[QUOTE=DrDeth]
You don’t need or want oil changes every 3000 miles (for most cars made in the last decade.) Just follow your owners guide, and do what it says. Unless your new car is very strange, the suggested milage for an oil change will be something around 7500 miles. Maybe more, maybe less.
Nor does having the service done at the dealer do any good either, as Rick. Better is a local trusted independent mechanic.
Nor would I ever deal with those assholes again, except in Small Claims. Might I suggest Small claims? You have a warrenty. They are refusing to honor it. Small Claims Court judges like to rule on the side of “the little guy”. Does your warrenty actually say you have to keep records of your service? Print out everything Rick has said, and even better, find an independent Mech who will say the same thing.
[/QUOTE]
The problem with small claims is that the amount listed in the OP is over the small claims limit. ($2500 IIRC, in CA, Il. may be different) What this means is that you have to go to big boy’s court with a lawyer. The good news (for you) is that in big boy’s court you can recover punitive damages. IANAL and all that, but it is my understanding that punitive damages are how the jury can spank a company for being bad. I think we can all agree that these guys have been very bad. Look, my last post was a first. I work for a car company. I have never before told someone to sue a car company or dealer. However based on what I have read here, dude, go see a lawyer.
About the warranty, while I do not know the text of the Nissan warranty. Every auto warranty I have ever seen, does require the owner to show proof of services for failures. Obviously if your headlight switch goes tits up, a lack of oil change records means nothing. If you have an engine failure, records are necessary.
I wouldn’t say that servicing the car at the dealer does no good. The dealer is going to be more familiar with the car than most impendent shops. What I said was that there is no requirement that the services be done at the dealer. I sure as hell would never take a car to this dealer again.
As far as oil change frequency, either follow the book, or read your owner’s manual listing for severe service and follow that schedule. If that looks like too much work and assuming your car has a 7,500 mile service interval, change the oil every 5,000 miles. 5, 10, 15 20 everybody can count by fives. Make sure you get top quality oil installed. Don’t go for the default weight and quality grade. We have done several threads on oil quality over the years, do a search.
Keep the receipts how ever and where ever you have the car serviced.
Good luck.
I’ve found my dealer to be almost annoyingly obsequious at times. Apparently even faintly negative comments on a Nissan survey form will have serious repercussions for them. Which led me to assume that most Nissan customers could expect similar treatment. But perhaps you’re right about the class distinctions.