2006 G35 Sedan, 46,000 Miles:

So about a week ago, I started to hear a little noise--kind of a flapping sound--coming from the engine of my G. I had just gotten the oil changed a week prior, and they said everything looked good with the car. The noise persisted--especially at low idle--after the car had warmed-up. I thought it was weird, and probably nothing major, but WOW was I wrong.

I brought the car to Infiniti Tustin, and the service manager had me recreate the the noise. When I did, he told me that there was definitely an internal engine problem, and for me to produce all of my service records. Luckily, I was able to do so, but he pointed-out that I had exceeded the recommended mileage between oil changes (7,500) within my first year of owning the vehicle. The service manager told me that this could have the effect of voiding the factory powertrain warranty. He told me that the next step in cases like this is to drop the oil pan to look for engine sludge or other indicators of maintenance negligence. If there is any indication of sludge, the warranty would be void, and I would essentially have to start searching for a lake to drive into...

The diagnostic on the engine came through, and a rod bearing was shot. The noise I was hearing was the rod hitting the crankshaft. In cases like this Infiniti doesn't repair the engine; it is more viable to replace it. The bill for a new engine, installed, comes out to a little over $14,000...

So I am sure you could imagine my anxiety over this, but I will cut the suspense.

When he dropped the oil pan, he didn't find any sludge or signs or user neglect. Nissan approved the warranty replacement, and a brand new engine is being installed in my G as we speak. I am kind of excited about having a brand new engine in my car, which only has 46,000 miles on it to being with, especially since I own it and plan on keeping it for another few years.

I guess there is really no point to this, other than you might find it interesting how manufactures handle warranty issues like this. The manager told me that had I not been able to produce any service records at all, that I would have had to pay for the labor to drop the oil pan, as well as administrative costs incurred by Nissan Corp., regardless of the findings.

The moral of the story for me, other than obviously changing the oil more regularly, is that it is important to retain all service records. This fine print could have a big impact on anyone who changes the oil themselves--voiding factory warranties and sending them immediately into "find a lake" territory.

Has this happened to anyone else? Does 'sludge' actually exist, or was Nissan corp just looking for a way out of honoring the warrantee?

 

Wow that **** about one change. I would have brought it to another dealership that was more people friendly sounds like they were trying to scare you because they didnt want to cover it.

 

Recommended does not = Required

Yep its very important to keep all records if you do any maintinance on your car.

Your dealer was playing its tactics with you to scare you.

 

It's because you went to Tustin Infiniti.

 

First question- 6 speed or auto?

First observation - $14,000 for a new installed motor A new motor is around $5,400 and install can be done in about 6 hours. A low mileage used motor can be had for around $1,500-2,000.


I agree, records are key and is one reason why you should be very diligent about buying used cars with documented service histories.

 

Agreed with keeping records of what you've done with your car.

Now here's scenario. What if you couldn't produce any records, the findings of what failed were unchanged, and no sludge was found in your engine. Would Nissan have still replaced the engine at no charge?

 

wow! i do all of the oil changes to my car. I guess i will start collecting the receipts and writing the mileage on them. Is that good enough?

 

a lot of it depends on how good/bad of a customer that you have been before the necessary engine replacement.

speaking of poor maintenance, our engines will most definitely sludge up if not properly maintained. i have seen several 07-08 g35 sedans where people have gone 20-35k on an oil change and from then on, that engine is ruined.