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Maybe I'm being picky but

7K views 42 replies 18 participants last post by  toxxic 
#1 ·
I'm a little disappointed with Nissan. I specifically went away from American cars because I wanted a trouble free car. I go in for my 3rd oil change Saturday (15k miles). The service advisor told me I have corrosion on my battery posts. They have a special cleaner for 80 bucks that guarantees me the corrosion will not come back. I figured something like this would be covered by warranty. Especially with the car being under a year old. But it is not.

Evidentially its a common issue because a lady in the waiting room with me told me her 13 did the same thing. This was before I found out about mine. To make it worse another guy got the same news as I.
I'm sure I can find a n easy fix on Google for it but the point is that a new car should not have this problem. And how is this not a warranty item? Has anyone else had this issue?
 
#2 · (Edited)
Eighty bucks to clean off your battery terminals and apply a preventative spray?!?!?! This is literally a <5 minute DIY job...check Youtube. It's about six bucks for battery terminal spray from Amazon that will last you years. Corrosion on the battery terminals is common....it is not a car quality issue.

And find another dealer....this place is absolutely ripping you off. This is why oil changes are so cheap; they try to sell you a variety of unneeded services to make up the difference. So three customers times $80 = $240 for about a total of fifteen minutes of labor and maybe fifty cents of spray? That is some serious profit margin!

EDIT: I guess if the factory forgot to spray protectant on the batteries, or it's just not an assembly-line task, then I guess it could be a "defect". So I'll concede this point....maybe.
 
#4 ·
Eighty bucks to clean off your battery terminals and apply a preventative spray?!?!?! This is literally a <5 minute DIY job...check Youtube. It's about six bucks for battery terminal spray from Amazon that will last you years. Corrosion on the battery terminals is common....it is not a car quality issue.

And find another dealer....this place is absolutely ripping you off. This is why oil changes are so cheap; they try to sell you a variety of unneeded services to make up the difference. So three customers times $80 = $240 for about a total of fifteen minutes of labor and maybe fifty cents of spray? That is some serious profit margin!

.
I get it, it's a quick fix. Already found it on YouTube. It's just that I've owned cars with 100k miles on it and never have had a corrosion issue. I'm also a bit annoyed with my Nav radio because it randomly reboots or fails to come on. Not worth a trip to the dealer because it's very sporratic. Also some wind noise from the passenger side that I can't figure where it's coming from. Just small tid bits of the car that's annoying me. Other than that I love the car.
 
#6 ·
I was sure this post was sarcastic at first. You're upset about a little corrosion on battery terminals? It happens on all batteries, on every car. You can scrub it off with a wire brush in less than a minute.

This is a pure profit item for your dealer, and I'm sure the techs and the service advisors laugh about it. I doubt they have many cars that DON'T receive the recommendation for this $80 "service".

Smh...people are just looking for reasons to hate this car.
 
#8 ·
I was sure this post was sarcastic at first. You're upset about a little corrosion on battery terminals? It happens on all batteries, on every car. You can scrub it off with a wire brush in less than a minute.

Smh...people are just looking for reasons to hate this car.
Why even post if you're not even listening to what you're reading? I clearly stated earlier I love this car. However, you're not going to convince me that corrosion at 15,000 miles is ok. Of all the cars I've had, none have had corrosion and I've had some crappy cars in the past.

I like this car so much that any negatives I have on it are so small its nit picking. I'm disappionted they want to charge so much for something so little and this shouldnt be a common isssue on a new car.

Smh..
 
#7 ·
Sarcasm? My guess was Irony...as every Altima is made in the ol' US of A with who knows how many French parts. The GM Encore is more Asian than the Nissan Altima....

Personally I think of mine as an American 'sleeper' with a Japanese engine and a French transmission...and two outta three ain't bad.
 
#10 ·
#12 ·
I'm a little disappointed with Nissan. I specifically went away from American cars because I wanted a trouble free car. I go in for my 3rd oil change Saturday (15k miles). The service advisor told me I have corrosion on my battery posts. They have a special cleaner for 80 bucks that guarantees me the corrosion will not come back. I figured something like this would be covered by warranty. Especially with the car being under a year old. But it is not.

Evidentially its a common issue because a lady in the waiting room with me told me her 13 did the same thing. This was before I found out about mine. To make it worse another guy got the same news as I.
I'm sure I can find a n easy fix on Google for it but the point is that a new car should not have this problem. And how is this not a warranty item? Has anyone else had this issue?
When you find this car, Please let the rest of us know. I would love to find a car with absolutely no troubles. But, as for your actual problem, you just got..GOT by the dealer. It's what they do. You fell for it.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Engine? What are one of those thingys? No need to throw insults. Like I said, I haven't ever had a car with battery corrosion problem. I detail cars on the side and that includes the engine. So I'm sure I would have noticed. If you don't care about this post then keep scrolling past it. Getting on here and being a dick doesn't help anyone. You're acting like I'm on here ranting and raving about hating nissan. I think it's ridiculous a dealer would even offer this service.
and how did I fall for it? I didn't purchase the service.....
 
#18 ·
Getting on here and being a dick doesn't help anyone. You're acting like I'm on here ranting and raving about hating nissan.

My Gawd...I hadn't even posted in this thread and I see that he is talking about me.

I foresee public transportation in gmitch23's future as he will be unable to find the perfect, trouble free automobile.
 
#17 ·
It's not unreasonable, it's just unrealistic. It's a machine, shit happens to every single brand out there. If you thought a Nissan was going to be trouble free, you are in for a world of hurt. The new nissans are troublesome
 
#20 ·
There are those who might think you need to stay away from this particular dealer.... and maybe learn a little about maintenance. When I took our Toyota in for its first "free" oil change they noticed corrosion on the battery. They informed me it wasn't covered under the bumper to bumper warranty and that I needed to buy a $40 battery maintenance package. (I consider these people to be crooks.) I told them I'd take care of it. I drove straight home (1.8 miles) and cleaned the terminal myself, then sprayed a little white lithium grease on the terminal (WD-40 or any oil-based product would also have worked). Then I checked my oil and it was 1/2 quart low - yes, they short changed me 1/2 quart of oil - and I'm betting they didn't change the filter either. Since it didn't use any oil in 4002 miles, I am supposing it didn't use 1/2 quart in 1.8 miles). Needless to say I've never gone back there. In fact, I didn't bother using any more of the "free oil changes" and just took it to a tire kingdom down the street. I'd suggest you stay as far from that dealership as you can unless it is something under warranty.
 
#21 ·
and just took it to a tire kingdom down the street. I'd suggest you stay as far from that dealership as you can unless it is something under warranty.

Now there is a shop with qualified technicians that "do it right" if I've ever seen one . SMH


We get on average 2 cars a week with blown engines, oil leaks, coolant leaks, improper diagnosis, you name it from those types of shops.

Makes me laugh, because the poor customer has to pay again to get it fixed right , by me .. THE FREAKING MAN / EL JEFE / DA BOMB when it comes to Nissan vehicles.(i'm quite modest too BTW)

Also , you a fool for not using the free maintenance provided. I'll give you my address and you can mail me the $$$ you are throwing away, how bout dat ?

:grin
 
#23 ·
I'm currently working on one of those "trouble free" cars right now.

Its a 2002 Honda Accord with the, "pull the transmission to put a new filter" automatic transmission.

I think Honda got sued over that little problem. Needless to say I will be learning how to rebuild the transmission as soon as the master rebuild kit arrives.
 
#24 ·
Its really something how there can be so much difference from one dealer to another. I went to get 2 new key fobs programmed and emergency keys cut for my 2014 Altima S I just got. One Nissan dealer in town wanted $120 to do it. The other one in town charged $80 to do the same thing.

The sad thing is that there are so many people who just don't know better and would put out $80 for nothing.

I am kind of surprised that Nissan is still putting the battery in the engine compartment. Most cars I've seen now put it under the seat or such to isolate it from engine heat.
 
#25 ·
I'm pretty sure the battery is relocated to either adjust the weight balance or to free up space for fun things like turbos or both. I'm pretty sure that engine heat is not a major consideration...even though there is apparently at least one infantile patent on the subject.

Pray you never have to stop a new 5-series Bimmer and ask him for a jump...
 
#29 ·
And, you should hope you don't .

I talked to a guy at an autoparts store who had to replace the battery on a newer Volkswagen Beetle, and he told me it was a bitch to remove, and get back in under the rear seat.

Also, this policy is whats keeping me from going back into the autoparts business as too many stores want you not only sell the parts, but install them on the cars.

If I'm going to install parts on a car, I'm going to get paid extra for doing so. Sure the store gets a sale, but only get your minimum wage for the hour.

Not to mention the shops they deliver parts to loose that installation fee they could have made replacing that same part, and doing a diag scan.

Sorry for the rant.
 
#33 ·
[I]Sounds to me like you don't trust anyone and haven't in a long time.
So you watch them do the work and the recheck them
when you get home ?!?

Dude, you got issues...[/I]


Not really. I am pretty much a trusting guy with perhaps the exception being things related to vehicles ... and particularly dealerships. In my 50 plus years on earth, I've come to believe that many (not all) people associated with car dealership are not very trustworthy - I trust them about as far as I can throw my car. They (dealerships) didn't "just happen to come by" their reputations for being crooks, they earn it every day. IF you plan to take your car to a dealership, my suggestion would be to wear a pair of shorts with a zipper in the back to make the screwing you'll be taking just a little faster.


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We get on average 2 cars a week with blown engines, oil leaks, coolant leaks, improper diagnosis, you name it from those types of shops.

Makes me laugh, because the poor customer has to pay again to get it fixed right , by me .. THE FREAKING MAN / EL JEFE / DA BOMB when it comes to Nissan vehicles.(i'm quite modest too BTW)


I don't mean to be harsh or get personal, but this is a classic example of what I'm talking about. What you typed may be true, but I strongly doubt it. In fact, if I were a gambler I'd say this statement is a bunch of crap and likely told by someone who has brown eyes because they are so full of it. The likelihood of getting something fixed better at a dealership than a private shop is negligible. The likelihood of getting screwed at a dealership, however, is FAR greater than at an independent shop.
 
#35 ·
The likelihood of getting something fixed better at a dealership than a private shop is negligible. The likelihood of getting screwed at a dealership, however, is FAR greater than at an independent shop.
"It depends". If it's a CVT issue, there's no question in my mind that the dealer is more likely to have mechanics that understand the repair better than many independent mechanics. For virtually everything else, it's fine to go to a local shop that you trust.

That said, large chains don't fit into that category, at least for me.
 
#36 ·
It is hard to trust anyone.

I've been getting tires put on a car, and had the service person come tell me, "Joe said for you to come look at this".

When I got there Joe was showing me my brand new Koni struts that I had just bought, and installed about two months before. These struts were stock on all 84-86 SVO Mustangs, and I got mine for an SVO club discount.

Anyway, Joe shows me where the tire [stock SVO wheels, and factory tire size] had rubbed against the strut taking off the paint. Joe shook the wheel, and said, "see that, you need to get those struts changes out, or it could be DANGEROUS!!!!!!!"

I told Joe he might need to check again as I just installed them about two months ago. He mumbled something, and said that was all he wanted me to see.

I've got tons of those stories about shop mechanics trying to sell me crap that I had already replaced. I usually makes me laugh.

But a dealership would be the worst to have to deal with IMO because I don't have the specialty equipment they have there so I wouldn't have any way to tell if they did do something like a reflash, or not.
 
#37 ·
I could tell you many stories, too, but my personal favorite (of the many) that involved me was a VW dealership. I had a VW diesel rabbit in the 80s and occasionally worked the night shift. We had a cold freeze and my car wouldn't start in the morning for quite a while.... eventually it started. I took it to VW and they gave me a list of $1100 worth of repairs needed to prevent this from happening again. I called my brothers who ran a tractor trailer repair shop and dealt with diesels daily. They told me about the glow plug relay fuse on the firewall of the rabbit. I checked it and sure enough it was broken (a very thin piece of metal). I went to the dealership to buy one, but they made me buy two (as they were 50 cents each and they didn't want to be bothered with such a small sale). I put one in and put the other in the ash tray (I don't smoke). Never had another problem with it starting.
 
#38 ·
I believe that oftentimes dealers will be honest with you and if you have them show you the problem, and make sure you get the old/bad part returned to you, you will be OK most of the time. However, in my experience it is true that the dealers have a tendency to screw people over. And I bet the techs are more honest than the service guys/managers too but it may not always be their call on things. This was one of the few reasons I wanted to become knowledgeable on cars become a DIYer. But yes anything CVT related I may stick to the dealer. Here are 2 examples I ran across:

1) My dad's Chevy Equinox had a TPMS error that the dealer wanted to fix for $600 including some "parts". I fixed the problem without any parts via a procedure that took 5 minutes.

2) My '98 Infiniti I30 has a pesky oil leak that after using UV dye to me it looks like it's coming from the rear valve cover. Dealer wanted to charge $1,500 to replace the front main seal (which is definitely not the source of the leak using the UV dye test). Also said he had to drop the engine and whatnot, but the FSM says it's a much simpler process and shorter than the 11 hours or so of labor they wanted to charge.
 
#39 ·
Funny you mention that, my neighbor was quoted $4000 to fix his Xterra's SRS error on his $4500 value SUV. Later he found a diagnostic place that found a loose plug, think it cost him about $100. The dealer was going to replace all sorts of things.
 
#40 ·
Did you actually see the deposits on the battery terminals/cables ?
The original post speaks of the dealer recommendation, but I wonder if you observed it yourself?
 
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