I was in a car accident in august of 04 and my radiator was replaced with an aftermarket one. Ever since then my heat hasn't been as hot as I remember it being. It blows warm air but never as hot as my dad's I35. I took it to a local dealer and after picking it up was told that there's an "air pocket in the system due to the aftermarket radiator" which they can fix for me and would have to charge me for an hour labor. Has anyone ever heard of anything like this or is it just a bunch of ?

 

Airpocket? Never heard of that before. Sound like some b.s. The only thing I can think is the thermostat is bad, since they fail stuck open, which your car is not heating up quickly. How many miles does your car have?

 

i've got 34,000 and change so i'm within the bumper to bumper warranty. should i bring it to a different nissan and ask them to look at the thermostat?

 

No, just get radiant heating installed under the carpet. Or maybe you could throw a kerosene heater in the backseat.

 

If the thermostat has stuck open, both the upper and lower radiator hoses will warm up at the same time. Also, it is possible for air to be stuck in the heater core if your car wasn't bled properly. To DIY, you just need to jack up the front of the car and install a bleeder funnel to the radiator neck. Run the car for awhile until its completely warm and periodically rev the engine until no more bubbles come through the funnel. Hope this helps.

 

where do i get this thing and how much is it? cuz if it's $60 or over i might as well just pay nissan to do it for me since i'll never use the thing again.

 

I got mine from a MAC Tools dealer for about $30. Pepboys, Autozone, NAPA, etc. should have them. Just look for a Universal coolant funnel.