Hello GDrivers

So I recently purchased a 2005 g35 6MT sedan from a VW dealership about a month ago. I got the car with about 102k miles with a 3month/3k mile Powertrain warranty. A couple weeks ago I replaced my spark plugs because it was recommended to do at 105k miles and I found some oil in the 6th cylinder. I took the car to the dealership and explained to them what I had found and they said they would look at it and let me know what my options are after.
Last night they told me that they found a tiny a bit of oil in the cylinder and that I would need to replace my valve cover gasket. They told me that the warranty does not cover this and quoted me 460 just for the labor. I tried to reason with them because I know Nissan covers this under their 60k warranty but they said their warranty is not the same as Nissan's. I refused and took the car back.

This is what is covered in my "Plan D" Powertrain Warranty
Engine....
All internal lubricated parts, timing belt, pulleys and cover, oil pump; water pimp; manifolds; harmonic balancer; engine mounts; turbocharger housing; internal parts and vanes. Note: Cases, housings engine block and cylinder head are only covered if damaged by the failure of an internal lubricated part.
Automatic Transmission/Transfer Case....
All internal lubricated parts, torque converter, vacuum modulator.
Manual Transmission/Transfer Case.....
All internal lubricated parts. Does not include manual clutch, pressure plate, throw-out bearings, pilot bearings or bushing, clutch master or slave cylinders.
Rear-Wheel drive....
All internal lubricated parts, propeller shafts, supports and U-joints, axle shafts and bearings.
Front-Wheel Drive....
All internal lubricated parts, axle shafts, constant velocity joints, front hub bearings.

My question is; are they right to say that the warranty does not cover what I need?

Note: they also tried to charge me 140 to just have them look at the car but they decided to cover it because I gave them a hard about how I already told them what I found and needed fix. They could have just told me that the warranty does not cover it from the beginning.

Sorry for the long read.

Cliffs: Found oil in cylinder 6, my powertrain warranty does not cover valve cover replacement.

thank you

What's pulley and cover?

Since you just bought the car from them, they should do the damn repairs under good faith. Did you buy the car "as-is"? If not, and it doesn't say "as-in" anywhere, they should be responsible for the repairs.

Did they give you a 20+ or whatever inspection? Sorry to say it but you might just have to shell out another 400. Are they only replacing 1 valve cover? I say you should replace both.

I purchased the extended warranty from Infiniti for $780 and it paid for itself already. Dealership found 2 cracked compression rod bushings and a leaky lower radiator hose. That's about $950 bones.

Speaking of that, you should check your compression rod bushings. Those things were bad from the very beginning and Nissan issued a "revised" bushing a few years ago.

Again, I would demand they replace the valvecovers seeing that you just bought the damn car....

Yeah I bought the car "as is" and it came with a 3month/3k Powertrain warranty. When I spoke with the sales/service lady, she was really stern on not covering the repairs. She showed me what my warranty covered and I tried say that the valve cover gasket should be under "all lubricated internal parts" but she refused it. This was near closing time and I think she really wanted to go home so she just waived the 140 inspection charge.

On the invoice they gave me, it just says "customer states finding oil in 6th cylinder" and under it, it says technician inspected the cylinder and recommends valve cover replacement.

I don't think they did any other inspections and I'm not absolutely sure if they even checked the plugs because the battery was not disconnected (all my radio stations were still there, along with my trip miles and memory seat). The only thing I came out of there with was a free car wash.

Am I really screwed here? I don't really mind buying the part myself and doing it at home but if my warranty covers this, it would really save me a lot of time, trouble and money.

It should cover it. For example, the same powertrain warranty under Infiniti would cover it.

The valve cover alone is $390 bucks each..... So if they're only asking for $400 to replace the cover and the labor, that's a pretty good deal.

^^Please read the whole opening post before replying, he was quoted $460 just for labor.

Internals are pistons, valves, etc. The leaking seal on #6 is a very well known and documented problem that Infiniti should fix even after the power-train warranty is up due to "Manufacturer's Defect", I'd call Infiniti USA and see if they will help you.

If you have no luck there's a DIY on this site for replacing just the seal on #6, it'll save hundreds over buying a new valve cover and labour for install. Or you can search auto wreckers for a valve cover off an '06-'07 and save $$$, Infiniti used a different seal on those years. Btw the $460 quote just for labour is a rip-off.

Yeah the 460 was just for labor, she was going to look up how much the parts were but I told her not to since I wasn't planning on having them fix it. I'll try calling infiniti to see what they can do about it, has anyone done this even after their 60k warranty was up?

If all else fails then I'll try the DIY. I've seen the valve gasket cover kits for about 200 online, anyone know any good places to buy it? or any good brands?

thanks

I actually agree with the dealership in not covering it. To simplify the issue, it's a leaking valve cover not really defined by any of the items they claim to cover.


Their warranty is more for protection against a blown head gasket, or a snapped crankshaft or some major damage. I don't think you'll be able to convince them to fix it, and if you are past the 60K mile mark, Nissan wont either.

You can always buy the valve covers and replace them yourself in a few hours time if you're interested in saving money. It is a pretty involved job, but I've done it

Yeah I've read a few forums and it turns out Nissan wont be paying for it since the 60k warranty is up. Oh well haha.

Yeah that's what I'll be doing. Can you recommend what I'll be needing? Since its only cylinder 6 leaking, do I just need the right valve cover and valve cover gasket?

u must be used to paying full msrp on car parts

*side note question to others, would the valve covers technically be considered a wear and tear item since the spark plugs seals are technically seals which will always eventually go bad and need replacing. its jus unfortunate the way it was designed. if so i can see how it wouldnt be covered. i wonder if infiniti is jus covering it under warranty jus to not deal with the hassle of customers complaining since theyre the ones that designed it to be irreplaceable and hoping the warranty will be up before the issue occurs again and the customers goes away lol

Does this issue affect the '03 model?

^definitely

Noob here, had my 05 rebuilt, see post, does not look good, have it rebuilt. No oil on any plug when I did the swap out in the spring of 2012.