Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hello all,
I bought a used Nissan murano last month and recently it started leaking with issues relating to the power steering. I brought it to the Nissan dealership yesterday to have the complementary multi point inspection done and they gave me a list of repairs for about $4900
- high side power steering hose $490
- may need power steering pump ( they said they won't know till I replace the power steering hose) $1100
- replace both lower control arms due to broken bushings $960
- recommend replacing leaking engine oil cooler $370
- recommend resealing leaking transfer case $1700
- recommend replacing damage transmission air damn $240
-
Obviously this is all surprising to me as I thought I was dealing with a minor issue. I am quite illiterate when it comes to cars so I wanted to get other peoples perspective on these prices and which repairs I should prioritize since I did not plan to spend this much just a month after buying the car. Any help is appreciated. Thank you all.
I have never purchased a used car before but I thought the auto dealers give a warranty on used cars for a certain period of time ? You should check your sales agreement to see if they list such a warranty.
Considering all the issues the car has I would find it hard to believe the dealer didn't know about at least some of these issues, especially if you purchased the car from a Nissan dealer.
Some other information that would be helpful is the age of the car and the purchase price. If you paid 2,000.00 for a car that would normally be priced at 10,000.00 I would suspect there were issues with the vehicle.
You should also check if DC has a Consumer Protection Department or a pitbull of an Attorney General like Connecticut did.
I bought it from an independent dealer not a Nissan dealership. It's a 2005 murano n I paid about 13k. We don't have a lemon law so used cars are considered as is.
I've bought plenty of used cars over the years, and I've never heard of a warranty. OP, did you take the car to a mechanic before purchase, to get it checked out? Take it to a mechanic who specializes in Nissans (not a Nissan dealership), and see what the independent mechanic says. Research online Nissan mechanics in your area, and read the online reviews. Some shops cheat customers. If you know anyone with a Nissan, ask them who their mechanic is. Some mechanic shops actually plant positive reviews in the online review sites. In any case, you need to get a second opinion before proceeding, even if it'll cost you to get that opinion. It could save you thousands in the longer term.
I've been told that Nissans generally only last about 10 years. I'm told they're so much cheaper than other makes, that it's cost-effective to just buy a new one every 10 years. How old is yours? It might be nearing (or beyond) the end of its lifetime. Always research, research, research before buying a used car. Check Consumer Reports Magazine, they have a car issue once/year. Your local library will have back issues. Check online car sites, like Kelly Blue Book, and read all the customer comments. You can't go car-buying blind (I speak from experience), or you'll run into just exactly this problem.
The small dealership I bought my first car from, which broke down on a road trip 3 days after I bought it, gave me full credit on another car, and paid for 1/2 the cost of a rental car to get me back home. I later discovered the make/model I bought ALWAYS blows out the transmission at 10 years of age. The dealership had made a bad buy. See if your used car dealership will compensate you in some way. Take the evaluation document from the Nissan dealership and show it to them. It's worth a try.
I hope you find someone who can fix your car without so much expense. Good luck. Better luck next car-buying time.
Last edited by Ruth4Truth; 08-05-2012 at 02:14 PM..
It is typical for used cars to come with at least a 30-day warranty, unless of course, the car is sold "as-is". If it was sold "as-is", you really shouldn't be too surprised at anything that crops up.
That being said, I strongly suspect that a competent independent mechanic would find far less wrong with the vehicle than the Nissan dealership did, and an indy mechanic would charge significantly less for each item that he did find to be in need of repairs. Ask friends, neighbors, relatives, and co-workers for recommended independent mechanics in your area.
Your Murano is not an exotic piece of machinery that only the dealership can repair. Any competent mechanic can work on your vehicle.
And--for future reference when buying a used car--make sure that you take it to a mechanic of your choosing prior to purchase, for a thorough inspection. If you had done this, you would have found out about potential repair issues before buying the vehicle. And, if a car dealer won't allow a pre-purchase inspection, that tells you right away that you shouldn't buy the vehicle.
I've bought plenty of used cars over the years, and I've never heard of a warranty. OP, did you take the car to a mechanic before purchase, to get it checked out? Take it to a mechanic who specializes in Nissans (not a Nissan dealership), and see what the independent mechanic says. Research online Nissan mechanics in your area, and read the online reviews. Some shops cheat customers. If you know anyone with a Nissan, ask them who their mechanic is. Some mechanic shops actually plant positive reviews in the online review sites. In any case, you need to get a second opinion before proceeding, even if it'll cost you to get that opinion. It could save you thousands in the longer term.
I've been told that Nissans generally only last about 10 years. I'm told they're so much cheaper than other makes, that it's cost-effective to just buy a new one every 10 years. How old is yours? It might be nearing (or beyond) the end of its lifetime. Always research, research, research before buying a used car. Check Consumer Reports Magazine, they have a car issue once/year. Your local library will have back issues. Check online car sites, like Kelly Blue Book, and read all the customer comments.
I hope you find someone who can fix your car without so much expense. Good luck. Better luck next car-buying time.
It's a 2005 murano. I did all that research prior to purchasing n did not see any red flags from online reviews pertaining to this particular model
It is typical for used cars to come with at least a 30-day warranty, unless of course, the car is sold "as-is". If it was sold "as-is", you really shouldn't be too surprised at anything that crops up.
That being said, I strongly suspect that a competent independent mechanic would find far less wrong with the vehicle than the Nissan dealership did, and an indy mechanic would charge significantly less for each item that he did find to be in need of repairs. Ask friends, neighbors, relatives, and co-workers for recommended independent mechanics in your area.
Your Murano is not an exotic piece of machinery that only the dealership can repair. Any competent mechanic can work on your vehicle.
And--for future reference when buying a used car--make sure that you take it to a mechanic of your choosing prior to purchase, for a thorough inspection. If you had done this, you would have found out about potential repair issues before buying the vehicle. And, if a car dealer won't allow a pre-purchase inspection, that tells you right away that you shouldn't buy the vehicle.
Mine did not come with a warranty it was sold as is.... Yes it sis my fault for not having it thouroughly checked prior to purchasing it. This will be a lesson for me I guess and now I have to find a way to fix it. I was told the best thing to do would be to get the parts online and ring a good mechanic that will put them in. The weird thing is I researched the parts online and they all cost about a few hundred dollars so I don't know why Nissan wants $5k for it.
Mine did not come with a warranty it was sold as is.... Yes it sis my fault for not having it thouroughly checked prior to purchasing it. This will be a lesson for me I guess and now I have to find a way to fix it. I was told the best thing to do would be to get the parts online and ring a good mechanic that will put them in. The weird thing is I researched the parts online and they all cost about a few hundred dollars so I don't know why Nissan wants $5k for it.
If you buy parts online, many mechanics will not warranty their work because they cannot verify the source of the product. Well, at least that is what they will tell you. In reality, they will be annoyed because they cannot take a mark-up on the price of the parts, and that is part of their pricing structure. In fact, many indy mechanics will refuse to install parts that you carry in yourself.
However, if you do as I suggested in my previous post, I can just about guarantee that an indy mechanic will find FAR less wrong with the car, thus drastically reducing the list of needed repairs. And then, since the overhead at an indy mechanic's shop is drastically lower than that of a dealership, the labor as well as the parts will cost FAR less than the price quote from the dealership.
Since you apparently have little experience with cars and car repairs, I want to emphasize that you need to go to an independent mechanic. If you make the mistake of going to Midas, Meineke, Monro, Sears, Pep Boys, AAMCO, or any other chain, you will likely be right back in the same astronomical price category as you would be at the dealership.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if that $4900 price quote from the Nissan dealer can be whittled down to something in the neighborhood of--at most--$2k at a good indy mechanic's shop.
Start with control arms, that's a potential safety issue. I'd also take it in for a second opinion at an independent mechanic. Some of those prices sound a bit high, but I'm not sure how hard Murano's are to work with. You should be able to get a pair of control arms for ~$200 and it's typically a 2-3 hour job. $800 for 2-3 hours of labor sounds like a lot. The transfer case sounds about right. It's almost all labor, so an independent mechanic who charges a bit less per hour would be a lot cheaper. If it's a slow leak, you can go for awhile... but if you burn up the transfer case by running it dry it's going to cost probably another $1500+. It's a throw away part, if there's any damage to it they just replace it. You'll have to deal with it one way or another eventually, so unless you're just going to drive the car until it falls apart the sooner the better.
I've been told that Nissans generally only last about 10 years. I'm told they're so much cheaper than other makes, that it's cost-effective to just buy a new one every 10 years.
No. I still see 20 year old Maximas on the road. Nissan is a very good brand, slightly behind Honda and Toyota.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
