DIY No warranty issue Oil Cooler

[JP's 370nismo]

Ok, so this one is a little "tong in cheek" kind of write up.I really wanted to the this install my self... but 2 things worried me. 1, removing the front bumper with out damaging anything and 2, Warranty issues with the dealer later on.

So here is my approach.

1) Buy the best oil cooler I could find, GTM's 25 row with thermostatic plate and steel braided hoses. ($623.00 shipped 2nd day air)

2) Con my local dealer to do the install for me. In my case that was Sterling McCall Nissan, I bought the car there and it has been there for all its service ( tire pressure monitor issue, passenger airbag issue, 1500, 4500, and now 7500 mile oil changes.(Ester oil))

The service advisor (Willie Ford) quoted me $250, but I was fairly certain it would be more, since just taking the front bumper off takes 1.5 hrs or so.

I brought my parts and arrange to talk with the shop foreman(I think his name was Neil?) went over the usual.. ports facing up, flip the Nismo damper ,rotate plate to where hoses stick out the least possible, etc...

Also, no matter what GTM says, they are shipping you a cooler and braket that require some alterations to fit properly !!

The dealer got started with the job and then called me when they had the bumper off. The cooler leaned too far forward when you tighten the screws (this has been discussed in another DIY cooler install) and there was nothing to attach the top braket to.

They asked permission to dimple the plastic rail and fix the leaning issue and I took the cooler and hacksawed notches to accommodate the cross beam that runs to the left of the cooler, elongated a screw hole on the bottom bracket and slid the cooler over.

In the end the install was very solid!! No play or vibration issues.

The dealer charged me $348.00 to bring the totall to $971.00


They also noted in their system that the car has a Nismo?! oil cooler and now requires an extra quart of oil.And they now know how to do this install since it was their frist.

So all in all a win win situation in my opinion.

Please see attached pics for a better idea of the install.

Hope this helps.