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Not a Jeep, but need help. Blown Piston in 04 Sentra Nissan says MUD build up?

NHxj4x4

NHxj4x4

NAXJA Member #1132
Location
Keene NH
Hey guys,

This question relates to my Brother-In-Laws 04 SpecV. He came up for Easter to NH from NC which is about a 800 mile trip. He made it 750 miles and then the car started smoking and stopped running. We had it towed to Nissan and they looked at it today. Now before I say anything else he bought it NEW and also got the extended warranty until 48,000mi and now has 42,000mi.

So they call him today after bringing it in the shop and they says that the exhaust has MUD build up and that is what caused a piston to blow. They said that because of this they will not cover it. This sounds REALLY fishy to me, as I didn't think that back-pressure (which would have been the cause) could result in a blown piston. Not to mention we're talking a SpecV here not a Jeep. He's never done anything but drive on the street with this thing. The car has NO MODS.

I really need advise so I can consult him on this ASAP. He is due back at Fort Bragg the 8th and will be deployed to Iraq for his 3rd tour a few weeks after that. This is really pissing us both off. Between the 2 of our families we have bought 4 cars there in 3 years, and this is the way that we get treated.

Thanks,

Todd
 
http://www.naxja.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=86

before anyone beats you down, try posting ^

I find it hard to believe the "mud" would be stronger than the piston, so I can't see backpressure being the cause.

I could see mud on a radiator causing an overheat and possibly burning a piston, but it would have surfaced many miles sooner.

I think you've got a good case to bring to the regional warranty/claims representative for arbitration. He will probably understand the cost of repair is not worth the loss in business.:peace:
 
I am thinking that high back pressure would feed high heat, and the combination of those could lead to detonation, but this is mostly an uneducated opinion, plus I have been drinking. If memory serves, the Spec V has a 2.5 and can rev to pretty high RPMs, which I think should be able to blow anything out of the exhaust tip (can't see mud getting in much farther than that) and at the very least, he would have noticed a difference in performance.
 
Shorty said:
http://www.naxja.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=86

before anyone beats you down, try posting ^

I find it hard to believe the "mud" would be stronger than the piston, so I can't see backpressure being the cause.

I could see mud on a radiator causing an overheat and possibly burning a piston, but it would have surfaced many miles sooner.

I think you've got a good case to bring to the regional warranty/claims representative for arbitration. He will probably understand the cost of repair is not worth the loss in business.:peace:
Click to expand...

Damn, didn't think about posting in speed. Anyway, I'll call the service manager tomorrow and find out who I should be talking to as far as the regional claims dept goes. I'm not wrong though in thinking that this is a ridiclous reason for blowing a piston?
 
Wow, this sounds like complete :bs: to me. Worst case scenario, you back the tips into a giant mud pile. The car's gunna blow it out. Not to mention the fact that the car would have to be turned off WHILE the mud gets in there or there's no way the mud could make it very far at all into the exhaust system. Not only does it sound like crap, but it's even a crappy excuse lol...
 
It sounds like there trying go around the warranty, thats nothing new. I would talk the whoever runs the dealership and be very firm. Tell him/her that your family has bought a few cars from them and that you expect them to honor the warranty. The whole "mud" thing is sounds like they just don't want to pay for repairs on a car with 40,000+ miles. If "mud" got into the exhaust, it should have A. blown out of the pipe B. The engine should have shut down becuase of high backpressure. How does mud get into a exhaust like that? I never heard of this problem on a non-offroad vehicle.

Theres NO excuse for a Iraq war veteran to get screwed like this. Hire a lawyer and go to the local press and tell them what happened, if they continue the BS.
This is how a service person gets treated? It makes me so god damn mad.
 
PurpleCherokee said:
Wow, this sounds like complete :bs: to me. Worst case scenario, you back the tips into a giant mud pile. The car's gunna blow it out. Not to mention the fact that the car would have to be turned off WHILE the mud gets in there or there's no way the mud could make it very far at all into the exhaust system. Not only does it sound like crap, but it's even a crappy excuse lol...
Click to expand...

Yup, its a complete BS job.
 
BillBraski said:
It sounds like there trying go around the warranty, thats nothing new. I would talk the whoever runs the dealership and be very firm. Tell him/her that your family has bought a few cars from them and that you expect them to honor the warranty. The whole "mud" thing is sounds like they just don't want to pay for repairs on a car with 40,000+ miles. If "mud" got into the exhaust, it should have A. blown out of the pipe B. The engine should have shut down becuase of high backpressure. How does mud get into a exhaust like that? I never heard of this problem on a non-offroad vehicle.

Theres NO excuse for a Iraq war veteran to get screwed like this. Hire a lawyer and go to the local press and tell them what happened, if they continue the BS.
This is how a service person gets treated? It makes me so god damn mad.
Click to expand...

I'm not really that happy either man, kinda can't believe this really now that I have some confirmations that this kinda couldn't have happened. This to me is like saying you got a cavity because you didn't wipe your ass. How could you possible suck up mud, to the point where it would clog your exhaust just enough to allow you to drive 750 miles and then blow a piston? Makes no damn sense to me. Ick....
 
The only way to get that much mud that deep, is to be in deep mud. Even at that, I have never heard of a piston melting or breaking. If this is what really happened (it isnt) Nissan should pay for the repairs anyway because it should not have happened. It sounds like a injector failed and melted a piston.
 
NHxj4x4 said:
I'm not really that happy either man, kinda can't believe this really now that I have some confirmations that this kinda couldn't have happened. This to me is like saying you got a cavity because you didn't wipe your ass. How could you possible suck up mud, to the point where it would clog your exhaust just enough to allow you to drive 750 miles and then blow a piston? Makes no damn sense to me. Ick....
Click to expand...

Hahaha, if the exhaust was blocked like that, it would have shut off becuase of the backpressure. plus, (like was already pointed out) it would have blown out after a little while. I had catylitic converters fail and blow the bee-hive out for a week straight.
 
BillBraski said:
Hahaha, if the exhaust was blocked like that, it would have shut off becuase of the backpressure. plus, (like was already pointed out) it would have blown out after a little while. I had catylitic converters fail and blow the bee-hive out for a week straight.
Click to expand...

I've blown plenty a Bee Hive as well, and never ever did any engine damage.
 
NHxj4x4 said:
I've blown plenty a Bee Hive as well, and never ever did any engine damage.
Click to expand...

There ya go. Its harded than mud. I'm really pissed off for your bother-in-law, theres no reason for this BS. I have dealt with dealers trying to screw me before, its what they do. Its money. They see it as a few thousand dollars saved by not honoring the warranty.
 
Get a Lawyer and another mechanic, show up there in the morning, and start snapping pictures, taking names and statements of everybody that is trying to blow you off. Escalate to upper mangement immediately. Keep everything documented and forward your concerns via certifed mail to Nissan. Consider contacting your local newstation and tell them you want to speak to an investigative reporter. Ask the reporter if he would like to tag along, and does he have any ideas to assist in resolving the problem.
 
NHxj4x4 said:
...This to me is like saying you got a cavity because you didn't wipe your ass....
Click to expand...

hahahahaha, best analogy ever :roflmao:


seriously tho, that is total BS, definitely confront the manager and if he doesn't budge go to the BBB, get a lawyer, etc.
 
 
So I talked with the service manager today and got a little more info from him. I guess it was more than just a little MUD residue. He said that there was so much mud, and that it was so hard, that they had to go in there with a hammer and chisel to get the mud of out the tail pipes. He was nice about it, and said that the back pressure was just too much and that something has got to give and that it was the piston that did the giving. I still don't see how you can get that much mud into a muffler unless it was a malicious act. Also even if there was that much mud, why wouldn't it have just blown out of the freaking muffler?

I'm going to go look at it on my way back from lunch today and take some pictures. I'll post em up.
 
a hammer and chisel??!! :huh:does this guy think you're f**king retarded or something :rolleyes:
something really fishy going on at that dealership
 
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