Hi folks,
I live in Malaysia and I bought a brand new Nissan Sentra ( automatic trans) . I got my car about 3 weeks ago and have done about 2000 miles on it. 2 weeks back when the car was just after break in period, I started to feel some vibrations and experienced other problems. Hope your experience helps in answering these.
1. When moving out of stand still position there is slight wobble/vibration before it stops wobbling and continues to move. vibrations could be felt under the floorboard /pedal as well.
- dealership already done/changed tyres/rims, balancing, on wheel balancing wheel bearings , drive shaft, alignment - problem still exists.
2. Generally the ride is bumpy even on flat , newly laid out roads. the car seems to bounce a little bit ever now and then. The steering seems erratic, aignment is out as soon as the car gets off alignment work. In the past 3 weeks I have done alignment about 4 times, not inclusive the alignment dealership has done when they change driveshafts/bearings. The steering is quite light at high speeds too.
3. At about 55 - 60 mph - there is a pulsating vibration . Even the CD player panel vibrates. Strong vibrations could be felt under the floorboard. This was the primary reason dealer diagnosed and changed bearings and driveshaft. After changing the above, the problem still existed and they changed the rims and tyres and did balancing/alignment work and tightened every nut they could find under carriage. The pulse is kind of disappeared after tyre/rim change but the vibration is still still there - persistent at 55-60 mph. I suspect the pulse is a symtom of the actual problem. Maybe the original tyres were worn uneven because of the root cause and in turn they caused a pulsating vibration. I expect the new tyres to cause the pulse soon if I keep driving longer.
I have taken the car back to dealer ship like 6 times in last 3 weeks. They are cracking their head on how to fix it and I may have to wait for a few more weeks before a dedicated technical crew from Malaysian Nissan headquarters comes in and looks at the car.
In mean time the original dealer where I bought the car has offered to take a look ( the above things were done at a service center operated by a dealer closer to my home). I am thinking of giving the selling dealer some head start to solve this problem.
From all the stuff I read here it seems like there could be problems with ( correct me if I am wrong) :
1. Suspension - not sure which part of the suspension is the problem.
2. Rotor - by this do you mean the brake disc? or the entire assembly
3. tie - rods - not sure how this is related .Anyone with experience can help me
Am I correct or is there anything else I can tell the dealership to give them a head start in solving the problem.
Now these vibrations you are complaining about... sound a bit harsh, especially for a new car; understandable why you are taking it back to the dealership... if you think the problem is that severe...and i cant judge since im not in the vehicle... you should talk to your dealership about another car... some how. I know that here in the US theres some kind of law for getting a car of this nature.. being brand new? (little help here)
I do know for certain.. and that most of us agree here. the sentra IS NOT the smoothest car out there, in fact its a little bit on the rough side to begin with. This is not your luxury vehicle by far... in fact its a little stiff.... IMO. Also the sentras steering.. at least in my 04 with an auto transmission, is super sensative.. (while in motion...slow as hell when your not moving) i even thought my car was out of alignment... but thats just something you get use to. Even though my car hit a concrete curb going 40mph... (60kph) ... thats mostly my thoughts on it.. anyone got anything?
__________________ Its not what you know, its who you know
05 Brilliant Aluminum Spec V - ES MMI's Recieved! pending install
04 Blackout Sentra 1.8s! = stock = Traded in 06/27/05! http://myspace.com/rv_jd MYSPACE PROFILE PAGE
If it's that serious on a new car, I'd ask for a replacement, or a loaner while they keep it and fix EVERYTHING because it's still covered by the 3/36.
Do Lemon Laws exist in your area or other laws that protect the consumer? You should be able to take this to the dealer and have them fix everything with no hassle to you at all.
The only vibration issues I have are from torque steer... I hate front wheel drive cars.
__________________ -2003 Sonic Blue 'vert Ford Cobra -1993 Desert Tan/Black Jeep YJ -2002 White Nissan Sentra GXE -1997 Grey Ford Explorer XLT<--- For Sale!
The only vibration issues I have are from torque steer... I hate front wheel drive cars.
agreed, but im stuck with one.. so... cant bitch too much
__________________ Its not what you know, its who you know
05 Brilliant Aluminum Spec V - ES MMI's Recieved! pending install
04 Blackout Sentra 1.8s! = stock = Traded in 06/27/05! http://myspace.com/rv_jd MYSPACE PROFILE PAGE
Hi folks,
Some update:
They took back my car and lent me an X trail ( their test drive unit). The team from the HQ is still not here but the local mechanic immediately found a problem with the arm which is causing the alignment to always drift. That has been fixed but rest of the issues remain especially the vibration.
I went for another test drive. Now it seems more likely that the vibration is resulting from the driveshaft to gearbox connection.Well, the HQ team will be here on Monday. Lets see what they are going to say. If they try to side step the issue - I am going to sue their a#@ off. We got consumer laws in Malaysia and the weight is more towards the consumer. In my case - I hold the upper hand as well because when my car was delivered to me , the odo meter showed 400 km ( 250 miles). They drove the car down for delivery from the HQ without getting my permission.
Although there are consumer laws , not many people want to go thru the hassle and mostly just ignore minor problems ( even some major). Thats the awareness issue we face here. Malaysians are more apologetic and timid by nature I suppose. But not me. I am going demand a new car if this is not solved by next week.
Glad I joined this forum. All your posts have been wonderful and informative. Should have replied earlier but my notebook died ( no its not Nissan ..hahaha).
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