Weird noise -- dealer blowing smoke (I think)

[flawscow]

Hi All,

My first post here, so please go easy on me if I don't give enough info. I have a strange noise coming from the front of the vehicle, I believe from the passanger side. It's almost like a muffled creaking. It only occurs when the car gets into bumps (small or large) while I am pressing down on the gas pedal. If I am not pressing down on the pedal, and roll over the bumps, there is no noise.

I took the car to two dealerships, one in PA, one in NYC. The one in PA couldn't find the problem, the one in NYC said something about my front axle needing lubrication, and wanted to charge me $280. I don't really believe them though, since if the axle indeed needed lubrication, the noise would happen all the time, regardless of whether I am pushing down on the gas pedal or not.

I read about the engine mount issues here, and when I went into the dealership, I asked them to check it. I don't know that they did though, they just came back with the axle lube price tag.

The second thing is, they said my battery needs changing. Now I have an 08 2.0 Sentra with 16,000 miles on it, how on earth do I need a battery that early?!? If I do, shouldn't it be covered by the warranty? They wanted to charge $60 for the battery.

Do I need to find me another dealership? What's going on?
Modified by flawscow at 10:48 AM 3/5/2010

[Faja]

If you car is older than 1 year, then I think they pro-rate the cost of the battery - not sure what the exact formula is. Assuming you haven't done anything to the car not sure either why you need a new battery??

As for the noise, it could be one of 20 things - most of which should still be covered under warranty but it's hard to say until the problem is definitively pinpointed. The NYC dealer sounds like a crook to me also .

Maybe wait a little and see if you get some more feedback from the noises or if it worsens so you can narrow it down and then take it back to the dealer.

[flawscow]

Thanks Faja for your reply. I have done nothing aftermarket to my car, but I only drive it over the weekends, and sometimes I don't drive it for 2-3 weeks. I think that may be the reason why the battery drained prematurely. Nevertheless, I wouldn't think it would drain in less than 2 years. I guess I'll have to bite the bullet with that one. Do you recommend Nissan battery or something from Pep Boys?

As far as the noise, I've had it for almost as long as I've had the car. It doesn't get worse or anything, it's just there.

[Faja]

I would just take the battery to a shop and get them to recharge it and see if that helps. Maybe ask if they recommend a new one and if they say yes, get one off the shelf that is compatible to your car.

Was this the first time you took the car to the dealer for the noise? Did you buy the car new or used?

[flawscow]

Interesting, I didn't know the repair shops could just recharge the battery. I'll check it out with my neighborhood repair guy..

The last time I took the car in, it was in PA, so yes it was the first time I took the car in for the noise as far as the NYC dealership is concerned. I bought the car brand new, so I can't really blame it on someone else The noise did appear while I was living in suburban PA too, so I can't blame it on the city potholes either...

The good thing is, I have two more dealerships within 10 miles of me, so I could take it to them, but I wanted to get an idea of what it could be before I went in. If you don't know, they are quick to "teach" around here.

[djtorello]

Find an AutoZone. They can test and recharge your battery for free.