What is the warranty on the battery?

Non-Technical Nissan QashQai chat. Mk2, Mk3
fat controller
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Post by fat controller »

I have the dreaded 'Stop/Start System Fault' and given that it has been preceded by some odd goings on with the radio/nav and the alarm, I am inclined to think that the battery has a knackered cell. The car is literally just turning three years old this week (and its French DNA is starting to show!)

Before I shell out £150+ on a new battery, how long is the warranty on the factory fitted one?
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DaveBerlin
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Post by DaveBerlin »

Fat Controller, I would just contact your Dealer ASAP as you mentioned you are near the 3 year Guarantee period end. The Nissan Battery Guarantee is stated as being "3 Years" and I am sure they are not going to turn you down but they might try. I would suggest playing around with the "Search" Facility regarding Batteries because the FIAMM Battery is known to have caused problems. If need be I would suggest making a few copies of the relevant posts if a problem arises. Ours was replace after 2,5 years due to electronic problems with no arguments - Dave :)

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david sunderland
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Post by david sunderland »

Can you not call out RAC like most have done they can change batteries under warranty today. ?????
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Post by Hound »

I agree - get the RAC out (they are Nissan's roadside people anyway) and tell them the battery's dying before they set off - hopefully they will come prepared. They fitted a nice Bosch S5-A08 AGM battery for me without the hassle of trying to "persuade" Nissan.
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fat controller
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Post by fat controller »

Well, I phoned the dealer today to book the service, under the service plan that I have, and that will be the last time the car is at the dealership as far as I am concerned. I kinda wish I had looked back to this thread before I rang them - having said that, I wouldn't be able to call the RAC out as the car starts and drives, it is just the Stop/Start System fault flashing on the dashboard.

I asked when booking the service what the deal was with warranty, and specifically battery warranty, as the car warranty ends on Tuesday 10th - I was told that I would need to speak to the parts department for that answer, and was duly put through. Parts guy was somewhat perplexed (and I quote "wasn't she clever, you need service for that mate") who in the end stated that he would email the service manager and get him to ring me back. Four hours later, no call, so I called up again and eventually got put through to someone and explained that I had a couple of issues, and that as the warranty was getting close to the end, I wanted some clarification - adding that the car was booked in on the 19th for its service.

Straight off the bat came the line, "well, the warranty is really strict, and your warranty runs out on Tuesday so by the time we have it in on the 19th it will be out of warranty" - - errrr, yeah, but it is faulty TODAY when the car is under warranty........ "yeah, but we can't book it in any sooner than that as we are full up, so by the time we investigate........ we can always try for goodwill.... I'll add it to the job sheet and we will go from there. I also got him to add a hollow metallic knock from the rear at low speeds (which I reckon is a pad slapping in a caliper), but I am less than a happy bunny.

This car hasn't yet done 24,000 miles and has slowly revealed itself to be a box of bolts. The paint is as thin as water, electrically there are more bugs than a wet tramp (and yes, the battery may account for some of them), there are often random rattles that make me wonder if someone has snuck a baby in somewhere, the trim clips on the rear door rubbers keep popping out, the front parking sensor problem was never resolved and to be honest I gave up and switched the bloomin' things off, and once in a while I will get a deal of judder from the clutch as I pull away (yes, I know that is always going to be blamed on DMF 'characteristics', but why has it only appeared in the past months to a year, randomly?).

My original plan was to keep this car longer than I have prior cars, then trade it for a new one (Qashqai or X-Trail) from the dealership I have been servicing it at - - not happening now, that is for sure; if I had a Hyundai at this point I would still have another two years warranty to go, and if I had a Kia that would be another four - - - and their dealers actually give two hoots about how they treat customers. I am stuck with it for at least another year to break even on the finance, but first chance I get - it is gone.
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DaveBerlin
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Post by DaveBerlin »

Fat Controller, if I were you I would firstly write an email to NCS stating all your problems, then you should receive an automatic return email with a NCS Number. Normally NCS contact your Dealer regarding the problem. It is also worth calling NCS and explaining your problem, then talk to the Dealer Service Mgr. do not let them fob you off although theoretically you might have left it too late - Do not give up Dave 😉
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Post by Hound »

I also think you should let NCS know that your dealer is not prepared to log a current fault until the warranty has run out. And I think you should call the RAC to look at your battery anyway. You might have left your lights on tonight, or something, and they can check the battery's health and see if there's a faulty cell. 8-)
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fat controller
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Post by fat controller »

A good idea, thanks Dave, and I will do that tomorrow - however, there are a few questions that you might be able to answer?

Firstly, how can I have left it too late when the fault only solidly appeared yesterday evening? I have seen the odd glimpse of the Stop/Start System Fault warning in recent weeks, but is has always cleared on restart - therefore, I have reported the defect to the dealer at the earliest opportunity.

Secondly, is the fact that a defect has occurred, and been reported to a Nisssan dealer during the warranty period automatically nullified if the dealer cannot look at the car until after the warranty period has expired? That being the case, I am quite happy to park the car in front of, and blocking, the dealer's front door on Monday morning and wait with the car until someone looks at it......

Thirdly, do Nissan really believe that they are going to promote their brand by denying when a problem exists and is proven? Whilst I appreciate that I purchased this vehicle outside the dealer network at 9 months old, it has been serviced and cared for by myself, religiously since then, visiting this self same dealer whenever requested to do so. Until very recently, I was hell bent that I would pay the finance off in full on this vehicle, rather than chop it in at the three year mark and continue the finance, for a new (or near as dammit new) Qashqai or X-Trail from this very same dealer. I am currently paying £400 a month for this car, so in a matter of months time, paying for a new one is not even remotely a concern. However, having come from owning Jaguars and Audis and taking a 'risk' on a Nissan, what am I actually going to get for my money from Nissan??

To add some contrast to this, I have reasonably recent experience with a friend and colleague of mine - after a bit of a rough ride with a Citroen, she decided to go for a Kia C'eed, new from the dealer. She was treated like royalty on collection (bunch of flowers, familiarisation time and follow up phone call - the whole nine yards), and was delighted. At around three years old, the C'eed failed to start one morning and was towed to the dealer - they were on the phone before the afternoon and arranged to have a courtesy car delivered to the workplace, the same day. Two days later, they confirmed that it was a knackered battery and that the charging circuit was OK - new battery fitted, and car delivered back whilst collecting the courtesy car - - - - she never even saw the dealership throughout. Very shortly after, she and her girlfriend decided to move in together and get engaged; as an engagement present, she decided to buy her partner a car.......... immediately she went to her Kia dealer and ended up buying a Rio at 8 months old, and the warranty on it was immediately restored to the full 7-years, without even asking.

Now, it get better - so happy were they with their C'eed and their Rio, when her mother was looking for a new car - having had Nissan Micra's since 1991, she ended up at the Kia dealer and purchased a Rio - - - and whilst there, my colleagues father decided he would treat himself to a Sorrento at the same time!

Can you honestly see this playing out in a Nissan dealer, particularly given the number of threads we have here on various issues, most of which show dealers being as obstructive as they can be about sorting problems?

Personally, my immediate prior vehicle was an Audi A4 Avant, bought used outside the dealer network - - I had an issue with it, and went to the local Audi dealer for advice. On the spot, they got their Master Tech to come out in the car with me to see what the problem was, identified it and then produced the relevant paperwork that I needed for the sake of an extended warranty that was on the car (not an Audi warranty either) - when I produced my debit card to pay for this estimate, it was politely refused and I was told that it was free of charge. Again, would this be the same in a Nissan dealer?

Don't get me wrong - I actually really like (or liked) the Nissan brand - - my mum had a Sunny, I had the later Sunny and two Primeras; I have had family members who have had Micras and Almeras, and in all honesty, not one of them was a problem. My 1992 Primera in particular was an absolute belter of a car -- I loved it, and was utterly bereft when I had to pick a new company car! But, Nissan has a BIG problem at the moment - their product is mediocre at best, and their attitude to their customers (via their dealer network) is set to negative as a default. The 'new' Qashqai is an insult to be honest - they have tarted up the nose, and a few other wee bits, and they think that is enough; sadly, they do not realise that all of this combines to make what was one of the best prospects on the car market into something that is second rate.
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DaveBerlin
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Post by DaveBerlin »

Sorry, but I have said this before and will say it again. The Main problem with Nissan in my eyes is not Nissan entirely but the attitude of the Dealer to give a Service, Satisfaction and to meet their Customer needs. In relation to the Nissan Guarantee and the problems related to this model are indeed now well known thanks to this Forum. There have been so many high lighted defects on the J11A QQ that I am surprised that there has not been a Nissan "Task Force" set up to accumulate the problems and address the Quality or mechanical defects.
Please remember we are dealing with a German Dealer and every fault we have had has been handled through them without problems, although I have also informed NCS. I am a great believer in facts and every defect we have had has been photographed and handed to the Dealer as a reference and it seemed to work.
Regarding your questions, did you put your defects in writing or with photos, because then it is on file with a date which to me is evidence, if not it is your word against your friendly Dealer. It might be out of Guarantee but the evidence is there to see by all.
I hope it does not sound I am repeating myself or even preaching but that is just the way I see it and it has worked for me - Dave 😁
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fat controller
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Post by fat controller »

The defect with the parking sensors has been looked at by the dealer, therefore it will be within the car's history; the Stop/Start fault is new in the past couple of days, so again nothing documented. Other issues were/are niggles at best, and to be honest not something I would have gone running to the dealer with, but rather ask them to look at whilst it was in for a service. The occasional clutch judder is something I have had before with an Audi, and I know from experience that it is a very difficult thing to prove when it is such an intermittent fault.

What has ignited me is the fact that the 'default setting' for the dealer was to infer that the defect was not likely to be covered under warranty. I appreciate as much as the next person that a warranty period has to have an end date - much of my early career was selling and repairing domestic and industrial electronics (everything from TV's through to high end audio kit), and I certainly would never have commenced a conversation with a 'fight' about warranty terms when a fault was reported within days either side of the end of the warranty. I find it remarkable that any car dealer, let alone a manufacturer, would set themselves up to lose customers over something that is relatively easy to resolve, for not a lot of cost (what will the trade price on a battery like that be - £60 or so?) - not least when it is an issue that is so well known and documented.

Now, the dealer and/or Nissan are going to have to really impress me somehow to get me anywhere near even considering buying one of their vehicles again - and the service plan that I was discussing with the dealer about renewing will now be let lapse, and I will give my business to a small local independent garage when it comes to servicing.

In so many ways, the QQ is a great car - but it is let down severely by shoddy build quality, and little or no concept of what customer service is.
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