the shop since Jan 10, 2001 because service
didn't order enough shims and their still waiting for more
to arrive. My car has been in the shop for a cummalitive
total of 25 calendar days in the last 2 months!!! WTF?!!!
Tiaesha called left me a messege on my voice mail at work
on Jan 16, 2001 about some of the details to the amount of
coverage I would be getting from the Security+ Silver plan.
I'm going to call back today demending for a replacement car.
25 days in the shop for the last 2 months... A new engine
block and aluminum heads needed at 1000 miles.... everything
under the hood had to be disassembled, and the engine
rebuilt, which will kill the resale value of the car and make
it hard to sell. Try telling to potential buyers that the
engine had to be replaced at 1000 miles and watch them walk
away. Or try trading it in at a dealer and get a lousy trade
in amount. I think I have a strong enough case here for
a replacement.
I'm also filing with the BBB's Autoline and Consumer Affairs
in NY.
too bad... I wouldn't qualify a new car with anything more than 10 miles... you are inviting trouble if you get a new car with more mileage.... chances are that they were demos ( I could be wrong, but why would I want to get a new car with such high mileage on it)
Sorry I had to be mean, but I really wonder what kind of cars you drove before this one.... I've driven 10+ years old car with less problems than that.
Peace!
The 2 tweeters and 1 subwoofer you get for the 7 speaker system isn't bad, either. (I got a listen to them when I test drove a Sentra with the Luxury package), but we were looking to save some money... so we got the less expensive Sentra GXE w/o the Lux. Pkg.
Never the less, I can pump up any of my CD's (Blue Man Group's Audio is currently my favorite) fairly loud without worrying about blowing a speaker... and the sound is great! Way to go Nissan, great car!
I really can't recommend this car enough for people wo want an inexpensive car. There are a few caveats, like tall people should look elseware, and frequent car-pool drivers should find something with a bigger back seat... (space is realy the only issue in this small car, if you ask me) Otherwise, this car should be near the top of your list!
Pathway
Thanks again.
Thanks
Did the dealer have any with the Side-Impact Airbags/ABS package? The rebate was good through the 22nd, wasn't it?
BTW, the dealership is VOB not VOW. They did not have any with abs/side airbag and I was told that they are hard to find. I got the same response from another dealer. The rebate was only good until the 22nd, that's why we rushed to get the car that same evening.
I assume "MA fee" is some kind of advertising fee. It's always debatable whether it's a legitimate, per-car charge. The keyword is "per-car" or marginal cost. I suspect it varies with brands and/or distributors. For example, the dealership needs to pay for electricity, among other things, in order to operate and sell your brother that car, but it costs them the same wether they sell your brother that car or not. It's dangerous, from the dealership's point-of-view to regularly sell for a small marginal profit. IOW, they don't make enough to cover the overhead costs. OTOH, it's tempting to sell for even a small marginal profit if they consider it to be still better than nothing.
It's the total deal that counts. It doesn't matter whether the MA fee is negotiable. When you combine something that's negotiable (the price of the car) with something that's not (the MA fee supposedly) and negotiate from there, well then it's negotiable.
Happy Driving!
Happy Driving!
Wandering is possibly caused by play or slop in the steering system. You hold the steering wheel firmly and yet the front wheels are able to turn to the left or right slightly. Road imperfections would then cause the wandering.
So check that out....... I hope that's all it is.
Robert
Happy driving.
as a neutral observer (i own a toyota)-- i'd take a sentra GXE with convenience package over the civic LX or EX --- much better value in my opinion, and i've driven both cars recently... that civic has one noisy engine (or poor sound deadening)...
the sentra SE isn't so bad except for that ugly spoiler they stick on the back--- spoilers in general are pretty darn useless...nissan should have made that an option on the SE, not standard...
enjoy your cars...
http://www.b15sentra.net/UBB.html
Later
Al
About:
Civic Ex: I looked into this but I thought that the interior was cheeeapy. Hollow sounding gearbox, plasticky. Sentra has a great interior that shares the feeling of a Maxima, such as the white tachometer. plus 127 hp seems like a rip for 18 K msrp (at least in NC area).
Al: I tried the link, but nothin came up!
Spoiler: I think that the sentra without a spoiler makes the back look like a baby's diaper. Spoilers in theory are added to decrease the drag of the car at high speeds, as they are used in high speed races. How about changing it to a mid-wing?
fart smell? Does anyone get a sulfur smell "rotten egg" from the vent sometimes? My girlfriend owns an Altima and she says hers does this sometimes.
Air intake: Does anyone know if the new Stillen air intake affect the warrenty? i guess it is supposed to add hp...
Sulphur smell has been noted in many different automaker/vehicles, including the Sentra, the Altima, and the Maxima. I believe it is caused by componds in some gasolines and their effect in the catalytic converter. To reduce/eliminate the problem: Change to a high-quality gasoline (I prefer Chevron and despise Shell, but it's your call....) Run the same gasoline for at least a month (5-10 fill-ups) and the smell should dissipate. I've never had this problem, but my suggested solution is based on the consensus of people who do, here at Edmunds.
Sentra Add-Ons:
Stillen makes a rear sway-bar for the Sentra. I've heard it greatly increases stability during cornering. I'll get one when I have a spare $260. Stillen also makes an intake system, haven't researched that. The easiest upgrade for all Sentras is a wheel/tire upgrade. I suggest 16 x 6 or 16 x 7 alloys and 215-50-16 BFG G-Force KDW radials. It will turn an already well-handling vehicle into corner-carver. Dealers in my area are selling GXE's with a similar wheel/tire package and marking the cars up $2000.00. That's ridiculous, you can do it yourself for less than $1200.00. Plus, they use inferior tires than the KDW's and cheap alloys.
I highly recommend the KDW (Yor Z-rated) tires. Incredible dry grip, fantastic in the rain, and they have a surprisingly long treadlife-300 rating. If interested, try www.tirerack.com...(boy do I get tired of plugging those guys!) Happy driving, Sentra owners. Do your duty and whip at least one Civic/Corolla/Elantra/Nubira/Jetta/Integra/Lanos/Tiburon/any non-turbo 4-banger each day.......!
http://www.b15sentra.net/
Later
on the other hand, i can see nissan's point as far as hey, it's a japanese car that's built in tennessee --- so the fact that it smells in Moose Jaw isn't really our problem...
have you tried different brands of gasoline?? does canada have any service stations with gasoline made by good ole USofA? do you live near the border where you can cross and get gas here in the lower 48?
also, i'm pretty sure you're supposed to swear on these posts
By the way, I also drive mostly in town and I've been consistently getting 27 mpg.