# 08 Sentra 27k engine sludge??!!??



## 88ZX/86NX (Sep 26, 2011)

My cousin has a 2008 sentra with a 2 liter and 27000 miles, he has changed the oil between every 4k and 5k miles since new and the motor sludged up and seized. Nissan told him he never changed the oil, when he produced receipts for the oil changes they said they werent done at nissan, and denied the warantee claim, Granted thery arent 3k mile oil changes but with todays oil and clean running motors that shouldn't happen at 27k miles adn 4k to 5k change intervals. I don't have any real experience with this generation sentra (not old enough yet), but if im not mistaken they no longer are using the SR20DE in this sentra for a 2.0 liter, Is this a fluke? anyone heard of this before?


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

Your cousin's engine would be an MR20DE; the SR20DE was not an option in 2008. The optional engine is the QR25DE.

Your cousin's vehicle's "normal service schedule" per Nissan calls for 7500 mile oil change intervals. The "severe duty schedule" calls for 3750 mile oil change intervals. "Severe duty" is defined as:

Repeated short trips of less than 5 miles (8 km). 
Repeated short trips of less than 10 miles (16 km) with outside temperatures remaining below freezing. 
Operating in hot weather in stop-and-go "rush hour" traffic. 
Extensive idling and/or low speed driving for long distances, such as police, taxi or door-to-door delivery use. 
Driving in dusty conditions. 
Driving on rough, muddy, or salt spread roads. 
Towing a trailer, using a camper or a car-top carrier.

Nissan cannot legally deny your cousin's warranty solely for his use of non-Nissan materials nor for not having his oil changes performed at a Nissan dealer. Saying you cousin must use Nissan materials and Nissan dealers to service his vehicle in order to qualify for warranty coverage is considered a "tie-in sales provision," which is not allowed under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act of 1975. This gives you specific legal rights and if what you say is true, your cousin has the basis for legal action against them. That said, he must still use appropriate materials when servicing his vehicle, ie the recommended API certified 5W30 engine oil and an oil filter designed for his said engine. 

While I have heard of engine sludge issues with some engines, especially Toyotas, I'm not aware of any regarding Nissan engines nor the MR20DE. That said, assuming the oil and filter were serviced within the Nissan recommended guidlines and your cousin has proof of such services, then Nissan is obligated under the terms of your warranty to correct the problem without charge to him. I would suggest your cousin first seeks action through Nissan's customer service hotline (1-800-NISSAN-1). If that doesn't work, his next step would be to seek advice from an attorney.


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## 88ZX/86NX (Sep 26, 2011)

yea, hes tried the nissan service hotline, they won't help at all, his lawsuit is already under way, which is a crying shame because i always considered nissan to be one of the better corporations when it came to customer service. I was just curious to see if this was a common thing (like the Mitsubishi 2.7L V6 that was in many chryslers, if you don't know that engine has a notorious sludge problem and they don't last much more then 80k) So oh well that sucks and i wish him the best, but he probably will not be buying another nissan, and i don't blame him, if that happened to me i'd be pissed, however it did not happen to me so i WILL buy another nissan one day, thanx for your post


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