I'm new to this site and have searched but not found this issue discussed (I do know it is a common issue from looking at other sites). I bought a used 2003 I-35 with about 64k on it. Around 67k, I noticed a sizeable oil puddle on my garage floor after a long trip. Took to local dealer and they replaced the oil cooler gasket ($200 +/-) and everything seems to be OK. I was expecting this repair to be covered under the 70k powertrain warranty but the dealership refused to do so. Said that the part wasn't covered by the PT warranty. I've argued with the dealership and also argued my point with Infiniti Customer Service. All I can get out of them is they reviewed my file and considered "many factors" in deciding not to cover this repair under the PT warranty. They will not address my question about how they can ignore the PT warranty which states that engine gaskets are a covered component. Frankly, I think I'm getting treated like a second class citizen because I did not buy the car there new and they really don't care whether they ever see me again or not. Has anyone had this same issue and did Infiniti cover it under the PT warranty? Thanks.

Ask the dealership to show you the specific exclusion in the warranty that excludes that repair from the warranty coverage on engine gaskets. Tell the dealership that you want to talk to the regional service people and work your way up. I have never gotten anywhere with Infiniti customer service...

Heath
Modified by Q451990 at 12:42 AM 1/15/2010

The problem is the warranty is with Nissan not the dealer, who just does what Nissan says.Your obligation to start with regional Nissan people and work your way up.

Dealer will do any work they are paid to repair, whether by you or Nissan. The problem is Nissan gets a contractual discount on hours compared to customer paid hours so hopefully you can guess which they would prefer!

Customer service is not paid to give corporations money away neither are the regional employees but they do have a slush fund.

Be sure you don't start pressing near the end of month [when pile is gone] but very early in the month when the budget is refreshed.

Dennis,Please email me when you can ([email protected]). I have a question regarding T3.Thanks

I had the same problem with my 2003 I35 oil cooler, but was able to fix it in 5 minutes. The problem is not the gasket (quality rubber gasket, can't imagine it ever going bad). It's the actual oil filter stud tube (what the filter screws onto). It loosens up over time from oil filter changes.

All you have to do is remove the oil filter and tighten the the stud tube, just that simple. I'm sure this is the case for all Nissans and Infinitis that use this oil cooler/filter combo. This should save an unnecessary pricey trip to the dealer.

This sounds like the problem I am having with my 2003 I35. The housing in which the Oil Filter screws into has a small gap between it and the oil pan. I can see the oil in the gap. I have replaced the oil gasket and the oil pan screw and still the leak exists, I replaced these according to my mechanic and was probably a waste of time and money.

Now if I remove the oil filter, am I tightening the entire housing that the filter goes into? I can't find any info online about a "stud tube"

Thanks

Yes, tighten that housing which the filter screws onto. Sorry, I made up the name stud tube, maybe called oil filter housing? I also took the time to remove the coolant assembly(without removing the antifreeze line) and cleaned out some oil gunk, additional five minutes of work.

Oil leaked seemingly right at the corner of the oil pan cover, where that oil coolant (doughnut shape) housing meets, very easy for all owners to mistaken it's the oil pan gasket leaking. I lost time ordering the pan cover gasket, replacing it, and waiting 24hrs for the sealant to dry.

I'm sure most dealers know about this simple fix, but charge folks for a gasket job. Hope my post saves folks some money and time.

I work at an Infinit Dealer here in las vegas and we warranty oil cooler seals under powertrain every day. yuou minght want to check with infinitinet to see if you have a salvage title. most people who buy used cars do not know if infiniti has a salvage in thier history. in that case it would not be covered under powetrain.

FX35andI35GUY wrote:... Sorry, I made up the name stud tube...

\

Sounds like a p0rn name. "Starring, Stud Tube!"

Ok, since there was an O-ring inside I decided to get one from Infiniti, only a few bucks. When I removed the O-ring (in perfect condition) it was visibly less thick than the one I purchased from Infiniti. This was the cause of the leak, when tightening it back up you could feel the seal. I bought this car used so I don't know how the wrong O ring got in there.

Reading the other post, I wonder if my I35 is salvaged now? Not sure if I want to know. At least I am not leaking oil now.

Thanks everyone.

My p0rn movie would be "Feel the Seal" starring Stud Tube

First off I'd like to welcome the new guys here.

There are potentially several causes for this. Think about it as the point at which the most frequently serviced threaded mechanism on the car exists. There are a few things that may cause this, instead of cleaning if off and finding the source. Buy the 2 gaskets for ~$25 (worst case scenario) and fix this yourself. Use a little commonsense and you'll be fine. The gaskets may not look degraded but have been subject to thermal transitioning everytime the car has started since it was built and it may be time to replace these gaskets. The gaskets between the engine block and filter include the block to cooler and the cooler to retaining bolt gasket both of these gaskets are subjected to full oil pressure and outside elements all of the time and are without a doubt the weakest point in the lubrication circuit.

fixer wrote:I work at an Infinit Dealer here in las vegas and we warranty oil cooler seals under powertrain every day. yuou minght want to check with infinitinet to see if you have a salvage title. most people who buy used cars do not know if infiniti has a salvage in thier history. in that case it would not be covered under powetrain.

How many I35s are you still servicing that are under warranty? We only see a few that are still within warrantable range?

Can you please you spell check you make the rest of us techs look bad with your lack of proofreading. ( http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/features/ )

Titan1973 wrote:I'm new to this site and have searched but not found this issue discussed (I do know it is a common issue from looking at other sites). I bought a used 2003 I-35 with about 64k on it. Around 67k, I noticed a sizeable oil puddle on my garage floor after a long trip. Took to local dealer and they replaced the oil cooler gasket ($200 +/-) and everything seems to be OK. I was expecting this repair to be covered under the 70k powertrain warranty but the dealership refused to do so. Said that the part wasn't covered by the PT warranty. I've argued with the dealership and also argued my point with Infiniti Customer Service. All I can get out of them is they reviewed my file and considered "many factors" in deciding not to cover this repair under the PT warranty. They will not address my question about how they can ignore the PT warranty which states that engine gaskets are a covered component. Frankly, I think I'm getting treated like a second class citizen because I did not buy the car there new and they really don't care whether they ever see me again or not. Has anyone had this same issue and did Infiniti cover it under the PT warranty? Thanks.

Your warranty applicability is dependent on the "in service" date as well as applicability. There are several things that may prematurely cancel your powertrain warranty. When you were talking with the dealer rep did they mention to you why it was not covered. Was it out by time, or does the car have a warranty exclusion. If you want to email me (link in my profile) your vin number I will look up the details for you.

I usually have to replace an oil cooler seal under powertrain about once a week. you are right , not always on I30s but on Gs and Ms. They are just starting to come off of warranty. usually I30s are CP. I was just making a point that oil cooler seals are covered under powertrain.

about my typos. I know how to spell, I am a college graduate with a degree. I just dont know how to type very well. sometimes i hit two keys at the same time and by the time i check what was entered its too far away . also I'm not writing a book so I didnt know it would offend others how badly I type, sorry.

I too am not such a great speller. I strongly recommend Firefox.

There is also an add on spell checker for IE.