VDC OFF + SLIP + Emergency light

[chow]

Blah..

After reading about Altima reliability issues and deciding not to rant about how many problems I've had with my car because it may be my fault that the car is so f***'ed.

So my newwest problem...

I start my car and instantly (it used to take a while to set in) my VDC off light and SLIP goes on. Then after maybe 5 seconds, the emergency break light goes off. Now, I brought my car into the dealership and 1) they wanted to charge me 99$ an hour, + 36$ to remove my wheels and from there who knows what they'd have charged me. They hsaid they were guna charge me cuz my car is lowered, IE warranty is gone.

So, I denied. I asked them what they thought was wrong and they responded that it may be the master cylinder or breakpads. I do think it may be the break pad as I have tracked my car ONCE (I've heard you should replace em after each track session). Soo.. What do you guys think??

BTW my breaks dont squeal or anything, and even tho my VDC is "off" (Cuz the light is on) It still is mechanically on, as in, when I floor it my tires dont rip off the cement lke they would normally with it off. So, although the light says my VDC is off and that im slipping, they are both on. I dont know how to explain the emergency light, as the control panel has nothing to say about it.

[beeristasty]

Try topping off your brake fluid. I have had to do this 2 or 3 times since I have owned my sedan b/c of those lights - my brakes have yet to squeal b/c of the pads being worn and thus needing replacement... I think the fluid reservoir may be too small for these cars.

If this doesn't work, I'd take it in or DIY.

[mcheddadi]

lolI had that when my flywheel got unbalanced. but my ar went in limp mode too and it was undrivable. they didn't car if the car got lowered. they don't care if its modified or not . they just fix and then nissan pays the bill as long as its covered. why mess with clients when you can make a buck and hve satisfied customers lol

[QR25DE]

Well it's not hard to jack it up, take the wheels off and inspect everything. Warranty is not void if it's lowered. They have to prove the lowering voided the warranty and I can tel you that lowering the car will not void the warranty of the brakes lol.

1. Take it in and get the Nissan Maintenance done to your car. They adjust the brakes, fluids, lubricate everything etc. I take mine in every 30,000 kms for them to do that. It's really cheap, like 80 bucks or something. After coming out of there the brakes are firm, my fluids are filled and checked and the car drives like new again. This may be enough to resolve your issue AND if they find anything wrong they will tell you during the process.

2. Put the stock springs back on and bring it in and say hey, my car isn't lowered, fix my s***. But in reality the lowering shouldn't have an effect on this whole situation. My car has been lowered pretty much since I bought it and the dealership hasn't said a word. They always ask me what mods I'm doing next and never complain about the warranty. The manager is excited to see the turbo stuff done as I am. If something else broke that wasn't related to any of my mods it would be covered no issues at all.

[chow]

a few problems with the suggestions other then to check the fluids..

1) my dealership wants 35$ to plug the wheels off to check things, then the "top off" fluid package is probably 100$ +, so after all is done wit hthat I'm looking at like 150-200$.

2) I do not want to take off the wheels myself because its f***ing cold here in Canada at this time of the year..

3) I'm broke... and just got a towing ticket of 200$.

FML.

[CoupeVQ35CVT]

That sounds like a F'ing rip off to me man. No dealership charges you $35 to remove and check for something like that... never mind $99 an hour for something that is most obviously warranty related... don't they have some law in your country that prevents them from denying you warranty coverage JUST because you have aftermarket parts. They have to PROVE your mods damaged the car in order to deny the warranty.. Grr. a$$h@*es...

[bembol]

That's complete BS, which dealership did you take it to?

I had this VDC & Slip light and took it to Airport and they told me it was just the Brake Fluid, they topped it up and said, "have a nice day."

My Coupe is also lowered and never came up, I'm not sure what all these charges are?!?!

[LinkNuc]

Same here, topped off my brake fluid and it never came back.

[RicerX]

Yeah I'll add to the brake fluid argument. I think there was a batch of ACs that didn't get the correct amount after reading this post and seeing the replies. I bought mine new, and when I got home with it from the dealer I went to (about 1.5hrs away from my house) the VDC and SLIP lights came on, sometimes along with the BRAKE light. I took it to the local dealer and asked them about it - they topped off the brake fluid and sent me on my way. 24,000 miles later and I've never had the problem reoccur.

[chow]

You guys are my hero!

I just topped off my brake fluid and everything went back to normal.. cept for the TPMS (I have winters on).

Thanks alot!

Saved me 35$ and a bunch of other s*** they would have tacked on.. I bet they knew it was the brake fluid all along.. wow.. what a rip.

[LinkNuc]

This should be a sticky, also happens to Z's and G's, that's where I got the brake fluid idea

[JLAUDIO85]

Oh yea this started happening to me too. I know it is break fluid but i went to the dealership anyways but they were telling me they need to inspect my break pads and lines. telling me that light might be because I need to change my pads but i know my break pads r fine so I just walked away.

yorkdale and sherway garden dealership =

[downedzephyr]

don't they have some law in your country that prevents them from denying you warranty coverage JUST because you have aftermarket parts. They have to PROVE your mods damaged the car in order to deny the warranty.. Grr. a$$h@*es...

For the US it's the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act of 1975. The dealership cannot deny you warranty coverage unless they can directly prove that the aftermarket part was the source of the problem. Lowering the car should have no effect on your breaks, so present this information to the dealership. You can actually file legal action (though it is a PITA) against the dealership if they still refuse coverage because your car is lowered.

Put the stock springs back on and bring it in and say hey, my car isn't lowered, fix my s***.

That would work, but changing the springs is a PITA too

[deepak528]

I had a similiar problem with my 2010 Altima. I drove from New York to Canada. Once I got to Canada, the VDC and SLIP lights would turn on within a few minutes of starting the car. Sometimes the Brake light would also come on but eventually go away. If I turned off the car and turned it back on all lights would go away. The problem didn't go away once I returned to US after a few days.

After reading this post, I went to a local Walmart and got a bottle of Dot 3 Brake Fluid for $2.50. I topped off the brake fluid till the "Max" level. I drove several times today and the lights have not come on.

Thank all for this tip.

[QR25DE]

I had a similiar problem with my 2010 Altima. I drove from New York to Canada. Once I got to Canada, the VDC and SLIP lights would turn on within a few minutes of starting the car. Sometimes the Brake light would also come on but eventually go away. If I turned off the car and turned it back on all lights would go away. The problem didn't go away once I returned to US after a few days.

After reading this post, I went to a local Walmart and got a bottle of Dot 3 Brake Fluid for $2.50. I topped off the brake fluid till the "Max" level. I drove several times today and the lights have not come on.

Thank all for this tip.

Yeah, when you drive into Canada, there is a magnetic effect. It drains the brake fluid a little. This is common.

[Jonnyess09]

Amazingly, I had this exact same issue this a.m. for the first time.

I was a little concerned, but after I got my Starbux and started back up, the lights were no longer lit. The owners manual mentions the brake fluid resevoir before taking into Nissan. I will check the DOT3 tomorrow...

[BamaCoupe]

I had a similiar problem with my 2010 Altima. I drove from New York to Canada. Once I got to Canada, the VDC and SLIP lights would turn on within a few minutes of starting the car. Sometimes the Brake light would also come on but eventually go away. If I turned off the car and turned it back on all lights would go away. The problem didn't go away once I returned to US after a few days.

After reading this post, I went to a local Walmart and got a bottle of Dot 3 Brake Fluid for $2.50. I topped off the brake fluid till the "Max" level. I drove several times today and the lights have not come on.

Thank all for this tip.

Yeah, when you drive into Canada, there is a magnetic effect. It drains the brake fluid a little. This is common.

The "Canadian Magnetic Affect" is so strong that it affects my cars about every six months all the way down here in Alabama! About every six months which is about 3,000 miles for me (that's converts to 4,828 km for our Canadian friends) my brake light comes on and so I'll top off the brake fluid and all is good.

[QR25DE]

rofl hahaha