does a survey = bitching?

your note is not very constructive... this thread is about collecting data... the data covers driving conditions and temperatures... there have been some that have experienced 'limp home mode' as a result of high temperatures... that is a very different situation than running at 240f or even 270f... limp mode kicks in beyond those temps

I understand the point of the survey, but if you look through the last several pages, it's filled mostly with bitching, not information sharing.

Sorry if I contributed to further trashing this thread. All apologies.

no worries... yes, some people get worried... yes, people should keep it in perspective... and yes, there are some legit issues here - like folks that get 300f not on a racetrack

This is the way it work. And I will use the oil cooler as example but it can be any aftermarket part.

1. You go and purchase any oil cooler (professionally manufactured and tested) and install it on your car.
a. You take your car for oil change and the manager tell you, that your whole car is out of warranty because of the oil cooler. That is a BIG NO. They can't do that.

b. You get a Check Engine. They tell you they can't check the car until you remove the oil cooler cause that will void your warranty. BIG NO. THey Can't do that.

c. Your Radio, or GPS, or your AC goes bad. They use the oil cooler as excuse to charge you more when that is covered under warranty. BIG NO.

2. The dealer need to follow the recommended steps before making any desicion. So to answer your question who has the burden of proof.

You purchase the Oil Cooler from Nissan or from Stillen. Both are proof to improve one way or another the oil temperature (not fix it). They are both professionaly manufactured and tested. You take your car to the dealer because you have a check engine light. The dealer has to take your car like any other regular nissan for check. They connect the computer and they need to perform all the check necesary to identify why the CEL is on. Let's Say the CEL is becuase you are mixfiring or another type of failure. And the dealer come back to you and tell you. The problem is the oil Cooler you installed. Is not covered under warranty so is $1,200. At that point you have the right to request the analisys they did and how they reach to that conclusion. With the paperwork, you call the manufacturer of the oil cooler, and you explain that their item cause a problem. They definetively will say No Way. Then you ask the manufacturer that they need to put in writing why they are claiming their product is not their problem.

Sadly this is a back and forward calls and paperwork, you also have to search online, ask here for opinion. After you have all the necesary documentation that either is or no the oil cooler then you go agains the one that is wrong and have it fix. Is a tedious process, I've been trough that with my Eclipse 4G. But at the end you will find out that the dealer don't have a clue what the Magnuson Law is and 90% of the time they are wrong and they just want any excuse to void your warranty and charge you full price.

Thank you very much for that information..... +1

Sorry Anthony but this Oil Temp topic has been addressed to Nissan and they already replied with their answer, they won't do anything. I know someone posted their letter here in the forum but in a summary Nissan said that, they decided not to include the Oil Cooler to have the car with a competitive price. The installation of the cooler would have put the price of the way out of hand of normal people that want to drive their car as regular cars and not racing. That is why they decided to have the ECU protection system "limb mode" on the car to protect the engine. But for those enthusiast that are planning to use the car for racing, Nissan has their own Oil Cooler and they give their part number.

Here is the letter: Nissan 370Z Engine Oil Overheating - Nissanhelp.com Forums

The 370Z has an engine protection system that reduces peak engine speeds when the oil temperature exceeds recommended levels in order to protect against possible engine damage. Aggressive driving of the 370Z on a race track at sustained high engine speeds can cause increases in oil temperature and may activate this engine protection system. To avoid activation of this engine protection system and these reduced peak engine speeds, Nissan recommends an oil cooler be fitted to the 370Z before driving it on a race track. A Nissan Motorsports accessory oil cooler kit is available for customer purchase through authorized Nissan dealerships for race track use. The part number is 21300-SS370.

An oil cooler is not necessary for normal operation of the vehicle on public roads. The addition of an oil cooler would have raised the price of the car and potentially moved it out of the reach of some customers. Value has been a core principle of the Z car since the original 240Z and we choose to uphold this core principle by not adding additional costs that are unnecessary for normal use. For those individuals who choose to drive their vehicle on a race track, the oil cooler is available as an aftersales item.

The oil cooler is a Nissan Motorsports item and as such is sold without warranty, express or implied, unless expressly prohibited by law in which case the warranty provided is the minimum required by law. The installation of the Nissan Motorsports oil cooler does not, by itself, “void” the vehicle warranty. However any damage caused by the installation or use of this part is expressly excluded under the terms of the Nissan New Vehicle Limited warranty.

Your welcome :tup:

Not to mention this thread is OVER a yr old and the topic has been covered so many times!

I agree, it's time to close this thread out... I'm going to post the final results of the survey... I took some time on a flight tonight to roll-up the data in a spreadsheet... here it is... open to discussion for a few days, then we'll shut down this thread if there are no strong objections

http://i656.photobucket.com/albums/u...eyresults1.jpg
http://i656.photobucket.com/albums/u...eyresults2.jpg
http://i656.photobucket.com/albums/u...eyresults3.jpg
http://i656.photobucket.com/albums/u...eyresults4.jpg

I don't have time to post the 'takeaways' right now - going to catch another flight... you guys have at it! :)

I work for Nissan in Smyrna Tn and got one through a discounted lease. It was spur of the moment so I didn't study on it. It was a simple question that I didn't see an answer to looking through here