Timing Advance Question (stress on tranny?)

SmokedTiresITAN · 08-30-2006, 09:35 PM

Hey guys, so I went to Power Nissan in the Tempe Autoplex in Arizona and had to get my radiator replaced (there was a crack) but while i was there i asked to do the timing advance the guy was gonna do it then he said his tech did not wanna do it because he read that it puts alot of stress on the titans transmission. Is this true or has anyone heard about this....

also they said all my fluids were very very very very dirty. And highly recommended changing them all...(not my oil but power steering, brake, etc).... but it wa about 500 for all the fluids... my other question is do you guys this i just got screwed or did they really need to be changed.... its an 04 with 40,000 miles and those fluids have not been changed to my knowledge... just oil... what do u guys think...i meand its alot of money for that and i really wanna know what you guys think i should do.... personally i feel screwed....

Wildmike · 08-30-2006, 09:40 PM

I wouldn't think that those fluids would be that dirty after 40,000 miles. I think you might have got screwed. You should talk to dealership head man. Labor should be around 90 bucks an hour. So that is over 5 hours of labor. Did they work on it that long?

SmokedTiresITAN · 08-30-2006, 09:46 PM

to replace the fluids and replace the radiator it came to about $1525.... it just seemed ridiculous to me...

OMNIHUGE · 08-31-2006, 12:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmokedTiresITAN

to replace the fluids and replace the radiator it came to about $1525.... it just seemed ridiculous to me...

Yup, seems ridiculous to me too.

Wiscdave · 08-31-2006, 06:38 AM

Whooooo you got taken to the bank. I would tell the dealer the amount is crazy and get a quote from Midas and compare. Threaten to write the local paper even. Get the local tv media involved. How's your arze feeling because they really took it to you.

**konigfritz** · 08-31-2006, 08:29 AM

Yeah that's high! I would file a complaint and ask to see the work hour standards they use. most shops have book that tell's them howmany work hours to charge for something. SO lets say you need a battery changed, book says 20 min. if it takes them 10 or 25 min, you get charged for 20.

thejosh · 08-31-2006, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wildmike

I wouldn't think that those fluids would be that dirty after 40,000 miles. I think you might have got screwed. You should talk to dealership head man. Labor should be around 90 bucks an hour. So that is over 5 hours of labor. Did they work on it that long?

the Labor is called Flat Rate.. meaning you are paying for a Flat Rate of Labor whatever the job is, like say a brake job.. the labor hour only applies to how the technician gets paid because its commission for him.. its a weird way of business but thats how most places are i believe. so they set a job based on time to complete the job and charge you against the labor hour price. since its a flat rate it doesn't matter how long or how fast it took the tech to perform the job. anyways im not sure this matters. as for the fluids.. ive seen black brake fluid at 40k before and after seeing how much crap and dirt comes out.. i wouldnt want that in my brake system so its not that bad of a thing to do.. P/S to me is not so critical like brakes but i believe its a good thing to maintain your truck

SPEEDDMON · 08-31-2006, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmokedTiresITAN

Hey guys, so I went to Power Nissan in the Tempe Autoplex in Arizona and had to get my radiator replaced (there was a crack) but while i was there i asked to do the timing advance the guy was gonna do it then he said his tech did not wanna do it because he read that it puts alot of stress on the titans transmission. Is this true or has anyone heard about this....

also they said all my fluids were very very very very dirty. And highly recommended changing them all...(not my oil but power steering, brake, etc).... but it wa about 500 for all the fluids... my other question is do you guys this i just got screwed or did they really need to be changed.... its an 04 with 40,000 miles and those fluids have not been changed to my knowledge... just oil... what do u guys think...i meand its alot of money for that and i really wanna know what you guys think i should do.... personally i feel screwed....

On the timing advance issue, I personally would not feel comfortable with that dealership doing any work on my truck period. As there are tolerances on the truck as provided by the manual and the consult 2 which they are using should not allow you to do anything that would harm your truck stengthened by the advanced ecm. For instance if the book says 15 * +/- 5*, the consult generally would not let you go past 18*, in most cases 17*.

On the cost issue that seems a bit high considering you can change some of the fluids yourself in less than an hour, I personally do not know the cost of the radiator so I cannot help you there, maybe if you scan the service document which details what was done, the cost of parts and the labour rate etc and put it on the site then it may be easier to judge if it was a fair price or not and we will better be able to help you then. Maybe what will help you in the future and what I do, is to buy all your fluids and parts upfront and online and just pay labour when you get to the dealership if you can't do some of the things yourself.

ablexus · 09-01-2006, 08:49 PM

This is insane. How many people work on their own trucks around here? I know that the workspace on the Titan is tight, but if you are outside your 36k mile warranty, you could have bought a radiator for 200 dollars tops and installed it yourself. Brake fluid, power steering fluid, washer fluid, even that expensive tranny fluid shouldn't run you more than 200 dollars if you buy enough for the next 10 years.

Brake bleeds are easy with a buddy. I've used a bag of cement before as a helper. 500 dollars for fluids isn't being taken to the bank, it's out and out rape. And I haven't taken a long hard look at the radiator, but I can assure you that I, an alone, untrained backyard mechanic, could replace it in far less than 4 hours, taking my time.

Andrew

TitanBlue · 09-01-2006, 09:14 PM

Thanks for info of timing plus or minus 5, thought I saw that mentioned once, I've got the UpRev, only does 2, but it allows over 7 or 8 I think as a goal, but limits you to 2 degree actual change. Maybe they will get more radical on next update to Cipher. Very safe mod, never heard of a problem, it is within range the ECU allows for...

Radiators, if a four core, can be very expensive, way beyond 200 from a good rad dealer AM. Consider the Trans coolers attached and possible Oil cooler (???) and it could be 400-500 for a rad. We have a $400 Rad on a small diesel generator that is only a 1.3 or 1.9L Engine for 10KW Power.

Still seems High, Synthetic fluids very high if for the rear, Dealer charges twice what PepBoys would for fluid itself. 100% markup wholesale to retail is normal on many items, many industries, that is how things in store get sold for 20% off retail, it still leaves a $50 item at $80 instead of $100. Good margins. Many fluids could be dirty, but looks alone are not the sole judgemnet. Check your owners manual fior recommendations and be honest with yourself of driving style and, yes, upgrade from stock to synthetic oils when you can (general advice) for far greater heat protection.

SmokedTiresITAN · 09-04-2006, 01:55 AM

Hey guys i spoke with the service manager at power nissan and the service advisor charged me for the wrong thing... he also added in the 45,000 check up thing which was 500+ in itself. I have a meeting with him Wednesday and he said we will get it all taken care of. Thanks for all your guys advise! It always helps! He also said I probably didnt need my power steering fluid and brake fluid changed so they are refunding me that as well. So i will end up spending around 500-600 for the radiator and install. Thats much better to me than 1500-lol... as for me installing the radiator myself... i am very mechanically inclined and probably installed it myself with a manual... but to be honest i would not be comfortable doing it by myself... I wish i could though!!! Thanks again... and ill ask the service manager about the 2 degree timing.. get him to throw it in hopefully for all this aggravation...

Another question too.. and ill write a new thread also but how many of you guys bought the extended warranty and how much did you guys pay or is a good price for it... im looking to get up to 100,000 mile warranty..thanks again!!!

Wiscdave · 09-05-2006, 10:38 AM

Glad it worked out for you. That seemed way out of line. Try to work out a deal on the extended warranty now.