Sorry if this is drawn out, but here is my story:
I developed a vibration on my Pathy back in July. Vibration started around 40 mph and continued up to 80 mph. I had 57,000 miles at the time. I couldn't really tell if the vibration was up front or from the rear. I took it to a local Nissan dealership here in Chicago. They said I needed the front wheel bearing repacked and all 4 tires balanced. Total cost was $250.
Did not fix my issue.
Took it back a few weeks later with 58,000 miles at the time. Still had the same vibration. The dealer had it for two days. Saif they put it on a lift and got going to 45 mph. They told me it looked like the rear tires were "oval shaped." Said I needed 2 new rear tires. Since I had gotten new tires a few months prior, I took the car back and had the tire shop replace the rear tires under warranty.
Still did not fix my issue.
So I was out of town most of the next month and a half. Still have the same vibration. Now I am at 60,500 miles and my drivetrain warranty has expired. I take my car to a trans shop. They balance the driveshaft and put a new rear U-joint on my car. Get it up on a dyno and they can see that the driveshaft is vibrating. There is a rubber seal near the rear of the shaft that is dry rotted. The whole shaft needs to be replaced. I told them not to do the work. Since the car was under warranty when the problem started, I would see if Nissan will cover it under warranty.
I take the truck back to the dealer yesterday. The dealer calls me a few hours later and says that "someone cut a piece of the driveshaft off and welded weights to it." Confused by what they are saying, I journey to the dealer for a peek. They say that the piece that was missing was a sleeve that covers the rubber seal. I had to inform them that the weights on the shaft are from when the trans shop balanced the shaft. There is another Pathy on a lift so I go look under it and sure enough, this alleged "cut off/ missing sleeve"
is not on that Pathy either! Sounds like a load of shit to me. As me and the service advisor are walking away, he informs me that these parts are not covered under my 3 yr/ 36k warranty. I kindly let him know that the drivetrain warranty is 5yrs/ 60k miles. Dejected and disgusted, I take my car and leave. They were kind enough not to charge me and felt the need to shake my hand as I left.
So here is my issue. I have had some time to think this one over. The questions I have are:
-does this look like a normal drive shaft? Any parts missing?
-were the weight wleded in the right spot?
-why is the dealer trying so hard not to help me out?
The pics below show the driveshaft with the two circular weights welded onto the shaft. Thet are circular and have holed in the middle of them. The worn out seal is just to the right of the weights.
Any thoughts or suggestions on how to resolve this? I dont want to shell out money for a new driveshaft when it should have been covered under my 5 yr/ 60k drivetrain warranty.
All help is appreciated.
