I bought a car with rusted axle nuts from CARMAX savanah , Ga who said its previous owner was in New York. It's a 2010 maxima with 40k. It has rust everywhere.. is any of this covered under drivetrain warranty? My main concern are the front axle nuts are so rusted, the threads on the bolt have fallen off and the cotter pin is gone..i purchase d new nuts hoping to just replace them.. the. I saw how far the rust actually is.. so i setup an appointment with the dealer ( who did not sell me the car) and im taking it in for cv axle noise. I do have a small axle noise but I just want a foot in to show them the rust. i dont want to get told to go away, so i was wondering if anyone had the same issue i have ? i also have rusted out exhaust flex pipes, so ordered a new y pipe. Any help would be appreciated

 

That sounds like an extreme amount of rust, even for this area. We haven't had in the way of snow lately, so not much in the way of road salt either.

So one suspicion I have is if the owner in NY may have had the car parked in a Sandy-affected area? Maybe a vacation home near the beach somewhere that flooded, and the car sat in the salt water enough to bathe the undercarriage but not high enough to get in the cabin?

I'm just speculating.

 

Yeah that is a lot of rust. I did a quick search for Nissan corrosion warranty and this is what I found.

"The Nissan corrosion warranty applies for 60 months regardless of mileage. It begins with the new vehicle limited warranty and starts the day of new ownership or use. The warranty is transferable. There are no restrictions on the number of owners the vehicle can have in order for the warranty to be valid and it is transferable with no work needed from the owners. *The Nissan corrosion information was obtained from the 2011 Nissan New Vehicle Limited Warranty booklet. For the latest information please advise your Nissan Corrosion Warranty section within your warranty booklet."

Hopefully this is the case, as I simply did a search, good luck and and let us know what happens.

 

Thankd gor searching.. i had run across that statement about corrosion warranty, but it appeared at leas to me that it was an addition. kind of like extended warranty on paint.. ill let u know what they say and .Ill post photos as soon as I get to a computer.

 

I doubt that they would cover this... I dont think its fair for them to be paying for salt related rust. They might as well be repairing salvaged cars. They barely are covering rust from imperfections on infiniti's. I know the G3X's had a problem where the rear emblem area would get rust spots. You would have to prove that its from the factory. I'm telling you this without reading any of the warranty details.

 

Well They said " the corrosion warranty covers body panels and its only if it has a hole through the panel." The nuts are not covered, however if I have an issue in the future that requires axle removal. They would more than likely replace them for free. I agree that it isn't really the fault of the dealership. However I felt it was worth the try. I Once had a 6K transmission job done by the dealer simply because I asked if they would cover it and I was 10K outa warranty. Im not going to take advantage of them, but anyone here would use the resources available. Oh and there are no aftermarket axles available.. If any of you have an idea on a good fix please im open to suggestions..My current plan is to wire wheel the one that kinda has threads and see if its salvageable.. and leave the other on alone./.

 

Holy hell. My axle nuts look better and my car is 17 years old.

 

my axle nuts dont look that bad, but they dont look great

 

My $$ is on that was a SANDY car. How long have you owned it ?

http://www.torquenews.com/1075/carfa...ers-nationwide



According to new research conducted by Carfax, more than 212,000 cars that were branded as flood damage by a state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) are on U.S. roads right now. Nearly two-thirds of these flood damaged cars are being driven in ten states: Texas, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Louisiana, Illinois, New York, Florida, Mississippi and Virginia. However, scam artists are sending these cars to any state where unknowing consumers will buy them.
"Our research proves that flood damaged cars are everywhere," said Larry Gamache, communications director at Carfax. "It's big business for professional con men to quickly clean up and resell these cars miles from where the flooding occurred. Consumers need to look out for flooded cars no matter where they live. They're a serious danger to anyone who unknowingly buys one."
The problem is that floodwater, especially salt water, gets into the innards of cars causing corrosion and a whole host of problems. Carfax says they retrieved and analyzed a car that had been flooded by Hurricane Sandy, demonstrating how easily cars can be made to appear safe and reliable on the outside. But of course, they're rotting on the inside.

 

That's not ok, I don't know how long ago you bought the car from this person, but id bring it to there attention. You definitely fell victim to sandy car without a doubt. I have the same year car and live in Boston...bought it preowned but its been a New England car since new. Mine look new still

 

No way this is only a Sandy car. The rust flakes are way too thick to be rusting only for a year. This car was exposed to a lot of salt water or road salt from day one.

 

The east coast had Hurricane Irene the year before Sandy in 2011, given the car is a 2010 it didn't happen that long ago.

As someone who grew up on the coast I can assure you salt water can do that in one years time if the car was exposed to it for a few days.

IMO that car was submerged in salt water up to the tires for days. Those storms had severe flooding and cars were in the water for a long time

http://images.search.yahoo.com/image...B&fr=yfp-t-900

 

did you get too good of a deal on this car???

 

I bought the car 6 months ago from carmax in savanah georgia. And no I did not get a good deal.. at least nothing to write to mom about.. The carfax said it was a new york car. The Y pipe was rotted out too so i replaced that. I also replaced all 4 brakes and rotors. cause they were rusted too. I am so used to replacing things on my cars that it didn't bother me too bad.. That is until I saw the $680 dollar price tag on the nissan axles. EACH... not to mention the wheel bearing are probably jacked up... I know I probably ended up with a sandy car.. I dont have other issues just yet... But You guys have really opened up my eyes... I had no idea.. the question is NOW what....

 

Not to rub salt in the wound.... But did you even bother looking under the car before you bought it? I mean when you're about to make a $20,000 purchase do you just look at what's in front of you and assume everything's okay?

 

I guess as soon as my car comes home tonight ill be looking it over...

 

If you bought your car from a CARMAX they have so called "trained technicians" who look over and inspect their cars from top to bottom to avoid getting storm damaged re-located cars. H*** they even boast of that in their showroom, at least they do here in Missouri. I would take the car back to them along with the receipts for every cent you spent and demand that they refund your money and expenses. If not the next time they talk to you should be through your lawyer.

 

Unfortunately he bought the car 6 months ago and any law that would have protected him has long came and went.

And a lawyer would just rip him off more than the car dealer already did.

At this point you could keep your fingers crossed you end up with a half decent used car and maybe down the line you be able to trade it in for something else.

 

I would trade it in and cut my losses, no idea what's going to show up down the road. If you are not going to keep the car long I would go with aftermarket Axels like NAPA from Goodyear as they should be 1/3 the price

 

Wow im shocked i assumed that you got this from a private seller or a used car salesman. Carmax charge probably as much as private sellers because they "inspect" their cars. You probably should complain to them and COMPLAIN UP THE LADDER till you get to the BBB. They might take care of your situation since they have a reputation. I assumed you bought the car w out even looking at it but that doesnt matter carmax isnt suppose to be selling rusted cars since they're charging so much $.

 

I think it's worth a shot....see what carmax says.

 

GOOD NEWS AND BAD.. I inspected it further and discovered 1/2 cup of sand in the battery tray, nooks and crannies. I inspected the engine bay further and noticed that the entire engine bay shows signs of salt damage. Nothing like the axle nuts. All the bolts on the bottom side do not exhibit the amount of rust that would be associated with flooding. It appears the most affected ares are the EXHAUST, AXLE Nuts, Rotors, and misc brackets on the lower side of tranny and engine. There are a few small areas on the chassis where the paint is chipped that show surface rust. I am going to assume that this vehicle came from a beach environment and was not a flood damaged vehicle.I am willing to admit a few mistakes.. When I purchased the car I had done so much research on the options available and ensuring I did not over pay by comparing vehicles. I looked it over pretty good, so i thought. I assumed that since it was a 2010, all i really should be concerned with was drive ability. I inspected for oil leaks, noises, rattles, ride smoothness, and engine vibrations. I completely overlooked the rust. I NEVER EXPECTED RUST ON IT. So I didnt look. I love the car and am willing to keep it. I am going to keep her and get the nissan axles and bearings as soon as I get back from my deployment. If I suspected it to be a flooded car, I would NOT keep it. Thanks for all the tip and advice..

 

I live 500 feet from the beach. That is not beach damage. The sand is in the car from when the salt water rose carrying the sand

It's possible it's eating your wiring and other electronic components as we speak

 

Carmax is not like the regular dealer they will probably work with you. You dont even have to go to the original carmax just go to the nearest one or just start a case up with corporate. Rust is bad especially when it can spread between multiple parts. Too risky for me. Thanks for letting me know as I'm about to get a max from them too! Its def understandable how you missed this.

 

These are all tell tale signs of flood damage. What's more is that the water level rose higher than you previously suspected (if you are finding sand/debris in the battery tray).

Check the brackets and hardware that attach all four doors to the car. If these are rusted in any way ... the car spent time (partially) submerged.

You can also run your VIN for free on CARFAX and a few other sites to check if water damage has been reported.

http://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/floodedcars/

https://www.carproof.com/resources/t...ee-flood-check

http://www.carfax.com/cfm/general_ch...?partner=PRL_A

Just remember ... a negative result with any of these sites does NOT discount the possibility of flood damage.

Exactly!

 

Look at this post from a guy saying several cars at Carmax in Atlants were covered with rust


I just purchased a 2010 SV with premium here in Atlanta...and I checked out 4 black on blacks before I decided on the one I purchasd. PLEASE take a look underneath the body and check for surface rust. All of the ones I looked at (mostly carmax) were from the north and the amount of rust was ridiculous. Otherwise the car looked/drove perfect. Also, keep in mind any car from the north could have possibly been involved with Sandy.


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