Just returned home from a small surfing trip to indo. Whilst I was away I had my navara D40 serviced by Kloster Nissan in newcastle.
It was its first major service 40,000k's so all oils were supposably replaced and new filters fitted....

I got in the car late friday afternoon drove it past the beach and then back ( less then 2km ) home to notice that there was large amount of oil leaking down from the oil filter and onto the ground below. I checked the dipstick to see that the oil level was below the low level mark.
I then rang NRMA the guy came out and said that the oil filter is fitted incorrectly and that the car will have to be towed on monday morning to the dealership for repairs to be undertaken.

My problem now is that I've driven my diesel engine car with low to no oil, haven't had a car all weekend and will not have the car monday possibly tuesday and also I payed $930 for this service to be undertaken inadequately.
I really don't want to let the people from nissan touch my car again as this isn't the first time they have done something poorly which has cost me money. Even the oil that leaked out that was supposably replaced a few days before was thick and dark black nothing even close to new engine oil that was meant to be in there !

If this was your car what would you do?

Not sure what you can do about the dealership, more wise heads will advise I'm sure. What I'd do is learn how to do the servicing yourself. A basic oil change with a filter isn't difficult and you'll know it has been done properly. A problem will be the warranty that may be voided. After 40,000 if anything is going to go wrong it probably already would have anyway. Personal opinion is that the extended warranties on offer nowadays have nothing to do with anything going wrong with the vehicle and lots to do with locking you into a dealer network to do the services.

Take photos and ask the NRMA for a report of the service call. Keep a sample of the oil. Contact consumer affairs.

It will be your word against theirs and if all you have is words then you will get nowhere.

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ok said..
Just returned home from a small surfing trip to indo. Whilst I was away I had my navara D40 serviced by Kloster Nissan in newcastle.
It was its first major service 40,000k's so all oils were supposably replaced and new filters fitted....

I got in the car late friday afternoon drove it past the beach and then back ( less then 2km ) home to notice that there was large amount of oil leaking down from the oil filter and onto the ground below. I checked the dipstick to see that the oil level was below the low level mark.
I then rang NRMA the guy came out and said that the oil filter is fitted incorrectly and that the car will have to be towed on monday morning to the dealership for repairs to be undertaken.

My problem now is that I've driven my diesel engine car with low to no oil, haven't had a car all weekend and will not have the car monday possibly tuesday and also I payed $930 for this service to be undertaken inadequately.
I really don't want to let the people from nissan touch my car again as this isn't the first time they have done something poorly which has cost me money. Even the oil that leaked out that was supposably replaced a few days before was thick and dark black nothing even close to new engine oil that was meant to be in there !

If this was your car what would you do?

Contact Nissan they have the biggest boot I have had this with last car never go near Nissan svs centre now as overcharge for low skill and they farmed the heavy duty stuff to a genuine mechanic up the road ... The place I use
the franchise has multiple vehicle brands and tend to focus on the best returns for svs

good luck but as suggested get second opinions and photo evidence as the svs people In my exp never admit anything when there is fault

AP

Similar but different situation: Have a Toyota Hilux (older model)

Thought I was doing the right thing taking it to the Toyota place - Ya know, full working knowledge of Toyota's, genuine parts etc etc.... Well, when my rear wheel fell off when I was on the motorway (2 days after service) I decided I was throwing money away. They were doing a below average job, and charging a LOT of money. AND they didn't full accept responsibility for what was obviously their f*** up.

Found a good local mechanic (researched reviews/ local community facebook pages etc to find somebody trustworthy) and am left wondering why I didn't make the shift a couple of years ago!

My vehicle has all of a sudden not needed to visit the mechanic for quite a long time....... happy coincidence????

I would do it myself however warranty is voided. I do all my services on my dirtbike which voids the warranty but I don't mind as I have severe trust issues and the above reason is why!
Tow truck is coming tomorrow morning to pick it up :(

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Mobydisc said..
Take photos and ask the NRMA for a report of the service call. Keep a sample of the oil. Contact consumer affairs.

It will be your word against theirs and if all you have is words then you will get nowhere.

Do exactly this and photograph the oil filter etc..... It has probably been cross threaded it probably won't leak when it's not running or at idle but as soon as the oil pressure builds it will force its way out.

I don't trust the stealerships to service my Nissans so I service one myself and the other goes to Racepace who only service one type of car.. ( their business relies on their service )

The Nissan dealership is hopeless here in the west also. A few years ago I brought a patrol ute from them and the first, and only service from nissan was a shocker!
They rang me and told me that my piece of crap ute wouldn't start and they can't move it off the hoist, and if I didn't come down there right away they were gonna charge me for blocking up thier shed!
It turns out they couldn't operate the immobiliser!
I had to take it back also because the fluids weren't topped up even know it was ticked off on the check list.
So, they can stick their warranty up their dates and I haven't taken it to them for a service since.
Love the car, hate the dudes.

^^ I think this is typical of a lot of dealer mechanics. They rely on their name as the dealer, and not their reputation as independent mechanics.

If you find a good independent mechanic, stick to them for your servicing, even under warranty. A local mechanic is risking a lot if he gets it wrong, and probably has the workshop staffed by good mechanics.

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FormulaNova said..
^^ I think this is typical of a lot of dealer mechanics. They rely on their name as the dealer, and not their reputation as independent mechanics.

If you find a good independent mechanic, stick to them for your servicing, even under warranty. A local mechanic is risking a lot if he gets it wrong, and probably has the workshop staffed by good mechanics.

+1i sold my nissan pootrol with 3 yrs of extended warranty left because I was sick of constant lies and pretending there were no problems. I will NEVER buy a nissan ever again or take my car to a any dealership again.

Your options are document everything annoy the crap out of them till they do something or cut your losses and find a competent mechanic and **** the useless warranty.

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surferstu said..

FormulaNova said..
^^ I think this is typical of a lot of dealer mechanics. They rely on their name as the dealer, and not their reputation as independent mechanics.

If you find a good independent mechanic, stick to them for your servicing, even under warranty. A local mechanic is risking a lot if he gets it wrong, and probably has the workshop staffed by good mechanics.

+1i sold my nissan pootrol with 3 yrs of extended warranty left because I was sick of constant lies and pretending there were no problems. I will NEVER buy a nissan ever again or take my car to a any dealership again.

Your options are document everything annoy the crap out of them till they do something or cut your losses and find a competent mechanic and **** the useless warranty.

Out of curiosity did you tell the new owner about the problem/problem's?

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youngbull said..

surferstu said..

FormulaNova said..
^^ I think this is typical of a lot of dealer mechanics. They rely on their name as the dealer, and not their reputation as independent mechanics.

If you find a good independent mechanic, stick to them for your servicing, even under warranty. A local mechanic is risking a lot if he gets it wrong, and probably has the workshop staffed by good mechanics.

+1i sold my nissan pootrol with 3 yrs of extended warranty left because I was sick of constant lies and pretending there were no problems. I will NEVER buy a nissan ever again or take my car to a any dealership again.

Your options are document everything annoy the crap out of them till they do something or cut your losses and find a competent mechanic and **** the useless warranty.

Out of curiosity did you tell the new owner the problems?

I sold it to a dealer, I wouldn't have sold it privately.
the dealer said there were no problems!

Good on ya

Did the same thing myself only a mitsubishi colt - a while back now could not bare to pass on to someone of value.

Arrived at nissan dealer this morning watched them remove the filter to find one of the boys in there installed it with a good bit of dirt sand and mud around it causing the leak. End result was the labour costs repaid to me and an invoice / document to state that they were at fault. Is this good enough or should I have asked for more?
The boss of the dealership also asked if I would intrust him with future services at his location, I said no..

That is not new oil.

You've got to look at the service costs as the "premium' paid to maintain the warranty. If you look at the fine print in the warranty you might decide it's better to take the risk. The things actually covered rarely fail if you drive like a law abiding citizen. Then again if you're only going to keep it a couple of years you might recoup the service cost in the higher resale value of a car with complete records.

Our nissan has never had a proper service in 3 years. Runs like a bird. Oil changing 101 is to check dirt stays clear of the engine insides! That's all I do, oil changes. What else do cars really need?... Maybe I'd better change the brake fluid?

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lightwood said..
That is not new oil.

A photo will not identify the oil as being new or not. People wrongly think that it should look the same as when it was poured in.

I'm just amazed that someone was able to install a filter with enough grit that it leaked!

Its normal practice to wipe a smear of (clean) engine oil on the rubber seal before installing it. You would think this would pickup any sand on it. I guess it shows that the people often used by dealers sometimes aren't mechanics, and probably not car enthusiasts either.

If you want a line between dealer servicing and DIY, find a good mechanic. I understand that they can maintain the warranty the same as the dealer can, and in reality they have more of a reason to do a good job than the dealers.

They can sometimes be cheaper if that's an issue. I had my car serviced at the dealership before I realised the quality of their work. When I baulked at the cost of their service, the service guy asked me to wait a while (while the other people waiting for their cars left the office), and reduced the costs to something a bit more reasonable. I think in my case, understanding what is actually involved in a what the factory lists for the services makes you more paranoid about what actually gets done.

They even suggested that I needed an injector clean (on the car), and the car had only done 5000kms. I argued that if their car needed an injector clean after 5000kms, I wanted a refund. Its funny how they magically came up with extra cost items that needed doing, but often forgot the warranty problems.

While I am in my grandpa simpson mode, I remember getting a new tyre on my wagon years ago, and the owner of the tyre place walked past the car at a distance of about 3 metres from the car, did a double take, and then told me in a hushed voice 'your rear brakes are almost gone'. What a load of BS. If you can see the pad thickness on the rear calipers at a distance of 3 metres, you have exceptional eyesight, and whatsmore, because I do all that stuff myself, they weren't even a few months old. I think there must be a lot of businesses that rely on tacking extras onto any work you get done.

Reimbursement for the labour costs is standard for dealerships when they fug up. You will still be billed for parts and oils unfortunately unless you request for the new parts to be removed and refit your old ones. (Then they will try charge labour to do that)

I'd be requesting reimbursement for the tow (if you had to pay)

It's standard for Diesel oil to return to a black colour not long after changing. It's not like a petrol engine where it stays nice and clean for several thousand k's.
I would recommend making sure all other listed parts have been replaced/fitted properly. Fuel, air filters etc.

Wouldn't hurt to crack the fill plugs on the front and rear diffs and transfer and dip your finger to see condition of oil or at least have a look and see if there are any markings on the plugs where they have had a socket on them.

What you can do is request in writing from the service manager to have a note put under your vehicle stating that any major engine failure which could have been the result of running the engine low on oil will be covered after the completion of your warranty period at the dealerships expense.
The service manager won't want to do it but keep at him/her. If no luck then move onto the dealer principle. If still no avail you could always threaten to contact consumer affairs.

Good luck.

What happens if sand/grit went past the filter?

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Legion said..
What happens if sand/grit went past the filter?

Cut filter, see whats in there.
If it went past, and into white metal bearing area
That's just simple lazy process, and no in house contamination controls or training with whoever completed service.

My process when client suffered a filter failure. (threads failed on spiggot, maybe not our fault...but it was the principal) and dropped a guts full of oil all over the place
1: Had environmental clean road area.
2: Loaded truck on flat bed and back to shop.
3: Pulled sump over night, ran "new set" of big ends and mains (nothing crook about old bearings but "just in case")
4: New oil pump fitted. Then Dyno ran for 1 hour, with oil samples and data logger oil pressure. Cut filters, no fault, new filters and back to customer midday next6 day
5: Next 4 PM's free, including a major. (wanted to keep eye on oil sample results)
6: Ran data logger on oil pressure for first North West run.

To this day, same customer still customer and he has purchased a new engine when that one wore out 1.5mil K's
And 1 new truck since.

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mineral1 said..

Legion said..
What happens if sand/grit went past the filter?

Cut filter, see whats in there.
If it went past, and into white metal bearing area
That's just simple lazy process, and no in house contamination controls or training with whoever completed service.

My process when client suffered a filter failure. (threads failed on spiggot, maybe not our fault...but it was the principal) and dropped a guts full of oil all over the place
1: Had environmental clean road area.
2: Loaded truck on flat bed and back to shop.
3: Pulled sump over night, ran "new set" of big ends and mains (nothing crook about old bearings but "just in case")
4: New oil pump fitted. Then Dyno ran for 1 hour, with oil samples and data logger oil pressure. Cut filters, no fault, new filters and back to customer midday next6 day
5: Next 4 PM's free, including a major. (wanted to keep eye on oil sample results)
6: Ran data logger on oil pressure for first North West run.

To this day, same customer still customer and he has purchased a new engine when that one wore out 1.5mil K's
And 1 new truck since.

Just out of interest, and I think I can guess the answer, can you pull the sump in a truck without any sort of crossmembers in the way?

Can you slip in the main bearings without removing the crank as well?

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FormulaNova said..

mineral1 said..

Legion said..
What happens if sand/grit went past the filter?

Cut filter, see whats in there.
If it went past, and into white metal bearing area
That's just simple lazy process, and no in house contamination controls or training with whoever completed service.

My process when client suffered a filter failure. (threads failed on spiggot, maybe not our fault...but it was the principal) and dropped a guts full of oil all over the place
1: Had environmental clean road area.
2: Loaded truck on flat bed and back to shop.
3: Pulled sump over night, ran "new set" of big ends and mains (nothing crook about old bearings but "just in case")
4: New oil pump fitted. Then Dyno ran for 1 hour, with oil samples and data logger oil pressure. Cut filters, no fault, new filters and back to customer midday next6 day
5: Next 4 PM's free, including a major. (wanted to keep eye on oil sample results)
6: Ran data logger on oil pressure for first North West run.

To this day, same customer still customer and he has purchased a new engine when that one wore out 1.5mil K's
And 1 new truck since.

Just out of interest, and I think I can guess the answer, can you pull the sump in a truck without any sort of crossmembers in the way?

Can you slip in the main bearings without removing the crank as well?

Am only talking on-highway prime movers here. Automotive car and such, not real sure, some can be done, most others its an engine pull,to get sump off. The old cars, yes they had heaps of room, new stuff not so much
So trucks, Remove sump yes, that's not a big issue.
However, to change mains, the crank needs to rotate 180 deg (no doesn't come out of block with a bearing role) each time to have the small main bearing remove tool, that sits in oil galery hole, slide the "top half" bearing out on each main, and slide the replace back in.
So, always, one end main, then other end main, then center with thrust, and then any remaining, last. If there is a crook journal, or a block tunnel twist,you will see it on the used bearing wear profile.

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mineral1 said..

Am only talking on-highway prime movers here. Automotive car and such, not real sure, some can be done, most others its an engine pull,to get sump off. The old cars, yes they had heaps of room, new stuff not so much
So trucks, Remove sump yes, that's not a big issue.
However, to change mains, the crank needs to rotate 180 deg (no doesn't come out of block with a bearing role) each time to have the small main bearing remove tool, that sits in oil galery hole, slide the "top half" bearing out on each main, and slide the replace back in.
So, always, one end main, then other end main, then center with thrust, and then any remaining, last. If there is a crook journal, or a block tunnel twist,you will see it on the used bearing wear profile.

Cool. Thanks. I figured almost no cars would allow it, but I have never looked at a truck engine. In fact, a lot of car engines seem to have a lot of hassles where some parts are not easy to access once the engine is in the car, let alone being able to remove the sump. I think this is because the engines sometimes come from other markets, so they 'shoe-horn' it into the space. The front crossmember is almost always a part of the front suspension, so its often impractical to remove it.

I have recently changed a power steering pressure switch on my falcon where I had to chop and bend a 14mm spanner to fit it because the switch is placed in a location where its next to impossible to get to. I think the rack must have been designed from another car where there was more space, or a different engine in mind. The north american market also means that sometimes the engines are designed for a front wheel drive car, and things are moved around to suit rwd.