Short block install gone haywire

Mt Tam I am

This is my letter to Nissan regarding my short block install. My car still is at dealership nor have I heard a word since last Wednesday.

A bit lengthy, sorry.



NOTES ON NISSAN 370 Z
Oil Consumption and Oil Cooler Issues


I took my car into NorthBay Nissan to have an oil cooler installed (my car was running hot – oil temp was above 260 degrees – and my research told me this is what I needed), only to have Randy Tong (Service Mgr) wisely suggest we do an oil consumption test first (my car had also been burning through oil at an alarming rate).

The test determined failure. I researched and requested a new long block (a brand new engine, built and assembled in Japan, so there would be no issues with oil viscosity breakdown and sludge buildup). But Randy assured me my car’s heads were fine (although he had done no inspection of the heads when he said this), and said only a new short block (like doing a head gasket) was needed. He also said “we do this all the time”.

NOTE: fixing my oil consumption issue was covered under warranty – i.e. no charge to me.

Randy scheduled me with a Master Mechanic on Sept 7th. I made vacation plans around this schedule.

Then Randy called me and moved my start date to Sept 20th instead. To compensate me for inconvenience, he agreed I’d pay MSRP for oil cooler and he’s install it for free (i.e. no labor charge).

I was promised the car would be returned to me in 4 days. I was given a “loaner” (a rental car that Nissan paid for).

On Wed, Sept 22nd Randy called to ask for money to install oil cooler. His justification was that the job would take 8 hours. FYI, Matt (a service rep at NorthBay Nissan) had said it would only take 4 hrs, and another resource I checked – Stillen – said it would take about 2 hours. (2-4 hour quotes are with engine already installed; 8 hours is with engine removed and plenty of room to work – so something doesn’t add up).

Randy also said he needed to remove the fenders to install oil cooler. This makes no sense to me. And he said that my 370 Z engine was not the same as a 350 Z engine, and therefore he actually didn’t know how to do this job or how to assess labor time correctly. (Why is this not listed in Nissan Time Books correctly?) He summed up by saying the car would no longer be ready in 4 days – it would now take a week.

Randy also wondered why I wanted the new oil cooler at all since, according to him, my car has an existing oil cooler. FYI, I would like that existing part after my new oil cooler is installed.

When I reminded Randy I was promised no labor charge for installing oil cooler due to all the inconveniences, he relented and said he’d still do it for free.

NOTE: Matt had said he’d write up oil cooler installation so it would not affect the warranty I purchased from Nissan. But Nissan warranty language said this WOULD affect my warranty. Who’s telling the truth?

And although my car only has less than 3,000 miles on it, the catalytic converters have now had 6 qts of oil over them since I bought the car on May 2 of this year (today is Sept 27). I believe these converters should be replaced.

My confidence in this project has been severely shaken. My car was built in Japan, and now is being reassembled in Petaluma, CA. Plus, after researching so much about my car and these procedures, I feel as though I know more about the issues than Randy does.

I would like to discuss all of the above with Randy, Greg Dexter (owner of NorthBay Nissan), and a Nissan Factory Rep. Several things are just not right here.

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Nissan Motorsports 34R Oil Cooler. Stillen CBE. Hotchkis Sport Sway Bars. KW Variant 3 Coilover System. Stillen Gen3 CAI. Michelin Pilot Super Sport. Stillen Brake Ducts. Carbotech™ XP10/XP8 Pads. Z1 Front Rotors. Z1 Stainless Brake Lines. Two degrees of camber