oem air filter 2001 Pathfinder

[rodwilsonsr]

Hey guys...I really need some help here.
I have a 2001 Pathy LE. It has 54k on it and I love it. I was having problems with it skipping and bucking when trying to pass I took it to the dealer today and they told me I needed a new mass air flow sensor. With labor it was 700 dollars.

The dealer told me the part failed because of a bad air filter. I checked my records and I had an air filter put in less than 10k ago by...jiffy lube...do bash me for it please...I was just in a "dont hassle me mood".

The dealer claims that the "oem" air filter has a coating of oil and a wax covered seal. The jiffy lube (Fram) filter is just a paper filter. The dealer says debris got through and wrecked the sensor.

I called Jiffy Corp and filed a claim and a rep called me back. JL sent a manager down to the dealership and the JL manager told the dealership that the JL(Fram) filter was the correct one therefore...case closed.

I then called Nissan Corp and I told them the whole story and they took my complaint and told me someone will call me back.

I then called Fram Corp and talked to a service rep and he told me that the filters are made to meet or exceed oem standards and then he told me about this law called the Magnuson-Moss Act that basically says people can use aftermarket parts in there vehicle and the warranty will not be void.

So I went to the dealer, cut them a 700 dollar check and the service manager showed me the side by side differences between the two filters. The is a definite difference and this is the other thing...
The paper filter has 10k or less on it...one side is dirty from sucking the air in but the other side of the filter is dirty also...I would think one side would be clean and one side would be dirty.

Anyways...I have the old filter still and I feel like justice has not been served but I am unsure of what I should do now. Any thoughts?
Thanks for reading
Rod

[IAMKNARF]

Originally Posted by rodwilsonsr

Hey guys...I really need some help here.
I have a 2001 Pathy LE. It has 54k on it and I love it. I was having problems with it skipping and bucking when trying to pass I took it to the dealer today and they told me I needed a new mass air flow sensor. With labor it was 700 dollars.

The dealer told me the part failed because of a bad air filter. I checked my records and I had an air filter put in less than 10k ago by...jiffy lube...do bash me for it please...I was just in a "dont hassle me mood".

The dealer claims that the "oem" air filter has a coating of oil and a wax covered seal. The jiffy lube (Fram) filter is just a paper filter. The dealer says debris got through and wrecked the sensor.

I called Jiffy Corp and filed a claim and a rep called me back. JL sent a manager down to the dealership and the JL manager told the dealership that the JL(Fram) filter was the correct one therefore...case closed.

I then called Nissan Corp and I told them the whole story and they took my complaint and told me someone will call me back.

I then called Fram Corp and talked to a service rep and he told me that the filters are made to meet or exceed oem standards and then he told me about this law called the Magnuson-Moss Act that basically says people can use aftermarket parts in there vehicle and the warranty will not be void.

So I went to the dealer, cut them a 700 dollar check and the service manager showed me the side by side differences between the two filters. The is a definite difference and this is the other thing...
The paper filter has 10k or less on it...one side is dirty from sucking the air in but the other side of the filter is dirty also...I would think one side would be clean and one side would be dirty.

Anyways...I have the old filter still and I feel like justice has not been served but I am unsure of what I should do now. Any thoughts?
Thanks for reading
Rod

Rod,
I've been hit with a similar problem, not so much about why the mass flow sensor (MSS)needs replacement but how did he dealer figure that the MSS was bad to begin with. Did the dealer's engine analyser pin point the MSS as the root cause of the hesitation upon passing? My problem is similar in that at cruising speeds, 60 -70 mph my 2001 Pathy LE will skip or hesistate when engine is labored a bit..(like going up a slight hgway incline) but not enuf to "kick-down".. Dealer can't pinpoint problem, no codes in the cars "brain" and the dealer wants to replace the MSS as the next step WITHOUT a guarantee that the problem will go away or be solved....They said $500 or so..seems like the or so may be another $200..yech!!!
Here's the question..Did your dealer have a engine service code that pinpointed the MSS as the culprit in your case. My dealer has said that failure of the MSS will not trigger any failure codes and won't guarentee the problem fix..
Also how did you call NISSAN directly? I can't seem to find any numbers on their American web site..
Good luck in court!! Sounds like a good small claim case if you have the time to pursue it..
Thanks for any and all posts.
Frank aka IAMKNARF

[rodwilsonsr]

Hey Frank...I feel your pain man...I am still in disgust over this whole thing.
On my invoice the dealer said that there were "lean codes". That was all.
This is a copy and paste of the nissan contact info
Nissan Consumer Affairs
P.O. Box 191
Gardena, CA 90248
(800) NISSAN-1 (or 800-647-7261)
9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Eastern / Central Time
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time
Monday through Friday

Also, check out this thread on another forum
http://www.nissanforums.com/showthread.php?t=76821

There is some good conversation about this problem.

Just to give you a few more details on my problem. I started to find a problem cruising on the highway at 70-75, then stepping on it, kicking into passing and i could feel little hesitations and skips and the R's wouldnt climb that high. It felt like there was a lack of fuel.
Then I started testing around town and doing 30 and stepping on it and I would get a little bit of a hesitation but it was way more noticeable on the highway.
Good luck, I will be checking in
Rod