Nissan Refuses To Replace "Abused" GT-R Transmission

R35_GT-R
Oct 14, 2008
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The word coming from one disgruntled American R35 GT-R owner is that Nissan has refused to replace a damaged GT-R transmission "due to abuse". The unhappy owner has recently relayed his dealings with an American Nissan dealership as he attempts to have his destroyed GT-R transmission covered under warranty.

Nissan however claims that the black-box computer has registered "excessive" driving with the VDC (Vehicle Dynamic Control) switched off, which must be done in order to use the Launch Control function, which voids the warranty as stated in the handbook.

Now you can be certain there's more to both sides of this argument. Of interest though is that Nissan has endowed the GT-R with a Launch Control function that seemingly voids the warranty if you choose to use it. What point is a 3.4 second 0-100km/h sprint time if the only way to achieve it is by voiding your warranty?

What's not mentioned is how many times the VDC was switched off or Launch Control was used but the repair bill is reportedly in the vicinity of USD$20,000 (which suggests a completely cactus 'box). Tuning Garages across Japan have been working with the GT-R for some time now and at this stage, to our knowledge, only MCR have come forward to say they've had gearbox issues, and that's after some very hefty track use and more power than standard.

It will be very interesting to see how this one plays out. Should the usage of an included factory option be responsible for voiding your warranty? If not, where's the line in the sand that differentiates 'expected' from 'excessive' use?

Keep an eye on the thread over at NAGTROC to keep abreast of this evolving situation.

[Source: AutoBlog]

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Comments

  • Adam [reply]
    1 year ago 0 points
    Considering how *excessively* computerised this beast is, it wouldn't surprise me at all that Nissan technicians would simply plug in their gear, tell the 'black box' that there's been "excessive" driving with VDC off and therefore Nissan plants the seed of so called "Proof" in order to avoid a legit warranty claim. Plus for such a pricey ride, you'd expect a gearbox that can take a good beating! All sounds a bit dodge to me..
  • jeffske [reply]
    1 year ago 0 points
    so they give a car a feature and when it damages a component of the car they say the warranty is void?

    does that sound stupid to anyone else
  • Fezzle [reply]
    1 year ago 0 points
    What a load of crap.

    Whether it's written in the handbook or not means bugger all. Don't fit a car with a feature if using that feature means warranty is voided. At the very least put a massive sticker on the shifter that must be removed by the owner that outlines this or something.

    Having said that, what's the bet this guy has been flogging the guts out of the car from day one. I'm personally with Steane on this one, use it once or twice and leave it at that. Surely anyone with half a brain would know the stress these types of launches would put on the car.

    Nissan should remove the launch control feature if the car won't handle it. Nissan should also provide clear guidelines into what constitutes excessive abuse and make sure owners are informed of where the line is.

    The guy complaining should push as hard as he can if this is a genuine warranty claim or shut up and suck it up if it's his fault.
    • Charlie [reply]
      1 year ago 0 points
      BMW made it quite clear with the SMG gearbox that launch control was meant to be an "icing on the cake" feature. The smarts didn't let you do them back to back repeatedly, and required that the driveline be "cooled down" for a certain length of time.

      Nissan should have done the same. Its not like they didn't hobble the engine using electronics.
  • Jes [reply]
    1 year ago 0 points
    What a load of crock from Nissan. If the car is stock standard it should be covered by warranty otherwise why have a warranty? This car is been flogged as a supercar, so they should expect their buyers to drive it like one. Poor form Nissan. It might be as quick as a Porsche for one lap but at least we now know why it's so much cheaper than one. Supercar speed with paper thin reliability. I know we won't be seeing the GT-R winning the GT3 category in LeMans anytime soon.
  • STIFTW [reply]
    1 year ago 0 points
    Why have automatics in supercars anyway. i dont care how quick they shift or how many clutches they have a manual will always handle abuse better. and porsche > nissan everytime
  • Andy [reply]
    1 year ago 0 points
    Only quarter Mile run for the whole day between these two would settle the score..
    Porsche Vs. Nissan

    hmm at least Nissan knows how to design different shells from time to time. Porsche and their current shape, little tweaks here and there... it doesn't look that great. No wonder their so good at what they do. If Nissan kept the same shell for a decade or so and just improve on the engine....but they didn't and they caught up regardless

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