Sick and Tired

[garo1]

Hey guys, I just wanted to vent, so here goes. I am having multiple issues with my truck. Everything from the brake judder/squeal, dash rattles, valve train noise, gas tank filling problems, the list goes on and on. I love the truck but have to say that it's ridiculous that there are so many problems that aren't being addressed timely. I understand that this is a first year truck and it will have problems. My issue is that Nissan and the dealerships don't really seem to care. I keep getting the run around and I'm sick of it. I bought my truck after my wife purchased a new Altima in 2002. It's been great and that experience impacted my decision, until now. I was in the garage and started her car and the car spewed blue/white smoke everywhere from the exhaust. It only does it cold after it has set for a while and over the last 2 oil changes it’s used about 1 quart of oil (no other fluids being lost, no leaks anywhere) each time I’ve changed the oil and since I’m pretty good with cars, I’m pretty confident that it’s the valve stem seals. So, my wife takes it to the same dealer where I bought the Titan and her car. The guy is trying to tell us that it’s “normal” for a car to burn some oil and that the “fix” is to use 20W50 oil instead of the recommended 5W30 that I’ve been using. My question to him was, “then why is it burning oil suddenly along with the smoke that has never occurred before?”. All I get is a blank look. I have to tell ya, I think I’ve bought my last Nissan and will dump these 2 as soon as I can. A similar thing happened to me with Dodge and I dumped it and will never own another.. Anyway, just sick of it all, thanks for listening.

[37L1]

If it is at all possible, try taking it to another Nissan dealer. Not all service departments are alike.

I have never had the gas fill problem on my Titan, probably because I always have filled all my vehicles with the fill lock on low. I learned that the hard way while working as a gas station attendant back in the day. I got my share of "burps" all over me and it was usually the source of much hilarity except for me.

The few rattles I have had, I've been able to fix myself. There is a good "How To" with step by step photos in the How To/FAQ section by Jet Tech that deals specifically with the dash mounting bolts. If you haven't already, check it out.

Good luck. I hope you get your truck's issues (and the Altima's) ironed out.

[pagerdaddy]

I have an 03 Altima that my wife drives. No problems so far, and she has put
over 20k on it. We purchased an extended warranty on that one, so I'm not
worried about it. However, it feels like driving a go cart after being used to
the Titan.

I always put gas in the Titan with the fill lock on "high", and then reduce
the rate as it gets close to being full, or my wallet gets close to being empty.

We purchased three used vehicles for my wife after getting married, and
bought extended warranties on all of them. And we had to make use of them.

On the Nissan Quest she had, it started leaking oil. The two Dodge's were
burning it. It wasn't a quart between changes. More like 2 quarts every week.

I'm no mechanic, but isn't there some kind of pressure test that can be done
to check the valve seals/guides in a head to see if they are leaking?

[Half Shovel]

Originally Posted by garo1

Hey guys, I just wanted to vent, so here goes. I am having multiple issues with my truck. Everything from the brake judder/squeal, dash rattles, valve train noise, gas tank filling problems, the list goes on and on. I love the truck but have to say that it's ridiculous that there are so many problems that aren't being addressed timely. I understand that this is a first year truck and it will have problems. My issue is that Nissan and the dealerships don't really seem to care. I keep getting the run around and I'm sick of it. I bought my truck after my wife purchased a new Altima in 2002. It's been great and that experience impacted my decision, until now. I was in the garage and started her car and the car spewed blue/white smoke everywhere from the exhaust. It only does it cold after it has set for a while and over the last 2 oil changes it’s used about 1 quart of oil (no other fluids being lost, no leaks anywhere) each time I’ve changed the oil and since I’m pretty good with cars, I’m pretty confident that it’s the valve stem seals. So, my wife takes it to the same dealer where I bought the Titan and her car. The guy is trying to tell us that it’s “normal” for a car to burn some oil and that the “fix” is to use 20W50 oil instead of the recommended 5W30 that I’ve been using. My question to him was, “then why is it burning oil suddenly along with the smoke that has never occurred before?”. All I get is a blank look. I have to tell ya, I think I’ve bought my last Nissan and will dump these 2 as soon as I can. A similar thing happened to me with Dodge and I dumped it and will never own another.. Anyway, just sick of it all, thanks for listening.

My sympathies. I'm having similar thoughts and experiences, which is really too bad, because I just LOVE driving the Titan. I mean I just LOVE it. I STILL grin like an idiot when I'm crusing around. No other vehicle has done that for me.

Unfortunately, each grin is usually followed by an expletive, because something else breaks. What a double edged sword the Titan is! Heck, as we speak I'm waiting (for the 3rd time) for parts to arrive. It's been weeks.

If I had the dough, I'd think about taking a shot at an '05, just to see if it's a first year thing. Still, I'd be tempted to jump back to my old favorite, Toyota. I've logged close to 300,000 miles on Toyota trucks, and have had fewer problems in those 300K than I have in 12K with my Titan. Keep in mind, that includes a first-model-year Tundra. My first Toyota, an '89 went 128,000 miles and NEVER had a mechanical or cosmetic failure. I changed the oil, changed the brake pads and filled it with gas. That was it. Got 7 grand on trade in, too!

Oh well, it could be worse - I could have bought a Ford

HS

[TallTexan]

It happens in all types of vehicles. When the seals on the valve guides are leaking, they leak at night generally or when the vehicle sets for a long period of time. When you start the vehicle in the morning, the oil in the cylenders burns and gives you that puff of smoke. Not something that will leave you on the side of the road just is embarrassing when you start up and see smoke bellowing out. This fix is not real expensive to fix when you get tired of seeing the smoke. My sona Chevy started around 60 thousand miles and he never fixed them.