jnm2kse

Well my dealer is really yanking my chain...I called yesterday to see if he(Service Manager) had heard back from Nissan regarding my TCM replacement. He told me not as of yet...I aked him what my options are..he said that they will either say yes replace the TCM even though the dealer cannot detect slippage (which he added that he doubts very much that will be the case) or they will say no, no slippage detected=no new TCM.

First of all...how truthful does getting Nissan permission to replace a TCM sound? Have you guys ever heard of a dealer "needing" Nissans approval for something like this? And secondly, why would he need to have to hear back from them? Sounds like a pretty clear cut question..I figure they'd either say yes make this guy happy or no, forget about, screw him. Sounds pretty weird to me....and I guess my chat with the GM amounted to nothing at all..he just passed on my concerns to the SM and gave the ball to him...I guess if they will flat out refuse to replace it my last effort will be to talk to the Sales manager(how seemed like a pretty cool guy, always asks how I like my "rocket ship" whenever I see him) and let him know on what happened. I don't think he knows of my troubles...I'll take TimW's advice nd let him know that 700 people work at my company and quite a few of them have commented on how nice my Max looks etc and how I like it...Sales was great but I'll let him know I would never recommend anyone to ever shop Kelly Nissan due to the fact of their lack of Service CS and the ambivilant attitude towards problems....Sometimes that will push some buttons....

Anyways, thats the update...now my real question

To you have had the TCM replaced....I know I wont be able to recreate the slippage but I definitly can tell that the 1st to 2nd shift is very soft as in it seems like it mushes it way into second...like it is on a roll...2nd to 3rd feels like a real shift(harder)....

Under normal or maybe a little harder acceleration, have you guys noticed a little firmer shift from 1st to 2nd??

I guess my next plan of action is to convince the SM to take a newer max built in May, June or July for a ride and see the difference between my shifting with the older TCM vs the newer...sound like a plan doomed to fail?

I dunno, I should take your guys advice and just go to another dealer although I feel kinda foolish walking into a new dealership, TSB in hand and ask them to fix it with the explantion that Kelly won't because they can't recreate it...I'm afraid they might say "So what makes you think we are gonna do it?"

Arrgh..I'm so frustrated...thanks for providing a vent area

GT_icecream

iTrader: (5)

Sorry to hear about your experience.

Yes, the shift you described is what i *HAD* when i had the old TCM. After the swap, 1st to 2nd is a bit firmer and quicker (it's not a HUGE difference, for example my girlfriend can't seem to tell the difference)

What i did is i went to see my Service manager first. But he had absolutely no clue what i'm talking about. So he politely brought out a technician to take a test drive with me. Which of course, i wasn't able to duplicate the problem. ( in my case, the slippage usually happens when the car's not fully warmed up, like the fist few minutes after the car got on the road in the morning)

But i calmly explain my situation to him, and the tech is a nice guy, he told me he has seen the TSB on his computer, it was distributed to him couple month ago. So I believe ANY of those nissan technicians who REALLY IS DOING HIS JOB should know there is the TCM problem. He said he'll still do the swap if that'll make me happy.

Lucky me i guess....i don't know if it is because i went to a Infiniti dealer instead of a Nissan dealer since I have a 2k I30t..??? The reason your dealer hesitate to do the swap is because NISSAN does not do *preventive service*, I personally believe you should do what i do, do some work on the technician, make him go to the service manager and say you have duplicate the problem. They tend to believe their own people if u know what i'm saying....

Or else, find another dealer. Good luck

jnm2kse

if the SM says thumbs down on the TCM swap due to no slip, I'm going to try to convince him to take a spin in a Max with the newer TCM to see the difference. I'm a little hesistant to employ this method though as I have yet to try this and I'd feel really stupid if there is no detectable difference. I'm betting there is and if he refuses to swap it out for no slip, what have I got to lose?

I can agree with your tatics of dealing with the techs...unfortunately the techs must have had the fear of the Nissan Gods instilled in them as his first reaction when I mentioned the problem was "I can't be ordering 800-1000 dollar parts for some problem that I can't duplicate"

Pissah

Here is an idea...everyone here on the Max Forum send a letter to the Kelly Nissan in Beverly Service dept so they'll replace the TCM and I'll finally shut the hell up and stop posting about it here. I think I must be the biggest squawker about this issue on the whole board

yongjun

Yea those SOB
told me that they had to wait for an anpproval to get it raplaced.
i told the service manager he was full of ****.
so i got it replaced anyways.
you guys notice that your car shakes more when you're driving at 80?
i do.
stupid tcm =P
oh well

jnm2kse

You told him he was full of it and after that he said ok..I'll replace it? That sounds weird...

I feel that at highway sppeds the SE is a sort of rough ride.....

mingo

iTrader: (4)

my car also feels unsturdy when i'm at speeds over 80. but only whne it's windy. i say get a bodykit and drop the car, itll help.

GT_icecream

iTrader: (5)

Ya, i noticed that when i bought the car too.....cuz the sport suspension is a lot firmer than my previous 91 max...you can almost feel the cracks on the road

but after a month, i got used to it, and actually liked the handling
Hope you enjoy your car

jnm2kse

is that I feel the road thru the wheel and pedal a bit....feels like tires are a little out of balance..is that the same feeling you get? Not really a heavy vibration but a buzz or slight vibration...notice that when I hit smooth patches the vibrations cuts a bit...

Can it be that sensitive? Not like I feel the road right thru my butt but rather in the wheel and pedal..

GT_icecream

iTrader: (5)

Well, i did noticed that there is a slight vibration that travels through the gas pedal, i can feel it while driving, but it's really a very *slight* vibration. I'll forget about it as soon as i got on the road.

My steering felt fine (maybe it's just me). I don't know about you, i do feel abit more vibration when travel on rough roads, but with our sport suspension of course we will experience greater noise/vibration level , that's how I look at it.

my alignment and wheel balance all checked out fine............how long have u had your car ??? maybe it just takes some time getting used to ???

TimW

iTrader: (6)

I think its exhaust related. Its hard to tell why you'd have a vib at 80. they only balance tires to 60mph. I didnt have a vib up to 90+ but after had a nail hole plugged, I now have a vibration at 83

jnm2kse

Going to my folks house today, pulled out of my driveway and came to a stop light...light turned green, accelerated little harder than normal(not flooring it, not even close, car goes to shift into 2nd(1/2 to 1 second WAAAH and rpm jump)than it rolls into second. Great....you think I could get it to do it again? Fat Chance...think Joe A-Hole dealer will belive me whan I tell him? Fat chance....

I wish this WAAAHH was more predictable or it would happen on a consistent basis I guess the only thing extra I can tack on to my dealer is that it appears to happen when the engine is not quite up to operating temp....The other 2 or 3 times it has happened has been withing the first 5-7 minutes that the car has been running...

Off to battle with the dealer again.....Thursday is D-Day...if they still refuse to replace it because THEY can't detect any slip or delay I'll have no other choice but to go to another dealer. But the sales manager and GM will certainly know that I am going to be going somewhere else(they'll probably say Thank God! ) due to their service dept. I must get 3 or 4 questions about my car a day...I direct every one of those people to somewhere other than Kelly Nissan, thats for sure.


Tim, my bad..I meant at highway speed over 45 I get the buzz or slight vibration in the wheel...could be related to my squeaky engime mounts...thats whats being replaced Thursday, and that is why I will battle them until then for the TCM.....

Buzz in pedal for exhaust does seem to make sense..

punkdork

So for those of you who got the TCM replaced, I just tried to set up an appointment to get mine looked at. I used Courtesy Nissan's online appointment scheduler. I then call to confirm and get "oh, our Transmission guy isn't here on Saturdays" that means I'd have to go in on a week day, only I have something I refer to as a job that prohibits me from sitting at the service center forever. Did you guys just drop your car off? Since the initial diagnosis is a short test drive I don't see why I'd have to leave the car there all day. I'm seriously considering replacing the bugger myself, anyone know how much it costs?

Y2KevSE

iTrader: (13)

I dropped off the car and had them check it out... left it there the whole day. They verified it and replaced it on the same day (the TCM was in stock because I had them order it 2 months prior to that day).

Jane said she saw something around the $500-$600 mark... that's mighty expensive.

jnm2kse

The tech I was discussing it with(arguing was more like it) said he could not go ordering a 800-1000k part if he cannot detect any slip or delay or whatever...so.....maybe he was just pulling that # out of thin air.

punkdork

Kev, are you in the Dallas area? If so, which dealer did you go through? I've already had to rent a car dealing with this once. Since it should be a warranty repair I have a hard time forking that cash over especially since it is something they are so reluctant to replace.

Y2KevSE

iTrader: (13)

I'm in San Fran... drove my other car to work (87 Nissan Pulsar).

I'm not too sure what's covered or not, but hopefully one of the others might be able to help you out.

Guest

Nissan will not replace the TCM if they can't detect the slip. That is the biggest bunch of crap I have ever heard. They KNOW the TCM is faulty, they put out the TSB. I don't know about the rest of you, but after this whole thing with my current 2K Max is over, I am not gong to buy Nissan again. I can guarantee you that. The car not working, I can deal with...the horrible service, run around and crap that the Consumer Affairs division gives me not to mention the individual dealers, service managers and service advisors I REFUSE to put up with. We chose to PAY for these cars. We didn't choose the crappy service.

TimW

iTrader: (6)

jnm2kse, please check your email..

punkdork

We can buy replacement TCMs from CourtesyParts for only $375.26 + shipping!! Um... I think I will be continuing to try and have my dealer replace this.

mingo

iTrader: (4)

my sevice dept says they won't replace the darn thing unless the get it to slipagian.. i told them about tsb and he said "no problem i'll go look it up right now" an di said hmm... well can you make it slip? and he said "i havn't drove your car in person but the techies said it was fine. i'll take it for a spin myself after they are done" so i guess that's not too bad.

punkdork

I'm going to have to take a day off work to deal with this. I thinkg I'll insist on taking the test drive and we will drive untill they can repro. I've gotten to be able to tell really easily that its happening. 1st-2nd=squishy shift 2nd-3rd qick and crisp.

jnm2kse

know later today on the verdict...took a test drive with the SM this morning and of course I could not replicate the problem.....always the way...

375? Thats all? I mean granted the part should be replaced for free but that is a heck of a lot less expensive than I thought.

I forgot mention the 1st to 2nd soft shift vs the 2nd to 3rd, 3rd to 4th etc firmer shift..in fact I'm on the horn right now with the SM to add this...well I was...he isnt around...I hope that means he is out test driving my car.

I mentioned to him that he should test drive a newer Max(one built in May, June or July, I assume they have the newer TCM) and compare it to my Max.

I hoping that there is a detecable difference between the 2 and this will solidfy my claim....

Good Idea from those who have had the TCM swapped? I think I've gathered enough info here that you can sort of tell under normal driving but the differnce is more noticable under heavier acceleration....Well?

Y2KevSE

iTrader: (13)

Is this Stanford Nissan? I went there, but they said they couldn't find any problems...

Y2KevSE

iTrader: (13)

Hope they verify the problem and fix it for you. I had to emphasize the different feel of upshifting from 1st to 2nd, and so on. Having him drive both cars, one after another is another good idea (take one out on a test drive to see if there is a noticible difference between yours and the 2K1).

mingo

iTrader: (4)

kevin u see my car??? it was at stanford nissan. they replaced the front two rotors cuz it's outa shape. all good. but yeah i should tell them to test drive two cars to compare.. thanx for the advice.

Y2KevSE

iTrader: (13)

Nope, didn't see your car. My rotors are warped too, but they won't fix it because I've "changed my suspension." Doh!

mingo

iTrader: (4)

well at least u can get slotted and cross drilled rotars and quad piston callipers.

i don't see how dropping a car can ruin the brakes tho.. i think you should fight it. unless you don't care.. or fight it, get new rotors, sell it.

punkdork

Well, I just scheduled a day off work and made an appointment with my dealer. At first the guy asked, are you coming to a complete stop or a rolling stop before you are accelerating? Because apparently the car won't go back into 1st without stopping. I said, well, I don't really know the gear numbers, and it doesn't matter because I still feel the problem no matter if its 1-2 2-3 or 4-1. Then he said well, you'll have to leave the car with me all day, there's no way I can guarantee you drop the car off at 8 and I'll have someone in it at 8:05. I said, "No way? Not even if I schedule a month in advance?" His reply, "nope." I then explained that I wanted to go along on the test drive in case they were unable to repro and said, "Well, I'll show up at 9 and be ready when you can get to me." I don't think they'll have me sitting there all day, I'll be dying my hair blue before then so they may not want me hanging around their nice dealership looking all "freaky".

This is starting to get fun!

TimW

iTrader: (6)

stopping completely. I about loaded my Depends® the first time I heard it *SLAM* down after I did a bumpstop. its a 4th gen trait too. The idea is that we have enough torque to go roll in second at any speed. at least thats what Nissan engineering thinks.

Russ® also warped his rotors doing some evasive manuever on the interstate to avoid somebody stopped in front of him. His were replaced under warranty. They gave him crap too. I think he gave them the thing about 1st year/12K miles everything is covered and they did the work.

[Edited by TimW on 09-07-2000 at 04:37 PM]

Y2KevSE

iTrader: (13)

Thanks for all the advice guys, but I'm at 24K so it's a long shot. I bought new rotors and pads from Stillen, but when measured my rotor vs. theirs, theirs was thinner (so I gave them to Jane). I'm not sure what the effects are of using thinner rotors, but I don't want to take that chance.

Still waiting on some good aftermarket rotors/pads that'll fit the 2K.

radpp16

Well today, bright and early, 7am i took my vehicle to the Nissan dealer service place. My complaint was shifts from 1st to 2nd frequently when i floor it or just pump it real quick.

I begged one of the technicians to let me be there when he test drove the car or do whatever he had to , he said no "people can't be in here when the vehicles are being checked out" I told him at other dealers the owners get drive with the tech to see the prob. Well then i told him and wrote it down, just go like 10-15 and then floor, or just cruise and then half floor it and your going to feel the longest shift from 1st to 2d youve ever felt, and sometimes the car hops.

10hours later they called and they said the car was perfect and even though it was manufactured in december 1999 it doesn't need the new TCM.


Now how much bull**** is this, Why? wont they do what they gotta do.

I figure they don't want to waste their time since it is a Nissan - Mazda - VW dealer all in one. I got a couple of other places. I am just so pissed off that in 10 hours they couldnt do jack ****, at least a complimentary oil change would have been nice, oh yeah and the fact that i am 19 doesn't help either.
Roger

Y2KevSE

iTrader: (13)

Refer to: http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.phtml?threadid=1526