Dealer said X was the problem...

[AntiFreze]

So I heard some squeaking coming from the front my 2004 Nissan 350z and took it to the dealership. They said that the compression rods (aka radius rods) were shot as well as the ball joints. The warranty covered the ball joints so we had those repaired right away. We were told that if we did not replace the compression rods and the ball joints went bad again that the warranty would not cover them.

We took the car back 2 weeks later to get the compression rods replaced and paid $600 for it. I was curious on what these rods looked like when they go bad so I asked the rep to show me the ones that they took out. I could not see any noticeable damage done and his explanation was that "when these get really bad it's like metal scraping metal".

On the drive home the squeaking is still there.

So I just paid $600 for parts and labors to fix a symptom and it's still there. Do I have any recourse? Shouldn't they be liable to put the old compression rods back on and refund my money?


tl;dr - I took it in to fix squeaking, they "identified" the problem, replaced parts (ones they took out didnt look bad to me), charged me, and the squeaking is still there.

what do I do?

 

[brblx]

take it back. changing a part and not fixing something is one thing, returning it to the customer that way means the tech was a lazy asshole who either didn't test drive it or didn't care.

try and be nice about it, but don't get pushed around. unfortunately, the same tech is going to be working on your car (for free, more than likely, which he won't like), but you don't owe them any additional labor or parts until they fix the original problem. you aren't likely to get them to remove the parts and give you your money back without a court order, but you can at LEAST get the problem fixed for your $600 trouble.

why were ball joints warrantied and not the compression rod bushings? some kind of funny extended warranty? either way, if those bushings are 'bad,' you'll see cracking. while some rubber can sag without tearing (common with motor mounts), generally suspension bushings aren't going to make noise until they are physically torn. to me it sounds like they were trying to pad a warranty claim with some customer pay (which they make more money on).

when does the squeaking occur?

 

[AntiFreze]

the squeaking occurs at low speeds over any elevation change(driveways, ramps, etc.) or bumps. i don't hear it at high speeds but I assume that is because it is masked by other noises that come with driving 40+

 

[randay]

dealers are incompetent. factory warranties are useless. take it to 3rd party.

 

[brblx]

you're completely right except for the fact that the dealer usually has the most trained and experienced people, the widest assortment of tools, diag equipment, and electronic resources. and factory warranties trump aftermarket warranties by a ratio somewhere around infinite:useless.

but otherwise...

anyway, i don't know 350z suspensions, but i would be willing to bet it's either a strut (or strut mount) or sway bar bushing. squeaking on jounce is not typically from a ball joint or factory a-arm bushing (but anything's possible).

definately take it back and make 'em fix it. they need to actually spend some time diagnosing it. fifteen minutes and some listening equipment and they should be able to pinpoint the problem, assuming it's not some strange one in a million noise.

 

[thescreensavers]

imo you should ask your question at the 350z forums, http://my350z.com/forum/

Good luck

 

[T2urtle]

AFAIK there is a TSB out for these compression rods. they typical go bad every 30k. just a piss poor design and material.

this is the same problem we have on the g35

sway bar bushings is what the noise sounds like. mines does it only on steep driveways on my right side and i have 46k but i'm out of warranty on my 05.

take it back to the dealership, drive with a tech or advisor. after they tell you what they think is wrong, see what kind of price they want to charge you. Then you have a choice of either telling them you dont want the rods because they misdiagnosed the car, or tell them your not paying for the labor because honestly the tech messed up. Only pay for the parts if they tell you parts are 62$ i would say only pay $50 because parts mark-ups they can flex on it.