2008 Nissan Altima Oil Pan with Rust Bubbles- Are You Kidding Me?
Posted: Tuesday, October 13, 2009
by Ken McCreless
RMS1437
Greetings Fellow Travelers ...
Well, I HAD planned on writing a 3 part story for Halloween, but an incident concerning my wife's 2008 Altima changed that; for now.
We had been using the oil change business owned and operated by the, for now, unnamed dealership where we bought our Nissan vehicles. I drive an '07 Sentra, which, of course, I named "Christine," after the infamous 1958 Plymouth Fury of Stephen King fame.
In years past I would change the oil myself, but decided to take the lazy way out and let someone else do it. Until a few days ago.
Christine got her fresh oil and filter first, the air filter did not need changing, only a few pats to remove some dust.
Next came "Pearl," Janie's Altima. When I removed the plug to let the old oil drain out I noticed several rust "bubbles" on the oil pan. Rust bubbles are a result of rust forming under the surface and pushing out from the inside.
I was concerned, but Janie made an appointment with the still unnamed local Nissan dealership to have a new one installed. The gentleman there told her it would be $107 and change to replace it.
I was asleep when she went, having just came back from the Valley. When she came home and told me what Nissan had said I nearly lost it, so bad I had trouble finding the phone number to call them.
" Well, sir, that's not covered. It's 3 years or 36,000 miles." The car has 52,000 miles.
But for a RUSTING oil pan? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!
The oil pan is a bucket-type part that is bolted to the underside of the engine. It holds the oil that is circulated around the engine, lubricating hundreds of moving parts. Being constantly bathed in oil, it should not rust. The rust bubbles told me it was an absolute defect in materials and/or workmanship when the part was made.
After a few minutes of discussion and being put on hold 3 times I was informed that a new oil pan would be ordered and installed at no charge. Of course, we have to be paying close attention for any oil leaks until that happens.
Deep breathe ... Ohmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ................................
Here's the moral of the story. Either change your own oil or take your vehicle to someone that you can absolutely trust. Our cars were serviced by the same place since we got them and not one time did they mention any problem with the oil pan.
Now, about that Halloween story.
heheheheheheheheheh ...
Well, I HAD planned on writing a 3 part story for Halloween, but an incident concerning my wife's 2008 Altima changed that; for now.
We had been using the oil change business owned and operated by the, for now, unnamed dealership where we bought our Nissan vehicles. I drive an '07 Sentra, which, of course, I named "Christine," after the infamous 1958 Plymouth Fury of Stephen King fame.
Christine got her fresh oil and filter first, the air filter did not need changing, only a few pats to remove some dust.
Next came "Pearl," Janie's Altima. When I removed the plug to let the old oil drain out I noticed several rust "bubbles" on the oil pan. Rust bubbles are a result of rust forming under the surface and pushing out from the inside.
I was concerned, but Janie made an appointment with the still unnamed local Nissan dealership to have a new one installed. The gentleman there told her it would be $107 and change to replace it.
I was asleep when she went, having just came back from the Valley. When she came home and told me what Nissan had said I nearly lost it, so bad I had trouble finding the phone number to call them.
" Well, sir, that's not covered. It's 3 years or 36,000 miles." The car has 52,000 miles.
But for a RUSTING oil pan? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!
The oil pan is a bucket-type part that is bolted to the underside of the engine. It holds the oil that is circulated around the engine, lubricating hundreds of moving parts. Being constantly bathed in oil, it should not rust. The rust bubbles told me it was an absolute defect in materials and/or workmanship when the part was made.
After a few minutes of discussion and being put on hold 3 times I was informed that a new oil pan would be ordered and installed at no charge. Of course, we have to be paying close attention for any oil leaks until that happens.
Deep breathe ... Ohmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ................................
Here's the moral of the story. Either change your own oil or take your vehicle to someone that you can absolutely trust. Our cars were serviced by the same place since we got them and not one time did they mention any problem with the oil pan.
Now, about that Halloween story.
heheheheheheheheheh ...
UPDATE!!
Ed Hicks Nissan of Corpus Christi deserves 3 cheers and 3 gold stars for their handling of my Pearl, my wife's '08 Altima. They not only replaced the rusting oil pan, but fixed a flat and gave the car a thorough wash and wax.
My thanks to the gang in the service department for coming through for us!
Ken McCreless is just a guy who loves to write, and was born to do so. He is a freelance writer with several projects ongoing, including books and magazines. A huge fan of both irony and history, Ken has dedicated his life and his writing to serve the Lord Jesus Christ.
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More commentsYour article makes me want to take extra care when I have my car service.Thanks for sharing.Linda DToo often women get taken advantage of. It is sad, but so. But, if you can trust the folks taking care of your vehicle, then you'll be allright.Thanks for stopping by.
Sometimes the 'squeaky wheel gets the grease'. :) Good thing you called to discuss it. So often it's just easier to say fix it, then pay it, and be sick about it later.OK Ken, you know now we're all expecting to see a Halloween story from you. :)I felt like riding my Harley straight into their service bay, but, that might have been too extreme.The story? Oh yea!
Hi Ken, Can't relate too much to the whole motor vehicle thing as i still use those old Nissan originals to get around...my feet! However, regarding customer service and charges, I am hearing you loud and clear! We have to be so vigilant these days not to get charged for anything and everything! JulianVigilance is the key, Julian. Too many of us simply turn ourselves over to someone who SHOULD be trustworthy, but is not.Thank you for reading and commenting.
Hahahahah...great article and amazing also. I have not seen just kind of article or read same kind of article before. Once again thanks a lot.Thank you for the kind words! Welcome to SearchWarp!
Interesting article. Many thanks.Thank you, Tom. I do love to write.
Interesting. Goes to show you need to stick to your guns. I'm glad the dealer made it right. I like the conviction in your article.Thank you!Sometimes you just got to say, Enough!Thanks for reading and commenting.
hi ken,great writing, and nice humor, too.i'm glad you stuck to your guns and got it taken care of. we do the same in our family-fight until justice is done.thanks for sharing,my best,sueThank you, Sue.I try to be calm and understanding but sometimes anger is a GOOD thing!
Since I don't work on my own car, I'd never find anything like this. But I do get great service at my dealer's auto service department at Acura of Mission Viejo and have been pleasantly surprised when they give me repairs under warranty. Fortunately, I've had no major problems. They do a far better job than I would, that is for sure.I enjoy working on my vehicles. It saves money and gives me a lot of satisfaction.It's a good but rare thing to find service as you describe, and that is unfortunate.Thanks for stopping by.
Great article Ken. Fortunately, I have not experienced it as I love public transportation (I let them worry about repairs).I always wondered why cars have female names? I hope Christine and Pearl are feeling much better. LOLThanks for sharing.Best to you and yours,NenitaThat's a good question, Nenita. Christine and Pearl are doing much better, I'll tell them you asked!
Thank you so much for the support!
That breaks my heart, Ken. Although, I don't own a Nissan vehicle, I had always thought that they made a superior product--now I have lost my faith. And now I'm going to make my husband go out and look underneath our new 2010 KIA Forte for anything unusual!! You just can't trust anybody anymore, can you?Thanks for a great, well written article.SandraOverall the vehicles are top notch, I have no complaints about them. It was the sorry attitude of the service department that upset me. Problems come and go, but good service is rare.Thank you for reading and commenting. I really appreciate it!
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