i had 2 new tyres put on in march 09 and the tyre company put the wrong sizes on

No offense, but wouldn't you have checked the size of the tires you bought? Tires are a pretty important thing to put on your car not to do that.

 

Re: Re: transfer case

No offense, but wouldn't you have checked the size of the tires you bought? Tires are a pretty important thing to put on your car not to do that.

im hearing you..... but when you say 2 tyres for The Murano.... surely they can see the sizes.... not rocket science... when you pay for a service to be done you dont check the work do you???? They are supposedly the professionals here......

 

That is a very interesting scenario you have there.

What are the two tire sizes you have?

-njjoe

 

On most AWD/4WD vehicles it's absolutely critical that all four tires be exactly the same diameter. Width doesn't really matter that much (although width can change the diameter, since a 70-profile is different in diameter than a 60-profile), but diameter is critical because if it varies, the number of turns per mile is different for each axle. That will destroy transfer cases.

The same is true for RWD vehicles on the rear axle - if the left and right tires are turning a different number of revs per mile, you'll damage the differential.

That said, you need to get a detailed, specific explanation of the problem from the dealer. If the vehicle was driven with mismatched tires, it's not their fault. It may be something you need to talk about with whoever sold you and installed the tires. They should know the importance of this. But if they advised against what you bought...you may not have any options.

I agree - I'd like to hear what sizes are on the vehicle, and which corners they're on.

 

That said, you need to get a detailed, specific explanation of the problem from the dealer. If the vehicle was driven with mismatched tires, it's not their fault. It may be something you need to talk about with whoever sold you and installed the tires. They should know the importance of this. But if they advised against what you bought...you may not have any options.

As appalled as I am that any tire place would install the wrong size tires on a car, I'm still (and again, please take no offense, OP) amazed that someone would get new tires and at least not glance at the sidewalls to check that the right ones were put on.

At least the OP is being honest in describing what quite likely caused the damage to his transfer case. I wonder how many of the other handful of CVT/transfer case problems we've read about here have been caused by similar mistreatment of Muranos that is simply not being reported (or admitted to)?

 

As appalled as I am that any tire place would install the wrong size tires on a car, I'm still (and again, please take no offense, OP) amazed that someone would get new tires and at least not glance at the sidewalls to check that the right ones were put on.

At least the OP is being honest in describing what quite likely caused the damage to his transfer case. I wonder how many of the other handful of CVT/transfer case problems we've read about here have been caused by similar mistreatment of Muranos that is simply not being reported (or admitted to)?

I agree. I do understand that it's tough to know enough about many things that you know whose work to check, and whose work not to check. Cars - computers - HVAC work - carpentry - there are so many things in our lives that we pay for and can be done poorly. It's just about impossible to monitor the quality of work in every area.

But to me, cars matter - because they get very expensive very quickly. I check everything that it's possible for me to check. I just don't think it's wise NOT to be familiar with basic maintenance of automobiles.

I'm sure that some of the problems with transfer cases have been caused by mismatched tires, and perhaps the owner never realized it.

 

You can also run the risk of mismatched tire diameters, even if all tires are the same, by not rotating them. The effect may not be as dramatic but you never know...

 

I know here in the States I'd have quite a bit of faith in the company installing the tires to put the correct size on. When I went tire shopping not too long ago, most tire places didn't have four tires of the size for the Murano and refused to install 4 new tires of any other size. So asking a company to install just two new tires one would think they would be quite careful to properly match the tire sizes. You know they would have had to do a look up just to have an idea what size the vehicle had anyways, they don't (or least shouldn't have) just said well here's a couple of 18's, they'll do and install them.

 

I know here in the States I'd have quite a bit of faith in the company installing the tires to put the correct size on. When I went tire shopping not too long ago, most tire places didn't have four tires of the size for the Murano and refused to install 4 new tires of any other size. So asking a company to install just two new tires one would think they would be quite careful to properly match the tire sizes. You know they would have had to do a look up just to have an idea what size the vehicle had anyways, they don't (or least shouldn't have) just said well here's a couple of 18's, they'll do and install them.

njjoe... looks like they put on 235/60R18 on the front.

Pilgrim.... i have Nissan writing a full brief on the challenge and then i am hitting the tyre dealer with it.. bigtime!! Lawyer and all... i think it is pure negligence from the Tyre Dealers.

On Nissan i have found them washing there hands with this.... i do recall i sent my car back to get checked because the AWD was switching on, and they couldnt find the problem!!!! And sent me on my way...........
I have The Nissan dealer wanting me to change all 4 tyres now as well as the transfer case...... this has left me with a sour taste from Nissan and i have immediately bought a Mazda CX7 with the Nissan to be Part Exchanged when it arrives. Au Revoire to Nissan and i will suggest to anybody to never buy a Nissan.

 

njjoe... looks like they put on 235/60R18 on the front.

That's the size tires I've got on my MO.....BUT at all four corners. Sorry it turned out this way for ya Pursue.

 

There is just no way a car manufacturer can be held responsible for damage caused by a customer who put the wrong sized tires on. The OP is off base on this one blaming Nissan for his problems.

 

I don't understand why people respond this way - it's not the car company's fault, and in this case, not the dealer's fault. There are two people at fault:

- The tire shop which put the wrong size tires on
- The owner who didn't check it

Sorry if that's hard news, but it's shared responsibility...although it's not shared equally.

The primary responsibility is that of the tire shop - and I applaud the OP's intent to go after them. They are responsible for the quality of their work. and any damage caused by mistakes.

But Nissan is not a causative factor.

 

njjoe... looks like they put on 235/60R18 on the front.

Assuming your other tires are 235/65R18 then the difference in rolling diameters is approximately 3.1%. Obviously that was enough of a difference to trick the AWD controller into thinking the smaller-diameter front wheels were slipping.

-njjoe

 

There is just no way a car manufacturer can be held responsible for damage caused by a customer who put the wrong sized tires on. The OP is off base on this one blaming Nissan for his problems.

I disagree.

While Nissan the manufacturer is not at fault, Nissan the dealer most certainly is. Pursue brought his car to the dealer complaining that the AWD kept switching on. Any mechanic with an ounce of common sense would have checked the wheels/tires to ensure they were properly sized. An alert mechanic would have spotted the problem early on.

My guess is the mechanic hooked up the Consult-II, found no error codes, washed his hands, and sent Pursue on his way.

Part of the blame lies with Nissan's narrow-sighted mechanic.

-njjoe

 

I have to agree with this one here. Tire sizes are not a mysterious thing that the average owner doesn't understand - well, I guess now the OP knows how important it is to have matching tire sizes.

I don't understand why people respond this way - it's not the car company's fault, and in this case, not the dealer's fault. There are two people at fault:

- The tire shop which put the wrong size tires on
- The owner who didn't check it

Sorry if that's hard news, but it's shared responsibility...although it's not shared equally.

The primary responsibility is that of the tire shop - and I applaud the OP's intent to go after them. They are responsible for the quality of their work. and any damage caused by mistakes.

But Nissan is not a causative factor.

 

I agree with njjoe. Nissan's dealer failed to properly diagnose the issue when the vehicle was brought in. Who caused the problem should not matter to Nissan when it comes to them doing their job diagnosing a problem.

Hopefully you had to pay a fee to the dealer somewhere along the line to diagnose the problem. If so, then they are fully responsible for missing the problem and could be held for paying for repairs, with the tire shop.

 

OK I have a silly question, how did he know that the AWD was turning/engaging?

 

You guys point out a real weakness of today's mechanics diagnosing a problem: electronics CANNOT find a problem which is purely mechanical. Bad bearing, out of alignment, wrong tire size, hole in muffler....there are plenty of things on a car which don't show up on a plug-in scope. That's when mechanics have to actually think!

 

I firstly have no idea about cars etc... thats why i get it serviced and looked at by mechanics, the tyres again... its not rocket science.. take off tyre put same size back on.....'

njjoe... the other tyres are 235/65R18...... and when i chalenged them about the issue they did just through it on the Consult II and send me on my way.........

Pilgrim..... i am peeved with Nissan and the dealer because they have had no customer service, its just a case of "oh well, not our fault!!!" and simply passed the buck. Nobody has taken responsibility... i run my own business and i am always responsible for what i do, thats my guarantee.. and i am in the customer service field!!!

Gonzo.... the light came on....

 

The AWD light is NOT an indicator of whether the AWD is engaged. The AWD is automatic and transparent - there is no light or indicator to tell you it is active. The AWD light however is there to tell you there is a PROBLEM with the AWD system - this is unrelated to whether the AWD system is actually active or not.

Yes the tire dealer screwed up, and yes your dealership should have found the mismatched tire. However, if you had read your owners manual, you would have learned what the AWD light meant (that it denoted a problem with the system and not whether the AWD system was on or not). Your vehicle gave you plenty of warning before it broke down. There is an element of responsibility from the owner here. I am not trying to be mean or rude, just pointing out what happened here.

I firstly have no idea about cars etc... thats why i get it serviced and looked at by mechanics, the tyres again... its not rocket science.. take off tyre put same size back on.....'

njjoe... the other tyres are 235/65R18...... and when i chalenged them about the issue they did just through it on the Consult II and send me on my way.........

Pilgrim..... i am peeved with Nissan and the dealer because they have had no customer service, its just a case of "oh well, not our fault!!!" and simply passed the buck. Nobody has taken responsibility... i run my own business and i am always responsible for what i do, thats my guarantee.. and i am in the customer service field!!!

Gonzo.... the light came on....

 

The AWD light is NOT an indicator of whether the AWD is engaged. The AWD is automatic and transparent - there is no light or indicator to tell you it is active. The AWD light however is there to tell you there is a PROBLEM with the AWD system - this is unrelated to whether the AWD system is actually active or not.

Yes, and no. If you have a set of mismatched tires the AWD controller will try to keep the system engaged full-time which will lead to overheating of the rear clutch. When that occurs the AWD light will blink slowly. The fact that the light is blinking means the AWD system is active and the clutch is engaged.

According to both the Owners Manual and Service Manual the slow-blinking AWD light indicates a mismatched tire condition.

The dealer should have recognized the issue when the car was first brought in.

-njjoe

 

3.1% is not a large difference....

 

As Mercutio said:

"No, 'tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a church-door; but 'tis enough,'twill serve: ask for me to-morrow, and you shall find me a grave man."

 

3.1% is not a large difference....

Evidently it was large enough for the AWD Controller to believe wheel slippage was occurring.

-njjoe

 

Thanks Eric, I agree with your post. I didn't see the "light came on".... I was wondering why he thought the AWD was engaged. It was a warning. Doh! :1pat:

I wish the MO did have an indicator to tell you when it was engaged.