Radiator fins bent and fan clutch now wobbly after service - what do u think?

[platypus]

So I had a local BG equipped service center do a coolant ($100) and transmission ($200) flush yesterday on my 1998 Q45 Y33 - outrageous price but, simple enough right?

Go to pick it up and look under the hood to check it and there is NO COOLANT in the either the overflow bottle or in the thermo housing - NONE!

After 20 minutes the service center fills it up and says "Oh, the technician forgot - you're all set now, bye." Had my wife picked it up as I almost did she may well have cooked the engine by the time it got home.

So this moring I go to put the plastic splash plate back on underneath (I don't trust them to take it off and put it back on without using an impact wrench on the 10mm bolts and shredding them) and notice grubby finger marks all over the white plastic fan (it was definitely clean when I gave it to them because I keep my engine bay spotless). Then I notice 4 nuts holding the clutch fan onto the WP pulley all mangled and a bunch of radiator fins all bent over in front of the fan blades.

Trying to figure out how they screwed all this up doing a radiator flush, this is what I think happened. They had called me to say my belts all needed replacing and would gladly do it for $120.oo - I declined. My guess is that they had started the job thinking I would approve it and had started to take the fan off to get at the belts - clearly butchering it in the process.

The fan clutch is now loose such that there is around 1/4 inch of play left to right (Measured at the edges of the clutch, not the fan).

I figure the service center owner owes me a new radiator and fan clutch and a full refund of the $300.00 as a goodwill gesture - what do you guys think? Or should I forget it, get on with life, replace them myself and never go back there again?

[elwesso]

No coolant is apretty careless mistake. Not sure what they did, i bet all they did was drain the radiator.

I dont know why they would have been messing with the FAN.

Personally I wouldnt try and get them to refund AND give you a new radiator, either one or the other. In the end, a few bent fins isnt gonna hurt anything as long as the radiator is still OK.

[Jesda]

Wow... someone forgot to finish the job!

$120-$150 seems typical for a BG transmission service at an Infiniti dealer. $200 maybe if theyre using a synthetic ATF.

I would ask for replacement of the parts they mangled and 50% off the original bill. If they decline, get a permit from the city and stand in front of their shop with a sign. I have a lot of free time though.

[Skibane]

I would ask for replacement of the parts they mangled and 50% off the original bill. If they decline, get a permit from the city and stand in front of their shop with a sign. I have a lot of free time though.

+1.

If they refuse, there's always small claims court. Most businesses will pay up, right before the case goes to trial.

[superuber]

Wes is right, no reason to take fan off. Although mine was hard to remove. They probably messed it up on removal. I don't think rad is that big of a deal. Don't ask for your money back tell them you want money for an oe fan and clutch. Don't let them do it. Get estimate from infiniti dealer and have them pay you. Don't threaten court just keep your cool and calmly state your complaint. No reason to get loud. It's the calm cool one's that get results. Getting loud will get you kicked out and a call to the cops!Go for it, and NEVER go back!!!!!!!!

[elwesso]

Personally what I would do is bring the matter to their attention and then see what they plan to do about it. If they brush you off, then start demanding.

[bullittandy]

Wes is right, no reason to take fan off. Although mine was hard to remove. They probably messed it up on removal. I don't think rad is that big of a deal. Don't ask for your money back tell them you want money for an oe fan and clutch. Don't let them do it. Get estimate from infiniti dealer and have them pay you. Don't threaten court just keep your cool and calmly state your complaint. No reason to get loud. It's the calm cool one's that get results. Getting loud will get you kicked out and a call to the cops!Go for it, and NEVER go back!!!!!!!!

+1Sage advice, be real nice and ask them to pay for what THEY broke (OE parts). Talk like you're in the mafia, tell 'em what you need to be happy and if they refuse then just slightly imply how awful it will be if they refuse you, while smiling the whole time.

[maxnix]

I am with Superuber. Don't be afraid to report your experience to the local BG distributor.

[qship96]

Radiator bent fins can quickly be fixed by combing it with a special radiator comb.

THis is exactly why I no longer do an annual machine fluid exchange!!!!!! much easier,safer,and quicker to do the q45tech`s 2 minute drill method,repeated 6x to change out 80-85% of YOUR fluid,in your driveway- no worrys about all the monkeys destroying your Q,and the only cost is the cost of fluid {18 quarts of REDLINE D4 atf is $135.00}

Same with radiator...5 qt coolant and 6 gallons distilled water.....$ 21.00...and done better,quicker,and right

[platypus]

Thank you all for very good advice. I agree that the best way is to stay cool and give them the opportunity to do the righ thing.

In this case they did - IMHO.

Called the owner (and this is a 5 service center company that has been in business 35 years - so they have a good reputation to maintain) and explained my story. He made himself available whenever I wanted so I went straight on down this morning.

Before I got there he had investigated the situation with the service forman and the employee that worked on the car.

Turns out the employee had taken off the belts without authorization. The owner and the foreman looked at the damage done to the radiator fins, and the general mangling of the clutch fan/WP nuts. And they also acknowledged that no coolant had been added back after the flush. Clearly this employee is not going to have a great day today.

The owner offered the following resolution: change the belts, straighten out the radiator fins, and replace the clutch fan while they're at it (I pay for the clutch fan part). I thought this was a reasonable offer actually, but declined, explaining that I was not comfortable having them do the work on my beloved (ok, I didn't say "beloved"), but that I would prefer a cash settlement. The owner asked what it would take to make me happy (I was taken back by that and he seemed genuinely keen to make right).

I said a $100 refund for the coolant flushing charge would do it - he readily agreed and did so.

The clutch fan was no doubt gone already - can't in good conscience blame them for that - but they should have noticed that it needed replacing. The fins I can easily straighten with a comb so that is really cosmetic. The belts I've already ordered from Joe. So I figured a refund of the work they did was fair for both of us.

Overall a good experience with a small business that clearly has one employee that needs reprogramming.

[superuber]

Well at least you got your $100. Don't be so sure your fan clutch was bad. They could have done it prying it off the pump. Oh well, lesson learned i guess. Nice way to handle yourself!

[maxnix]

...do the q45tech`s 2 minute drill method,repeated 6x to change out 80-85%

This is merely the standard dealer drain and fill method as most dealers don't invest in the equipment necessary to mechanically exchange 95%+ of the old fluid.

Q45tech has never used a drain and refill in lieu of a mechanical fluid exchange with filter repalcement, pan drop and wipe clean, magnetic bolt and filter inspection, and repalcement iwth new gasket, new O ring and new one time use bolts.

[qship96]

Brian,are we going to go through this **** YET AGAIN?

The 2 minute drill multiple drain/refill routine WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED BY Q45TECH-use the search function that you so many times tell others to do!To try and say this method is not effective is total bull****,and q45techs latest post on the topic of filter replacement/pan drops is to do it ONCE during the lifetime of the trans for inspection purposes,AND NEVER IF YOU INSTALL A FACTORY REMAN- read,and absorb his latest thoughts on this and stop regurjatating old,outdated information that has changed based on hands on experience

[elwesso]

Very good, glad you got it settled. I think that $100 is appropriate.

Anyone who says the 2 minute drill isnt as good as a machine flush must realize that the MACHINE only provides the transmission with fresh fluid and accepts the old, no different than draining and refilling the pan 6x. Of course, you always wipe the pan clean and all that stuff.....

[xerexabante]

I drop my pan change filter and drain every 6mo. never had transmission problems. as long as you do it and more often the better. machine, well up to you. i'd rather do it more often. when you have the machine flush you tend to have less interval. 6mo. tops and do it again.

[qship96]

I drop my pan change filter and drain every 6mo. never had transmission problems. as long as you do it and more often the better. machine, well up to you. i'd rather do it more often. when you have the machine flush you tend to have less interval. 6mo. tops and do it again.

I agree on the simple 1x drain/fill every 6 months to maintain fluid perpetually if thats your chosen method as compared to multiple {6x} drain/fills every 25-30k,but the pan drop/filter replacment every 6 months is a total waste of time & money-you gain absolutly nothing by doing this procedure at these frequencies.The filter{screen} is there to block chunks of material from circulating thru transmission after a catastrophic failure only,and if ever clogged enough to warrent replacment due to restricted atf flow,the transmission is already in need of rebuild/replacment.So many people on this board dont understand the needs of a transmission and either underservice or way,way overservice the screen change interval buying no increased transmission life.......My q currently has 194000 miles with 1 screen change done at 114,000 miles{screen,pan,and magnet were all clean according to my eyes and the tech who did the service} and 25-30k full fluid replacments with Full synthetic fluid{redline d4} either using the exchange machine{earlier years} and recently using the multiple {6} 2 minute timed drain/fills as per q45techs post-the external canister filter has been changed 1x-this is THE REAL FILTER on the trans-similar to a motoroil filter that removes fine particles from the fluid ,unlike the internal chunk catching coarse screen-transmission operates as new still using my methods.

[Black stallion]

That's the regimine I used the first five years (twice a year)I had my Q (I was afraid it was sluggish due to trans problems, but couldn't confirm).

I jacked it up, drained the pan, put it neutral and turned it over a couple times (little trick that drains even more) change the filter, O ring, gasket, bolts and out it all back together.

Don't have a million miles on my Q, but an ounce of prevention has so far saved me a pound of trouble.