On 6/24/2017 10:16 AM, Keyser Soze wrote:
On 6/24/17 9:54 AM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
... for those interested in this saga. If not, ignore.

On Tuesday of this past week the service advisor told me they were
"finishing up" the installation of the new engine and would then road
test to make sure everything is ok. I said, "so it might be ready by
Friday?" (this is what Nissan Customer Service in TN had told me).
He said it would probably be done earlier than Friday, possibly
Wednesday after they tested everything.

Wednesday came and went. On Friday I received a call from Nissan again.
She told me basically what the service advisor at the dealership had
told me on Tuesday except now it would be next Monday, (June 26)
before I could get the car back.

I started getting a strong hunch that the new engine didn't solve the
"no heat" problem. The dots didn't connect.

So, this morning I took a ride down to the dealership. The service
manager/director was there. He was honest about it. The new engine
was in but the car still had no heat and they were back to square one.

I said, "I figured that" and reminded him of what I had told him back
on May 30th and what I thought was wrong. I said, "if you want to fix
the problem, you need to install a new heater control valve. It's
mounted on the firewall on the passenger side and has two heater hoses
connected to it, one in, one out to the heater core.

He said they checked for any faults with it in the ECU. I told him
the ECU wouldn't show a fault because the little motor that drives the
valve has an open winding. It burnt up, which connects the electrical
burning odor that I noticed the day I drove the car home (May 27th).
I said the 12 volts would be applied, but nothing would happen to open
the valve. There is no positive feedback to the ECU that indicates the
valve position.

It also explains why the electrical burning odor disappeared. Can't
get hot if no current is flowing in the windings.

I said if they warm up the car, set the temp to max and feel the hose
going to the valve, or measure it with an IR thermometer, it will be
hot on one side and significantly cooler on the other side of the valve.

The problem is that the dealership's hands are tied when it comes to
warranty work. They can't do anything unless Nissan authorizes it.
The service manager is more frustrated than I am. I think it's kinda
funny. They spring for a new engine (which it didn't need) and ignore
the customer input that was intended to help diagnose the problem.

Anyway, he asked me to call Nissan Customer Service and tell them
exactly what I had just told him. Turns out they are open today
(Saturday) but I had to leave a message. Awaiting a return call.

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I think it is time to invoke the lemon law. Really.

I could but I learned more about that. Probably important to pass it on
because it probably affects everyone who buys a new car.

When you sign all the paperwork when you close, one of the documents is
basically a waiver of whatever your state's Lemon Law is. By signing
you agree to settle issues in the manner that the manufacturer dictates
which somewhat follows the Lemon Law but you also agree to arbitration
in the event of a dispute. When I asked about this to the Nissan
Corporate person last week, she said they follow "Better Business
Bureau" guidelines. I think you can still invoke the Lemon Law per your
state but it will likely turn into a ****ing contest.

In my case the Nissan person who called me last week represents the
Nissan Arbitration board. She told me that they are not going to "drag
this out" any further and if the car was not fixed by the beginning of
next week they will buy the car back and issue me a full refund.

Turns out she isn't in today (Saturday) so she probably doesn't know yet
that the new engine did not fix the problem.

I still think my theory of what is wrong is correct but at this point I
am just going to let Nissan do what they want to do. I've forgotten
what the car looks like anyway. :-)