# 04 Altima - Dealer results of running w/ no oil



## Hallacres (May 24, 2004)

Refer to my previous thread http://www.nissanforums.com/showthread.php?t=59832 about the situation:

So, after the dealer having the car for two full days, I decided to stop by and see what was happening. The "advisor" that took my order talked to me in person (this is a large deaer selling Olds, GMC, izuzu, kia, nissan and some more). He said that they put oil in the car and it started. Then they added some additive and it is now sittin. He said that they want it another day to run some test to make sure it is okay, such as putting some miles on it. 
I then asked about future problems if the car was released to me. He said that the engine would not be covered in the future because it was ran without oil. He said I would have to cover any engine repair n the future, or make a deal with the oil change chop.

Oh, BTW, this is a 39 month, 18,000 miles/year lease, and only 2 months into it.
Now, do I have a right to make them put a new engine into it, so as to get a warrantied engine, and then just bill the oil change shop??
What are your comments or suggestions, as I dont know if I should talk to a lawyer yet!!!???

Jason


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## Coco (Apr 30, 2002)

Wow, that's definately something to really think about. I'm probably the last person to ask for advice on this, but I would really consider talking to a lawyer. You may even look for a forum for legal advice and ask the same thing. It sounds really complicated since it was the shop's fault. Good luck however you tackle this!


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## dkocur (Feb 17, 2004)

Ouch! Seems to me that the shop is responsible for voiding your warranty. Hmmm, if you talk to them I'm pretty sure they'd be willing to say, "Yea, if you have a problem in the future due to this, we'll cover it." I'm sure you realise there are a LOT of problems with that "solution". Definitely time to talk to a lawyer and determine what your legal options are. I'm thinking you might be able to get the shop to put the money for an engine replacement in an account. It'd stay there until your engine fails or you get rid of the car. If you need to replace the engine, the cost is covered by the money in the account. If you don't replace the engine, the shop gets it's money back (with any interest it's earned) when you get rid of your car. You should get a lawyer to set it up to protect yourself from the shop declaring bancruptcy, pulling the money out of the account without your approval, etc...


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## KA24Tech (Feb 2, 2004)

I would call Nissan Customer Service to discuss your problem as well as the oil change shop if you haven't already because this is your NEW car. Why should you have the warranty voided for their mistake. I think the engine should be replaced and the oil change shop be responsible for the full repair bill. If they don't agree to it then legal action is definitely in order as well as a call to the BBB. Just my thoughts though.

Troy


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## Bror Jace (Apr 26, 2003)

Talking to a lawyer is probably a good idea. If you do, tell him/her 100% of the truth to get the best possible advice/representation.

However, now you say it's a leased vehicle ... with about three years to go. I'll bet that if the engine runs fine now, with no smoke or obvious driveability problems, it'll probably get you to that mark easy.

Something you might want to do is to run the new oil about 1,000 miles or so and send a used sample to a lab like this one:

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/

There are actually a lot of labs like this across the country but I've been using this one for years. Cost is about $20.  It will show any inordinate wear metal (iron, lead, aluminum, copper, etc ...) which will be floating around in the oil and might give you an idea how much damage occurred ... and if the engine is headed for serious trouble.

Anyway, this type of documentation might be critical in any legal action you might want to take. You should really look into it. 

Actually, for $35, you can have the lab test AND hire an expert analyst like *Terry Dyson* who works with (not for) Blackstone Labs and will really dig into your lab report. I highly recommend him. He's also fairly familiar with the Nissan engines including the QR25DE. :thumbup:


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## Hallacres (May 24, 2004)

Bror Jace said:


> Talking to a lawyer is probably a good idea. If you do, tell him/her 100% of the truth to get the best possible advice/representation.
> 
> However, now you say it's a leased vehicle ... with about three years to go. I'll bet that if the engine runs fine now, with no smoke or obvious driveability problems, it'll probably get you to that mark easy.
> 
> ...


*BUMP*

Been a month or more and so far so good. I push the car every chance I get and no apparent problems. I am hoping that the assumed reason the car stalled is the "hydraulic lifters" having no oil pressure. Only 3 more years of the car, wish me luck!!


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## blitzboi (Apr 13, 2004)

Hallacres said:


> I am hoping that the assumed reason the car stalled is the "hydraulic lifters" having no oil pressure.


I'm not 100% positive that this applies to the VQ series, but most modern engines don't use hydraulic valve lifters. Instead they fixed lifters with adjustable shims, which are more durable and can't develop leaks like the hydraulic lifters can (I had a '91 Escort GT once upon a time with leaky hydraulic lifters). 

In any case good luck on sorting your mess out. And for what it's worth, if I were in your position, I'd definetly talk to a lawyer and make the oil change chop pay for their mistake. It would be covered under their errors and omisions (E&O) insurance policy, just like any other screw-up, so don't let them whine to you about how much money it will cost them. It's all B.S.


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## Bror Jace (Apr 26, 2003)

Thanks for the update, *Hallacres*. As the owner of an identical motor, I am interested to see just how much neglect/abuse/punishment one of these powerplants can take. 

Nice to see yours is apparently suffering no ill effects. 

Good luck!


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## QX4guy (Sep 14, 2004)

Bror Jace said:


> Thanks for the update, *Hallacres*. As the owner of an identical motor, I am interested to see just how much neglect/abuse/punishment one of these powerplants can take.
> 
> Nice to see yours is apparently suffering no ill effects.
> 
> Good luck!


You can thank the Mobil 1 for the lack of apparent damage; that stuff is awesome, and I run it in everything.


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## justkickin (Jul 24, 2004)

QX4guy said:


> You can thank the Mobil 1 for the lack of apparent damage; that stuff is awesome, and I run it in everything.


I have been told by my shop that running full synthetic is not advised until 30,000km (about 18,000 miles). They say you need to give the engine time to seat everything etc before running a synthetic. Apparently some extra friction helps with this process. 

Is this accurate or BS?


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## Coco (Apr 30, 2002)

Sounds like BS to me. Why wait till 18,000 miles??


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## QX4guy (Sep 14, 2004)

justkickin said:


> I have been told by my shop that running full synthetic is not advised until 30,000km (about 18,000 miles). They say you need to give the engine time to seat everything etc before running a synthetic. Apparently some extra friction helps with this process.
> 
> Is this accurate or BS?


I've heard that also, and it makes sense. However, The Dodge Viper, as well as most of the BMW lineup comes with synthetic oil from the factory. You could always run a synthetic/dino blended oil until you felt better


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