Warranty Question

[guiseppewv]

Does anyone know what kind of documentation you have to show the dealership/manufacturer of maintenance in order to get them to fix something that is covered under warranty?

[mechmike0034]

There's a thouusand different answers to that. Variables include, for starters, the vehicle, the dealer, and, of course, the problem itself.

Elaborate a little.

[bachviet]

Receipts unless the maintenance was performed by the dealer, which would be in the car history stored at the dealership.

[DarkFury]

Does anyone know what kind of documentation you have to show the dealership/manufacturer of maintenance in order to get them to fix something that is covered under warranty?
Honestly, if you are within warranty... and it's "bumper to bumper".. as long as there is no obvious "user error", they'll just go ahead and fix it.

Now don't go pourin' Windshield washer fluid into the radiator... or radiator fluid into the washer system. :D

[guiseppewv]

There's a thouusand different answers to that. Variables include, for starters, the vehicle, the dealer, and, of course, the problem itself.

Elaborate a little.

Sorry didn't mean to be vague. :)

Car - Nissan Altima

The car is burning oil and it is still under warranty.

Does that help? :)

[mechmike0034]

Sort of. Year, engine size, specific Altima model? How many miles on the car?

How much oil does it appear to be using? How many quarts per how many miles?

A quick search of service bulletins for the last three or four years turned up nothing on oil consumption. That means (to me) that it is not a common problem.

Oil consumption is tough. Many manufacturers (don't know about Nissan) won't do any warranty engine work unless consumption can be verified as being greater than a quart of oil in 1000 miles. No, they won't take your word for it - they'll change the oil, add dye to look for external leaks, seal the oil cap and dipstick and tell you to bring it back after 1000 miles of operation.

The other thing is that root cause has to be determined. Meaning what actually is causing the consumption. The barrier here is that the dealer technician that will be assessing your complaint will be attempting to diagnose your problem using Nissan warranty time. Warranty time in general pays squat for diagnosis, and any tech worth his salt is not going to spend a lot of time (that he won't get paid for) chasing the problem. Most manufacturers only pay between .3 and .5 hours for diagnosis, and if the tech can't find the problem in that amount of time or less then he marks the ticket as "no trouble found" and moves on to the next job.

If Nissan for some reason authorizes a specific test (compression or cylinder leakage) or even an engine teardown (and I am not saying they will...), that's different - the tech'll get paid a little more. But, if the test results are inconclusive, you are back to square one.

A lot of this will depend upon the individual dealer as well. Also, like any other situation, if you get or project an attitude that they owe you something, you will probably get no consideration. Again, not saying you will.

I worked for a dealer Service Manager one time that wrote "WIW" on difficult customer's tickets. It means "Warranty is Warranty", period, and not to expect any compromise, extension, or consideration beyond the letter of the manufacturer's warranty whatsoever.

Post or PM me the answers to my questions at the beginning of this post before you take it in. I'll predict your chance of success, and it'll be interesting to see how close I come to what actually happens.

[guiseppewv]

Sort of. Year, engine size, specific Altima model? How many miles on the car?

How much oil does it appear to be using? How many quarts per how many miles?

A quick search of service bulletins for the last three or four years turned up nothing on oil consumption. That means (to me) that it is not a common problem.

Oil consumption is tough. Many manufacturers (don't know about Nissan) won't do any warranty engine work unless consumption can be verified as being greater than a quart of oil in 1000 miles. No, they won't take your word for it - they'll change the oil, add dye to look for external leaks, seal the oil cap and dipstick and tell you to bring it back after 1000 miles of operation.

The other thing is that root cause has to be determined. Meaning what actually is causing the consumption. The barrier here is that the dealer technician that will be assessing your complaint will be attempting to diagnose your problem using Nissan warranty time. Warranty time in general pays squat for diagnosis, and any tech worth his salt is not going to spend a lot of time (that he won't get paid for) chasing the problem. Most manufacturers only pay between .3 and .5 hours for diagnosis, and if the tech can't find the problem in that amount of time or less then he marks the ticket as "no trouble found" and moves on to the next job.

If Nissan for some reason authorizes a specific test (compression or cylinder leakage) or even an engine teardown (and I am not saying they will...), that's different - the tech'll get paid a little more. But, if the test results are inconclusive, you are back to square one.

A lot of this will depend upon the individual dealer as well. Also, like any other situation, if you get or project an attitude that they owe you something, you will probably get no consideration. Again, not saying you will.

I worked for a dealer Service Manager one time that wrote "WIW" on difficult customer's tickets. It means "Warranty is Warranty", period, and not to expect any compromise, extension, or consideration beyond the letter of the manufacturer's warranty whatsoever.

Post or PM me the answers to my questions at the beginning of this post before you take it in. I'll predict your chance of success, and it'll be interesting to see how close I come to what actually happens.

It is an 02, 3.5l V6, SE. The car burns in excess of 1 qt per 1000 miles. The dealership has finally diagnosed it and agrees that it is burning this much oil. I have been having this issue with the car for over 15k miles (probably closer to 20k mi). The car has 40k mi on it but since the problem was reported during the 36k/36 mo time period the car should be covered under warranty. Surprisingly there are around a dozen other cases of excessive oil consumption that I know about. Some people have had their engines replaced others have not. Nissan knows about the problem but they are not making that info public. There have been even more of the 4 cyl engines that have had this problem. At least 20+ cases that I know of.

[mechmike0034]

It is an 02, 3.5l V6, SE. The car burns in excess of 1 qt per 1000 miles. The dealership has finally diagnosed it and agrees that it is burning this much oil. I have been having this issue with the car for over 15k miles (probably closer to 20k mi). The car has 40k mi on it but since the problem was reported during the 36k/36 mo time period the car should be covered under warranty. Surprisingly there are around a dozen other cases of excessive oil consumption that I know about. Some people have had their engines replaced others have not. Nissan knows about the problem but they are not making that info public. There have been even more of the 4 cyl engines that have had this problem. At least 20+ cases that I know of.

I understand there is a bulletin on the 2.5 four cylinder - it seems that the pre-catalytic converter (located in or near the exhaust manifold) comes apart internally and somehow pieces of it wind up getting into the cylinders and scoring the cylinder walls. This in turn causes major oil consumption. I have not read nor seen this bulletin with my own two eyes, but I have read of its existance. This will not apply to the 3.5.

I use an aftermarket service information provider, so my collection of bulletins aren't as current as the dealer's.

If they have acknowledged the oil consumption, that's half of the battle. Keep after the dealer and the Nissan Service rep if necessary.

[guiseppewv]

OK, back to my original question.....what info do I have to provide them with in order to validate my warranty claim? Specifically, can they deny my warranty claim if I do not have all of my receipts for oil changes and such?


I understand there is a bulletin on the 2.5 four cylinder - it seems that the pre-catalytic converter (located in or near the exhaust manifold) comes apart internally and somehow pieces of it wind up getting into the cylinders and scoring the cylinder walls. This in turn causes major oil consumption. I have not read nor seen this bulletin with my own two eyes, but I have read of its existance. This will not apply to the 3.5.

I use an aftermarket service information provider, so my collection of bulletins aren't as current as the dealer's.

If they have acknowledged the oil consumption, that's half of the battle. Keep after the dealer and the Nissan Service rep if necessary.

You are right it took a class action lawsuit to get them to admit to the 4 cyl problem but there has been no such admission for the 6 cyl. It is funny that the only Altys that have this problem are '02s. This is the last Nissan I will ever buy. Their customer service at their dealerships and even more so at the corporate level is pathetic to say the least.

[mechmike0034]

OK, back to my original question.....what info do I have to provide them with in order to validate my warranty claim? Specifically, can they deny my warranty claim if I do not have all of my receipts for oil changes and such?

Have they specifically asked for receipts or proof of timely oil changes? If you have documentation then you will probably be better off. There's no hard-and-fast rule on this, either. They could deny the claim without oil change documentation. They also could not deny it.

Where are you in the process? They have recognized and documented the consumption. Now what? Are you waiting for them to let you know what they are going to do?

I gave up on Nissan once they were no longer Datsun.

[guiseppewv]

Have they specifically asked for receipts or proof of timely oil changes? If you have documentation then you will probably be better off. There's no hard-and-fast rule on this, either. They could deny the claim without oil change documentation. They also could not deny it.

Where are you in the process? They have recognized and documented the consumption. Now what? Are you waiting for them to let you know what they are going to do?

I gave up on Nissan once they were no longer Datsun.

They have acknowledged the consumption and they have asked for documentation. I have some receipts and I update the owners manual when I do oil changes. Note: I change my own oil. I am supposed to take my car back in to have them look at it again but I have not received a call back from consumer affairs, I think mainly b/c they suck.

[rasetsu]

I understand there is a bulletin on the 2.5 four cylinder - it seems that the pre-catalytic converter (located in or near the exhaust manifold) comes apart internally and somehow pieces of it wind up getting into the cylinders and scoring the cylinder walls. This in turn causes major oil consumption. I have not read nor seen this bulletin with my own two eyes, but I have read of its existance. This will not apply to the 3.5.

I use an aftermarket service information provider, so my collection of bulletins aren't as current as the dealer's.

If they have acknowledged the oil consumption, that's half of the battle. Keep after the dealer and the Nissan Service rep if necessary.


This happened to my fiances '02 2.5. They gave her a new engine under warranty.

[Showtime]

Sort of. Year, engine size, specific Altima model? How many miles on the car?

How much oil does it appear to be using? How many quarts per how many miles?

A quick search of service bulletins for the last three or four years turned up nothing on oil consumption. That means (to me) that it is not a common problem.

Oil consumption is tough. Many manufacturers (don't know about Nissan) won't do any warranty engine work unless consumption can be verified as being greater than a quart of oil in 1000 miles. No, they won't take your word for it - they'll change the oil, add dye to look for external leaks, seal the oil cap and dipstick and tell you to bring it back after 1000 miles of operation.

The other thing is that root cause has to be determined. Meaning what actually is causing the consumption. The barrier here is that the dealer technician that will be assessing your complaint will be attempting to diagnose your problem using Nissan warranty time. Warranty time in general pays squat for diagnosis, and any tech worth his salt is not going to spend a lot of time (that he won't get paid for) chasing the problem. Most manufacturers only pay between .3 and .5 hours for diagnosis, and if the tech can't find the problem in that amount of time or less then he marks the ticket as "no trouble found" and moves on to the next job.

If Nissan for some reason authorizes a specific test (compression or cylinder leakage) or even an engine teardown (and I am not saying they will...), that's different - the tech'll get paid a little more. But, if the test results are inconclusive, you are back to square one.

A lot of this will depend upon the individual dealer as well. Also, like any other situation, if you get or project an attitude that they owe you something, you will probably get no consideration. Again, not saying you will.

I worked for a dealer Service Manager one time that wrote "WIW" on difficult customer's tickets. It means "Warranty is Warranty", period, and not to expect any compromise, extension, or consideration beyond the letter of the manufacturer's warranty whatsoever.

Post or PM me the answers to my questions at the beginning of this post before you take it in. I'll predict your chance of success, and it'll be interesting to see how close I come to what actually happens.

:neartears

You are a good man, MM! Up and beyond the call of duty.

-j