Went in to Courtesy Nissan Yesterday trying to fix a jerking problem and interrupted exhaust sound when in WOT in especially 2nd gear after 4-4.5 rpm till redline.

Brought the car in w/o being given a rental, so I had to inconvenience people to get my car so much as looked at. Told the service rep. the problem and of course he said he will call me with updates. Never got a call from them the entire day. I called the first time at 2:00 p.m. (car was dropped off at 7:20 A.M.) and he told me he had one guy test drive it but couldn't find anything wrong with it between 3-3.5 rpm. I told him ofcourse he wouldn't find anything between those ranges because the problem as specified earlier did not exist between these ranges, but rather after 4.5 rpm till redline. He told me after that that my car was inline to be driven by the shop foreman.

By end of work (4:30 P.M.) he still hasn't called so I asked my ride to come and pick me up and called the serv. rep. again after leaving work. He then told me that the shop foreman also did not find anything wrong with the car but he only drove it up to 5k rpm. He told me the he has a report from Nissan that states that the fuel is cut off after 4-5k rpm. I began to ask him how that is possible when the car makes maximum horsepower of 287 horses at 6200 rpm? His response consisted of a self-righteous "Sir, I am just telling you what Nissan told me (uh oh uh oh it ain't my fault I'm a righteous dumb@ss and just read out whatever Nissan gives me whether it makes sense or not.)".

Got there and asked to go for a test drive with someone who would be helpful in the matter. He gives me some tech. who goes over the same trash as the serv. rep. about the fuel cutting out at 5k rpm and that this car was not made to ever be driven anywhere above 4k rpms... at that point I asked him if I he actually believes that Nissan built their sportscar with an engine that couldn't rev above 4k rpm?

Got the car warmed up and then put it in second and WOT at 25 mph. after about 4.5 rpm the exhaust sound began interrupting but the jerking did not occur. Jerking feels as though either the fuel is being cut off and then turned back on, never experienced this before. I asked him if that was normal and he responded "No", and asked to go again. He later informed me that he would not be at the dealership the entire week (so what's the point of this guy riding with me). He told me he would go in and explain to them what the car is doing.

My service rep. walks out and tells me after speaking with this guy they have concluded that the car behaves as it should and drives "normal". WTF???

Then he tells me that he believes me that the car is doing what I describe but if the computer can't tell him what part to replace then he can't replace it. Well the computer pulled no codes. I asked him if there was a problem with the trannsmission if the computer would pull codes and he replied "No". When I asked him how you would fix a broken tranny he replied that they would just know. I told him that for all I know it might be my tranny (clutch) since it has only occured in second gear. He told me that I would feel my clutch slip easier at higher end gears. Because I am not sure how this works I began thinking out loud to him saying that if there's more torque going to the wheels at lower gears then common sense tells me that there would be more slippage at these gears, and hence more noticeable. His reply - "OK"... once again WTF??? . At that point it became clear as day that he did not care to help but was just trying to get me out of there no matter what outcome. Keep in mind that I was not raising my voice at any time during our conversation in person nor over the phone, made no "scenes", and kept my cool the entire time.

In conclusion, I absolutely h@te Nissan Service so much that I don't even think they should be allowed to say "Nissan" and "service" in the same sentence. It is a joke!

Will try taking my baby to another Nissan hassle center as soon as the problem reoccurs on my morning commute.

 

Sounds like you visited a bad dealership. All are not bad. Find one you like, make relationships, and stick with them.

 

Forgive me for even suggesting this, but it is not TCS or VDC is it?

 

No I thought it might have been that too, so i tried turning it off and it still did it. Thanks for suggesting though, Danotto.

 

Sounds like bad fuel to me or that you used too low of an octane. It won't throw a code normally if you used too low of an octane, and remember that when you fill you car up with gas, a lot of gas stations mix their gas. Get a fresh tank of 93+ octane fuel.

 

Courtesy Nissan is Normally one of the better dealers in Dallas. i know most of the guys up there, who was your service rep? the best one to deal with is Ken. Ken is a Z guy and is pretty good about stuff normally. I'm Free Wed and Thurs this week. If you want I can go up there with you and get this taken care of. but I agree with John, It sounds like bad gas. If this is still happening after you fill up with 93, Email me and we will get something done about this.

BTW Courtesy Nissan is a Z Club of Texas Sponsor, so it helps to be a ZCOT Member

 

Just out of curiosity, was your rep JOHN? If so, I'm not surprised at your experience. Parts department at Courtesy is OK. I have not been impressed with their service department.

 

Hey guys the idea of bad gas has also occured to me. I have been using nothing but 93 grade octane from Chevron since my first fill up. That might very well be the cause of this headache.

I guess the "bad gas" effect would not be apparent at lower rpms or even steady high rpms but only upon WOT???

chazzg, Yes it was Ken that I dealt with. I have dealt with him one time before and had a problem with him then also. I really appreciate your offer but I think I'm just gonna try out Bankston Nissan's service dept. Have you guys heard anything about this place?

The bad gas theory makes more and more sense every passing day since I was driving to/from work today and punched it in second and the car felt smooth as ever. It doesn't seem to do it always, but just on occasion.

Any of you guys know of a good gas station in the Plano area that you've had good experience with and have not gotten bad gas from?

 

I have taken my Z in 2 times for problems to Bankston Nissan Lewisville, and they are batting 1000 so far. We will see how they do tomorrow on my third visit.

 

You might also consider having the gas tank pulled and drained. I had a vehicle with similar "not my Z" problems. Anyway it turned out to have metal shavings in the tank which started out just like your problem but eventually led to starting problems as well.

 

Any idea what that would $cost$?