08 navara stx - no service history- Warranty???

Looking at an 08 diesel auto navara with 50k on the clock.
Its in reasonable condition but has no documented service history.

The current owner said he didn't want to pay the premium price charged by dealers so didn't get the services done. Instead had a maintenance guy at work do oil changes etc for him, I don't know how often.

Car is through a mate of a mate, he is aware the service history will effect the sale price.

I understand there is a major service due at 40k

I hear there are extended warranty options available but from experience I am wary of these.

I spoke to a guy at nissan briefly about it, but didn't get a clear answer, I will try again.

My main concerns are :
The remaining warranty is likely void.
Have these vehicles had many warranty claims.
Are the services up to 40k just a money spinner for nissan.

What do you reckon????

I would take it to a mechanic or have a RACV or NRMA mechanical check done on the car to make sure it is ok.Contact Nissan and give them the rego number of the car and tell them there is no service history with the car and is the warranty void.The other thing you can do is if he has the log books or service books take them to a mechanic you know and get them to stamp the book for its services as you dont have to take it to a dealer for serviceing to keep the warranty and tell Nissan nothing.

Thanks Scotty,

I dont think he has the service books because they were not in the glove box when I test drove it. I saw on the nissan site you can get new ones though, so your idea may work

He says he has had the oil changed a few times since new. At first I thought there was no way to check this then it occured to me that the oil filter should now be different to the original factory fitted one. Unless exactly the same type of filter was used.

Is there any way to check if the filter fitted to the vehicle now is the same one it left the factory with??

YD25's will have the alloy filter housing and a cartridge inside it.

Can he show you reciepts of the filters and oil ?

Dave.

Sounds a bit sus to me. I can understand the owner wanting to save $$ etc etc but when you combine the no service history with no manual or service book it's too much of a coincidence. Ask him what happened to it and get the vehicle once overed by the RAC.

If you are going to speak to Nissan be very careful what you say. The bastards log everything against rego's and VIN numbers and if you say there's no service history and they say too bad no warranty and then 6 months down the track you show up to a shop with a service book all stamped they'll know.

If i were you i would get the vehicle checked by the RAC and then get a new service manual from a dealer and have it stamped by various mechanic friends.

A 2008 Navara TD with 50K on the clock should be OK. Let us know how you get on.

Oh, welcome to the forum. Lots of help around here if you need it.

Welcome to the forum!

The 08 auto didn't have too many issues anyway, and if it's got 50K on the clock already you'd expect that most of its manufacturing defects would have presented themselves already.

The 40K service is a "change nearly every fluid and filter" service. That's why it's so bloody expensive. They do charge a premium for their bits, they are in the money making game and through veiled threats of no warranty, they keep people on a leash in their service departments.

I wouldn't sweat too much. Nissan would probably deny the warranty on the auto box oil because they specify "ONLY Nissan ATF Fluid" to be used and unless they got that stamped by a Nissan dealer, it's dead easy for them to avoid warranty there. However, the 08 auto box seems fairly solid, so you probably don't need to worry.

Personally I'd give the car a once-over for rust, give it a good drive (don't flog it) and check for oil/fluid leaks, consider that the suspension is probably going to need to be replaced anyway and then take the discount they offer based on the lack of recorded service history.

If it's had "a few" oil changes, at 50K of life the thing should have had 5 of them according to Nissan - so it's probably all good. The ATF should really still be ok and might even be original, depends on the load the thing's had.

Big question is, are YOU happy with it? It should drive smooth and comfy but the tail should jolt a bit over bumps in the road unless the tub's got some weight in it. How do YOU feel sitting in the driver's seat?

How does the oil look?

If it were me, I'd just walk away from that one... not worth the risk

Old.Tony said:

Nissan would probably deny the warranty on the auto box oil because they specify "ONLY Nissan ATF Fluid" to be used and unless they got that stamped by a Nissan dealer, it's dead easy for them to avoid warranty there.

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dealerships have been know to use normal atf, as i found out the hard way,and have the invoice to prove it. there are a few oil companys with j fluid now and a lot better price than nissan

Warranty isnt automatically void just because they didnt do the servicing.As part of the terms of warranty though it does state the vehicle must be serviced by a registered mechanic or business.
Others may know more but that is my understanding of the way it is .

Aussie Frontier said:

Warranty isnt automatically void just because they didnt do the servicing.As part of the terms of warranty though it does state the vehicle must be serviced by a registered mechanic or business.
Others may know more but that is my understanding of the way it is .

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That's pretty much the way it is however it also extends to owners even if the owner isn't a registered mechanic. As long as the service book is followed (and let's face it do we even know Nissan follow it that closely) any owner or mechanic is allowed to service the vehicle. Therefore simply not having the service history will not void the warranty, might give Nissan something to make a fuss over if there is a claim but it wont mean it's void.

As far as checking the filters, I have found that Nissan ones are branded with a date marker and they are black. I know there are a few different coloured filters out there now but all the genuine ones I have had for the STX are black and have plenty of chinese writing on them, might not be much help but if you can get it off or atleast get close to it you might be able to confirm if it's close to new.

Kool thanks for that Krafty
I wasnt aware the owners were included. I have been megga lazy and just been going to the garage up the road . They just give that little extra like a loaner while the truck is in and they even clean my air filter ( K&N jobby) and never charge me for that.
As to the service book yeah mine was screwed from New and Nissan doesnt care.The boneheads at the stealership put in the wrong chassis number so in real terms that means I own a white 4x4 navara not a black 4x2 Navara lol.
I asked them to fix it up but they neer did. I will ask another stealership about it

I know the feeling, Nissan have actually got the wrong rego for my ute, the twice it's been in for Nissan work it's been brought to their attention and twice they've said they will fix it yet I notice on the last letter I received it's still wrong. If only they made the same mistakes on their bloody mailing lists so I didn't keep getting their advertising crap.

Engine numbers wrong too but they have the Rego right and yet I bought it unregistered from Nissan in NSW and did the rego myself

Thanks for the information everyone.

I went to a nissan dealer today to enquire but they were all closed up for the public holiday.

Thanks for the tip about the black filter. I have also heard elsewhere that the original filter would most likely be black. So i will check this out when I can get the car again (current owner is away). Not really a precise method but at least i will know if any servicing has been done.

So to sum up, if i was to get a new manual issued, and complete it myself the warranty could be salvaged?? Although i would expect a decent dispute with them if the engine explodes. The main point is there could still be a warranty??

I just had a thought, is there any point completing a "dummy" manual? As it will probably be on record that a new manual was issued for that vehicle, after the dates of the supposed service dates.

Surely manuals/services records get lost all the time? This in itself should not void a warranty. For example, i dont have one for my falcon ute, simply because it was broken into and all the contents were thrown around the street and i couldn't find it.

Obviously the easy answer is to forget it and look at other vehicles but its at a price I can afford, and I want it NOW!

At the end of the day if there is something that is bugging you about the truck then you will really never be that happy with it. You will be forever wondering if something's wrong . If you get something from a "reputable" dealer or someone you know and trust then you will possibly feel happier.
Its always going to be a gamble anyway . Even brand new vehicles can be lemons .
You have to cover off as much as you can to make sure you dont get stung.
No matter what the vehicle it pays to get it checked out by a professional to lessen the odds of it being a dud

Manuals and service history don't just get lost they get found too. I know of a Toyota that did 140K and only got the 1000K tighten done to it, when it reappeared in the yard after the trade in mysteriously the service history was dated and stamped for every scheduled service.

As Aussie says, get it checked and lessen the chances but at the end of the day if you're not entirely happy it may be worth reconsidering.

Went to a local dealer today,
Got the expected "oohhhh no service history.... sounds bad....."

But after a chat the guy was fairly helpful. I didnt tell him it was serviced by the owner as he is most likely the dealer I will go to if theres a warranty claim.
New service book is $50 He then said I need to take it to the mechanics that did the work and get them to stamp it. I'm not sure what records they accept if the work is done by the owner, receipts for fluids and filters maybe?

I spoke to my mechanic who is happy to look at the vehicle next week and see what he thinks of it. Overall I am happy with the vehicles condition. If my mechanic reckons its never been serviced then obviously"No deal".

They can't knock it back just cause work was done by the owner or another mechanic and in general the service books being filled out or not filled out is only going to come into play when your buying or selling. If a mechanic says the car is in good nick then that's more to go by than a service history anyway. Get is checked out and make a decision based on the mechanic knowledge not whether the book has ink in it.

KraftyPg said:

They can't knock it back just cause work was done by the owner

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yeah they can. Your warranty is conditional on getting the services done as specified, at someone AUTHORISED to do them. That's not the owner (well unless you are a Nissan mechanic of course!) I get all my services done a local diesel mechanic - he is cheaper, gives better service in shorter time than my Nissan dealer. And, when the dealer is sending out engine rebuilds, they send people to him. That Mechanic is a certified Nissan Mechanic, so no issues honouring warranty as done by him.

Oh, and for oil and filter changes only (5k services), you an do those yourself - they are NOT mandatory.