[krc333]

Took the T in this morning because I thought I had a power steering leak and I needed to get my front brakes looked at and an oil change. Well it turns out I was totally wrong. I do have a power steering leak but it’s really small and they said just keep an eye on it. They also said my front brakes are fine and the squeaking is probably from the extreme cold here in Denver.

On the other hand the fluid I’ve been seeing is actually oil, not power steering fluid, because I need a new oil cooler which cost $654, plus my rear seals are both leaking bad which is another $860, plus new spark plugs which I figured but that cost $374, rear shocks leaking which I also figured $320.

What really pisses me off is the rear seals, because I had them replaced at about 70k miles and now 30k miles later they are leaking again. The shop manager said they switched to a different type of fluid and that should help but it’s a known problem in the Titan and unfortunately Nissan hasn’t really done anything about it.

Just top put a cherry on top of everything, the oil cooler is two separate parts and he has to order them from two different places because nobody has them in the Denver area so my truck is going to be in the shop until late next week.

How hard is it to change the plugs? I asked why those were so much and he said each plug is $16 plus he said it’s a lot of labor to pull the entire top off to switch them out.

 

[Blevinger]

Sorry to hear man. By real seals to you mean your rear axle seals or rear seals on the block (i.e. rear-main?) Just curious.

 

[krc333]

Rear axle seals, sucks but at the same time this is really the first time I've had any issues with the truck and I have just over 100k miles on it. I had the brake judder fix at 30k miles and the rear axle seals at 70k, but oustide of regular maintance not many other issues. It's almost worth the cost just to get rid of the rattle noise I've had for a year now. The exshaust clamp was broken.

 

[ten~39]

You're being raped. Go get your truck back and do some reading/searching here on the forum.

-The "bad" oil cooler is probably nothing more than the crappy OE hose clamps leaking on one of the cooler lines.

-If you're at least a 5/10 on mechanical aptitude and DIY stuff, and have some tools, then you can do the leaking rear seals for $100-175 per side.

-The plug access situation they are telling you doesn't exist. You can do that yourself for the cost of the actual plugs, which should be about half of what they told you, maybe a little more.

-Your rear shocks probably are bad by now, but that's nothing you have to do right now if you don't want. If you do, it's another thing you can do yourself for roughly $100 per side, with quality Bilsteins.

You can do all of this yourself on a Saturday for probably less than $600.

 

[rynomx785]

Which rear shock are $320? Don't get them at the dealership.

 

[StxTitan]

Plugs are easy on the driver rear just use 2 3in extensions and it will give you enough room to do them

 

[krc333]

My mechanical aptitude is like a -1/10 and my tools amount to a Fisher Price starter set. I'm skipping the shocks and will get them looked later. I have the Rancho shocks that came with the 4x4 package. I figured I was getting raped, but my trucks there and I already gave them the go ahead to do the plugs and rear axel seals. I've used this dealer in the past and they've always been solid, including telling me I didn't need work that another dealer said I did. Who knows maybe that's their strategy.

 

[madrock]

If you haven't ready done the axle vent mod, I'd highly recommend it. All of the parts together will run ~$10.

Also, you can get a pair of Bilstein rear shocks from PRG for $189.

 

[bestatchess]

They also said my front brakes are fine and the squeaking is probably from the extreme cold here in Denver.

Mine never squeak, even at -15 F.

I need a new oil cooler which cost $654

$252.71 and 1/2 hour or you could go aftermarket for even less.

plus my rear seals are both leaking bad which is another $860

http://www.titantalk.com/forums/titan-faq-howto-area/123384-replacing-axle-seals-w-pics.html

plus new spark plugs which I figured but that cost $374

$ 9 x 8 = $72 and 1/2 hour

rear shocks leaking which I also figured $320.

$218 and 1/2 hour for some great shocks, God I hope you didn't put on Nissan shocks for that.

PRG Products

The shop manager said they switched to a different type of fluid and that should help

Total BS. What might a little is the hose vent mod.

Dealer theme song:

YouTube - The Cramps- Bend Over I'll Drive (Slideshow) Live at Paradiso Amsterdam

 

[bestatchess]

-The "bad" oil cooler is probably nothing more than the crappy OE hose clamps leaking on one of the cooler lines.

It could even be just the O-ring behind the engine oil cooler that the oil filter screws into.

 

[HRTKD]

Which dealer? Kind of sounds like something Larry Miller Nissan would pull.

 

[krc333]

Boulder Nissan, I work right outside of Boulder so it’s convenient. Plus they’ve been pretty good in the past. When my rear axle seals went out at 70K miles they actually called Nissan Corp for me and got them to do a goodwill fix.

On the flipside I've been to the dealer on 104th in Westminster and both times they came back with a bunch of issues that were total BS. Everything they said I needed done is still working just fine and that was like 40k miles ago.

I think no matter what you're going to get screwed by the dealer and if you're like me have zero mechanical ability, like me, then you're going to get screwed even more, like paying $300 for your spark plugs to be changed.

 

[HRTKD]

Cripes, thats a lotta money for shocks. My Bilsteins were $151 for the pair. I'm doing mine this weekend. It should take about 30 minutes. Really 15 minutes but I budget an extra 15 minutes for screw ups, nuts that go flying across the garage and get lost, that sort of thing. I solved the interruption problems by putting to work anyone that walks through the garage.

 

[ten~39]

Boulder Nissan, I work right outside of Boulder so it’s convenient. Plus they’ve been pretty good in the past. When my rear axle seals went out at 70K miles they actually called Nissan Corp for me and got them to do a goodwill fix.

On the flipside I've been to the dealer on 104th in Westminster and both times they came back with a bunch of issues that were total BS. Everything they said I needed done is still working just fine and that was like 40k miles ago.

I think no matter what you're going to get screwed by the dealer and if you're like me have zero mechanical ability, like me, then you're going to get screwed even more, like paying $300 for your spark plugs to be changed.

Have you considered finding a quality independent shop? With your truck's age, mileage, and lack of warranty it doesn't make a lot of sense to pay the dealership service department markup. There's no magical formula to maintaining and repairing a full-size truck just because it's not a domestic.

 

[bestatchess]

I solved the interruption problems by putting to work anyone that walks through the garage.

I did that too, but now my kid hates to come home from CU. I think he is suffering from PTSD from the header install.

 

[krc333]

To be honest I should have told them to hold off on everything and looked around for another place to take it, but to be honest I don't want to mess with it. I'm going to chalk this up to a lesson learned, a pricey one, and next time put aside a little more time to shop around.

Plus everytime I try and tackle something like this on my own it never goes how it's supposed to. I'll be the guy that ends up having to tow his truck to the dealer halfway through a repair because I either break something or I get stuck on one of the steps.

I ended up telling them to do the oil cooler, real axel seals, and the spark plugs which is going to be about $1800. I'm going to do the rear shocks someplace else and just keep an eye on the power steering hose and take care of that some time down the road.

 

[sudden urge]

I think Sears offers free installation with any shock purchase.