# Have I been struck by the dreaded Intercool issue



## AlexLeigh (Sep 17, 2008)

:thumbdwn: Newbie here. Used the forum when I was researching my x-trail and decided to risk a September 05 2.2 DCI. 21000 miles, lovely condition, dealer serviced. Engine bay like new. Bought it off an Internet dealer but had a garage check it over before I paid for it.

That was 10 days ago. Loved the car, powerful, big, fun to drive. And now the intercooler is leaking. 350 miles after I bought it. SO questions are

a) Is it worth badgering Nissan to see if they'll help pay for fixing it?
b) I have a warranty but it's only £300 per repair, any idea how much this is going to cost
c) Should I have another beer?

I am insanely p!ssed off because I read all these issues and yet still bought one. And now I'm going to worry it'll just break again.


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## rowlers (Sep 15, 2008)

I too am in the UK, can't help with your problem though - Sorry.
I find it hard to beleive there are so many problems with the intercoolers and turbos!!
Good luck


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## The Mad Hat Man (Oct 3, 2006)

as yu are in the Uk, Sale of goods Act applies - must be of merchantable quality.....

have a word with trading standards and CAB. I think you have a good case for saying that it must have been like that when you bought it - so they are responsible for fixing it or giving you your money back.

The Sale of Goods Act 979, amended in 1994, say that when you buy goods from a trader they must fit the description, be of satisfactory quality - which includes lasting a reasonable length of time - and be fit for their purpose. If goods aren't of satisfactory quality you're entitled to compensation, which is normally the cost of repairs.


this might apply if it was an internet purchase.....

Consumer Rights • cooling off period • distance selling • mail order • retailers legal obligations • right to cancel 
One of the most important implications of the distance selling regulations is a cooling off period of 7 days during which you have the right to cancel. The supplier must provide you with details of your cancellation rights, any duty to return the goods should you cancel, and whether you will have to pay for this. You must provide notice of cancellation in writing and it must be posted to, left at, faxed or emailed to the business address of the supplier, and you must ensure this is done no later than 8 working days after receipt of goods. However, if the supplier did not supply written confirmation of your order before it was delivered, as they should have done, then your cancellation period will be extended by a further three months. The supplier must then reimburse you within 30 days without charge (unless you have been expressly informed that you will be liable for a charge) and if you have any related credit agreements, these will also be cancelled.


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## gladstonescrewer (Sep 16, 2008)

If your problems are anything like mine another crate of beers will be needed,so far ive been told i need a new turbo,intercooler & now it could be a recirculation valve all from an oil leak, some advice i can give is these vehicles need looking at by someone familiar with nissan x-trails,i would not recommend the local garage but at least you have had some feedback from this forum , hope it all works out for you Alex.


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## AlexLeigh (Sep 17, 2008)

First thanks for the replies. Helpful stuff. Not sure about CAB, I really don't want to go down that route unless I have to. Reasons include (after some investigation)

a) Local garage tells me it's a £275 part and £50 fitting (all + vat)
b) Nissan Garage where it was bought has replaced turbo already under warranty in 2006 and it has less than 10,000 on it
c) I have a warranty from the broker I bought it from which covers £300 of any claim (it doesn't include turbo so I don't know if that includes Intercooler)

I have spoken to Nissan and they tell me they "might" be able to help but need a dealer to look at it first so I'm due into Nissan Hereford at 8:30 tomorrow. If Nissan won't do it, I guess I'll have it done locally as it's going to be alot cheaper.

It's a pain as I'm out of the country next week but hopefully will get it sorted while I'm away. The real shame is I love the car and decided to buy it over the Honda CRV (love Honda's but CRV wasn't as good) even knowing it might be a bit risky.

It did 36.5mpg on first tank which included lots of town driving, some 4wd when we had floods and 70 miles of motorway at 80. And the engine feels really strong and pokey. So I think I've got a good one! It's also had the mod on the ECU.

The problem I guess I have is if they fix it, will it go again. The turbo will be 10k old and the intercooler new. So is that it or am I going to be driving round in a ticking time bomb!


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## trifon (Jan 12, 2008)

HI, 

Intercooler failure is known issue usualy fixed at no charge by Nissan. September 05, it should be still under guarantee(3 jears).


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## AlexLeigh (Sep 17, 2008)

Nissan in Hereford are chasing it for me. Nissan UK are basically dragging their feet. They keep asking holding question "when was it serviced" then "who by" and now "Which dealer did you buy it from?" as they want to claim some money from them.

I bought it from an Internet broker so they're SOL  I guess from that, they should cover at least some of it. It was exactly 3 weeks out of warranty when it happened. 

I'll let you know how I get on.


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## planetf1 (Sep 22, 2008)

Our 38k 2.2dCi has just been hit by the intercooler issue too it seems.

It actually broke down today - 

No warning, no smell/smoke/warning/slipping. Had to be transported to dealer.

Diagnosis - clutch failed. But at that time it was also noted there is oil leak in intercooler & it was failing

Been on the phone to Nissan customer service to discuss - they're going to discuss with garage and get back to us. They did say (if it's the same problem) that the intercooler may be covered, but I'm hoping they'll consider the clutch failure positively too...


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## rowlers (Sep 15, 2008)

my clutch is slipping at 27k, going in for a new one soon - ridiculus that they fail so soon!


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## planetf1 (Sep 22, 2008)

Have you been given a price? The dealer told me 930 UKP... Have done 38k miles / just under 4 years. No towing etc. In our case it went suddenly. bang! 0 notice.


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## rowlers (Sep 15, 2008)

no price yet, it is under warranty anyway so not bothered!
I'll update when it is booked in


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## slr_will (Sep 12, 2008)

This may be going a little too far, but if Nissan won't repair it, why not go to an aftermarket upgraded one? It may cost you more money, but will more than likely come with its own warranty and a whole bunch of advantages. It probably wont leak either...


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## trifon (Jan 12, 2008)

Hi,

Regarding the clutch, one must be aware that the DCI fly wheel is a little bit particular. That's not massive piece of metal but many parts assembly with springs designed for dumping the clutch.
I do not know the term in english. In France it is named "volant bi masses". 

There is been one known issue with it as well. When first mounted on new generation cars, there is been many issues with this new device(Toyota RAV4 for instance)

Very often, that is not the clutch itself wich is defective but the fly wheel. All the springs going in all directions causes clutch failure too.

All this must be covered at no charge by Nissan.


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## rowlers (Sep 15, 2008)

I believe the correct name of these (in UK at least) to be "dual mass" flywheels, and yes I have heard of problems with these in other Manufacturers.


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## planetf1 (Sep 22, 2008)

Thanks for the info.Mine of course is out of waranty. Nissan have offered a 40% contibution on the intercooler, but say the garage's verdict is that the clutch failure is wear/tear. I'll need to call the garage tomorrow and see if I need a second opinion. Given the car isn't used for towing this seems pretty early.

Garage quoted me £925.70 inc vat/labour for the clutch. (disk, cover, bearing). I imagine the job is a PITA so quite a lot of labour, but does that price seem reasonable or excessive? Need to call around tomorrow.

Putting aside the clutch, On the intercooler, they say the turbo is fine. It is *just* intercooler. Is a 40% offer fair? (4 years, 38k). generally I'd think it is, it's just this "known issue with the turbo" that's bugging me.


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## The Mad Hat Man (Oct 3, 2006)

Is the Intercooler just a radiator, because if so, it might be worth while just cleaning it, as they are prone to getting full of gunk.


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## trifon (Jan 12, 2008)

planetf1 said:


> Thanks for the info.Mine of course is out of waranty. Nissan have offered a 40% contibution on the intercooler, but say the garage's verdict is that the clutch failure is wear/tear. I'll need to call the garage tomorrow and see if I need a second opinion. Given the car isn't used for towing this seems pretty early.
> 
> Garage quoted me £925.70 inc vat/labour for the clutch. (disk, cover, bearing). I imagine the job is a PITA so quite a lot of labour, but does that price seem reasonable or excessive? Need to call around tomorrow.
> 
> Putting aside the clutch, On the intercooler, they say the turbo is fine. It is *just* intercooler. Is a 40% offer fair? (4 years, 38k). generally I'd think it is, it's just this "known issue with the turbo" that's bugging me.


What is told in french weekly car magazine "AUTOPLUS":
Dualmass flywheels: 300000Km replacement at no charge up to 150000km
Clutch: 150000Km no charge up to 30000Km pro rata(proportional) milage left beyond.
Intercooler is wholly static part, it sould last the minimum expected engine life time: 300000Km

The undermeaning of all this is in case the manufacturer refuses to cover the expense, one can go to the court and win.
One can say is the rule the the guarantee period is now replaced by the concept of expected fair life time for the different car parts.
38000 Km or Miles is not the usual X_Trail clutch life time excepted very heavy usage. We have no bad stories records of it. 

New dualmass flywheels is presently the main source of conflict between car owners and manufacturers, they said again. 

As it is likely they change the flywheel without let you know and charge for the clutch, all defective parts must be showed. there are visible differrences between clutch wear and clutch destroyed by the flywheel.
If possible, be present when they deposit the gearbox.
The main part of the overall cost is labor as the gearbox has to be removed.
So...be vigilant.


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## AlexLeigh (Sep 17, 2008)

Update: Nissan originally offered me nothing as I hadn't bought it from their dealer network. I spoke to them and after reconsidering offered me 50%. I dug my heels in a bit more and the went up to 75%. So I took that.

Repair was £362, my part less than £100 and the intercooler has 12 month parts warranty. 

Not ecstatic with Nissan but better than the 0% help they offered up first. So I think 40% for a car another year old is probably about right.

Happy to have got it fixed, hope that's it!


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## uktony (Oct 15, 2008)

From what I understand, a leaking intercooler will damage the engine as the fuel/air mixture will be wrong, too weak.

Can the intercooler just be rewelded where it is leaking?


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## trifon (Jan 12, 2008)

uktony said:


> From what I understand, a leaking intercooler will damage the engine as the fuel/air mixture will be wrong, too weak.
> 
> Can the intercooler just be rewelded where it is leaking?


Leaking intercooler means wrong turbo working as it needs more pressure. In the long run, that can reduce its life time.

It is very difficult to reweld the intercooler. I am not sure it is worth to do it as this part is not very expensive anyway.


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## windibob (Feb 13, 2009)

Surely if the intercooler's only leaking unpressurised oil to outside the system, the pressure seen by the turbo will be unchanged. If the oil was leaking into the turbo intake, the turbo would be in serious trouble. I guess!


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## lukaszs2 (Feb 15, 2009)

i'm in the same position, but also have check engine control flashing and EGR Performance problem, code 404, just thinking if it has something to do with Intercooler failure. Third mechanic checked the turbo, after 2 ASO checks and told me the turbo is preatty OK, no need to replace, just new intercooler required. I have bught car 2 months ago from one person who brought the car from other country, so i'm wondering if i would be able to get any discount on parts.. ? 

best regadards


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