I have an 04 Titan SE 2WD with 85000 KMS on it.
Drive train warranty is 100,000 KMS or 5 years.
About 4 months ago I backed out of my driveway and when I put the truck in drive it made a hell of a noise as I drove down the street. I was thoroughly convinced it was something to do with the drive train or a wheel about to fall off. That is how serious it sounded. The noise was so concerning I did not have the confidence to drive back to my home <1 km. I parked it and call a tow truck and insisted on a flatbed because I didn’t want to do any further damage.
I towed it to a local garage and as soon as the tow dropped the truck the mechanic and I took it out for a drive and the noise was completely gone. They thought I was crazy but I insisted they take a closer look at it. When I picked up the truck at the end of the day they told me the bolts on the truck weren’t torqued correctly and that was the problem. I just had the tires rotated so it was feasible but I told them that would not account for the loud grinding noise. They again looked at me like a stupid woman who didn’t understand cars and sent me on my way with a $100 tow bill and a $100 bill to tighten the bolts.
Subsequently I saw many posts about differential problems with Titans here on the forum and became concerned that was likely the problem but I’m trading in a month or so, so who cares right?
This week I back out of the driveway and the same thing. I can only get as far as reversing out and pulling ahead 25 feet. The sound of grinding gears from the real axle could be heard for miles. I put it in park, reverse, drive a few times and eventually after rocking the truck in reverse and forward a few times the truck is drivable and I go around the block. I am getting a “wobble” sound from the rear axle but not the loud noise. So I start to drive to the Nissan dealer. The wobble gets louder and I pick up speed but I am committed to getting to the dealer now so I keep driving. Before I get to the dealer the noise goes away and its like I am driving a perfect truck again. I take it into the dealer and tell the service manager I have a differential problem and its covered by warranty. I tell him about the noise and I tell him that it intermittent but if he looks at the diff he will surely find a problem.
Service manager just called me and said they are unable to recreate the noise so they are unable to perform a warranty repair. They refuse to look at the diff because there is no noise at all. I told them to pull the plug and look at a bit of diff oil for color and filings. He said it was unnecessary and he would change the oil to a synthetic for $80++.
I asked him what happens when the diff goes completely when I am over 100,000 kms and 5-years, i.e. will the record of this incident allow me to get warranty repair outside warranty. He said no.
1. Im not sure what I would be looking at so the mechanic could snowball me with fasttalk. But I would know it if I saw lots of metal or teeth in the oil. And I would guess that I would see missing teeth on a diff. even though I have never seen a diff before.
2. I doubt they would even let me in the bay. Most shops around here are very strict about customers in the mechanic area for insurance reasons.
My brother suggests I call the salesman I have been negotiaing my new LE with and tell him I am pissed of at his service department and it may break the deal. Get him to go an push them to take the cover off.
Is my laymans diagnosis that its likely the diff most likely correct?
Your last thought is a great one and would be my first phone call today! Do you have another Nissan dealer in your area at all? Their service so far sounds pretty crappy!!
__________________
ZlacherWhore™
Why is there never enough time to do it right the first time,
But always enough time to do it again?
The salesman said these hard to diagnose intermittent noise issues happen all the time and he doesnt like to get involved and patched my call through to the service manager again. I'll remind him that when he sees me at the grocery store in my 08 LE later this year when he asks why I didnt buy from him.
I asked the service manager how much it would be for him to pull the cover and look for a problem and he said likely 2 hours labor and $40 in synthecic oil (likely +other drumed up charges) but he asked me what would that accomplish - he doubts they would find a problem because if there was a problem it would make a noise all the time. I asked if I authorized them to do this and they found a missing tooth on the diff would they do the warrany repair and not charge me for taking off the cover and inspecting and he said of course.
At this point I agree with you. If I am paying someone to pull the cover I would rather pay another dealer. I think I'll get the truck and take it to the dealer in the next town over.
Well, don't feel targeted because of your gender when talking to the service manager. Some treat EVERYONE as if they are idiots regardless of who they are or what they know. There's one member on here who is a professional mechanic for a private garage, but as with most of us, would like to minimize the cost of his repairs by having the dealership fix the warranty issues under warranty. His truck has developed a whine in the rear, which is generally a sign of rear diff issues, and his dealer keeps blowing him off, too.
Just don't give up. If you are close to the end of your warranty, as was said, take it to another dealer. Has anyone else who's ridden with you ever heard this noise? Do you have any friend or friends who know a lot about cars and can maybe listen when this happens to corroborate your story with the SM?
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01-09-2008, 09:26 AM
Pit Crew Chief
Artificial Intelligence is no match for Natural Stupidity... 
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