New Vehicle Servicing/Warranty

About time you picked it up :)))))))))))))))))))

It is true you can legally get your new car serviced by a non-dealer and if you have a warranty issue that is disputed by Nissan because you serviced it elsewhere you will probably win in the end - BUT - do you have the money, time, grief and stress to deal with it.

You can guarantee that iif Nissan (or any other maker) think they can get out of a claim they will because you serviced elsewhere they will.

I would not risk it - I would stay with the dealer if I could until out of warranty.

Garry

My last 3 new cars have not been serviced by Nissan or any company - just me, Nic.

But if I had a Nissan with 3lt diesel engine I would play safe and go with Nissan service.

You have spent a considerable sum on your truck why risk this with anythig else other than dealer service. Stick with Nissan but prior to each service discreetly mark your oil / air filters and other parts to see if Nissan are doing the right thing by you.
cya
Gary

Guy here at work had a quote from Nissan dealer to service his 04 Navara 3.0 TD at around $700 - $750. Same work from Ultratune is going to cost $250.

Having said that, I service my 4Runner 2.8D myself, but I get my Cross8 wagon serviced at the dealer I got if from. Nobody knows these car better than a Holden service centre. Good cheap insurance and the servicing has cost me less than $200 every time.

G'day Nic, as far as I am aware any licenced mechanic registered
with the appropriate State authorities is able to service your car
& not void your warranty. This doesnt please major dealers who like to charge exhorbitant rates for the same service. However the
point made re the manufacturer being likely to drag his bum over warranty claims may be valid. I had both my new Hilux serviced
by my local garage, at a fraction of the cost of Dealer Service.
But neither required any warranty action. I would not be paying
that premium to the dealer & would find a trusted local business
to do the work. Sure, there are the stories of failures under
warranty but statistically they are rare. I had personal experience
with the Dealer not even lifting the bonnet on the first service
so never went back. A piece of cotton made a liar of that
Service Manager but he wasnt sacked so I walked. I pay less than
$150 for a standard car service, & less than $200 for a 4WD,
including good quality oil. Apparently many are asked to pay $500
or more. Your choice of course.......oldbaz.

I service mine all the time by the book.
Had numerous warranty issues and the majority was fixed. I was never asked about the service history anytime I took it in for warranty work.
Navara is just over 2 years old and has almost 120 000k's on the clock.

Went through this when I got my pajero new.

You are right that a recognized mechanic shouldn't void the warranty.

But just to be safe, I did the first 40,000k of the 100,000k warranty with the dealer I bought it from just in case. Thinking that if there is a major problem it should show in the first 40,000k.

Had a couple of minor issues fixed in the first 40,000k, then serviced locally.

as long as they are a registered mechanic and have an ABN there is no issue.....

we use a mate that use to work for toyota and got sick of his boss, started his own business and took many of the new car owners with him!

DONT GO TO DEALER MECHANICS!!!

Nic
interesting looking @ the replies above, I have had the reverse happen.
previous 4wd was a grand Cherokee CRD.
thought I would give the local mechanic a go. first time, left the oil filler cap off. next time, no oil. next time oil half full.
then went back to the dealer, no problems.
probably doesn't answer all yr queries, but my experience.
cheers Tom.

This issue has been put to bed (legally speaking) a few years ago. The bottom line is, the mechanic has to be qualified and only genuine or EQUIVALENT parts used. Many many so called genuine parts are generic - ryco is a prime example, they have and still do defend claims in court - and win.

I had a customer recently who had a a gen3 go kaboom (oil pump gave up), holden didn't want to know about it because it was serviced at a non dealership. After producing documents to prove qualifications and proper parts fitted to the vehicle they had no choice but to honor the warranty, which they did.

I have been servicing my own new vehicles for the past 10 years. All Nissans and Toyotas.

I'd guess there will be good and bad with any workshop - dealership or not. If you choose an independant, then I'd be sure to use Nissan filters, coolant, brake fluid etc and maybe even oils - they sell a special oil for the 3litre Nissans.

Thanks everyone for your comments - very useful.

One aspect of this which I personally find very important is that dealer servicing doesn't (usually, anyway) allow direct contact with the actual human being who did the work - only a Customer Service Advisor who is usually highly skilled at........customer service, but not often knowledgeable in how vehicles are built, operated, and maintained.

On the other hand if you use a small, local outfit, regardless of whether it's a solo mechanic in his own shop or part of a franchised chain like Ultratune, you can talk directly to the person with their tools on your car. For me, this is a huge difference, and means you can, with luck, build a personal relationship with the people helping to maintain your rig.