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While installing my HID’s, look what I found!
I bought the car used from the dealer and it is a certified car from Nissan! Took it in today and just as I thought, they can’t say when it happened because we have had one day of rain that could of rusted it. But the service guy did say it looked like it has been that way for awhile now. I'm the only drive and would of felt that one!
Now I get to go up against Nissan to see if they will cover the dealers butt on missing this when they checked the car out. Only thing I can think is that they put their lift right where the tear was….
Its some plate that connects the motor to the frame…

 

The picture as posted is too small to tell much. Do you have a larger image?

 

Thank your lucky stars you are a modder. Most folks would have driven blithely down the road for several years, then, when the motor fell out while they were doing 80 MPH down the freeway, causing a twenty car fatal pileup, Nissan would be totally off the hook.

So good you caught this very early. The rust being there pretty much wipes out any defense they might make up.

 

Could that picture be any smaller?

 

Or the wording that he used to post the message, it is too small and the color background doesn't go to well with the dark gray on this site so it doesn't show up that well.

 

Here is a larger pic...looks as if something caught the sheet metal and ripped it apart.
The tec guy said it did look like it has been that way for some time now.

 

 

probably was caused by a tow truck...
my $0.02

 

Wow....damn

 

It looks like the underbody fairing was caught on something causing the damage. Not a surprise given the low clearance of the Maxima. But it does not seem that a structural member was compromised so the engine was never in danger of falling out. My guess is that Nissan USA will call this owner-caused damage. Will the dealer stand behind their certified warranty? I think you have a strong hand since it's virtually impossible to not see this during the certification inspection. That is of course, if they performed any inspection at all.

 

I did ask the sevice guy that and he said they changed the oil and should of seen it at that time. Asked him if the lift might of picked up the car in that area and covered it up so they couldn't see it....he did say that might of been the case as two tec's do go over the car...lets see how this plays out

 

How long have you had the car?

 

I've had it for 2 months and put 1250 miles on it...
also in So Cal its only rained one time and I didn't drive it that day, even if I did it looks like the rust has been there for some time now.

 

From my experience, it almost looks like lift damage to me. We all know how those stellar young men operating the lifts at dealers take such care. I just don't know how it rusts so quickly in the SoCal area. If it wasn't a lift then it was a tow truck. Something lifted the underside of the car and wasn't where it should have been.

 

At first I thought "how could a tow truck do that"
But after looking at it again....it looks like the tow hook was put on the sheet metal right where the tear starts, then as it was tighten up it cut through the sheet metal right along the edge of the upper frame steel and thats why the cut is right along the edge of it. And also the end where the cut stops is a full radius...

 

Latest from dealer - They will pay half the cost (2000.00 total) to work with me to fix the car. They can't say it was there before I bought the car and that must mean they think I did it. It has be narrowed down to a tow hook tearing through the sheet metal. So at this point they are assuming that I am lying about when it happend.
Call and did talk to someone at Nissan today and they said they will have an answer for me Monday.

 

$2k seems kind of high for just changing out sheet metal. Are they going to need to weld other components?

SoCal is dry so the rust is suspicious. Was this car always a SoCal vehicle? Meaning, was it transported from another (wet) area to SoCal? Did the previous owner live in another area?

 

Any update tpinsocal?

 

Got a call monday from Nissan and again told them if I had the car towed-
1. It would of been towed to a Nissan dealer if I were to have any problems. 3/36k
2. If I had the car towed and the tow truck did that to the car I would be after the tow truck to fix it.

Was to get a call today on this and no call....so lets see if I get a call tomorrow.... Nadia at Nissan