i pulled up a p0420 after an ses light came up. i called up nissan and they told me i'd have to go to a nissan dealership where they will diagnose my car and see what to do. she also said that they will charge me for the diagnosis. i just wanted to ask you guys if they will charge me even if my car is still covered under warranty? i just want to upgrade my ecu.

 

it seems a bit unfair.
this was my dilemma, and i went alogn with it. i had a low pressure SES code pop up for me. dealer said that they would check it out. if it was just a loose gas cap, THEN they'd charge me the diagnostics fee. if it was something else, ie a warranty issue, then there would be no diagnostics fee and the work would be completed. it turned out to be 2 sensors that malfunctioned.

now, you should try to talk to them and explain to them the unfairness. i forgot waht p0420 is, but i think that's coils. if your car is still under warranty (how is it, you have a 2000, aren't you passed 3 yr or 36k) then they should cover you, PERIOD. get legal on them. break out the manual. ask them what part of this SES light is not covered under warranty. if they seem to act very annoying, simply call up another dealership, they don't share info. denied warranty in one dealership can be completely the opposite in another dealership.

good luck, and let us know...but first, how are you still under warranty. did you purchase an extended. did you buy the car late 2001?

 

could be injectors, intake leak, spark plugs, ignition timing, or maybe an exhaust leak. i would think you would be covered under warranty.

edit: could be cat or coils too.

 

im no longer covered by the 3/36, but i remember seeing somewhere that the ecu and the cat were covered under 8/80. i've only got about 33,700 and don't think my o2 sensors have gone bad already. i just want to update my ecu, but don't want to pay an $85 diag. fee. anyone else been through this and have any input?

 

The dealer is trying to cover its cost to look at the car if the problem isn't covered under warranty. I would only take it to them if you know for sure that your car is covered, agree to pay the diag. If the repair is covered, you pay nothing, if not you either pay for the repair or the diag. I ended up agreeing to a diag fee on my o2's. I thought they were covered under warranty the emissions warranty but apparently not and the warranty they were covered under had expired. The dealer was sill nice enough to replace them free of charge since I am a good customer.

 

Which dealer(stealer) did you talk to?

 

My dealer has yet to charge me a diag fee for anything....been going there for 4 years now. I guess I am lucky. They hand wash the car for free anytime they pull it inside even if they dont' do anything...
Fees I've seen elsewhere are about 40-60 bucks.

 

Okay, the P0420 code has to do with the catalytic converter. There is a TSB on this about the ECU software showing a false error. I had this same exact problem a few months back. They told me the same thing about the diagnostic fee. This particular problem, if it is the ECU or cat, will be covered under a 80,000mile or something like that warranty for the emmisions. This is not the bumper to bumper warranty.

If you think about it, the dealership needs to be paid for the time they spend diagnosing the problem. If it is something under warranty, then they can charge the manufacturer. If it is something else, then who do you think they should charge? It should be you, it's your car after all. Does the doctor not charge you if you go in to get looked at and have nothing wrong with you?

 

It's built into the cost. They also don't make money on the waiting room, free coffee, rides to work, or being nice either, but if they want me to bring my car back to them then they can do it for "free". I can go to Checker and get it done for free by someone with a 4th grade education. Most of the scanners that they have are not the shop's but the mechanics so the dealer hasn't incured any loss on just scanning my Max for codes. If they are going to charge him $56 dollars for a socket, $120 for a 3/8" rachet, and $28 for a 3" extention, then I'll take my Max someplace else that has tools.

He has allready provided them with the code so why should he get charged just to confirm what he allready knows?

P.S. I also tell my DR that I have strep throat and if he wants to do a culture that fine but in the mean time give me my penicillin and keep your jelly fingers out of my @ss.

 

u shouldn't get charged, that is under 80,000 mile warranty,
i had the same prob, and u take it in and sign a paper for the diagnostic
checks with and insane price of 90 bucks somewhere around there, but
that codes is covered so it is waived off, I had my ecu updated and
the code never came back... if u have questions, call nissans consumer
affairs, look in ur car manual.

 

I recently ran into a similar issue, but mine was for o2 sensors. I inquired as to if I replaced the o2 sensors myself and brought the car in to have the SES reset what would I be charged. To simply be hooked up to the diagnostic machine to have the SES reset, it would have been $95, but I have an extended warranty, so I just paid my $50 deductible to have the issue taken car of.

 

So what you're saying CJ7, is that everything should be for free. Out of good will, because they want to keep your business with them. It's up to the dealer whether he wants to do it out of good will or not. That person that is checking your car out could be working on another car for money. This is how the dealership is looking at it. The dealership is not trying to rip you off. They are trying to make it worth their time to provide this service. When you lose money, it is not worth your time.

 

I've never been charged. I just pull into the bay and let them check it out. I've been using the same Nissan dealer for 8 years.