2017 Pathfinder update
 

Still at the dealership. They've had it since May 30th, two days after
I took delivery. Would have been there on May 29th but the service
dept. was closed for Memorial Day.

Initial problem: No heat. I also advised them of the electrical
burning odor I noticed the evening I took delivery and the following
day. Offered the info in case it helped them diagnose problem. (I had
theorized that the control valve that opens via motor or solenoid
actuator to allow coolant to flow to heater core may have faulty and
burned up).

Follow up on Thursday, June 1st. They determined the heater core was
air-bound and were having difficulty in purging it. They had tried 3
times without success. Reminded them again about the electrical burning
odor. The guy who wrote up the warranty service order had only written
"burning" odor, and had not included the word "electrical". Talked to
the mechanic who was actually working on the car, pointed that out and
he agreed the control valve was a distinct possibility and tied in the
odor I noticed and the no heat.

Monday, June 5th. Received call advising me that the heat problem was
fixed but they had discovered another issue that they had to contact
Nissan about. Air conditioning compressor was not cycling. It was
running all the time. I asked what the resolution of the heat problem
was. He said it was air-bound but they were finally able to purge it.
I didn't buy it but kept my mouth shut.

I visited them on Wednesday, June 7th to see how they were making out.
Was told they now suspect a bad water pump that was not pumping
adequately. WTF? I said I was told the lack of heat problem had been
fixed. He said, they thought so also but it went back to blowing cold
air again. (BTW ... this is the counter guy who interfaces with
customers ... not one of the techs who actually work on the cars).
I asked about the electrical burning odor. He said they didn't notice
it. I lost it. I said, "Of course not. Whatever was bad burned up by
the second day I had the car and no longer smells."

He said they have a call into Nissan to help diagnose the problems
because they might be related. I asked "What does the AC compressor
running continuously have to do with a water pump that may not be
pumping enough coolant?

Get this:

He said the AC may be running constantly to prevent the engine from
overheating.

I let out an involuntary "WHAT !!!!!!?????" Told him that was
ridiculous. The AC doesn't cool the engine. It cools the air in the car.

Anyway, I left. An hour ago I got a call from the dealership manager.
He asked me to call Nissan Customer Service and open a case number.
He told me that will help light the fire to get Nissan to respond.

The problem is this: The dealership's hands are somewhat tied when it
comes to warranty repairs. They can only do what Nissan authorizes them
to do in order to be reimbursed for parts and labor. Nissan calls the
shots. The manager said opening a case number will allow them
to take whatever action is necessary without necessarily getting
Nissan's approval.

So, meanwhile I am racking up miles on the loaner which, BTW, is really
a nice car with many more options than the one I bought has. Best
thing is that everything works on it also.

2017 Pathfinder update
 

Richard, it's a sorry shame that the corp doesn't allow lol cal decisions to be made. And who was the pr man that Meade up the air conditioner story? Baghdad Bob??

2017 Pathfinder update
 

On 6/8/2017 2:08 PM, Tim wrote:
Richard, it's a sorry shame that the corp doesn't allow lol cal decisions to be made. And who was the pr man that Meade up the air conditioner story? Baghdad Bob??



I was just at the dealership again. The guy with the AC cooling the
engine story isn't a tech/mechanic. Nice guy and all but I told him
that some of this is getting comical.

He also told me that the Nissan Service Tech and the dealership service
tech seem to now think that the engine overheated at some point.
There's no codes in the ECU that indicate that but they suspect it for
some other reason.

If so, it happened sometime between coming off the assembly line and
being shipped to the dealership. It had 3 miles on it when I took
delivery and for the two days I got to drive it it did not overheat.
On Monday I was watching the temp gauge closely to make sure the engine
was at normal temp because I noticed the no heat situation.

It's possible that when the car was built they forgot to put coolant in
it. Drove it out of the assembly area to a staging area and it may have
overheated then.

It would explain the suspected bad water pump (running dry) and a air
lock in the heater core. Maybe they realized it, filled with coolant,
reset the ECU code and shipped it.

If so, I told the service advisor that I don't want the car. Too many
problems can result from overheating ... especially with aluminum heads,
etc.

I have been told I'll get a call from Nissan Customer Service within 24
hours to resolve the problem. I am going to tell him/her I don't want
that car and will accept a replacement of equal or better value.

2017 Pathfinder update
 

1:29 PMMr. Luddite
On 6/8/2017 2:08 PM, Tim wrote:
Richard, it's a sorry shame that the corp doesn't allow lol cal decisions to be made. And who was the pr man that Meade up the air conditioner story? Baghdad Bob??



I was just at the dealership again. The guy with the AC cooling the
engine story isn't a tech/mechanic. Nice guy and all but I told him
that some of this is getting comical.

He also told me that the Nissan Service Tech and the dealership service
tech seem to now think that the engine overheated at some point.
There's no codes in the ECU that indicate that but they suspect it for
some other reason.

If so, it happened sometime between coming off the assembly line and
being shipped to the dealership. It had 3 miles on it when I took
delivery and for the two days I got to drive it it did not overheat.
On Monday I was watching the temp gauge closely to make sure the engine
was at normal temp because I noticed the no heat situation.

It's possible that when the car was built they forgot to put coolant in
it. Drove it out of the assembly area to a staging area and it may have
overheated then.

It would explain the suspected bad water pump (running dry) and a air
lock in the heater core. Maybe they realized it, filled with coolant,
reset the ECU code and shipped it.

If so, I told the service advisor that I don't want the car. Too many
problems can result from overheating ... especially with aluminum heads,
etc.

I have been told I'll get a call from Nissan Customer Service within 24
hours to resolve the problem. I am going to tell him/her I don't want
that car and will accept a replacement of equal or better value.
.....

What a runaround. Glad you're life isn't depending on that vehicle. I suppose that if it was driven without coolant so
Enid must have sneaked in some night and filled it with no one looking.🙄

2017 Pathfinder update
 

On Thu, 8 Jun 2017 14:29:18 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 6/8/2017 2:08 PM, Tim wrote:
Richard, it's a sorry shame that the corp doesn't allow lol cal decisions to be made. And who was the pr man that Meade up the air conditioner story? Baghdad Bob??



I was just at the dealership again. The guy with the AC cooling the
engine story isn't a tech/mechanic. Nice guy and all but I told him
that some of this is getting comical.

He also told me that the Nissan Service Tech and the dealership service
tech seem to now think that the engine overheated at some point.
There's no codes in the ECU that indicate that but they suspect it for
some other reason.

If so, it happened sometime between coming off the assembly line and
being shipped to the dealership. It had 3 miles on it when I took
delivery and for the two days I got to drive it it did not overheat.
On Monday I was watching the temp gauge closely to make sure the engine
was at normal temp because I noticed the no heat situation.

It's possible that when the car was built they forgot to put coolant in
it. Drove it out of the assembly area to a staging area and it may have
overheated then.

It would explain the suspected bad water pump (running dry) and a air
lock in the heater core. Maybe they realized it, filled with coolant,
reset the ECU code and shipped it.

If so, I told the service advisor that I don't want the car. Too many
problems can result from overheating ... especially with aluminum heads,
etc.

I have been told I'll get a call from Nissan Customer Service within 24
hours to resolve the problem. I am going to tell him/her I don't want
that car and will accept a replacement of equal or better value.



===

Hope you get a satisfactory resolution. Consumer Reports has always
rated Nissan quality a notch or two below Toyota and Honda. I've
avoided them as a result.

---
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
http://www.avg.com

2017 Pathfinder update
 

On Thursday, 8 June 2017 15:29:37 UTC-3, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 6/8/2017 2:08 PM, Tim wrote:
Richard, it's a sorry shame that the corp doesn't allow lol cal decisions to be made. And who was the pr man that Meade up the air conditioner story? Baghdad Bob??



I was just at the dealership again. The guy with the AC cooling the
engine story isn't a tech/mechanic. Nice guy and all but I told him
that some of this is getting comical.

He also told me that the Nissan Service Tech and the dealership service
tech seem to now think that the engine overheated at some point.
There's no codes in the ECU that indicate that but they suspect it for
some other reason.

If so, it happened sometime between coming off the assembly line and
being shipped to the dealership. It had 3 miles on it when I took
delivery and for the two days I got to drive it it did not overheat.
On Monday I was watching the temp gauge closely to make sure the engine
was at normal temp because I noticed the no heat situation.

It's possible that when the car was built they forgot to put coolant in
it. Drove it out of the assembly area to a staging area and it may have
overheated then.

It would explain the suspected bad water pump (running dry) and a air
lock in the heater core. Maybe they realized it, filled with coolant,
reset the ECU code and shipped it.

If so, I told the service advisor that I don't want the car. Too many
problems can result from overheating ... especially with aluminum heads,
etc.

I have been told I'll get a call from Nissan Customer Service within 24
hours to resolve the problem. I am going to tell him/her I don't want
that car and will accept a replacement of equal or better value.

Smart move...let them unload that vehicle somewhere else.
Did I mention that the Highlanders have a very good reliability rating?
My salesman called today. Claims he has a sale for my 2013 model Highlander if I purchase a new one. Told him I was happy with mine although there are a couple of minor irritants which don't really bother a low mileager like myself.
The Base Plus model I have has the small backup screen that is hard to see with sunglasses on, the vehicle is a little wishy washy travelling slightly over limit on a very curvy narrow 2 lane highway, and visibility could be better.
otherwise...enjoyable to drive. Oh yeah..hard for two people to eat in the car. The dash has no flat spots to lay the fast food grub on. At least three of these items have been improved in the 3rd generation model (2014-2017)
On the other hand there are just over 39k kilometers on the clock and I see a few scratches in the soft clear coat paint...mmmm.

2017 Pathfinder update
 

On 6/8/17 3:00 PM, True North wrote:
On Thursday, 8 June 2017 15:29:37 UTC-3, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 6/8/2017 2:08 PM, Tim wrote:
Richard, it's a sorry shame that the corp doesn't allow lol cal decisions to be made. And who was the pr man that Meade up the air conditioner story? Baghdad Bob??



I was just at the dealership again. The guy with the AC cooling the
engine story isn't a tech/mechanic. Nice guy and all but I told him
that some of this is getting comical.

He also told me that the Nissan Service Tech and the dealership service
tech seem to now think that the engine overheated at some point.
There's no codes in the ECU that indicate that but they suspect it for
some other reason.

If so, it happened sometime between coming off the assembly line and
being shipped to the dealership. It had 3 miles on it when I took
delivery and for the two days I got to drive it it did not overheat.
On Monday I was watching the temp gauge closely to make sure the engine
was at normal temp because I noticed the no heat situation.

It's possible that when the car was built they forgot to put coolant in
it. Drove it out of the assembly area to a staging area and it may have
overheated then.

It would explain the suspected bad water pump (running dry) and a air
lock in the heater core. Maybe they realized it, filled with coolant,
reset the ECU code and shipped it.

If so, I told the service advisor that I don't want the car. Too many
problems can result from overheating ... especially with aluminum heads,
etc.

I have been told I'll get a call from Nissan Customer Service within 24
hours to resolve the problem. I am going to tell him/her I don't want
that car and will accept a replacement of equal or better value.

Smart move...let them unload that vehicle somewhere else.

Perhaps to a buyer in Florida... :)

2017 Pathfinder update
 

On Thursday, June 8, 2017 at 2:29:37 PM UTC-4, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 6/8/2017 2:08 PM, Tim wrote:
Richard, it's a sorry shame that the corp doesn't allow lol cal decisions to be made. And who was the pr man that Meade up the air conditioner story? Baghdad Bob??



I was just at the dealership again. The guy with the AC cooling the
engine story isn't a tech/mechanic. Nice guy and all but I told him
that some of this is getting comical.

He also told me that the Nissan Service Tech and the dealership service
tech seem to now think that the engine overheated at some point.
There's no codes in the ECU that indicate that but they suspect it for
some other reason.

If so, it happened sometime between coming off the assembly line and
being shipped to the dealership. It had 3 miles on it when I took
delivery and for the two days I got to drive it it did not overheat.
On Monday I was watching the temp gauge closely to make sure the engine
was at normal temp because I noticed the no heat situation.

It's possible that when the car was built they forgot to put coolant in
it. Drove it out of the assembly area to a staging area and it may have
overheated then.

It would explain the suspected bad water pump (running dry) and a air
lock in the heater core. Maybe they realized it, filled with coolant,
reset the ECU code and shipped it.

If so, I told the service advisor that I don't want the car. Too many
problems can result from overheating ... especially with aluminum heads,
etc.

I have been told I'll get a call from Nissan Customer Service within 24
hours to resolve the problem. I am going to tell him/her I don't want
that car and will accept a replacement of equal or better value.

Negotiate to get the one you're driving now. After pain and suffering, you may get it for a few hundred, or maybe an even swap!

2017 Pathfinder update
 

On 6/8/2017 2:54 PM, wrote:
On Thu, 8 Jun 2017 14:29:18 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 6/8/2017 2:08 PM, Tim wrote:
Richard, it's a sorry shame that the corp doesn't allow lol cal decisions to be made. And who was the pr man that Meade up the air conditioner story? Baghdad Bob??



I was just at the dealership again. The guy with the AC cooling the
engine story isn't a tech/mechanic. Nice guy and all but I told him
that some of this is getting comical.

He also told me that the Nissan Service Tech and the dealership service
tech seem to now think that the engine overheated at some point.
There's no codes in the ECU that indicate that but they suspect it for
some other reason.

If so, it happened sometime between coming off the assembly line and
being shipped to the dealership. It had 3 miles on it when I took
delivery and for the two days I got to drive it it did not overheat.
On Monday I was watching the temp gauge closely to make sure the engine
was at normal temp because I noticed the no heat situation.

It's possible that when the car was built they forgot to put coolant in
it. Drove it out of the assembly area to a staging area and it may have
overheated then.

It would explain the suspected bad water pump (running dry) and a air
lock in the heater core. Maybe they realized it, filled with coolant,
reset the ECU code and shipped it.

If so, I told the service advisor that I don't want the car. Too many
problems can result from overheating ... especially with aluminum heads,
etc.

I have been told I'll get a call from Nissan Customer Service within 24
hours to resolve the problem. I am going to tell him/her I don't want
that car and will accept a replacement of equal or better value.



===

Hope you get a satisfactory resolution. Consumer Reports has always
rated Nissan quality a notch or two below Toyota and Honda. I've
avoided them as a result.


I liked both the Toyota I tried and the Nissan. The Pathfinder loaner
they gave me to drive is fine. No problems, rides nicely and has lots
of "pep". Only had 5500 miles on it when they gave it to me, so it's
early yet though. It has virtually every option available except
running boards which I don't need. I'd accept it as a square trade
replacement for the one I bought. The Nissan service rep said that in
these cases Nissan usually offers other enticements as well to keep a
customer happy. They already knew that we also bought Mrs.E's Quest a
month ago.

I don't think it's an issue of design quality. It's an issue of an
assembly screw up. The Nissan service rep said it wouldn't be the first
time. He has seen it before which is why he had me get a case number
from Nissan Corporate.

2017 Pathfinder update
 

On 6/8/2017 4:41 PM, Its Me wrote:
On Thursday, June 8, 2017 at 2:29:37 PM UTC-4, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 6/8/2017 2:08 PM, Tim wrote:
Richard, it's a sorry shame that the corp doesn't allow lol cal decisions to be made. And who was the pr man that Meade up the air conditioner story? Baghdad Bob??



I was just at the dealership again. The guy with the AC cooling the
engine story isn't a tech/mechanic. Nice guy and all but I told him
that some of this is getting comical.

He also told me that the Nissan Service Tech and the dealership service
tech seem to now think that the engine overheated at some point.
There's no codes in the ECU that indicate that but they suspect it for
some other reason.

If so, it happened sometime between coming off the assembly line and
being shipped to the dealership. It had 3 miles on it when I took
delivery and for the two days I got to drive it it did not overheat.
On Monday I was watching the temp gauge closely to make sure the engine
was at normal temp because I noticed the no heat situation.

It's possible that when the car was built they forgot to put coolant in
it. Drove it out of the assembly area to a staging area and it may have
overheated then.

It would explain the suspected bad water pump (running dry) and a air
lock in the heater core. Maybe they realized it, filled with coolant,
reset the ECU code and shipped it.

If so, I told the service advisor that I don't want the car. Too many
problems can result from overheating ... especially with aluminum heads,
etc.

I have been told I'll get a call from Nissan Customer Service within 24
hours to resolve the problem. I am going to tell him/her I don't want
that car and will accept a replacement of equal or better value.

Negotiate to get the one you're driving now. After pain and suffering, you may get it for a few hundred, or maybe an even swap!



I'll betcha I end up with the one I am driving for an even swap. I'll
be happy with that. It's loaded with options that I am getting used to
playing with. Every day I drive it I discover something else it has.
Maybe someday I'll open the glove compartment, take out the owner's
manual and read it. :-)