[GTO]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Our 2012 sunny has completed 35k kms and was given for servicing today. According to the SA, the car needs tie rod replacement, rear brake pads and discs replacement. In addition the heater of my car has yet again conked off. It gave the same problem a year back when they changed some part. Now they want to charge me 2500 Rs for just opening the dashboard and checking for the issue again. My car is covered under warranty (2+2 years).

Typical lousy Nissan stealership trying to rip customers off. Believe me, they are nearly as incompetent as Skodas.

1. Be firm. Any heater-related issue has to be covered under warranty only. Am surprised it's conked off for a second time. They either didn't repair it properly the last time, or whatever part they used is of poor quality. Again, they have to repair the same under warranty.

2. My Nissan dealership tried the same trick with my brother (i.e. disc replacement). I gave him a piece of my mind. My car is still running the original discs at 40,000 kms.

3. Better you get a second opinion on the tie-rods from an honest mechanic.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by GTO

Typical lousy Nissan stealership trying to rip customers off. Believe me, they are nearly as incompetent as Skodas.

1. Be firm. Any heater-related issue has to be covered under warranty only. Am surprised it's conked off for a second time. They either didn't repair it properly the last time, or whatever part they used is of poor quality. Again, they have to repair the same under warranty.

2. My Nissan stealership tried the same trick with my brother (i.e. disc replacement). I gave him a piece of my mind. My car is still running the original discs at 40,000 kms.

3. Better you get a second opinion on the tie-rods from an honest mechanic.

GTO,

The problem is that I am outside Delhi and sister is relatively unaware of these tactics. The average customer believes that the dealership will not cheat them.

1. For the AC issue they have simply refused to do anything unless I bear the 2500 Rs charge for opening the dashboard. I told them that atleast look at the part that was changed last time at another dealership for the same issue as at that time the dash wasn't opened. But the reply is that they are unaware of the same and I have decided that I will send the car to the other dealership again for the AC heater issue. Like last time there is a audible sound like "tak tak" everytime you change the temperature from the control panel if that is of any help. And ofcourse the heater is not working.

2. Brake pads and discs: I have again told them not to touch it. I will get a second opinion from an outside garage and see. The discs cannot give way so soon right?

3. Same for the tie rod.

4. There was also a recurring noise from the rear of the car whenever the car went over a pothole ( according to sister). The SA has diagnoses it as failed rear shocker. And wants to replace it. On making noise and satisfying her with all extended warranty and previous periodic service bill copies, she has agreed to forward the same to Nissan seeking a replacement under warranty.

5. There was also a noise during starting the engine right at the end of ignition and it used to come 9 out of 10 times. The SA earlier said that they couldn't find any noise but has now called back and told that they also heard the noise now and have recorded the same. Apparently another part needs replacement and again they have forwarded the case to Nissan for a warranty claim.

I have asked my sister to meanwhile go and collect the car which has otherwise been serviced and then take it writing what all parts they are suspecting to be faulty. Will post the details then.

Overall experience and confidence in the car has gone for a toss. It will complete 3 years this april and I have already started contemplating exchanging it for the upcoming Jazz or i20 AT.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by GTO

Typical lousy Nissan stealership trying to rip customers off. Believe me, they are nearly as incompetent as Skodas.


2. My Nissan stealership tried the same trick with my brother (i.e. disc replacement). I gave him a piece of my mind. My car is still running the original discs at 40,000 kms.

3. Better you get a second opinion on the tie-rods from an honest mechanic.

Originally Posted by drmohitg

GTO,


2. Brake pads and discs: I have again told them not to touch it. I will get a second opinion from an outside garage and see. The discs cannot give way so soon right?

3. Same for the tie rod.

Although they haven't done the above to my Sunny, I am not that impressed with Nissan either. I can't explain it but their setup simply does not exude confidence. On a related note (tie rod, discs), I face these exact issues from Honda for my 5 year old civic. My discs were changed less than 2 years ago, and the car barely runs 400-600 kms per month (of which at least 60-70% is by me, only balance by driver - and I'm a careful driver). Yet they told me in the last service that the brake pads need to be changed - I know its not discs but bear in mind they were changed less than 12,000 kms ago). I am seriously thinking of starting to take my civic now to a reliable aftermarket guy. Can't keep getting huge estimates for everything from Honda A.S.S.

I am also very tempted to replace the Sunny with the next gen Innova (if only it came with A/T) or perhaps change both cars with just one car - a Santa Fe (its diesel, A/T AND has some usable space after 3rd row). Certainly don't want to keep bleeding on A.S.S. service bills.

[drmohitg]

The following are the things that the SA wants to change in the car:
1. Front both lower arm
2. Brake disc
3. Rear RHS shocker
4. Starter motor

The car has completed 40200 Kms. Apart from this the AC issue still remains undiagnosed and unsolved.

[shady_lawyer]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

The following are the things that the SA wants to change in the car:
1. Front both lower arm
2. Brake disc
3. Rear RHS shocker
4. Starter motor

The car has completed 40200 Kms. Apart from this the AC issue still remains undiagnosed and unsolved.

To repeat what GTO said a bunch of monkeys. Ask your sister to get the car back for now. Once you are back in Delhi you can take things forward. Its plain ridiculous that they was Rs. 2500 just to open the dashboard. Robbers!

1. the lowers arms are a simple check, if the bush at the end of rod is shot you need to go for a replacement. The "khad khad" generally starts right there.
2. This is pure crock-Discs? Unless someone has been brake testing the car on a runway a 40k car does not need replacement. I believe a good skimming should help.

3. Rear Shock Absorber-Wow! at this rate you'll have a brand new car check for the tell a tale oil leak and the bounce back test of the shock once you get back.

4. Starter motor-is the sound you hear a sound like electricity passing- a crackle and whoosh-if yes its normal, everytime my Sunny is cold-started it makes that sound. Its something to do with the radiator fan or something. You'll hear even Logans/Dusters making the exact same sound.

As for the AC issue, it sounds like a resistor has gone kaput, which is why the strange sound. IMHO the circuit is receiving the command but is unable to execute the same. A silly question is the blower throwing cold air/working? if yes then the fault probably lies in the circuit that controls the hot air intake.

Keep us updated!

[drmohitg]

Update on the car: So it has been 2 weeks since the dealership apparently sent the mail to Nissan for getting the go ahead on replacing the shocker and starter motor under warranty and Nissan is yet to reply back. God knows what is cooking up at Nissan. In the era of Emails, they take 2 weeks to decide on a simple issue? On top of that, I would not be surprised if the answer is No. Losing my confidence in the company with each day.

[drmohitg]

So finally Nissan has sent its representatives and we had to leave the car with the dealership yet again, this time for Nissan's people to take a look and approve the changes under warranty. Now the dealership is 2 kms from my house but they insisted on making me bring the car on Thursday and something which should have been a half an hour job of inspection turned out to be a 2 day ordeal due to delays on their side and finally they could only return my vehicle on Saturday. Nissan has approved the replacement of the starter motor under warranty but says that the rear shocker is working properly and the noise being reported is not due to that. so they are not replacing that.

Now I fail to understand what am I supposed to do here. It is their dealership and appointed mechanics who had earlier diagnosed it as a shocker problem which in case I hadn't opted for extended warranty, they would have happily made me pay and replace. Now Nissan's expert opinion is that it is not the shocker issue but then does their responsibility end there? Shouldn't they atleast then try to identify the source of that sound and take action accordingly? Because their appointed dealership which is my only point of interaction with Nissan had come up with their diagnosis and identified the shocker as the faulty part. How and why should I expect them to correctly diagnose the problem now? Or did they not test the car correctly in the first place? Also how do I trust them with their second diagnosis now for that sound which they will make when the starter motor arrives in 15 days ( Imagine 15 days for a part to arrive within India) and the car will again go back to them. I am at a loss of words and ideas here. It is clearly evident that their dealership wasn't able to identify the problem correctly and were just asking me to change whatever parts they fancied randomly? And it goes without saying that whatever part I pay for, would not be reimbursed later if found not at fault in the first place.

In comparison my Toyota dealership here in Vadodara too ( which would have far less connectivity compared to Delhi) were able to repair the accidental damage on my Altis with muitple body panel repalcements/repair and painting within 15 days. :(

[khoj]

It's like comparing Apples to Oranges. Nissan has a long way to go compared to Toyota.

Originally Posted by drmohitg

........Now Nissan's expert opinion is that it is not the shocker issue but then does there responsibility end there? Shouldn't they atleast then try to identify the source of that sound and take action accordingly? ........

In comparison my Toyota dealership here in Vadodara too ( which would have far less connectivity compared to Delhi) were able to repair the accidental damage on my Altis with muitple body panel repalcements/repair and painting within 15 days. :(

[GTO]

So, after 3 years of rough use & 40,000 kms, the Sunny had its first failure.

Lately, the air-con's cooling capability became very weak. With Mumbai temperatures rising, it was impossible to drive the car.

Sent over to the Nissan Stealership where they found the evaporator to be faulty. Replaced for free as I'd availed of extended warranty. Had to pay some small amount for the air-con gas etc.

Was calculating the number of days she's spent off the road = Including this air-con visit, about 10 days in 3 years for servicing & maintenance (another 7 for minor accident repairs). A true workhorse .

[Vid6639]

I was in Mumbai last weekend and was supposed to drive down to Pune. The plan was to take my uncle's Liva 1.2 petrol (sigh). Luckily GTO offered me the Sunny instead, as it would be more comfortable for me and my folks.

I'm glad I took his offer. My mom was seated at the back for the entire drive and loved the amount of space. I heard her say multiple times that the car was more comfortable than both our cars. Usually as a rule she sits on the left side behind the passenger. That's cause there's no space for anyone to sit behind me. Not so in the Sunny. She would get in from whichever side was convenient. The rear seat is definitely on the lower side and lacks underthigh support but because my mom's not tall she didn't have any problems with this.

For me the biggest advantage was driver seat height adjust. My uncle's Liva even though it's the top spec V doesn't have this and I always feel I'm seated in a perched position. Thankfully even the Sunny XL has this. I like my seat low and reclined.

The sunny is a breeze to drive around town. Mumbai roads are where the sunny feels at home. Light steering and almost zero turbo lag means you can potter around in a higher gear easily. Clutch was not the lightest and the grab point was at the end which took me a few kms to get used to. The gears were on the notchier side and don't give the slick feel to make you want to shift which thankfully you don't have to due to the tractable engine. The soft cushy road is perfect for Mumbai's uneven and poor roads.

Out on the Mum-Pune expressway the Sunny was comfortable at cruising speeds. Didn't feel strained at all. NVH levels were above average, you can hear the diesel motor but it's not intrusive. GTO had changed the tyres to Yokohama A-drives and they were quiet. The Sunny always had a nice soft ride and with the A-drives, this was even better. Being one size wider, it gave the steering some amount of weight although it's still on lighter side on the highway. As reported, the brakes are not at all confidence inspiring. I ended up being in a lower gear than needed on many occasions only because I was unsure of the brakes.

After spending 3 days with the car, I realised that it's quite understated. My dad asked me how much was the car and when I told him it was for around 9 lakhs he was surprised. He was wondering how this car was lesser than his Altis but had more space. It's like a mini corolla!

The best part is the FE. In the entire drive from Mumbai to Pune, the fuel gauge went down by only one bar. I was back in Mumbai after driving around in Pune and it was just a notch above the half way point. On Monday I was driving from Borivali towards town and faced the brunt of Mumbai traffic. This is when the FE went below 20 and settled to around 18kmpl. Took me 2 hours from Borivali to lower parel.

As a chauffeur driven car, the Sunny still makes a lot of sense. I would probably still recommend the Sunny to somebody who doesn't drive and only sits in the back seat. The new Honda City is priced a fair bit more. The Ciaz is another good option but the sunny feels a little more plush especially the new facelift.

What was remarkable was the fact that GTO's Sunny had done 40K kms and there wasn't a squeak or a rattle from anywhere. I was quite amazed considering Mumbai roads and the fact that my Altis and Ecosport have already picked up a couple of rattles.

[driving_smartly]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

For me the biggest advantage was driver seat height adjust. My uncle's Liva even though it's the top spec V doesn't have this and I always feel I'm seated in a perched position. Thankfully even the Sunny XL has this. I like my seat low and reclined.

Toyota Liva's manufactured post March 2013 has driver seat height adjustable and tilt steering right from mid-end variant. I am just 5.4" and make maximum use of it, in city seat it is on higher side and on highways it is on lower side .

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by driving_smartly

Toyota Liva's manufactured post March 2013 has driver seat height adjustable and tilt steering right from mid-end variant. I am just 5.4" and make maximum use of it, in city seat it is on higher side and on highways it is on lower side .

OT: My uncle's Liva is from earlier batch without seat height adjust.

What I meant was Nissan doesn't keep seat height adjust only for top spec variant and is having them even for lower trims unlike Toyota which offers only in top spec.

[mroptimist]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

OT: My uncle's Liva is from earlier batch without seat height adjust.

What I meant was Nissan doesn't keep seat height adjust only for top spec variant and is having them even for lower trims unlike Toyota which offers only in top spec.

And who told you that. Toyota offers seat height adjustment from G/GD trim onwards.

Have a look at the snapshot from the TKM website. G/GD is the trim which sells the most.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by mroptimist

And who told you that. Toyota offers seat height adjustment from G/GD trim onwards.

Have a look at the snapshot from the TKM website. G/GD is the trim which sells the most.

I wasn't aware of this. Must be the recent models. Thanks.

I think we can move back to Sunny. As I mentioned the Liva my uncle had did not have it even though it was the top spec V variant which was the sore point.

Let's focus on the Sunny here.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

I was in Mumbai last weekend and was supposed to drive down to Pune. The plan was to take my uncle's Liva 1.2 petrol (sigh). Luckily GTO offered me the Sunny instead

Correction - You chose the Sunny over the (loud) Civic!

It's like a mini corolla!

True. A lot of attributes in common (space, reliability, soft ride, boring to drive).

What was remarkable was the fact that GTO's Sunny had done 40K kms and there wasn't a squeak or a rattle from anywhere. I was quite amazed considering Mumbai roads and the fact that my Altis and Ecosport have already picked up a couple of rattles.

Yeah, even I am pleasantly surprised at how well she is ageing. Not only the roads, but even the usage...the Sunny is the beater car in my house. It's been through its fair share of chauffeurs, rough use etc. Still, she runs fine. Even though the Sunny is among the lightest sedans around, it is well screwed together.