1. If the CVT was OK, KBB trade-in value would be $4.1K and private party would be $6.1K. Dealer offered $1K trade-in in its current state, but let's forget that for now.
Here is my dilemma.
1. I had an initial conversation with the service manager, and he said he cannot do anything about it because the car is out of warranty (5 year/60K). I understand that. However, 2013 Nissan Sentra CVT is known to suffer from early failure and some litigation has occurred (http://www.sentraversacvtsettlement.com/) and a settlement is pending. Nissan had extended the warranty another 3 years or 24K. Unfortunately, I'm past the date (I purchased the car in 2013), but with respect to miles, it is significantly less than 84K (60K + 24K). He told me to talk with Nissan Consumer Affairs to see if they can either authorize a full replacement or do a cost sharing and he will support me as I have been a loyal customer for 13 years purchasing all my vehicles there and getting them serviced regularly. He did acknowledge that the 2013 Sentra are known to suffer from CVT transmission failure at fairly low mileage.
2. I also asked him why this debris was not observed in Dec 2021 when the CVT fluid exchange was done. He mentioned that they don't open the CVT pan and inspect when doing a fluid exchange (they use some pipes to exchange the liquid). Since I am not a mechanic, I can't attest to the accuracy of this. From the YouTube videos that I've seen on fluid changes, mos of them seem to be cleaning the magnets in the CVT pan. But given my past history with the dealer, they have never tried to upsell, and I find them to be honest. So I will take their word for it.
3. I called Nissan Consumer Affairs to file a complaint. Some lady sitting in a call center on the other side of the world gave me standard lines about how it is out of warranty, yada yada yada as an excuse to not provide any assistance. She asked me to talk to the dealer and resolve it. I kept insisting that in terms of mileage the car is way less than 84K but she was just reading from a manuscript. After getting fed up, I requested that it be escalated to her supervisor. So I'm expecting a call with the supervisor tomorrow to see how they can help. I will continue to apply pressure. I think 60K is way too early a transmission failure and given that a potential legal settlement is in place that shows that this is not an isolated problem in 2013 Sentras, I feel Nissan/dealer should help me come up with a potential resolution. Let's see where these goes.
4. If I can't find a good resolution, I am not sure if sinking 7.3K in repair is a good idea. Looking at the settlement website, I see this:
Obviously the date is way past, but then in FAQ #7, I see this:WARRANTY EXTENSION
The Settlement provides an extension of the Nissan New Vehicle Limited Warranty on your Class Vehicle’s transmission from 60 months / 60,000 miles to 84 months / 84,000 miles (whichever occurs first) (the “Warranty Extension”).
REIMBURSEMENT PAYMENTS
NNA will reimburse Class Members 100% of the amount they actually paid for parts and labor to an authorized Nissan dealer (or up to $4,750 paid to a non-NNA repair facility) for:
Qualifying transmission repairs made to their Class Vehicle, if the work was done within the time and mileage limits of the Warranty Extension.
Qualifying transmission repairs made prior to their Class Vehicle’s odometer exceeding 90,000 or January 30, 2020, whichever occurs first, if they submit appropriate documentation establishing that a Nissan dealer diagnosed and recommended a qualifying transmission repair within the time and mileage limits of the Warranty Extension.
To receive a reimbursement payment, you must complete and submit a claim form on or before January 30, 2020, along with appropriate documentation of the repairs for which you are seeking reimbursement.
Note the 'OR' condition. I'm a bit confused, if I would be eligible or not.What if my car is more than 84 months old or has more than 84,000 miles on it?
If you paid out of pocket for parts and labor for replacement of or repair to the transmission assembly or ATCU by a Nissan dealer or other non-Nissan automotive repair facility prior to your vehicle being in service for eighty-four (84) months or eighty-four thousand (84,000) miles, you may submit a claim for reimbursement. See FAQ 11 for information on how to submit a claim.
I have the following questions:
1. For any car mechanics on this forum, what would be the typical cost to replace a CVT transmission on a 2013 Nissan Sentra in Northern California region? How can I be sure that the transmission they put it would not have the same problem (i.e, factor reconditioned or brand new w/ fix)?
2. Any suggestions on strategies to push Nissan USA to come to an equitable resolution?
3. I also intend to ask the service manager if he can lower the replacement cost significantly (i.e., no markup/profit) given my 13 years of relationship with them.
4. If I can't get this resolved, I will buy a non CVT transmission and some other brand (and write to the BBB and send a letter to the local newspaper/tv station describing my story just in case they want to follow up and give some negative publicity to the dealer/Nissan USA)
Thanks for any additional ideas.
