D40 servicing in Brisbane?

[Eug]

My 2007 D40 Diesel Manual is currently on 55,000km and due for it's 60,000km service (only because the 6 months are up). Nissan have quoted me between $400-450! A quick check in the book shows that they aren't going to be doing very much - what a rip!

My question is if I really need to do the 60,000km or can I simply get away with dropping the oil and changing the filter then doing the 60,000km when I actually get up to it?

The factory warranty is long gone, but I believe the previous owner had some dealer specific warranty which has applies to Westpoint. I'm thinking about blowing it off and going elsewhere for the major services.

Does anyone have recommendations as to where I can get the car serviced without having to bend over? Would prefer west Brisbane but I figure the money saved I could still catch a taxi across town and have left over change.

Cheers
Eug

 

[FatBoy89]

Dealer warranty usually isn't transferable to a new owner. So cut your losses and go to another mechanic.
Extra money is for the pollen filters

 

[CAM500]

I take my Truck to Absolute Car Care at the Gabba/East Brisbane. I have had them do my serviced as well as my modifications. A moate of mine has recommended them and I have had them service my cars over the past 4 years. They can organise a loan car for you to if need be. Let them know the Cameron with the Black D40 Navara referred you. Here is their number 3891 0777

Cheers

 

[Matt76]

My mechanics are at kelvin grove, highly recommended and much cheaper than Nissan. L & D automotive.

 

[Eug]

Thanks for the tips boys. pretty sure the pollen filters you can do yourself right? (found this thread for those that are interested, a good read. http://www.navara.asia/d40-general-chat/1813-pollen-filter-canopy-tub-sealing-d40.html)

Also I'm thinking about ignoring the 6 monthly servicing and simply changing oil/filter myself every 5,000 and bringing it somewhere every 10,000. Car is mainly used on weekends and long trips and we use the other car for city/daily driving so we'd average around 10-15,000 per year. I would think that the only reason to do it every 6 months would be a money ploy by the dealers. Thoughts?

Cheers
Eug

 

[NavaraPhill]

My D40 is due for its 40,000km service, Nissan quoted me $1100 for the service.
After i wiped the drool from my lip and closed my mouth i got other prices for warranty
servicing some $400 cheaper. Shop around i say.

 

[Eug]

Absolute Car Care at the Gabba/East Brisbane.
Here is their number 3891 0777

L & D automotive.

Thanks will have a look.

 

[Matt76]

My D40 is due for its 40,000km service, Nissan quoted me $1100 for the service.
After i wiped the drool from my lip and closed my mouth i got other prices for warranty
servicing some $400 cheaper. Shop around i say.

Yep I was in the same dilemma, L&d did mine for less than half nissans price. I just really cannot understand what it is nissan claim to do that others don't.

 

[Eug]

So I had a look through my glovebox and the dealer extended warranty is passed on to me (until 2015 - boo!). I might just stick with them and ask them not to do the pollen filters and fit them myself.

However due to the low km I do, I basically do the 10,000km service every 6 months which is a little extreme on the pocket.

 

[Old.Tony]

Yep I was in the same dilemma, L&d did mine for less than half nissans price. I just really cannot understand what it is nissan claim to do that others don't.

There's an easy answer to that.

Nissan dealer servicing is done following Nissan's servicing guidelines (and it's step-by-step, a little more difficult than a join-the-dots drawing but not much more).

Because it follows Nissan's specific guideline, Nissan know precisely what has been done to the vehicle and if something does go wrong, they know with a reasonable degree of certainty that it will or won't be due to the maintenance on the vehicle.

The problem with other mechanics who either don't have the step-by-step service procedures or who don't like following those sort of instructions is that something may (and often is) missed. This same trait often finds stuff that the step-by-step wouldn't find, of course - it does go both ways.

The thing is, if the servicing procedure says to change the oil in the rear diff and the other mechanic only checks the oil (and doesn't change it) and the oil had almost reach the end of its usable lifespan, then a diff failure is actually caused by not following the procedures. There may be better examples, perhaps some real ones, but hopefully that illustrates a possible problem with not following the procedures. Anyway, the diff failure MIGHT have been accepted as a warranty thing by Nissan except that the oil wasn't changed (and I'm sure there are ways to tell) and thus they could refuse warranty based on the servicing not being done as per their method.

While that might seem unfair, from Nissan's point of view it's absolutely fine. Imagine if you were manufacturing and selling a widget that needed regular maintenance (like a whipper snipper) and one buyer neglected to maintain it per the schedule that YOU devised. Would YOU accept a claim of failure "due to workmanship or defect" ?

 

[NavaraPhill]

(Would YOU accept a claim of failure "due to workmanship or defect" ?)
Old.Tony , No I wouldn't Which is why I contacted Nissan head office to make sure what the guidelines are and what my Service mechanic has to do to keep within warranty . After speaking with my mechanics they have guaranteed following all of Nissans guidelines and only use genuine Nissan parts... so they (my mechanic) have a responsibility also to keep within Nissans Warranty guidelines.
I use Advanced Service Centre in toowoomba and they are great, Honest too which is hard to find nowadays. I can understand why Nissan are like this also.

 

[Matt76]

Maybe not so easy to answer. I have had three service experiences with 2 seperate Nissan dealers. The first time they stuffed up my loan car booking (maybe that bit wasnt in their guidelines) the second time the asshats put unleaded in my diesel car, the third time they forgot to stamp my service book. Granted 2 of them are quite minor but forgetting to stamp a book or forgetting to book in a loan car are proof to me that they can and do miss things just like any other mechanic.

The fuel issue is a major one and luckily no damage was done, but it shows me that although the workshop supervisor no doubt knows his stuff he is still surrounded by young apprentices to do a lot of the work. I know I sure made a fair few stuff ups as an apprentice, Im glad I wasnt working with expensive vehicles!

My car is serviced as per the log book and everything checked off and signed that it is done. If something occurs due to lack of maintainance my mechanic would be just as liable as Nissan would, and I recon I would have a better chance of getting it fixed at their cost with my mechanic than I would at a dealer.

Please know that this isnt a shot at you by any means mate, just that I am not convinced that their procedures are as fool proof as they would have us believe.

At the end of the day, they aren't rebuilding engines, they are pretty much just changing fluids and retensioning bolts 95% of the time. I don't think it's rocket science.

Cheers
Matt

There's an easy answer to that.

Nissan dealer servicing is done following Nissan's servicing guidelines (and it's step-by-step, a little more difficult than a join-the-dots drawing but not much more).

Because it follows Nissan's specific guideline, Nissan know precisely what has been done to the vehicle and if something does go wrong, they know with a reasonable degree of certainty that it will or won't be due to the maintenance on the vehicle.

The problem with other mechanics who either don't have the step-by-step service procedures or who don't like following those sort of instructions is that something may (and often is) missed. This same trait often finds stuff that the step-by-step wouldn't find, of course - it does go both ways.

The thing is, if the servicing procedure says to change the oil in the rear diff and the other mechanic only checks the oil (and doesn't change it) and the oil had almost reach the end of its usable lifespan, then a diff failure is actually caused by not following the procedures. There may be better examples, perhaps some real ones, but hopefully that illustrates a possible problem with not following the procedures. Anyway, the diff failure MIGHT have been accepted as a warranty thing by Nissan except that the oil wasn't changed (and I'm sure there are ways to tell) and thus they could refuse warranty based on the servicing not being done as per their method.

While that might seem unfair, from Nissan's point of view it's absolutely fine. Imagine if you were manufacturing and selling a widget that needed regular maintenance (like a whipper snipper) and one buyer neglected to maintain it per the schedule that YOU devised. Would YOU accept a claim of failure "due to workmanship or defect" ?

 

[Old.Tony]

Maybe not so easy to answer. I have had three service experiences with 2 seperate Nissan dealers. The first time they stuffed up my loan car booking (maybe that bit wasnt in their guidelines) the second time the asshats put unleaded in my diesel car, the third time they forgot to stamp my service book. Granted 2 of them are quite minor but forgetting to stamp a book or forgetting to book in a loan car are proof to me that they can and do miss things just like any other mechanic.

The fuel issue is a major one and luckily no damage was done, but it shows me that although the workshop supervisor no doubt knows his stuff he is still surrounded by young apprentices to do a lot of the work. I know I sure made a fair few stuff ups as an apprentice, Im glad I wasnt working with expensive vehicles!

My car is serviced as per the log book and everything checked off and signed that it is done. If something occurs due to lack of maintainance my mechanic would be just as liable as Nissan would, and I recon I would have a better chance of getting it fixed at their cost with my mechanic than I would at a dealer.

Please know that this isnt a shot at you by any means mate, just that I am not convinced that their procedures are as fool proof as they would have us believe.

At the end of the day, they aren't rebuilding engines, they are pretty much just changing fluids and retensioning bolts 95% of the time. I don't think it's rocket science.

Cheers
Matt

100% with you there, Matt. The techs at a Nissan dealership are just as human as anywhere else. It's purely a procedural thing - Nissan Motor Co relies on the dealer to make sure their staff get things right which would be at least half the reason why they put out guidelines that would let trained monkeys do the work.

A good mechanic would generally not be the cause of a failure - but Nissan aren't aware of that, they have no idea how good this guy or that guy is, so they have to play the cards the way they do. It sucks that it LOOKS like the assumption is that all other mechanics are bozos. Thankfully we know that's smoke and mirrors (most of the time).

 

[KraftyPg]

The day all manufacturers do their own manufacturer servicing by the letter of the service book are long gone. Corners are cut, advantages are taken and short cuts are made, it's just a fact of life these days and if it wasn't there wouldn't be the large number of complaints there is. Just because some people don't see the short cuts or cut corners doesn't mean they don't happen.

At the end of the day you can only take your car where you feel comfortable, if that's the over priced dealer and your happy taking out a mortgage each time you need work done then so be it but it's silly convincing oneself that a manufacturer service is better than any other suitably qualified mechanic. It's also silly convincing oneself that you're any more protected by only using manufacturers servicing, if they want too they will fight hard to void any warranty no matter where it's serviced

As for genuine parts under the terms of a normal warranty not even the "non genuine part usage" line can be used to void a warranty unless it's proven that part was at fault or not the right part. Sure it can be made a bit harder when genuine parts aren't used but it can't automatically void a warranty just because a non genuine part was used.

 

[Arty_74]

I take my Truck to Absolute Car Care at the Gabba/East Brisbane. I have had them do my serviced as well as my modifications. A moate of mine has recommended them and I have had them service my cars over the past 4 years. They can organise a loan car for you to if need be. Let them know the Cameron with the Black D40 Navara referred you. Here is their number 3891 0777

Cheers

Same place my Nav goes, always great service.

 

[Red Dog]

My Nav and both my other vehicles get serviced by MV Auto at Acacia Ridge. I have been using these guys for about 5 years.
Both of the mechanics own Navaras and are quite conversant with the nuances of the vehicle.
My last service was 120000km using genuine parts and cost about half of what Nissan charges.
It was done as per log book and they were quite happy to answer any questions I had about the service and the inspections performed on the vehicle.
These guys are fully qualified mechanics and not glorified oil changers

 

[Eug]

Decided to make an appointment yesterday to have a chat with the service manager in how we could meet half way. They had new management and he was quite happy to do the optional 5000 service but still maintain the log book and fulfil the dealer extended warranty. Was happy to play by ear for future services when long distances were driven.

Still probably paying a little more than what I could find elsewhere but the dealer warranty still covers a fair bit. However thanks for all the mechanics/workshops will be going there when my warranty expires.

They even have a shuttle bus to take me to work which I'm waiting for as I type this. Not to mention the mobile coffee guy they have here, on the house!

pretty happy with the new management, they have turned things around a bit.

Cheers Eug

 

[Matt76]

That's good to hear mate. At the end of the day the best one for you is the one that you trust to do the job. Good stuff.

 

[Eug]

The service manager has now left and I'm now taking my car to Future Auto at Sumner Park based on a recommendation of two other people. Small mob but the mechanic actually doing the work came out and walked me through what he did which was a nice surprise, first impressions are good old fashioned service.

Told Nissan to shove it when their useless apprentices failed to tighten up my oil filter (3 times). Also during the wheel recall they over torqued my wheel nuts causing my wheel brace to split at the socket.

I was going to take it to L&D as previously suggested however it was a bit of a hike across town. They will be the next place to try if this mob doesn't meet my expectations.

 

[mick087]

I have been getting my nav serviced at zupps beaudesert for the last 12 months and have cant say a bad word about them. I know they are a dealer and alot of people will be against them from the get go but the are worth a go if you are in their area.

The only drama i have had is on the 40000k service they seemed to fit the wrong oil filter (too small). hence the filter split and was pumping oil at at about a litre a metre. After discovering this at work in brisbane on a saturday morning, the salesman (servicer dept. is closed on saturdays as per normal) organised for a tow truck to pick me and the ute up and take us the 45min trip to the dealer. when i got to the yard, he had a yard car for me to drive for the weekend untill they fixed the problem and fully cleaned and degreased top and underside of the ute.

This may seem like the 'right' thing to do but the fact it was all done without hassle and even asking was nice piece of mind. I havnt had any warranty problems yet (touch wood) but hopefully will be jsut as helpful if it came up.