Nissan dealer can't even do a simple oil change

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Originally Posted By: Redpatches
Why the heck do you need eighteen &^^((*%$@ screws to hold in a splashguard just to do an oil change? My Toyota has four and my Honda has none. Sounds like something you find on more expensive(overpriced?)cars like Mercedes/Lexus/BMW.
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Luckily, the BMW I service is the easiest of all cars I work on. Nothing is required to be removed to access the drain plug except a quarter to open the little latch that flips open and the filter is on top of the engine.
 
I've had this happen EVERY SINGLE TIME I've had a dealer change my oil. I ended up buying a bunch of those bolts and the plastic clips that are everywhere by the bag from an online infinity/Nissan dealer.
 
had my oil changed at monro muffler they told me ther were thirteen screws holding up the skid plate that had to be removed to change the oil.2015 Hyundai sonata 2.4.
 
Originally Posted By: Redpatches
Why the heck do you need eighteen &^^((*%$@ screws to hold in a splashguard just to do an oil change? My Toyota has four and my Honda has none. Sounds like something you find on more expensive(overpriced?)cars like Mercedes/Lexus/BMW.
confused2.gif



My BMW had one screw.
 
I'm sure my MB E430 has a splash-guard under the engine, how many bolts/screws are used to secure it ? I don't know.

I use Mityvac 7201 to siphon oil from dipstick tube and cartridge oil filter is on top of the engine, no messing around with splash-guard.
 
Brought in my GF's 2015 Murano for her first oil change and didn't have time to grab Mobil 1 EP 0w-20 for her from Walmart so I grabbed a jug of the Pennzoil Ultra 5w-30 from my stash. She also was getting a stinky smell from the AC and scheduled this appointment in a hurry but when they couldn't find the source of the smell the tech service rep told me that 5w30 was the wrong weight for the 2015 Murano. He said from factory it's filled with synthetic oil, which it isn't when I called Nissan customer service about my Juke.

The tech rep is a super nice guy but continued to tell me they could fill the Murano with synthetic Mobil. If I remember correctly a synthetic oil change after taxes was about $80 vs a $25 Dino change. I declined the techs offer and said that was the reason I brought the Pennzoil. He again brought another tech over and said this is the guy that said 5w30 is wrong and we recommend Mobil 0w20. I told them, "It's stated in the owners manual that if 0w20 isn't available, 5w30 can be used instead" and they said "Only 5w30 Dino!" I looked at them and said no where in the manual does it say 5w30 Dino only and I told them 0w20 is only found in synthetic and why would it be ok for a Dino to be 5w30 but not another synthetic? They looked at me and said "Nissan recommends 0w20", and back to square 1 haha.

I asked the GF how it drives with the Ultra in and she says she can notice that it's quicker and more quiet. I can tell it drives better and different. Maybe just all in our heads. Love me that Pennzoil Ultra with Unicorn tears.
 
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Your experience with their "recommendations" is why people come here. There's a reason they second guess what the manual says. If the dealer is giving them conflicting (and outright wrong) information, of course people might question the manual, too. People wonder why posters come here and ignore the manual? That's why. The dealer service departments feed distrust of the OEM recommendations.

Any dealer that pushes a different viscosity because they get a certain bulk oil cheaper or pushes shorter OCIs to pad their service numbers needs to be slapped down hard by the OEM. Of course, not being able to service a vehicle without losing fasteners is just plain idiotic. No one's been given the opportunity to change oil on my G37, and it's not going to happen anytime soon.
 
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Bad engineering !

Why didn't they test what they designed ?

The team leader should demand all parts of a new vehicle are tested after a prototype was assembled, modifies/changes if needed should be done before production. The question a team leader should ask engineers is "Could it be done better ?"


Maybe they did test it and the convenience of oil changing became secondary.

Engineers do not always get their way to avoid such things and sometimes overridden. Also, engines are designed separate from the intended models they will be in with only loose dimensions of where they will fit. Then these engines are plugged into car models after the fact, sometimes for multiple generation platforms many times removed from when the engine was originally designed.
 
Originally Posted By: Hootbro
Maybe they did test it and the convenience of oil changing became secondary.

Engineers do not always get their way to avoid such things and sometimes overridden. Also, engines are designed separate from the intended models they will be in with only loose dimensions of where they will fit. Then these engines are plugged into car models after the fact, sometimes for multiple generation platforms many times removed from when the engine was originally designed.

Many accessories could and should be platform specific.

We are talking about the splash guard under the engine in this thread. Engineer should incorporates 2 small openings(with flaps or without), 1 for drain bolt and 1 for filter. The extra cost of incorporate 2 flaps into the shield should be no more than $3-5. Is it too much extra cost for the company ?
 
And people think the dealer can do no wrong.

What many people fail to realize is that for oil changes, tire rotations, and other simple tasks, the dealer uses lower paid help and NOT ASE certified mechanics.

The dealer's ASE certified mechanics as busy doing tasks that they are trained for, not oil changes, the grease monkeys handle that.
 
I'm going to sound like a broken record here, but the whole reason I started doing my own oil was the big mess I got in my garage after a Subie dealer tech mangled up my drain plug at a 15k servicing...I figured it would make me less upset to be screwing things like that up myself rather than paying somebody else big bucks to give me headaches.
And, the only reason I found you fine folks here was that I got interested in motor oil properties when I was trying to decide what oil to buy. It's like I have a whole new family to argue with...(sniff)
 
Originally Posted By: stchman
What many people fail to realize is that for oil changes, tire rotations, and other simple tasks, the dealer uses lower paid help and NOT ASE certified mechanics.

Exactly, and I just got reminded of something similar when perusing my G37 owner's manual a couple minutes ago. Nissan/Infiniti dealers up here are notorious for trying to scare customers into getting dealer oil changes or they'll have no warranty. Of course, Nissan still prints oil change instructions in that manual.

There's a reason dealers are petrified of people being able to purchase new vehicles directly online. If more of them tried to make the purchasing and servicing experiences a little more painless and more transparent, they wouldn't have to worry about such things.
 
So many of those plastic rivets and splash shield bolts end up missing after I get my car back from the shop I've lost count over the years.
 
Originally Posted By: NormanBuntz

This is a perfect example of why I like DIY, even at age 64. If a Nissan dealer can't do a simple oil change correctly, what can they do right?


I would say the exact same thing not only about Nissan but the Jeep dealer that must have used a razor to remove a nice rubber grommet on the drain plug for the Wrangler, or the Ford dealer who didn't include some of the screws and pins when they put the undershield back on the Focus, of the Nissan dealer that didn't put the push pin back in the inner wheel flap to hold it in place when they pulled the filter, and so on and so forth.

I take it in when I want the wheels rotated, they change the oil, and then I crawl under it to see if anything new is missing. I then mention it when I take it back for the next tire rotation, and they usually put whatever it was they left off last time, back on.

But I've pretty much given up. Although my new to me Ford Fusion has like 11 screws and 2 pushpins and god knows what else, and just the thought of stripping all that junk off irritates me, and I will probably cave and take it to the dealer when it is tire rotation time, and hold my breath, and hope this one is different.
 
Quote:
Ocala Nissan in Ocala FL left off (discarded) 6 of the 18 machine screws that secure the lower engine splash shield.
Wow 18 screws for a piece of plastic. It might be easier to pull the engine to change the oil.
 
Time for an update. Spoke to the Ocala Nissan service manager, who offered to send me a pack of 10 fasteners, which I soon received in the mail. Problem is that Nissans use the plastic push rivets, while my Infiniti uses M6 x 1.0 x 20 bolts to secure the splash shield. Wrong fasteners.

Now waiting to see what the SM offers to do next. I give him credit so far for trying to keep a customer satisfied.
 
Originally Posted By: NormanBuntz
Time for an update. Spoke to the Ocala Nissan service manager, who offered to send me a pack of 10 fasteners, which I soon received in the mail. Problem is that Nissans use the plastic push rivets, while my Infiniti uses M6 x 1.0 x 20 bolts to secure the splash shield. Wrong fasteners.

Now waiting to see what the SM offers to do next. I give him credit so far for trying to keep a customer satisfied.


Final update: The SM came through and mailed me the correct OEM metric screws. The OC experience was a hassle, but I give the dealership SM credit for being responsive.
 
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