In September 2020 we purchased a used 16-month-old Qashqai from the native Nissan vendor. It had completed simply 4,662 miles and we paid £17,147 money.
Now we have had the automobile serviced repeatedly as per the suggested schedule, however at a neighborhood storage fairly than the vendor. We have been eager to help native unbiased providers, and it was cheaper.
In November 2023, with 46,000 miles on the clock, the automobile broke down. Our native storage recognized a severe fault with the engine, and quoted £4,000-£6,000 to restore it.
We organized for it to be despatched to the principle sellers and have since spent hours on the cellphone to Nissan’s buyer providers making an attempt to get this resolved.
At one level, we have been suggested to pay £1,500 for the storage to undertake diagnostic testing. Luckily, the vendor suggested us not to do that because it was a waste of time as a result of its exams clearly confirmed that the engine was cracked.
The vendor has indicated it should cost £7,500 to suit a reconditioned engine. Nissan buyer providers is refusing to make a contribution as we had not used the vendor for servicing, claiming it can not guarantee the appropriate oil had been used.
We really feel very badly handled by Nissan and don’t believe a automobile of this age and mileage ought to fail on this method. With a functioning engine, it is just valued at £9,000.
HJ, Tyneside
In 2017 I revealed how Nissan Qashqai consumers have been struggling engine failures and dealing with large payments to repair them.
Issues centred across the Renault-supplied 1.2-litre DIG-T petrol engines, launched in 2014. One reader had three rebuilds on the identical automobile, and 1000’s of others have been affected. Your automobile has an analogous, however extra not too long ago launched, 1.3-litre engine.
Beforehand, Nissan was repairing engines that have been contained in the three-year guarantee, offered they’d been serviced by considered one of its sellers. Homeowners who have been outdoors guarantee, or had taken their vehicles to be serviced elsewhere, confronted related payments to you.
You’re each out of guarantee and with no vendor service historical past. Regardless of this, Nissan has now agreed to make a contribution. It says: “Customer support is a excessive precedence for Nissan and now we have been working with HJ to achieve a passable consequence.
“Her automobile has now been repaired by a Nissan vendor at a reduced price, and she or he shall be supplied a 50% discount to the price of the components as a gesture of goodwill.”
Had it not completed so, in your footwear I’d have discovered a dependable unbiased engine rebuilder to do the work. Had I been in a position to present that the native storage had serviced the automobile on time, and used the proper grade of oil, I’d have introduced a small declare in opposition to the supplying vendor (not Nissan).
I’d have anticipated the courtroom to order you to pay half the restore value, given the automobile’s age, and so forth. You’ve been spared this.
This exhibits why it is smart to get vehicles serviced by a predominant vendor – whereas in guarantee, at the least.
We welcome letters however can not reply individually. E mail us at client.champions@theguardian.com or write to Shopper Champions, Cash, the Guardian, 90 York Approach, London N1 9GU. Please embody a daytime cellphone quantity. Submission and publication of all letters is topic to our phrases and situations: http://theguardian.com/letters-terms