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Comments
NQC
NQC
however...
you can still get a pro-rated refund.
Rule: Never buy an extended warranty. I used to swear by these, but as the base coverage is so long now the cost you pay is often far greater then the cost of not owning them. I could be wrong but you basically pay $1200+ US for 3 additional years of coverage. In the lower 48 we can wait for up to 1 year before making the decision. If the same applies in Canada it is now far better to wait 6-12 months to make the decision rather then save $100 up front for something that you may not need.
If a car appears atrocious then you add it in the later part of the year.
When factory warranties were 12 months it made sense, but now... just an additional profit center
this is an old wives tale. you can buy a warranty anytime you want. the difference is that they are the LEAST expensive at the time of purchase.
as far asa the customer initiative, it all depends on when the rental was used. was it before or after september 1st?
There is a paragraph in the article that says that customers who already purchased an extended warranty through Nissan before this latest move can opt to cancel their existing contracts for a full refund.
I just spoke with a Nissan representative and they have confirmed that the blanket statement of a "full refund" referred to in the article was an incorrect statement.
If you cancel the extended warranty contract, they will refund the cost of an extended warranty but it will be as stipulated in the extended warranty contract. Essentially, in the case of my Agreement, it must be cancelled within 60 days from the Agreement effective date to receive a full refund provided I have not filed a claim. (I purchased my extended warranty in September 2003 when I purchased the Quest so I could not receive a full refund) Otherwise, the amount of the refund will be prorated as described in the Agreement.
In effect, Nissan is not making any allowances under the basic extended warranty for any extended warranty purchased at the time of the vehicle purchase.
Without a doubt, I feel it is absolutely unfair because if the 5/60000 were offered when I purchased the vehicle, I know that I would not have purchased the extended warranty I did.
I think the gamble of waiting 1 year to determine your cringe factor is a fair trade-off for $100 in most every case.
For issues like our Quest the average person would have opted for the extended warranty about now had Nissan not upted the coverage.
For those that bought theirs already, looks like $1200-1700 is not such a great deal for 2 years of coverage. This is not to insult those that have gone for it, but more often than not extended warranties are not all they are cracked up to be - in today's world.
I had a first year Mercury Capri XR2 (91) I bought the extended warranty ($800) because it only had a 12-month warranty. Ford mis-designed the convertible roof so it needed to be replaced three times over the first 6 years. The cost was about $1500 each time. I paid a total of $150 out of pocket. Warranty = good deal. HOWEVER more goes wrong with a convertible, especially a first year.
I challenge any dealer to show me the financial sense of a warranty in today's market. If the expected cost of repairs for years 3 thru 7 is over $1500, then we seriously need to consider what is wrong with the products that manuf. are making
The only problem we've faced to date is a blown tire pressure sensor and is getting fixed by warranty tomorrow.
I've seen many damning posts of the Quest by owners on these forums. Either we got lucky, or we are not too picky. We have 11000 miles on it and are completely satisfied. But I think mostly people with problems post here.
Steve, Host
all I know is the family complains that it is too cold inthe van. Go figure. People are warming up to the center console. Two attendants at the gas station thought it was pretty cool. It's definitely different.
I'm still waiting to see if the slow start/transmission problem pops up again. so far it has been 3 months since it happened. But i am happy Nissan stepped up
When I got my van back, it was like getting into a dream machine and driving compared to the rental car. I did not realize how much I really missed the van and how much I have gotton use to the dash. I doubt if I will ever want to own and drive another vehicle with a conventional dash.
So, you should be safe from some of the problems if the VIN # is high enough. That is not to say that I haven't still had a few problems
1. Seat back pocket came out.
2. I have an SL with the skyview roof.
Over head console rattle.
3. Check engine light came on. Bad air/
fuel sensor.
All have been fixed under warranty to my satisfaction. The transmission/intermittent
silent radio problem still happens on occasion
and has not been resolved yet by Nissan.
I personally would feel more comfortable with an 2005 Quest, but if had to do it all over I'd still have purchased my 2004 Quest. I really love this van.
Anyone know of an inexpensive place to buy another two sets of wireless headphones? I found a place that wants $39 each for them, but I was thinking someone might have a better source. THanks
if its an aftermarket system, and you found them for $39, then what the heck are you doing on here and not buying them?!?!?!
;-)
In post # 1353 of this forum the Suio said he was considering buying a 2004 Quest SL. He wondered if he could expect many of the problems would be fixed by now. In my post #1353 I stated that since my Quest Vin# 355183 (the last 6 numbers of the VIN) all the repairs( I believe there were 10 of them) covered by the "Quest Customer Satisfaction Initiative" were done at the factory. He should consider making sure the Vin# falls around that time # or later. At the Nissanhelp web site I did some investigating and found that if the Vin# is beyond # 345822 the van has had all the " Initiatives " repairs done at the factory.
Most of the negative comments from the professional critics are about the styling, and I happen to like it. I'm too young to drive Grandma's Town & Country. It's different, and looks classy. I've got the base model and there is no cheap plastic crap a'la Avalanche, Aztek, Caravan, Xterra, etc. Even the door handles and mirrors are painted to match, so it looks expensive (which it is, to me!)
The other criticism from the professional critics is the amount of wind and road noise. I used to drive a GEO METRO, for crying out loud! It's all relative. This thing is amazingly quiet to me.
Base model S had everything we needed standard. SE and SL have some nifty features, but I couldn't justify the cost. Rebate and end-of-model-year pricing below invoice ($23,600) took care of the negative equity on the trade. I would have like to wait until I could afford an SE, but we just adopted 3 baby boys, so we had to move fast. The many standard features sealed the deal, especially the safety items. DSC, EBD, ABS, tire pressure monitors, and 3-row side curtain airbags all standard. I am impressed. Those side curtain airbags are part of a $2000 option package on the Sienna. Also I like the syle and the gadgets and the computer screen stuff. Also the performance aspect. If I have to buy a dang minivan at 25 years old, it better be a fast one. The reputation of the 3.5 V6 impressed me, and the test drive confirmed all the press hype. It handles, feels, and looks smaller than it is. Getting it in the garage was a reality check... This sucker is slightly taller, wider, and longer than all the competitors. But the tailgate will open without hitting the ceiling or garage door. Just had to organize some of my junk. The advantage to the size is that there is a ton of space. Even the 3rd row is not bad for grown-ups. And the side doors are really huge. Wife wanted 2nd row buckets (also an expensive upgrade on some of the competitors, standard on Quest), which means that with 3 kids, we'll have to use the 3rd row on every trip. So accessibility to the 3rd row was important. It has a wide opening and a nice tilting action on those buckets, so it's easy to load up the family. One kid in the middle row, two in the back, and a bucket seat to spare, for Grandma, or for one of us parental units to sit back there and tend to the young'uns. Or fold it down and put the doggy carrier in there.
As for things I had to give up buying the S rather than SL or SE:
-Fog lights. Not that I need them, but I really HATE empty holes where fog lights should be. Lame.
-Alloy wheels. At least the plastic covers are bolt-on, so they won't fly off when you hit a bump. And I can upgrade later if I find $1000 and nothing better to do with it. Yah right.
-Leather seats. Would be nice, but the cloth is decent quality. And they boys will be in baby seats and booster seats for 10 years anyway so what difference does it make to them?
-Power sliding doors. Might be nice on occasion, but the standard ones are light and easy to use, so that's just one less electric doodad to go haywire down the road.
-Navigation system. Nonsense. Learn to read a map.
-DVD Player. Nonsense. It's called "I spy". Or practice reading the map. I ain't raisin' no couch potatoes. If I'm wrong, I'll go aftermarket.
I thought I was too cool for a minivan, wanted an SUV, maybe a Suburban. But the price, gas mileage, and ease of entry with kids was a problem. Even the Tahoe, Expedition, Armada, Sequoia, etc., had tiny 3rd row seats and practically no storage space with them all up. So anyway, that's my story. Here's hoping it lasts a good long time.
"And they boys will be in baby seats and booster seats for 10 years anyway..."
10 years?!?!
ohhhh...i get it...first time parent, huh?
you'll learn soon enough...lol.
;-)
Good luck with three babies, yikes its all we can do to manage a 4 and a 6 year old!
Thanks everyone for the information. I too bought an extended warranty, and I'm not sure I would have knowing the warranty was 5/60. I'll have to think if it's worth what I paid to go to 7/100
The manual says to use premium gas for best performance. Does anyone here really notice a difference in power/performance and/or fuel economy using premium instead of regular unleaded? At the current prices, I'd need to see a 12% increase in gas mileage in order to benefit from premium. Or I'd have to be really impressed with the performance.
I thought the following article might be of interest. It's called Car Clinic by Brad Bergholdt, Knight Ridder Newspapers as was published August 31 2002 in my paper.
"The primary benefit of high-octane fuel is its anti-knock characteristic. In addition it may contain higher grade additives that help keep fuel injectors and intake valves clean.
Modern engines deliver far more power and fuel economy than their predecessors by employing a higher compression ratio and utilizing sophisticated combustion chamber designs and valve, fuel and ignition management systems.
Operating the engine on a lower octane fuel than specified will invite engine-damaging detonation and reduced power and lead to expensive repair bills. Premium fuel burns more slowly than less costly 87 or 89 grade. The air-fuel mixture burns at a lower temperature, providing a smooth and controlled flame front, lessening the chance of a hot and stressful explosion. Detonation can damage pistons, valves and head gaskets."
Nissan's troubled Quest minivans get longer warranty
And another version:
Nissan expands warranty on Quest minivan (Post-Gazette)
Steve, Host
"for maximum performance" is used to refer to engine power. if it was to raise gas mileage, they would have said "for maximum efficiency".
it looks just like the sienna.
I think my husband has an eyesight problem because I did not agree with him that the Quest looks like the new Ody, but that seems to be his opinion. I am sure he would quickly disagree if he stood next to it and got a good look. When he saw the new Ody it was from a moving aspect. I still have not seen any of the new '05 Odys on the road here. There were about 4 sitting in the front of the dealers lot. Guess they arent selling like the hotcakes they thought they would. I also notice that Nissan has kicked up their Quest advertising campaign on TV because we see lots of the new commercials lately.
the Toy Sienna, well, from what toyota describe it, "unminivan-ish" look, LOL, it so looks more of a mini-van compare to 2003 just like the past they made from the front to end. when you are driving at night (very dark) following a 2004 sienna, i would say it looks 80% like the 2003...
for 05 ODy, i would think the front appears very similar to MPV, when i look at the back of it, well.... lol... what you think is what i think!
The gauges, what few there are, are located too far from the driver and off-center. Both factors interrupt a normal instrument scan or cross-check when driving. The small size and distant off- center location require extra time to interpret and distracts from the primary task of controlling the vehicle. That's a safety issue.
I'm afraid these Nissan designers must have been on some pretty good drugs to have come up with that cockamamie design.
Steve, Host
While at a Honda dealership a few weeks ago, I came across a curious thing called the "Element". I think it's the box the Civic comes in.
Has anyone successfully found someone to install a cassette deck in a Quest, and if so, where did they put it? Am I the only person out there that still has that need? I'm too old/inept/stubborn to buy a cd burner, and I really like my homemade cassettes and hate to give them up on long trips. Anybody?