Squeak or Tension on the Roof Area
11-27-2008, 03:31 AM
#93
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OK guys finally got an update from dealer today, and I actually stopped in. Once they narrowed down where they thought the sound was coming from, they brought in a Infiniti field engineer from the local Nissan North America Tech Center, and he evaluated my car for the day. I informed them of all the posters here whom have been told by their dealer that it is a weld issue, but that does not seem to be the case.
Turns out there is not enough tolerance in the metal panels at the A-pillar, which causes two panels to rub together when the body flexes. Apparently the engineer created more space by using a pry tool and drove the car for an hour without hearing the issue.
Now, being an engineer for the auto industry, I know that it takes more than a few hours and a pry tool to fix a structural issue caused by poor build at the plant. Maybe ths does fix the problem and I can go on my merry way, but excuse me for being a bit skeptical. My main fear is that after a few thousand miles of driving, the body will flex itself back to its original position. Hopefully this is not the case.
The interior trim has not yet been put back together, so I wont get the car back until Friday. Once I begin driving and evaluating the fix myself, I'll provide an update.
Turns out there is not enough tolerance in the metal panels at the A-pillar, which causes two panels to rub together when the body flexes. Apparently the engineer created more space by using a pry tool and drove the car for an hour without hearing the issue.
Now, being an engineer for the auto industry, I know that it takes more than a few hours and a pry tool to fix a structural issue caused by poor build at the plant. Maybe ths does fix the problem and I can go on my merry way, but excuse me for being a bit skeptical. My main fear is that after a few thousand miles of driving, the body will flex itself back to its original position. Hopefully this is not the case.
The interior trim has not yet been put back together, so I wont get the car back until Friday. Once I begin driving and evaluating the fix myself, I'll provide an update.
11-27-2008, 09:57 AM
#94
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OK guys finally got an update from dealer today, and I actually stopped in. Once they narrowed down where they thought the sound was coming from, they brought in a Infiniti field engineer from the local Nissan North America Tech Center, and he evaluated my car for the day. I informed them of all the posters here whom have been told by their dealer that it is a weld issue, but that does not seem to be the case.
Turns out there is not enough tolerance in the metal panels at the A-pillar, which causes two panels to rub together when the body flexes. Apparently the engineer created more space by using a pry tool and drove the car for an hour without hearing the issue.
Now, being an engineer for the auto industry, I know that it takes more than a few hours and a pry tool to fix a structural issue caused by poor build at the plant. Maybe ths does fix the problem and I can go on my merry way, but excuse me for being a bit skeptical. My main fear is that after a few thousand miles of driving, the body will flex itself back to its original position. Hopefully this is not the case.
The interior trim has not yet been put back together, so I wont get the car back until Friday. Once I begin driving and evaluating the fix myself, I'll provide an update.
Turns out there is not enough tolerance in the metal panels at the A-pillar, which causes two panels to rub together when the body flexes. Apparently the engineer created more space by using a pry tool and drove the car for an hour without hearing the issue.
Now, being an engineer for the auto industry, I know that it takes more than a few hours and a pry tool to fix a structural issue caused by poor build at the plant. Maybe ths does fix the problem and I can go on my merry way, but excuse me for being a bit skeptical. My main fear is that after a few thousand miles of driving, the body will flex itself back to its original position. Hopefully this is not the case.
The interior trim has not yet been put back together, so I wont get the car back until Friday. Once I begin driving and evaluating the fix myself, I'll provide an update.
11-27-2008, 11:09 AM
#95
Still waiting, tomorrow will be 36 days that they've had my car trying to fix the problem! It was supposed to be done (again) early this past Monday or Tuesday. They don't even have the professional courtesy to call and let me know they still need time.
I called the Infiniti Consumer Affairs number yesterday and they opened a case file. I'm supposed to be contacted by a “Regional Service Specialist” tomorrow. They were surprised how long I have been without the car.
I've previously owned several Honda/Acura cars and never had this kind of treatment. Now that my son is driving, I was able to getting something "less practical" and Acura had nothing like the G37 coupe. I've never previously owned a Nissan/Infiniti product, so I did not know what to expect for reliability or service. I certainly did not expect this and now am starting to regret switching.
At this point I'm not sure I want the car back; either the problem is so serious it takes 5 weeks to fix or the Service people are incompetent. It embarrassing when people ask how the new car is and I have to say it been in being repaired for ~ 5 weeks.
Prior to this my only complaint was with the Nav (not letting you page down to see more than 4 restaurants while driving) and the HDD (not letting you search through artists or albums) while driving. But now they seem minor to this.
Very frustrating!
I called the Infiniti Consumer Affairs number yesterday and they opened a case file. I'm supposed to be contacted by a “Regional Service Specialist” tomorrow. They were surprised how long I have been without the car.
I've previously owned several Honda/Acura cars and never had this kind of treatment. Now that my son is driving, I was able to getting something "less practical" and Acura had nothing like the G37 coupe. I've never previously owned a Nissan/Infiniti product, so I did not know what to expect for reliability or service. I certainly did not expect this and now am starting to regret switching.
At this point I'm not sure I want the car back; either the problem is so serious it takes 5 weeks to fix or the Service people are incompetent. It embarrassing when people ask how the new car is and I have to say it been in being repaired for ~ 5 weeks.
Prior to this my only complaint was with the Nav (not letting you page down to see more than 4 restaurants while driving) and the HDD (not letting you search through artists or albums) while driving. But now they seem minor to this.
Very frustrating!
11-27-2008, 03:31 PM
#96
Still waiting, tomorrow will be 36 days that they've had my car trying to fix the problem! It was supposed to be done (again) early this past Monday or Tuesday. They don't even have the professional courtesy to call and let me know they still need time.
I called the Infiniti Consumer Affairs number yesterday and they opened a case file. I'm supposed to be contacted by a “Regional Service Specialist” tomorrow. They were surprised how long I have been without the car.
I've previously owned several Honda/Acura cars and never had this kind of treatment. Now that my son is driving, I was able to getting something "less practical" and Acura had nothing like the G37 coupe. I've never previously owned a Nissan/Infiniti product, so I did not know what to expect for reliability or service. I certainly did not expect this and now am starting to regret switching.
At this point I'm not sure I want the car back; either the problem is so serious it takes 5 weeks to fix or the Service people are incompetent. It embarrassing when people ask how the new car is and I have to say it been in being repaired for ~ 5 weeks.
Prior to this my only complaint was with the Nav (not letting you page down to see more than 4 restaurants while driving) and the HDD (not letting you search through artists or albums) while driving. But now they seem minor to this.
Very frustrating!
I called the Infiniti Consumer Affairs number yesterday and they opened a case file. I'm supposed to be contacted by a “Regional Service Specialist” tomorrow. They were surprised how long I have been without the car.
I've previously owned several Honda/Acura cars and never had this kind of treatment. Now that my son is driving, I was able to getting something "less practical" and Acura had nothing like the G37 coupe. I've never previously owned a Nissan/Infiniti product, so I did not know what to expect for reliability or service. I certainly did not expect this and now am starting to regret switching.
At this point I'm not sure I want the car back; either the problem is so serious it takes 5 weeks to fix or the Service people are incompetent. It embarrassing when people ask how the new car is and I have to say it been in being repaired for ~ 5 weeks.
Prior to this my only complaint was with the Nav (not letting you page down to see more than 4 restaurants while driving) and the HDD (not letting you search through artists or albums) while driving. But now they seem minor to this.
Very frustrating!
11-29-2008, 12:49 AM
#97
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Another One...
I just dropped my car off Wednesday for the A-pillar noise. It is also getting a new spoiler (double sided tape was coming off at delvery), a new gas cap (the original one does not match the rest of the car), and my Nav unit has stopped working three times. I am very excited as I have owned the car for 6months, it has 1300 miles on it and it needs about $4000 worth of work. Also the Nav has shut down three times, the last time for 8 days and it turned back on 15 miles from the dealer so of course they cannot find anything wrong with it. Fortunately the dealer listened to me about the A pillar and sent it right to the body shop where they quickly found some weld problems. I was called today and told the car would "be here for a while" so I am preparing to drive the base loaner G35 with the "no charge" dirt and funny smell. What do people do in loaner cars anyway? I will keep updating as I hear things. Hopefully it will help others as the previous posts have helped me.
Last edited by goadee; 11-29-2008 at 09:45 AM.
11-29-2008, 09:53 AM
#98
So by 4:00 yesterday no calls. Then it occurred to me maybe they called my work number, even though I told the Consumer Affairs person to have the Regional person call my cell phone since I'll be off from work on Friday. Sure enough I had voicemail from the Infiniti "Regional Specialist" who stated she had an email from the Service Manager who said my car should be ready today (yesterday) and to give her a call on Monday to confirm the car has been fixed. No call from the Service people at the dealer. I tried calling late in the day but nobody was there.
So I'm going to drive up there now and try to get some answers.
I had the same thing with the loaner; not clean, something spilled on the seats, and big dent in the back bumper!
So I'm going to drive up there now and try to get some answers.
I had the same thing with the loaner; not clean, something spilled on the seats, and big dent in the back bumper!
11-29-2008, 01:38 PM
#99
Gents, when you get your car back, please ask the technican to tell you where did they weld on the A-Pillar. I have the same problem. I would love to hear where the welding points are. My shop even had Infiniti Canada suggested to pull the windshield to find the problem. I think not.
11-29-2008, 04:57 PM
#100
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I'm with you on that one...
I will be hapy to let them pull the windshield and re-weld whatever they want providing they buy back the car and allow me to purchase another one. I have been an expert witness in several lemon law cases and even successfully filed a Mag-Moss claim on an Audi a few years back so I am familiar with these types of service incidents. I woud expect more from a car that was a few dollars short of $50k and, like cars repaired after an accident, I do not want a car that has had a ton of work on it. With certain types of repairs or problems, there is literally nothing that can ever make the car right again. I think I would be less concerned if they replaced the engine than with tearing it apart to find welding and structural issues and elminate a noise. I will be providing updates as I mentioned and I hope others will do the same. This bard will probably prove to be a great resource for this issue. The only downside is that this thread might have 15,000 posts on it by next spring; making a little bit difficut to navigate.
11-29-2008, 11:56 PM
#101
Stopped by dealer this morning to talk to a Service Manager, but none in today. Sat down with a Service Advisor who looked up my car and said it showed some items still being serviced such as the radio. (Besides the door rattle, I had a problem with the cloth coming loose by back side window and the radio not scrolling thru presets.) She called my advisor at home and he said the car is done, but wanted the car detailed, so I could pick it up Monday! He never called to tell me that himself.
While at the dealership, I also talked to the sales person who sold me the car, explained my story, and she brought over the "Executive Manager". He said they have been discussing my car the past few days. (Probably after I called the Infiniti Consumer Affairs line and opened a case file.) He apologized and also said the car was done, contrary to what the Service Advisor saw listed on the screen. He said they just put the windshield back in yesterday. He explained it took so long because they wanted to be sure it was fixed properly and were probably overly cautious. He also said they had another call with an A-Pillar issue. (I should have asked to see my car while I was there.) And you would think that if detailed is all that was left, they would have had someone do it today rather then keep my car another two days!
He offered to have my car dropped of Monday anywhere I wanted, but I said that I did not want that. I told him I was not sure I wanted the car back since it took so long to repair; either the car is problematic or the service people were incompetent. (I was told previously that the drivers door was stripped down to bare metal and the windshield was removed.)
Anyone know a good web site to review what is covered under the Lemon Law to see if this is an option for me? I've never dealt with something like this before. It started out as a door rattle complaint, but welding in the A-Pillar sounds serious, especially when it took so long to repair. Was it a bad weld or design flaw, have not heard. Even if they replace the car with a new G37S, it could have the same problem as evident by the number of people stating in this thread. I'm also not sure of the dealership will offer any compensation for having the car 39 days straight if I decide to pick it up. I think they should. Now the car will feel like I bought a repaired used car, but with a new car price.
I need to decide Monday what to do since I assume once I pick up the car, I could not go the Lemon Law route unless the noise is still there or returns. Either way I'll need to return their loaner car.
While at the dealership, I also talked to the sales person who sold me the car, explained my story, and she brought over the "Executive Manager". He said they have been discussing my car the past few days. (Probably after I called the Infiniti Consumer Affairs line and opened a case file.) He apologized and also said the car was done, contrary to what the Service Advisor saw listed on the screen. He said they just put the windshield back in yesterday. He explained it took so long because they wanted to be sure it was fixed properly and were probably overly cautious. He also said they had another call with an A-Pillar issue. (I should have asked to see my car while I was there.) And you would think that if detailed is all that was left, they would have had someone do it today rather then keep my car another two days!
He offered to have my car dropped of Monday anywhere I wanted, but I said that I did not want that. I told him I was not sure I wanted the car back since it took so long to repair; either the car is problematic or the service people were incompetent. (I was told previously that the drivers door was stripped down to bare metal and the windshield was removed.)
Anyone know a good web site to review what is covered under the Lemon Law to see if this is an option for me? I've never dealt with something like this before. It started out as a door rattle complaint, but welding in the A-Pillar sounds serious, especially when it took so long to repair. Was it a bad weld or design flaw, have not heard. Even if they replace the car with a new G37S, it could have the same problem as evident by the number of people stating in this thread. I'm also not sure of the dealership will offer any compensation for having the car 39 days straight if I decide to pick it up. I think they should. Now the car will feel like I bought a repaired used car, but with a new car price.
I need to decide Monday what to do since I assume once I pick up the car, I could not go the Lemon Law route unless the noise is still there or returns. Either way I'll need to return their loaner car.
11-30-2008, 12:31 AM
#102
Still waiting, tomorrow will be 36 days that they've had my car trying to fix the problem! It was supposed to be done (again) early this past Monday or Tuesday. They don't even have the professional courtesy to call and let me know they still need time.
I called the Infiniti Consumer Affairs number yesterday and they opened a case file. I'm supposed to be contacted by a “Regional Service Specialist” tomorrow. They were surprised how long I have been without the car.
I've previously owned several Honda/Acura cars and never had this kind of treatment. Now that my son is driving, I was able to getting something "less practical" and Acura had nothing like the G37 coupe. I've never previously owned a Nissan/Infiniti product, so I did not know what to expect for reliability or service. I certainly did not expect this and now am starting to regret switching.
At this point I'm not sure I want the car back; either the problem is so serious it takes 5 weeks to fix or the Service people are incompetent. It embarrassing when people ask how the new car is and I have to say it been in being repaired for ~ 5 weeks.
Prior to this my only complaint was with the Nav (not letting you page down to see more than 4 restaurants while driving) and the HDD (not letting you search through artists or albums) while driving. But now they seem minor to this.
Very frustrating!
I called the Infiniti Consumer Affairs number yesterday and they opened a case file. I'm supposed to be contacted by a “Regional Service Specialist” tomorrow. They were surprised how long I have been without the car.
I've previously owned several Honda/Acura cars and never had this kind of treatment. Now that my son is driving, I was able to getting something "less practical" and Acura had nothing like the G37 coupe. I've never previously owned a Nissan/Infiniti product, so I did not know what to expect for reliability or service. I certainly did not expect this and now am starting to regret switching.
At this point I'm not sure I want the car back; either the problem is so serious it takes 5 weeks to fix or the Service people are incompetent. It embarrassing when people ask how the new car is and I have to say it been in being repaired for ~ 5 weeks.
Prior to this my only complaint was with the Nav (not letting you page down to see more than 4 restaurants while driving) and the HDD (not letting you search through artists or albums) while driving. But now they seem minor to this.
Very frustrating!
11-30-2008, 12:16 PM
#103
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Lemon Law quick hit for you
In order to meet the standard for lemon law a few things have to take place. First: the issue you are dealing with has to directly affect either the "Use", "Value" or "Safety". This could mean numerous things, but the bottom line is that it has to negatively affect the car in a way where you will be at a loss for one of those three things. Typically you have to have had it serviced for the same problem 3 times within 18 months. Once a lemon law claim is filed, the dealer will one get one final chance to repair. Basically for this you will have to prove that the car has lost value, is not safe or cannot be used in the manner in which the car was intended as a result of the issue. This is just a brief summary of lemon law items. I have handled numerous lemon law cases, manufacturer buybacks, goodwill subsidies and magg moss cases. Each is different, but I will tell you to make sure you detail everything you have done with names, dates and times; this will help later. I am actually building my case right now in the event the car is not right when I get it back. If you have any specific questions I will be happy to try and answer.
11-30-2008, 12:54 PM
#104
goadee, Thanks for the info and taking time to respond.
I'm sure the car will still be useable, I'm not qualified to comment on safety for work in the A-Pillar, and value seems too subjective. I think the car has lost value, but I'm sure the dealer does not think so. When it come times to sell my car and a buyer asks if any major work has been done on the car, how do I respond? I personally would stay away from a car that has had the door stripped down to bare metal, windshield removed, welding done in the A-Pillar, and also took 39 days to complete!
It seems like there should be some accountability even if lemon law does not cover this. Sure they can say it was only in for repair one time, but for 39 days. It was always going to be done "in a couple of days", but when it went past that, they still would not call. That is frustrating.
I asked for a copy of the pictures they took, but now they are not sure they still have them!
And I have to hope that it is really fixed when I get the car back.
I have been taking notes with dates and times of every voicemail and conversation with anyone from Infiniti. (Unfortunately it has been so long that some voicemails were automatically deleted from my iPhone.)
I'm sure the car will still be useable, I'm not qualified to comment on safety for work in the A-Pillar, and value seems too subjective. I think the car has lost value, but I'm sure the dealer does not think so. When it come times to sell my car and a buyer asks if any major work has been done on the car, how do I respond? I personally would stay away from a car that has had the door stripped down to bare metal, windshield removed, welding done in the A-Pillar, and also took 39 days to complete!
It seems like there should be some accountability even if lemon law does not cover this. Sure they can say it was only in for repair one time, but for 39 days. It was always going to be done "in a couple of days", but when it went past that, they still would not call. That is frustrating.
I asked for a copy of the pictures they took, but now they are not sure they still have them!
And I have to hope that it is really fixed when I get the car back.
I have been taking notes with dates and times of every voicemail and conversation with anyone from Infiniti. (Unfortunately it has been so long that some voicemails were automatically deleted from my iPhone.)
Last edited by mjunod; 11-30-2008 at 01:00 PM.
11-30-2008, 04:14 PM
#105
wow 39days.... id not take the car back... just drive the loaner and refuse to take your car back untill they replace it with a brand new one.... 
anyways... after scanning this whole thread i think it would help if a couple of you guys took some pictures showing where the weld problems are.... it would help out the forum big time...
anyways... after scanning this whole thread i think it would help if a couple of you guys took some pictures showing where the weld problems are.... it would help out the forum big time...