Issues with my Z HELP!

Brian370

I just talked to my buddy, the service manager at another dealer. He said if the oilcooler is infact the problem. That NISMO also makes an oilcooler and ask him what the oil cooler is doing that is causing the issue, and what the difference is from a NISMO part. He said that its ********, because he would be able to tell me if the oilcooler had a leak right away, and if it doesnt, where did the 3 qts of oil go?

He told me to also ask why an oil indicator light never showed up on the dash.

Thanks so much for your quick responses, I really appreciate it.

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moto_italia

So, the VTC Intake Cam Gear seized due to "lack" of oil lubricant. Lack of oil lubricant would imply to me that there was a severe shortage of oil quantity. Was the car 3 quarts low of oil at the time of seizure? Have you or they added 3 quarts since the seizure to see it come up to full on the dipstick, or how do they know that lack of oil quantity is the cause of the seizure?

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Kevin

11Thumper

May I ask why you didn't take it to this dealer? Perhaps not a Nissan dealer...just asking.

This is why I don't mod cars like I used to. Back in the day I had a supercharged Civic Si and needed a part (not related to the supercharger) replaced under warranty. It was crazy how I had to fight it because they blamed the supercharger for it. Sure, I won without too much of a fight but it was a PITA to deal with. I became friends with the Service Manager later on and he told me tons of "kids" were modding those cars and blowing crap up, then expecting the dealer to fix for free. I mod my motorcycles now and buy cars I'm content with off the dealer lot, then throw an extended warranty on there so I don't have to deal with it. I run high oil temps in the Z if I'm in the mountains and I don't have an oil cooler. If my junk blows I'll let Nissan deal with it...I even use OEM oil filters. Nothing (component related) for them to argue against.

Well, I got off topic...

It doesn't sound like you are trying to take advantage of Nissan here. It's unfortunate that they're denying the warranty repair and I suggest you fight it. Was there any other damage to the internals of the engine? Were they able to determine that the car had adequate oil pressure?

Best of luck to you...

daisuke149

dealer logic

something broke. that something gets lubricated by oil.
customer has oil cooler

therefor problem = oil cooler.

They dont take into consideration that sometimes.. gears just seize up.. sometimes motors just blow.. etc.

daisuke149

p.s ask them since the oil was the problem whether or not everything else the oil lubricates is broken.

birdmanx1

Sorry to hear about your troubles Brian. I hope it all works out for the best in the end. Repped for keeping us informed.

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Brian370

Also, the dealer is charging me 112.00 per hour of labor.

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2009 Pearl White 370Z Touring Sport MT-Stillen G3 CAI's-Stillen CBE-Stillen Oil Cooler-Motordyne M370 Intake Manifold-BC Racing Coilovers-Hotchkiss Swaybars-Duckbill Spoiler-CF vinyl Roof-Custom Painted Headlight Housings-Uprev Tune-CF fangs-CF License Plate area

vividracing

If the oil was completely drained from the car, and the lube "tech" didn't check the level before you left, it is possible that the oil was low. Not knowing that the oil cooler was there means the tech probably put the "standard" amount of oil in. With an oil cooler, you of course need more. Unless you have a big oil cooler though, 3 qts is a lot.

If they can't show proof of an oil leak, then it's their fault for not putting the correct amount of oil in when they changed it last.

With all this tomfoolery, I'd have the car taken to another dealership. They seem intent on blaming you for the issue so who knows what kind of stunts they'll pull to put this on you.

Good luck

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Dustin@Z1

Agreed...there are several documented cases where engines that have been replaced due to oil consumption. If anything else, the oil cooler saved you engine just a few second LONGER since it increased the total oil volume.

I am attempting to get the NSB Code from my guy at Nissan now so you guys can reference it from now on. I tried looking for it myself and failed.

I have spoken with Nissan in the past regarding warranty claims and aftermarket parts. The easiest way I can summarize it is the following:

As long as you do not go into the engine's internals (pistons, valvetrain, cylinder head) or the internals of the drivetrain you will be covered. As mentioned above, they may also deny the claim if the aftermarket part is linked to the failure.

Just food for thought...I wonder what they would claim had it you installed a Nissan Motorsports Oil Cooler kit as opposed to the Stillen??

Cmike2780

They are both basically Setrab units correct? Hard to believe having a different logo would make a difference, but then again it is a dealership we're talking about here.

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[09][MB][6-Spd MT][Touring][Stillen Gen III][K&N][Borla CBE][Evo-R]

Dustin@Z1

You are correct...both the Z1, GTM, Stillen and Nissan Motorsports utilizes Setrab Cores. The logo would have a HUGE part in it...I could see Nissan or that dealership arguing that all other oil cooler kits are "not" to their standards.

Glad to hear the OP seems to be making progess with Nissan. Good luck and keep us posted!

EVOHUNTER

i woulda laughed in the guys face, the service advisors think they know what theyre talking about, but they know nothing.. The service adviser told me that burning 1.5-2 litres of oil every 1000 kms is normal. Needless to say ive been a mechanic for over ten years.. after telling him this, i said your going to make some bs up and lie to my face, i called him a joke and wanted to talk to his fore-man tech.. he paged him up to the front service desk and i asked him " is it normal to burn 1.5-2 litres of oil every 1000 km?" the tech started laughin out loud and said " no car should burn that much oil"... as the service advisers face went beat red.. He was trying to back track on his words, which made me laugh.. needless to say, in the end i got my new short block! doesnt burn anyting anymore!

vividracing

Good to hear that Nissan is going to take care of you. Good luck and let us know how things end up after the oil test!

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moto_italia

EXCELLENT NEWS! Makes total sense that Nissan USA recognizes that your mods didn't cause a VTC Intake Cam Gear seizure.

I'm not sure why some dealers try to take the stance they do, because unless manufacturer/dealer contracts have changed, the decisions are up to the manufacturer, as they are the entity paying for the warranty repair work. The only reason I could think that a dealer would want to try to pin the charges on the car owner is if the rate paid to the dealer for warranty repair by the manufacturer is lower than the rate a dealer charges a car owner for non-warranty work.

Any, congrats on the great news!

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Kevin

vividracing

That's actually the way it is. At least it was when I was at a GM dealership a few years back. Let's say an alternator on a Silverado is 1.3 hours for customer paid work. Warranty will only pay .9 hours. Also, Nissan is going to GIVE the customer the parts, which means there's no way for the dealership to make a profit by marking them up. On an engine swap, I could see the dealer losing $1000 at least.

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