FK'D by Nissan

NotmyGTR · 06-12-2009, 07:06 PM

Went to my dealer this afternoon to pick up some touch up paint for the Z. When I went in they asked me if I wanted an oil change. No labor fee on this one, just oil and filter charge. I think this is because when I purchased the locking nuts for the rims, I got pissy with them cause they charged me $21 for the labor on 4 lug nuts. I certainly didnt see that coming.......would have done it myself right there in the parking lot. None the less, I said sure, I will take an oil change.

On the way home I noticed the slight smell of oil and chalked it up to them not cleaning around the filter when they took out the old one. Oil temp went no higher than 220 for the trip home. Approximately 18 miles from the dealer to my house. About 15 minutes after I got home, my buddy from work called me and asked to see the Z. He had his daughter and son in the car and they wanted to look at it. No problem. Went to the garage, opened the door and watched them pull up. As soon as they got out of their car, my buddy pointed and said what the hell is that? HOLY CRAP Thats Mobile 1 Synthetic Oil all over my garage floor.

That cut the viewing short of course, and I immediately got on the phone with the dealer. They are going to send a truck out first thing in the morning and load the car up and take back to the dealer. WTF is going on? No warning light for oil, temp never got above 220, engine temp stayed right below 1/2 on the digital dots. Ambient temp here in South Texas this afternoon was 91 degrees. Im pissed off to say the least. So of course, my good friend Jack (Daniels) is gonna watch the hockey game with me tonight.

370Ztune · 06-12-2009, 07:22 PM

I'm sorry to hear that happened to you. It seems like a lot of people are having issues with Nissan lately.

I'm glad to hear that they fixed it and I wish you the best.

-Hunter

NotmyGTR · 06-12-2009, 07:29 PM

Just irritates me that it happened at Nissan. I would never take my car to a fly by night shop such as Wal-Mart or jiffy lube to change the oil. I would never take my car anywhere with the intention of changing the oil. Its too easy, but this was a gimmey from the dealer....so I figured no problem. Just cant get over the fact that this happened really. I am for sure that I will have an earfull for the damn mechanic when I go over there in the morning.

ChrisSlicks · 06-12-2009, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotmyGTR

Just irritates me that it happened at Nissan. I would never take my car to a fly by night shop such as Wal-Mart or jiffy lube to change the oil.

Statistically I think the Jiffy lubes of the world have a better track record than dealers. Dealership mechanics are usually trying to do 3 jobs at a time and because of the bouncing around they forget things.

Quote:

Originally Posted by travisjb

I had a massive oil leak due to very different circumstances, but have a similar observation... something we should all be very aware of... the oil level indicator warning light comes very late in the game. The oil pump on this car moves oil EXTREMELY FAST, and so if there is a significant leak, it takes very little time to empty. If you see the light, STOP THE CAR AND TURN OFF THE ENGINE immediately. Not worth losing an engine.

Actually turn the engine OFF first, then stop. Clutch in (automatic select N), engine off and coast to a safe spot. Once you see that oil light you literally have seconds to save the engine from damage.

travisjb · 06-12-2009, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisSlicks

Actually turn the engine OFF first, then stop. Clutch in (automatic select N), engine off and coast to a safe spot. Once you see that oil light you literally have seconds to save the engine from damage.

That's a good point... don't even try to work your way down the road, just turn it off and get into neutral so you can coast to safe spot... that advice will save someone an engine... wish I had it 3 months ago !

NotmyGTR · 06-12-2009, 10:02 PM

[QUOTE=ChrisSlicks;89814]Statistically I think the Jiffy lubes of the world have a better track record than dealers. Dealership mechanics are usually trying to do 3 jobs at a time and because of the bouncing around they forget things.

Sometimes, yes. When I got there today, I had the only car in the service bay. 6 guys sitting around talking about how shitty the GT-R is, and one guy changing my oil. Not multi-tasked at all.

mspeasl · 06-12-2009, 10:35 PM

A little oil goes a long way on a garage floor. So it comes across looking like everything in the engine has drained out onto the garage floor. But as you said in reality only about 1/2 a quart has drained out. And that was good. BTW make sure you have the dealer send someone out to clean your garage for you also and to your spec's.

FricFrac · 06-12-2009, 07:31 PM

Did they not thread the oil filter on properly?

NotmyGTR · 06-12-2009, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FricFrac

Did they not thread the oil filter on properly?

Dont know. Called em on the phone. Service area closed already. Threw my oil catch pan under the car until they get here tomorrow a.m. to pick the car up. Rest assured I will follow them over in my truck, and do some of my own QA on the reason, and the repair.

TheWeatherman · 06-12-2009, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotmyGTR

Dont know. Called em on the phone. Service area closed already. Threw my oil catch pan under the car until they get here tomorrow a.m. to pick the car up. Rest assured I will follow them over in my truck, and do some of my own QA on the reason, and the repair.

Guys, I want you to think of who works in our service departments. These guys are working their butts' off trying to do things the right way. Think about it... They probably can't even afford a Z because of what they get paid. I'm surprised they do what they do with what they get. We're lucky to get the service that we do. Do people make mistakes? Yes. I know I do. It's okay. Stuff goes wrong. If it didn't, we wouldn't be human. Have I had my share of bad things that went wrong with my cars? Yes. I'm just happy that someone helps me.

nogoodname · 06-12-2009, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheWeatherman

Guys, I want you to think of who works in our service departments. These guys are working their butts' off trying to do things the right way. Think about it... They probably can't even afford a Z because of what they get paid. I'm surprised they do what they do with what they get. We're lucky to get the service that we do. Do people make mistakes? Yes. I know I do. It's okay. Stuff goes wrong. If it didn't, we wouldn't be human. Have I had my share of bad things that went wrong with my cars? Yes. I'm just happy that someone helps me.

WHAT ??? dealer mechanics get paid top dollar over here.....i asked one time, it was 30+ an hour....

TheWeatherman · 06-12-2009, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nogoodname007

WHAT ??? dealer mechanics get paid top dollar over here.....i asked one time, it was 30+ an hour....

$30+ an hour? That's tough work for that kind of money. I wouldn't call that top dollar, at least here in Wisconsin. I was paid less than that once. That's tough going.

Work for the American Auto union. That's gravy.

chubbs · 06-14-2009, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheWeatherman

Guys, I want you to think of who works in our service departments. These guys are working their butts' off trying to do things the right way. Think about it... They probably can't even afford a Z because of what they get paid. I'm surprised they do what they do with what they get. We're lucky to get the service that we do. Do people make mistakes? Yes. I know I do. It's okay. Stuff goes wrong. If it didn't, we wouldn't be human. Have I had my share of bad things that went wrong with my cars? Yes. I'm just happy that someone helps me.

I just found this thread via the update thread.

I have to say Weatherman, that your post is missing the point. Yes, we all make mistakes on a daily basis (everybody knows this), so when you're trusted with maintaining a piece of 'life or death' machinery (a car) you should have systems in place that identify mistakes before it's too late. Even something as routine as an oil change can cause an accident if done badly.

If someone else in the workshop was instructed to check the tightness of each new oil filter and each sump plug it would take him/her about 30 seconds ...30 seconds that could prevent a catastrophe.

I speak from personal experience, because at my last Nissan 350z Service (P2) I drove out of the dealership and down the road to discover that I had NO BRAKES. As luck would have it I was travelling very slowly, coasting towards a stop light - I was able to use the gears, turn around and get the car back to the dealership. The mechanic (who, I was told was their chief/best mechanic) had forgotten to tighten one of the brake bleed screws (2 on each caliper) and fluid was squirting all over my front nearside disc & pads. I believe the mechanic is good and I know the dealer well - he's a good and honest guy. The problem was that nobody checked the simple, routine task of tightening the bleed nuts. If the traffic lights had been green I would have accelerated onto the freeway to test out my nice new oil - and then what?

What's the alternative to dealerships having proper safety checks in place?....

1. We check everything ourselves before leaving the dealership (unlikely), or

2. We pray to our respective gods.

I am very thankful that NotMy's experience hasn't ended in an accident - and I'm sure he'll be mentioning this tomorrow.

NotmyGTR · 06-14-2009, 01:23 PM

You bet I will. One of the quickest ways to ensure quality is a second check. Thats one of the things I miss about being in Japan. Even when you get a tire change, before you take your car, the mechanic would give you a torque wrench and hit up every lug nut to ensure proper torque setting and tightening before you leave the garage. You even have to sign the work order stating that you have checked it and were satisfied with the quality and completion. Also, if didnt pull directly in to the pit area, a rep from the company would take you out to your ride and give it a 360 degree inspection to note any and all marks to the paint and body before they worked on your car. This ensured that the company would be liable for any damages to your car that may occur during the time they are working on it. I have yet to see any type of service like that back here in the U.S.

kannibul · 06-14-2009, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheWeatherman

Guys, I want you to think of who works in our service departments. These guys are working their butts' off trying to do things the right way. Think about it... They probably can't even afford a Z because of what they get paid. I'm surprised they do what they do with what they get. We're lucky to get the service that we do. Do people make mistakes? Yes. I know I do. It's okay. Stuff goes wrong. If it didn't, we wouldn't be human. Have I had my share of bad things that went wrong with my cars? Yes. I'm just happy that someone helps me.

I dunno man, it's pretty hard to screw up an oil change.

06-12-2009, 07:06 PM	#1 (permalink)
NotmyGTR Base Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: TX Posts: 177 Drives: 09 370Z/Pearl 6speed Rep Power: 17	FK'D by Nissan Went to my dealer this afternoon to pick up some touch up paint for the Z. When I went in they asked me if I wanted an oil change. No labor fee on this one, just oil and filter charge. I think this is because when I purchased the locking nuts for the rims, I got pissy with them cause they charged me $21 for the labor on 4 lug nuts. I certainly didnt see that coming.......would have done it myself right there in the parking lot. None the less, I said sure, I will take an oil change. On the way home I noticed the slight smell of oil and chalked it up to them not cleaning around the filter when they took out the old one. Oil temp went no higher than 220 for the trip home. Approximately 18 miles from the dealer to my house. About 15 minutes after I got home, my buddy from work called me and asked to see the Z. He had his daughter and son in the car and they wanted to look at it. No problem. Went to the garage, opened the door and watched them pull up. As soon as they got out of their car, my buddy pointed and said what the hell is that? HOLY CRAP Thats Mobile 1 Synthetic Oil all over my garage floor. That cut the viewing short of course, and I immediately got on the phone with the dealer. They are going to send a truck out first thing in the morning and load the car up and take back to the dealer. WTF is going on? No warning light for oil, temp never got above 220, engine temp stayed right below 1/2 on the digital dots. Ambient temp here in South Texas this afternoon was 91 degrees. Im pissed off to say the least. So of course, my good friend Jack (Daniels) is gonna watch the hockey game with me tonight. __________________ 1996 Skyline GT-R LM fully tuned by Mines/2006 Nissan Titan 5.6 SE Texas Edition/2009 370 Base w Sport Pkg

06-12-2009, 07:22 PM	#2 (permalink)
370Ztune The370Z.com Sponsor Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 2,477 Drives: Z34 370Z Rep Power: 47	I'm sorry to hear that happened to you. It seems like a lot of people are having issues with Nissan lately. I'm glad to hear that they fixed it and I wish you the best. -Hunter __________________ The Real JDM Facebook Bulletproof Instagram

06-12-2009, 07:29 PM	#3 (permalink)
NotmyGTR Base Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: TX Posts: 177 Drives: 09 370Z/Pearl 6speed Rep Power: 17	Quality control Just irritates me that it happened at Nissan. I would never take my car to a fly by night shop such as Wal-Mart or jiffy lube to change the oil. I would never take my car anywhere with the intention of changing the oil. Its too easy, but this was a gimmey from the dealer....so I figured no problem. Just cant get over the fact that this happened really. I am for sure that I will have an earfull for the damn mechanic when I go over there in the morning. __________________ 1996 Skyline GT-R LM fully tuned by Mines/2006 Nissan Titan 5.6 SE Texas Edition/2009 370 Base w Sport Pkg

06-12-2009, 10:02 PM	#6 (permalink)
NotmyGTR Base Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: TX Posts: 177 Drives: 09 370Z/Pearl 6speed Rep Power: 17	[QUOTE=ChrisSlicks;89814]Statistically I think the Jiffy lubes of the world have a better track record than dealers. Dealership mechanics are usually trying to do 3 jobs at a time and because of the bouncing around they forget things. Sometimes, yes. When I got there today, I had the only car in the service bay. 6 guys sitting around talking about how shitty the GT-R is, and one guy changing my oil. Not multi-tasked at all. __________________ 1996 Skyline GT-R LM fully tuned by Mines/2006 Nissan Titan 5.6 SE Texas Edition/2009 370 Base w Sport Pkg

06-12-2009, 10:35 PM	#7 (permalink)
mspeasl Enthusiast Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Decatur, IL Posts: 367 Drives: Red M6 Sport/Touring Rep Power: 269	A little oil goes a long way A little oil goes a long way on a garage floor. So it comes across looking like everything in the engine has drained out onto the garage floor. But as you said in reality only about 1/2 a quart has drained out. And that was good. BTW make sure you have the dealer send someone out to clean your garage for you also and to your spec's. __________________ Mspeasl - Central Illinois 2009 - Solid Red, M6 '370' Sport/Touring (Delivered 7 April 09)

06-12-2009, 07:31 PM	#8 (permalink)
FricFrac A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Victoria, BC Posts: 1,481 Drives: 370Z 300ZX 280ZX 240 Rep Power: 229	Did they not thread the oil filter on properly?

06-14-2009, 01:23 PM	#14 (permalink)
NotmyGTR Base Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: TX Posts: 177 Drives: 09 370Z/Pearl 6speed Rep Power: 17	You bet You bet I will. One of the quickest ways to ensure quality is a second check. Thats one of the things I miss about being in Japan. Even when you get a tire change, before you take your car, the mechanic would give you a torque wrench and hit up every lug nut to ensure proper torque setting and tightening before you leave the garage. You even have to sign the work order stating that you have checked it and were satisfied with the quality and completion. Also, if didnt pull directly in to the pit area, a rep from the company would take you out to your ride and give it a 360 degree inspection to note any and all marks to the paint and body before they worked on your car. This ensured that the company would be liable for any damages to your car that may occur during the time they are working on it. I have yet to see any type of service like that back here in the U.S. __________________ 1996 Skyline GT-R LM fully tuned by Mines/2006 Nissan Titan 5.6 SE Texas Edition/2009 370 Base w Sport Pkg