NHTSA Complaint #10285642 — 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA

'04 MAXIMA, MAINTAINED REGULARLY, ORIGINAL OWNER, PURCHASED IN SUMMER OF '03(FIRST BATCH OF ASSY. LINE); NOISE COMING FROM RIGHT SIDE OF ENGINE. NOISE WAS LOUD WHEN ENGINE WAS COLD AND WOULD GO AWAY AFTER ENGINE HAD WARMED UP. EVENTUALLY STARTED TO STILL HEAR THE NOISE (NOT AS LOUD) AFTER ENGINE WAS WARM. LOCAL REPAIR SHOP SAID THE NOISE WAS COMING FROM THE TIMING CHAIN AND MOST LIKELY THE GUIDE HAD BROKEN AND WAS RUBBING THE CHAIN AND STATED BOTH WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THIS SHOP HAD NEVER DONE ONE OF THESE REPAIRS ON A NISSAN BECAUSE "THIS NEVER HAPPENS TO A NISSAN MOTOR". YET THEY FOUND MANY TSBS AND INTERNET SEARCH RESULTS ABOUT MY PARTICULAR MODEL CAR HAVING THIS SAME ISSUE. THEY SUGGESTED I HAVE THE DEALERSHIP TAKE A LOOK. I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE CENTER AND WITHOUT TELLING THEM WHAT THE LOCAL REPAIR SHOP SAID, ONLY SUMMARIZING THE EXPLANATION OF THE NOISE WHEN ENGINE WAS COLD AND THEN GOES AWAY AFTER WARM UP, THE SERVICE ADVISOR INTERRUPTED ME AND SAID, "IT'S THE TIMING CHAIN GUIDE". HE BARELY LET ME FINISH THE STORY BEFORE HE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT IT WAS. HE SAID THAT WAS BECAUSE HE (HIS SERVICE CENTER) HAS DONE THIS REPAIR ON 04 MAXIMA'S SO MANY TIMES IT'S RIDICULOUS. HE ALSO STATED THAT IT HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED BY NISSAN AS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 04 MODEL ENGINES BUT YET WILL NOT COVER THE REPAIRS. NISSAN BOASTS THAT THE TIMING CHAINS IN THESE ENGINES ARE MAINTENANCE FREE OR AT LEAST WORTH 300K+ MILES (SINCE BY THAT TIME MOST OWNERS WOULD HAVE GOT 15 YEARS+ OUT OF THE CAR), BUT YET THE PARTS TO HOLD THE CHAIN ON BREAK DOWN WAY BEFORE THAT. THE LABOR TO REPAIR THE SURROUNDING PARTS IS THE SAME TO REPLACE THE CHAIN SINCE THE TECH HAS TO REACH TO THE SAME SPOT OF THE ENGINE FOR REPAIRS. I WAS ORIGINALLY QUOTED $1500.+ FOR THE REPAIRS BUT WAS ABLE TO STRIKE A SMALL DISCOUNT AND PAID $1133.55 FOR "2 TENSIONER CHAINS", "CHAIN GUIDE", "TENSIONER ASSEMBLY", AND SOME OTHER SEALS & GASKETS. LABOR ALONE WAS $787.50. WHICH WAS DISCOUNTED FROM $1100.+. OUTRAGEOUS. *TR