I had a CEL light and went to autozone to analyze the issue. I received a code P0135 and was told it was an 02 sensor code. I didnt remember which bank nor which sensor, only the code itself. I was also informed by autozone that the 02 sensor from them was 100 dollars. At that price, I decided to order from Nissan and get it genuine since the price is already so high.

I called the Nissan in Austin Texas that is very popular here and good friends with me too. I have ordered many parts from them in the past from a popular person here (I wont mention any names). However, this day I called them to order this part and they informed me the price went up on 02 sensors to 132 dollars shipped to 07040. I only told them the code I received from autozone and they informed me that it is the 02 sensor with the white cord which is the second 02 sensor from the front. Without hesitation nor extra research, I followed the sales reps recommendation and purchased the 02 sensor right away. Upon proper installation, I disconnected my battery for roughly 2 hours, plugged it back in then went for a drive. CEL light is gone! I am extremely happy. The next day, the light comes back on. I am extremely worried that either I damaged this 02 sensor somehow or I have another problem with the car.

This was roughly a week to two weeks ago. I just went back to autozone today (could not get the scan done because of conflict with schedule and autozone was normally busy) and they informed me that I am getting the same code (P0135). I go in with the rep and find out that the specific 02 sensor that SHOULD have been replaced is the one in bank 1, sensor 1 which looks to be the first sensor to the front of the engine. From what I see, it is not the one with the white cord.

Basically I purchased the wrong item for 132 dollars. I installed the part so I guess they wont take it back but I feel I should be compensated someway for being misinformed. This is not a spark plug or a 10 dollar filter. This is a very expensive part that will go bad again in the future.

I have 2 questions:

1) What is the color of the sensor in bank 1 sensor 1 (just so i get the right one this time)
2) Is there anything I can do to be somehow compensated for this mistake on nissan's behalf?

I am working but I am not rich and do not feel I should have to pay full price for another sensor. If anyone has any feedback, please let me know what I can do from here.

For the record, I have no hard feelings for this dealership. They have served me well in the past. I may buy from them in the future but I feel they have put me in a position to spend more then I should and would like to have a little justice for the time, labor, and money put into their mistake...Thank god I installed this and didnt pay someone else to, otherwise I would be more demanding on a better resolution.

 

Where's the rest of the story???

You never said if you called Nissan, spoke to the same guy that helped you, explained the situation, and asked for a refund/exchange???? Maybe you'll get lucky and they'll work with you.

Overall, I feel this is your fault. Autozone told you which bank and which sensor, but you forgot as stated in your third sentence. You didn't do your homework properly and find out exactly what you needed before ordering. Instead, you trusted the Dealer.

Chalk it up as a learning experience, put back your original O2 sensor since it's not bad and keep the new one off to the side for future use, and order the CORRECT O2 sensor.

Buy a haynes repair manual or download the FSM for free, and figure out/look up your codes yourself. FSM's/Haynes also shows locations and colors of O2 sensor wire sleeves. I'd help you, but I have a 4th gen.

Good luck.

 

Just wondering, are the sensors not swappable? Maybe stick the old one that you took out for the one that's not working?

Jae

 

I did speak to the same rep and he informed me its unfortunate that this happened. He then said there was nothing that can be done but in a way that left room to believe maybe something could be done. Once again, me and dude have history and its been great until this incident. I was honestly not that aggressive on the phone YET because I didnt know what my options were.

As far as it being my fault because I didnt research the issue hard enough and didnt come to the dealer with details on the proper bank and sensor, I think that is bogus. If anything, that sounds like the opposite of what I should have done. If autozone recommended a certain bank and sensor and it somehow ends up being something else, I would have to put blame on autozone because they were incorrect with their information. I would have purchased it from autozone to play it safe. Instead, I came to NISSAN with the most important information needed to determine this issue which is the CODE given. If anybody should know what the correct sensor is by code, it should be the manufacturer of the car. The last person you would expect to make a mistake is the dealer and the first person we should be trusting is the dealer. Thats like me going to Nissan with a knock sensor code and them giving me a crankshaft sensor. Were they guessing? They are supposed to know these things, they most likely rushed whatever they were doing and made a mistake.

Through experience, I learned to always know what I need before going to anyone for a part but I gave them valid information to give me the correct part. That code is something they would pick up if they scanned my car so where is room for error? They have a sheet or database with appropriate part per code. There should be NO ROOM FOR ERROR.

I would have put this new sensor in the spot for the damaged one but the harness is different from what I see. More importantly, I had a hard time getting the old sensor out, I cut it off so its useless now.

But you are right, I will most likely have to take this L and understand everyone is an idiot atleast once in their life...thats why I shouldnt let their error put me in a bad situation...however, my next sensor will be coming from autozone. Atleast I'll have proof that they recommended a bad product and can do a better job fighting the issue. I'm just very dissappointed. I went to nissan to get the right product. I paid extra to get the right product.

Times like this remind me why I'm not as big of an enthusiast as I used to be...

 

That person that you are speaking about basically sold he every part to redo my 91 SE-R, he didn't miss one thing and I mean one thing..... Without them doing the scan and/or the repair how can you say it wasn't installer error....

EDIT: I see you admited that you didn't remember, so you know it's your fault.....

 

Also, what if the code reader they were using was faulty? I know the kind they use, I have the exact one. It's not the most accurate in the world but works most of the time....

Also 9 times out of 10 those things are beat up anyway....

 

I feel your pain and frustration. This is why I trust no one, not even the dealer....and do/check everything myself. I agree,the dealer should be more intelligent and know there stuff...... but they don't and the dealership is wrong from time to time unfortunately. How many unhappy stories have we heard over the years about dealerships and fellow org members??? Plenty.

This is also why I recommended to you the use of the FSM/Haynes for code lookup and O2 sensor wire sleeve colors. Since our cars have multiple O2's and on different banks, it's imperitive to do detective work to narrow down the culprit the best we can. The FSM is great for doing detective work. Once armed with the right knowledge, then the correct part should be able to be ordered.

Call your guy back and push the issue. If nothing else, maybe he'll sell you another one at cost and will hopefully be around Autozone's price.

 

Not to mention that if one O2 sensor was failing then the others aren't that far behind. I understand that this is more about the principal but given another month or so and you'd be doing that sensor anyway.

Don't forget that dealerships don't start off with people who are automatically fully certified nissan techs. Gotta be a little more realistic. They have to learn as well (obviously that's not the case with this one person), but I'm just saying. I used to be a parts guy at Advance Auto and I remember what it was like to start off with no knowledge.

"Everyone's got to be an idiot once in their life", I think the word idiot was a bit uncalled for. It was a mistake. Not to mention you didn't let them pull the code. You didn't verify with them the correct sensor location that you were given.

I have to agree with everyone else. You're putting all of the blame on the dealership when you made a few errors. Or as you put it, were an idiot at least this time.


Jay

 

Ummm a code reader is a code reader.. they don't give wrong error codes, since it's simply a serial communication device hooked to the ECU. the ECU is the one that gave the error code and the scanner just displayed it. these things don't go out of calibration from being roughly handled like a torque wrench or air gauge.

 

The error is that you gave the parts department an error code and asked them to come up with a part. The parts guys aren't paid to interpret error codes- that's the service department's job. Next time talk to a service advisor or spend the time to look up the code in the manual and find which part it's calling for.

 

I've seen it happen before w/diff ecu readers on my car and other cars. I think 4th gen ecu's are finicky.
Jae

 

Thanks Jae....

Matt shut it...

 

Matt get real, you know who he is talking about.... He is by far the smartest diagnostic guy that I know. He's always right on the money and I feel the data he got was faulty, so you can't blame him for getting the part wrong.

Not making light of your situation Mecca, I am just saying we all make errors and mistakes. Time to move on and fix your whip Yo

 

Yes, I know exactly who he's talking about. Whether he was given the wrong code or gave him the wrong part doesn't change the fact Mecca's asking the parts guy to do the job of the service tech. it's not his responsibility. Mecca should have done his homework and got the code/parts correct before ordering.

 

OK, first and foremost, this GUY we are talking about, I have NO BEEF WITH what so ever. I ordered parts for my car from him when i had my supercharged 4th gen, i order parts from him with my current 5th gen. HERE IS THE MAIN POINT that should be discussed. He does not have to diagnose my car. There is a database available for codes associated with sensors/parts. I'm sure of it. If not, there is an easy way for dealers to find out what sensor/part is associated with a code WITHOUT actually diagnosing the car. I do apologize for calling him an idiot. I know he is not. I was just mad that people felt this was my fault. As a maxima.org member that heard stories of people going through similar issues, I should know better. But this isnt any random dealership. This is one I have had great transactions with and someone that is on the org. I trust him almost more than myself. This is all a matter of principal. I gave them a CODE, not an issue. They are supposed to use that code to determine what part is needed. That code did not change from the first time. Its the same code as 2 weeks ago and it will be the same code 2 weeks from now. This person recognized that THEY made a mistake, not me. The first time, he gave me an 02 sensor for Bank 1, sensor 2. Now he realizes it was supposed to be bank 1 sensor 1. Its his fault and he has already admitted it. That is not the point here. We have passed that. All this talk about devices reading wrong things and whatnot should not even be part of this topic.

The issue is that I ordered a part through a recommendation by a dealership. The information given is MORE THAN ENOUGH. He did not rush to get me off the phone. He put me on hold, did some checks and came back with an input. I once again have no issue with him. I think he's a great guy and gave me no grief on the phone. HOwever, because he made a mistake (him and ONLY him), I feel I should be compensated somehow. If it turns out that I end up coming out of pocket completely for a new 02 sensor, so be it. But I just wanted to voice my opinion that this happened, and this is going to cost me money that I do not really have.

I'm a little dissappointed some of you feel its my fault. If you said "I should have known better", thats one story. But to say I got the wrong part because I somehow misinformed the dealership is ludacris.

Whatever happens happens. Matt93SE, thanks for feeling my pain. For the others, I do thank you for your input but please put yourself in my shoes and evaluate your statements. To say this is my fault is the last thing I was expecting to hear...

 

He trusted them. Yes, he should of known better to research it after the suggestion, but he did trust them because he had great dealings with them in the past. I find this to be understandable and I'm wondering why the org is saying that it is all the OP's fault.


Mec,

I really don't think there is anything that can be done. Dealerships don't like to refund or replace anything for free. I think the best thing you can do is just move on. You will be more wise next time you have to order a part. From your posts I can tell that you already learned something from this experience. I understand that you trusted them and I don't blame you for doing so, I would probably be in the same situation as you are now if it were me in that situation.

 

yea i gotta agree. talking to your local mechanic at a midas or whatever you would expect to have all the information FOR him. but the idea behind a dealership is that you pay that EXTRA MONEY to not have to worry about the mechanic or tech or salesperson not knowing about the nissan components. that is why people knowingly pay extra to take their car to the dealership vs a local mechanic.

you pay for that comfort in knowing that they have experience in dealing with your car.

 

I can see how the mistake would happen. A P0139 is for the white sensor, so it would be pretty easy to mishear P0135 as P0139. Or maybe he wrote the wrong number down, or maybe he accidentally looked up the wrong thing, or maybe you said the code wrong.......there are a lot of ways this could get messed up.

I am not saying this is your fault, but it's a pretty good habit to get into to double-check these things to catch mistakes like I mentioned above. They happen.

Regardless, I would bet that if you pushed the issue with the dealership they would compensate you in some way. Either that or hang on to it for when you do need it (I would say the white sensor is the most commonly failed O2 sensor - it's the only one that's failed on me), or sell the sensor on the classifieds and recoup most of your money.

I would generally agree with you that I would "hope" the dealership would compensate you somehow, but whether they do or they don't, chalk it up in the memory banks and move on. No biggy IMO.

 

Too late for that......

 

you guys are a bunch of p**sies for being afraid to call this guy by his name. Don't be afraid, because he doesn't bite. I had bought a few parts from Dave B over the years just like you did, and he had been nice to me, just like to others, gave me a good price, and everything, but business is business, and we all make mistakes.

I believe it is Dave B who recommended the sensor, and the sensor is wrong, so he should take it back for an exchange. That would be the right thing to do. It is for Dave's own good that he will refrain from providing any advice over the phone, and instead send folks to local Nissan dealer for diagnostics, and this should be the lesson.

It would be nice if Dave B could stop in to comment on the situation. I believe Dave will make it right by an .orger, and that will pay him tenfold in business from you guys and anyone you know with a Nissan.

 

Thanks for everyone's input. Y2KMaxGXE-R, I wasnt afraid to mention his name but people act funny sometimes. If I mentioned his name, some would see him as a bad guy which I feel he is not. I would hope he would make an attempt to fix this matter somehow even if its a minor discount. I dont want to put him in the position to say he can not give advice in the future becuase many benefit from his advice.

I do agree with you though and hope he can come in to chime in. I feel kind of bad even bringing this all up but I just didnt know what to do. 02 sensors are expensive as hell. We'll see as time goes by. It would be great for him to come in and say something. I actually didnt know the other code was P0139. 9 and 5 sound very similar so I can see the mistake. But he repeated it to me and said 5 so I'm sure he got the info right. He most likely went to one of the techs and they misinformed him (not surprising from stories I heard from transactions with nissan techs).

No matter what happens, I learned from this and atleast I have a few heads that feel my pain and understand my situation. I have been on org for ages, and have been an enthusiast for a long time. If I will not get any compensation for my misfortunate (98% sure I wont), I'll grab one from autozone for 30 bucks cheaper and keep it moving like everyone says. It is what it is. I've calmed down since my first post. Like I said, everyone is entitled to a f*ck up once in their life. I guess it better an 02 sensor than a car or a transmission...

 

electrical parts such as o2 sensors are non-refundable and are sold just as that

 

your joking! We had no idea....:stfu:

j/k but you are stating info we already knew. Otherwise this wouldnt even be an issue.

 

Wow! I just stumbled into this thread, so I guess my side of the story is in order!

The original poster called me up yesterday & gave me the basics of the story, it was kind of unfortunate because I was very busy waiting on multiple customers-I was jumping from call to call. At the time I just was not ready to say "yes, I'll cover this for you" without doing some research. I indicated this, and went out to the shop to verify what the codes were in the ASSIST system our techs use. I got back in a few minutes & he was gone. He did not identify himself, so I did not know who to call back. I really hoped he would call me back. He did not. Here's what I found:

In ASSIST (not the FSM), P0135 is listed in the main guide as B1S2, which is what I sold him, but the diagnosis flow chart shows how to diagnose B1S1. Is it wrong? Probably so, but most Maxima guys know that these cars throw O2 codes constantly, and for seemingly mysterious reasons. I also learned there's a TSB that says moisture in the exhaust system can cause P0135. I know I've had plenty of Maxima guys call me back complaining of getting O2 code after replacing the "correct" sensors.

I really don't think there are any absolutes when dealing with these issues- Obviously I need to be more careful if I'm going to continue to intepret codes for people. To the OP- I don't like unhappy customers- give me a call on Monday & let's work something out.

 

Kon stop gaying........so shut it...

As usual Dave takes care of things.....so Kon you can drive your Honda and shut it...

 

WOW, DaveB, I do apologize for not calling you back. I was put on hold for a little while and you were busy. I somehow was transferred back to the operator and just gave up from there. I do thank you for willing to assist me with this issue. Once again, I feel you are a great guy (no homo) lol and felt a little bad the whole time as I may have given a few the wrong perception about you. I will call you on Monday and whatever you can do for me will be well appreciated. Have a great weekend bro.

 

Thanks.......I missed that.

 

I created this thread with the expectation of seeing no results but getting my voice heard.
After his response in here, I felt I might get a little more and was expecting a little discount, maybe even his cost. Then he informs me on the phone that there is a chance he may get it at cost price and have me and him SPLIT the price which is WAY better than I ever expected. After all, even though I had the wrong sensor, I still did get a new sensor which is common to go bad. He also informed me there is a chance I can get it for free. I informed him that I would be EXTREMELY happy even with just the discount. Most business would run with this and not do better, after all its already beating the customer's expectations.

TELL ME WHY DAVEB spoke to management and GOT ME A NEW SENSOR SHIPPED FOR FREE after knowing I was already content with just a discount!!! Whats even better is I called him today for an update and he informed me they shipped it out yesterday!!!! Before I even got the update to make a decision they already took action and send me a new snesor for free. This goes beyond anything I have EVER seen from not only Nissan but any business. I have never seen such positive results from a business in my entire life. I'm am speechless with what has happened.

I MUST commend DAVEB and Austin Nissan for their great recovery on customer service. I am a very happy camper. I came in expecting nothing and received everything. I should be getting it by this weekend, alraedy got tracking info. Thanks DAVEB and Nissan (AUSTIN ONLY) for showing great customer service. I dont get half that service from the Nissans in my area.

I would say to close this thread but I think its a good idea to keep it open and let others see a great story and an even greater ending. Better gas mileage here I come!!!

 

Sue for implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose.

 

HUH? I dont think thats necessary, they have been more than helpful beat my expectations. Please read what happened. Maybe you are confused about the final results?

 

Glad to hear about the happy ending.

to DaveB's customer service.

 

keeping a good name on the .org for daveB is absolutely priceless for him. the customer service is always said to be great and here it comes back as great again.

 

Just read through this and I'm not surprised in the least. My experiences with Dave have all been positive. He's a great guy and I believe truly cares about providing top notch service.

 

heres what you do....get a nice pair of leather boots...lace em up nice....go in there...blow a kiss to the hot receptionist....find that mother****er...and swiftly plant ur boot in his rectum

 

Wow, you are a dip**** and need to be banned. I bet you didn't even read the whole thread.

 

massachusets is hardcore yo

 

lol you definitely didnt read the entire thread....

 

Are you a retard....prolly just a masshole....

 

yo mass is pretty duurty son

 

I think their heads are big because of the Red Sox doing damage this year. Boston College is ripping it and Celtics look to be a dominant team as well. Cant forget the Patriots, dam Mass is taking over in sports....