Nissan Dealer misdiagnosed... Now what?

[gatubel]

ok folks this is what happened, I took my 03 Murano with 112K
to the dealer to have the transfer case replaced,
as they had diagnosed a bad transfer case a few days earlier.

(It was making a knocking sound, some of you guys might have seen
some of my threads I posted a few days ago regarding the knocking sound)

I dropped it off last wednesday and they called me today
saying they have replaced the TC.= but it is still making that noise
and that the CVT has to be replaced now, and because is
under warranty they will cover all the charges.

Now if they misdiagnosed and told me the TC was the responsible for
such a knocking sound, and having the TC replaced, and now they telling me that it
needs a new CVT because is still making the noise,
Do I have to pay for the TC? I mean why pay for something
my car didnt need?

I will be going back tomorrow to the dealer to get a car they will let me use while they change the cvt,
I dont want to discuss the TC misdiagnose until I pick up My MO,
but I will tell them that I am not paying for the TC.
If they misdiagnosed thats they problem.

What do you guys think?
what should I tell them when I
pick up my MO?

[njjoe]

g-

I would not sweat it. They replaced the parts/assemblies they believed to be bad. They will not charge you for that.

You are ending up with an 8-year-old MO that will have a brand-new CVT and transfer case. And it did not cost you a dime. That is excellent!!

-njjoe

[nipsirc]

Gatubel

I totally agree.
Don't pay for something that wasn't the problem to begin with.
Tell them this would make up for their stupidity and you'll accept it gladlly.

[gatubel]

Originally Posted by nipsirc

Gatubel

I totally agree.
Don't pay for something that wasn't the problem to begin with.
Tell them this would make up for their stupidity and you'll accept it gladlly.

lol, I know right?
man... Im so glad the CVT
is still under warranty.
I was actually thinking
of trading my MO
after the repairs, but know
I wanna enjoy the new CVT & TC.

[larry1960]

Keep the engine oil clean and you now have a new power train! CVT $5000.00 TC $4000.00 for a car that is worth 9000.00 or so COOL NICE NISSAN that is something they do NOT do

I am worried I have a 05 with 105000 and still going great but thinking of what can happen

[gatubel]

so I went to Nissan to pick up my Mo and there was a bill for $3500
fo the transfer case charges.
the Service advisor that helped me through the process and gave me
the diagnostics has been sick for two days so the person I talked to today
had no idea of my situation.
After explaining to him what had happened and the I shouldn't be paying
the 3500 he went in and talked to the service manager,
he came back and told me when my service adviser comes back to work
we will talk about the issue.

I will have two guys confronting me, please I need an advice,
what should I tell them?
how do I confront them?

If you read my first post you will understand what Im talking about
Thanks

[zebelkhan]

To convince you to pay for TC, they probably are going to tell you that TC was part of the problem. If they do, very politely yet seriously tell them that is not what they told you when they called to say noise was still there and you are not willing to pay for something your MO did not need. If they don't like it, they can go ahead and remove it from your MO and put the old one back in. Meanwhile they better pay for your rental car because they caused the mess when they misdiagnosed the problem.

[njjoe]

ga-

Hopefully it is simply a case of miscommunication. However, if they continue to claim you owe for the TC then I would simply instruct them to install your original unit. If they claim you would still have to pay labor I would remind them they had to remove the TC in order to replace the CVT anyway.

I would also put 800-647-7261 on your cell phone's speed dial. That is the number for Nissan Consumer Affairs.

[nitely]

The catch here will be you authorizing them to replace the TC after their recommendation/diagnosis. If you somehow clearly asked them the consequences if the new TC does not fix the problem before authorization then you can decided/negotiate a better course of action. I always ask them what happens if the parts to be replaced does not fix the problem no matter if its a $2 part or a $3500 part. This proves again that most of them are just parts replacement experts. My impression/experience is that usually they stick it to you. But if that service advisor is on your side maybe you can get off the hook. I won't bet on it though. Maybe a lawyer will come into play here eventually? Hopefully not. Atleast talk to nissan customer service first if it does not get resolved with the dealer. Depends on the dealership but $3500 is hard to just sign off to even with a good relationship. Good luck.

Your basic arguement is that their misdiagnosis of the problem led to a replacement of a good part. They are the nissan dealer who are suppose to be the experts on nissan vehicles which is why you brought it to them. And their diagnosis would be spot on since they only work on nissan vehicles. Evidently in this case they are mistaken and that you should not pay for their mistake. Ask them to prove/show you that the TC was indeed broken--See the part if they insist that the TC is part of the problem. If they did not sabotage the part/TC and is really needing replacement, negotiate for a lower price since changing the CVT calls for removing the TC, atleast the labor charge should be dropped.

[gatubel]

Thanks alot guys, even though I don want to pay the full amount they're charging
I am willing to pay part of it, I will try to tell them I am not responsible for
for their mistakes, I clearly remember the tech who inspected my MO saying
the transfer case was bad, he seemed so convinced of it, they never told
me it could have been the CVT, I have good reasons to deny paying such an amount,
If that doesnt work I will tell them I can pay $1000 for the TC labor and a year warranty,
if they dont like that then they can go ahead and put the old one back in,
I know theyre not gonna like that but hey, they should take care of their mistakes, not me.

[nipsirc]

I think suggesting them to put the old original TC back in, if they do not agree is a bad idea! If they call your bluff, then how would you know that they would actually put back your old & original working TC and not a seriously flawed and leaking one? Then you are back @ square one!

It is better to negotiate with them indicating that they made a serious error in diagnosis and that they should, at the very least, if not pay for the mistaken part that was replaced and was never the issue to begin with.

And being the nice guy that you are, tell them that you would gladly pay for some $$$$ for they efforts as gratitude but not all of it.

If that doesn't work, then it's time to call the lawyers. This is only if you can prove that they erred in their initial diagnosis and you got that evidence in black & white

[gatubel]

ok guys I just got back from Nissan, and after a short
argument with my service advisor
I told him to put the old TC back in, he said I would have to
pay a thousand dollars to do that, I said BS.
they were doing the final alignment on my MO when he (pretty sure)
went in and talk to the service manager, then he comes out and
tell me that they will keep My MO, put he old TC back in to make
sure the TC is bad, if not they will leave it, if its bad they
will put the new one in at no labor charge,
I will pay for the original quote which was 3500.
I have been driving a 2012 Loaner Altima,
and I will until I get my MO back and clear up
any confusions.

That sounds pretty fair to me. so we will see what happens later.

[njjoe]

g-

While it is plausible, I would think it is very unlikely that both the CVT and TC failed. Re-installing the original TC is a good solution.

Diagnosing the problem could not have been easy, but if they had initially (and correctly) targeted the CVT then the removal and installation of the TC would have been part of the process and covered 100% by the CVT warranty. So you should not have to pay for re-installing your original TC.

However, I would still contact Nissan Consumer Affairs while the incident is still fresh on your mind. That way if there is a warranty issue in the future your case will be documented.

-njjoe

[gatubel]

Originally Posted by njjoe

g-

While it is plausible, I would think it is very unlikely that both the CVT and TC failed. Re-installing the original TC is a good solution.

Diagnosing the problem could not have been easy, but if they had initially (and correctly) targeted the CVT then the removal and installation of the TC would have been part of the process and covered 100% by the CVT warranty. So you should not have to pay for re-installing your original TC.

However, I would still contact Nissan Consumer Affairs while the incident is still fresh on your mind. That way if there is a warranty issue in the future your case will be documented.

-njjoe

hello and thanks njjoe.
what do you mean by

contact Nissan Consumer Affairs while the incident is still fresh on your mind.
That way if there is a warranty issue in the future your case will be documented.

would you explain what that really means?
thaks.

[njjoe]

Nissan Consumer Affairs is a department within Nissan that works with owners to resolve warranty issues, among other things. They also have access to your car's service and recall history.

If this was my MO I would contact Nissan Consumer Affairs and let them know what transpired, including the names of everyone involved and what they told me regarding the initial incorrect diagnosis that the TC was defective. They will contact the dealer to get their side of the story, all of which will be documented and filed away.

I believe the dealer will be less apt to "pull a fast one" and demand payment for labor if they know you are savvy enough to have contacted Nissan Consumer Affairs.

I contacted Nissan Consumer Affairs after my dealer balked at replacing a leaking CVT seal because the replacement part arrived after the powertrain warranty expired.

Good luck.

-njjoe