dtahsee

Hi all. My car hit 36000 miles on the last Wednesday of April. I don't use the A/C a lot, but a few days later on Friday, I turned on the A/C and it was blowing hot air. I took it in to a local shop, who put dye in and told me they did not find any leak. They added some freon and all was well for a few days. Then the A/C started blowing hot air again. I decided to take it in to the local dealership since I suspected a switch problem and since I was so close to the 36000 mile mark, maybe talk Nissan into covering this. Well, turns out the low pressure hose was leaking from both ends, and the O rings needed to be replaced. After about 4 hours guy comes in and tells me that the A/C condenser was cracked and leaking fluid and needed to be replaced as well. Since I was a little over 36000 miles, he would talk to Nissan about covering some of the cost. All in all, I ended up paying $600+ out of pocket. How in the world can the condenser need replacing at 36000 miles? Is the Nissan build quality that bad? So my question is

1) Is is possible I was taken for a ride because it sure feels like it. The local shop did not find any leak a week earlier.
2) Can I call Nissan about this? I mean at 36000 miles I should not have to deal with this. If the weather was warmer a few days earlier, I would have caught this issue.
3) Where can I get Nissan Gold security Plus extended warranty for a good price. I can't afford many more $600 repairs.

PS - I have a 2008 SL

Lovemycar

Wow 2008 I have an 2004 SE that just turned 48K and My A/C blows ice cold air. although there is a none issue with that lower hose leaking in the 6th gens but I never heard of the condenser leaking sound like they may have cracked it some how checking your ride

PetitFrereMaxima

iTrader: (2)

What a story. Sorry to hear about that.

You mentioned you were a little above 36k. Do you remember exact mileage? What was it? I just know dealerships like to go by the book. And since our warranty is 36k bumper to bumper, I am not surprised they wanted you to pay part of it.

I dirve an 08 SE and I am first owner. I don't use a/c that much also. But no problems at all. Knock on wood. Glad you got it fixed. Hope everything stays fine.

MiamiBlackMax

Sorry to hear that but I have been there.... at about 35xxx miles both my lines had small leaks and I have to pay for it since I had pass my 3 yrs, then about 1 yr later at 42xxx miles the a/c when out again. It comes out that now my condenser had a leak. So that was another 600+ to fix. I have a 05 but the first problem happend at 4+ yrs at about 36xxx miles and I dont use my a/c much and I try to take care of it.. my condenser went out 5+ with about 42xxx so i know it sux

hero782

iTrader: (2)

I had a issue with my ac with 18000 miles on it also but the warranty covered everything

papasuede

I just went through the similar problem with my 07 at 42k miles but I filed a claim with Nissan Consumer Affairs before I had the dealer do the work.

Since you already paid, you may want to call Nissan consumer affairs and ask for a goodwill credit because you are just outside of the warranty. Don't argue with them or you will get nothing. Be persistant and they might help you out.

I would let them know that you feel that a 08 with xxxxx miles shouldn't be having $600 repairs. Ask them if other people have had problems with the condenser? or if this is a common issue? Ask them a questions regarding the realiability of the car? Tell them you bought an 08 hoping to get 75-100k miles out of it with just doing the regular maintenance schedule and that you've never had a car with problems like this. Ask them how they would feel if they were in your position. If you make them feel like you got cheated without yelling at them or arguing, they may have some sympathy.

If that doesn't work..........Then start yelling at everyone. ha!

JD05

Make a copy of your receipt and send it to Nissan with a sob story of what happened,being so close to the warranty running out they should of covered it. You should of tried other dealers some dealers will help you some wont. Be persistent but not rude. You should run your A/C a few times a week for 5 to 10 minutes at a time if you don't it will cause seals to go bad eventually. It is actually worst not to run your A/C than to run it,keeps it lubricated.

Matt93SE

iTrader: (44)

This. they should cover it. That AC unit didn't spontaneously fail and crack at 36001 miles. it was on its way out well before 36k, but it didn't completely fail until after the warranty. especially being THIS close to the mileage, they should cover it.

Hell I was able to talk them into replacing valve cover gaskets on my G35 at 75,000 miles (70k drivetrain warranty on Infiniti) and well past the 6 yr date. (My '04 just rolled 70k miles in feb and was purchased in mid '03.)

Part of the issue is that the leaking valve covers seem to be common and this is routine stuff for the dealership on these cars.. a good percentage of the G35s have had this fix during warranty, so they covered mine without much hassle.

SmokinMaxSE

iTrader: (1)

How often do you take it to that dealer? I don't trust dealer service dpt. They are all snakes.

dtahsee

@ Lovemycar - I have read about the lower hose as well. Its the condenser that has got me all worked up.

@ PetitFrereMaxima - The exact mileage when I discovered the problem was 36060 miles, but by the time I went to the dealership, the mileage was about 36900 miles, since this is my sister's daily ride and her commute is about 60 miles.

@ MiamiBlackMax, @ hero782 - And this is the reason why I am looking into the extended warranty. Issues at 18000 miles??? C'mon !!!!

@ papasuede - I did submit a complaint to the Nissan consumer affairs on the NISSAN website, but never got a reply back. I guess, I should have called them. The dealer got them to cover the lower hose, freon and O-rings under warranty, so they did give me some credit. I am just pissed at seeing issues in a new car (new to me at least). I actually talked a friend and his brother into buying a 08 Maxima and an 09 Altima, respectively, because as a former 3rd gen maxima owner, I never encountered any major issues. Heck, I was looking at the Murano as an option to replace my toyota, but that ain't gonna happen.

@ JD05, @SmokinMaxSE - Cant say that I really trust this dealership. Got a quote from 2 places for my 30,000 mile service and these guys had a very high quote. In hindsight, I should have taken this elsewhere. Oh, and the fun part is, I took a day off from work and waited 7.5 hours in the waiting room for the work to be done.

@Matt93SE - Leaking lower hose seems to be common on these cars, so I think that is why they covered that under warranty. But like you said, the condenser didn't just fail at 36000 miles. I noticed it at 36060, so it was well on its way out. It's this issue and not the repair cost that is bothering me the most. Had I driven the car instead of my sister, I may have noticed this issue.

ikalinin

iTrader: (1)

the dealer doesnt care if you pay them, or nissan north america.. they get paid no matter what they do.. in fact, broken hose, condensor unit, belts, they'd add all that on and charge nissan and make more money. so i wouldn't say you were taken for a ride.

2nd, anything is possible. its not a nissan part, toyota part, ford part.. its all made from same materials.. parts fail.. no matter who manufactures them.

3rd. you CAN talk to your dealer and ask for your old part back, and stress you opinion that your local shop didnt find anything wrong w/ anything 1 week prior. Document everything and call Nissan north america w/ your concern and unsatisfaction. Chances are they will meet you half way, or take care of the bill 100%. I've done this a couple times, just be professional; and sound like you know what you're talking about.

good luck.