Rear Window Deflector

As for the dealership. They did a good job at installing the class III hitch, the side window deflectors, the cargo liner (no brainer), and the rear tail light guards. However when I got home I realized that they had completely F**ked up the rear window deflector and the neoprene seat covers. The covers I have fixed up. However I got home and opened up the lift gate at the back and then came the screeching sound I am like "What the hell was that?" Then I looked closely and they had mounted the deflector too high and it drove itself right into the roof and scratched the paint right off. Good job because they had to drill holes to put this thing in. And of course the dealership was closed by the time I got home. I don't know what I should let them get away with in terms of fixing this. They will want to re-drill holes and try and buff the paint back up on the roof. Personally I think they should replace the liftgate, properly install the deflector and repaint my roof. I will keep you posted.

SarnX.

PS I won't praise or put down the dealership until I discover how they handle this little problem. I just thought I should post it as a watch out in case anybody else was considering this mod. Because another member of the SOXC also had this happen and his was dealt with well. But if this info helps someone to not have the problem in the first place all the better. It is just too bad the dealership is a 1.5 hour drive from my house though.

Sounds like it is time to learn to do your own work.... not to be critical of you, of course. All of those things you can do yourself and save that $65 an hour labor charge!!!! With Nissan parts you usully get real good directions in how to install it. I know I have used them to verify what I am doing. I also should say I have worked on cars most of my life, never professionally like Gordon does! More as a hobby and to learn how they go and come apart!

I guess you are right. I thought since I didn't really know what I was doing there I would let the "professionals" install it. Well that will likely be the last time I let them do it.

Thanks,

SarnX.

Originally posted by SarnX
I guess you are right. I thought since I didn't really know what I was doing there I would let the "professionals" install it. Well that will likely be the last time I let them do it.

Thanks,

SarnX.

Thing is, you care a lot more about your truck than they do. Another option is to have a body shop do the work. If it's a good shop they care about their work more, and if they screw it up, they're better set up to fix it. Nissan is for mechanical work that you don't feel comfortable doing, or for warranty stuff.

You guys bring up one h@#$uva point and I have stressed this many times to our club members. If you are going to off-road your truck, you d!@# sure better learn how to work on it. If you have to visit the dealer everytime you sink it in water to repack bearings and change gear lube, you are going to spend an arm and a leg. Rule #1, if you plan on off-roading with any frequency, buy a manual and tools. Learn how to work on your truck so you don't have these sorts of things happening. I couldn't imagine how much money I would have spent if I had someone install everything I have put in thus far or repair what I have broke. Keep that in mind as you head off-road.

Warmonger before you get to critical remember this. Some of us do not have access to a good place to work on our trucks. Not all of us choose to live in the blurbs with a large house and a two car garage.When I can I try to get a dirty like this past weekend when I went down to watch Rick and Bryan install some stuff on my truck :D. But I don't have the time to do this every weekend.

I will say that it is a great feeling to do your own work and understand the inner workings of the X.

I shoulda made you guys do the work yourself! But, it was kinda crowded in my little garage! I should have sat there and pointed an grunted and watch you do it! I am sure sore today!!!! We were also kind pressed for time and I wanted to be sure everything got done for your guys three hour trip back to The Great White North!

I drank the four beers you left Scott!!!! mmmmm....Good!

Scott,

Don't take it personally. I have made it my personal crusade to get those guys who seriously off-road their trucks to work on them themselves. Unfortunately the reality is that if you are goig to play this game you have to know how to fix your booboos within reason. That is the reason FLXX produced the Bearing Repacking 101 CD. It can get outrageously expensive and as the others noted, the dealer doesn't care near as much about your truck as you do. If you want the job done right, you will have to do it yourself. Hook up with those who know how to do it so you can learn. Get the tools necessary to complete the job. it will require an initial investment, but think of how much money it can save you in the future. I guarantee you that there is not a serious off-roader in this group who would think twice about repairing their vehicle when need be with in reason. There are some things that are better off left to others (diff setup is a good example of this), but installing deflectors, repacking wheel bearings and changing gear and tranny lube isn't one of them.

I completely agree that it only makes sense to learn how things work so you can hopefully fix them or at least patch yourself up in a way to get out of the mountains to somebody who can do it properly. Not everybody will care to learn how to remove axle halfshafts or vice-grip a brake line, just as at least 75% of the drivers on the road don't know how to change their own tires or boost from somebody else's battery properly.

I'm not one of those people, and I'm glad there are people here in the club who like sharing the information I'm dying to learn. Whenever I get into a hobby like this I become a sponge for information, tips and directions. Rick I'm sorry you ended up doing most of the work yourself but I'm still a complete retard with tools at this point. Hey I was impressed with myself when I got my sway bar endlinks removed and took off my steprails without bleeding to death :D

I read the Service Manual over and again for fun but nothing beats experience. I can do magic with networks and computer systems but mechanically inclined people impress the hell out of me!

Originally posted by superjens
I can do magic with networks and computer systems but mechanically inclined people impress the hell out of me!

I'm truly impressed with the knowledge all of you guys have of computers. I'm somewhat mechanically inclined, but spent about two hours last week trying to get an avatar and still don't have one. :o No matter how much I try to shrink the picture, it says I have too many pixels.

I am not very good at computers either but thankfully my roomate is. He hooked me up with Infraviewer which is free and easy way to shrink pictures.

Here is the link:

http://www.cmn.co.za/cd-bible/download.htm

just download it and use it!!!

Gordon also forgot to mention that he works at a car dealership and has full access to the tools and lifts in the workshop, certainly is easier than in the driveway. But hey you can still do a lot in the driveway.

I'm a firm beliver that you can never have enough tools. The wife doesn't understand, but hey I don't complain about all those shoes she has.

Richard

Now if only they made shoes with tools you could both be happy ...

Jens,

I can go you one better. How about a tool store and a shoe store in the same store? That way while my wife tries on thirty pairs of shoes (none of which she will buy), I can peruse the tools for those important things I need.

Aussie is right. But I built my '79 Jeep in my carport. Now I do have an entire dealership at my disposal which helps a lot. But if I can rebuild a Jeep motor and transmission in my carport, you can repack your bearings in the driveway. Don't think I haven't been in your shoes. It just depends on how much money you want to save. We made the bearing CD in my driveway and repacked the bearings in two vehicles during that clinic. You may not be able to do the rewiring I have done or tear down diffs or build your own stabilizer, but you can sure do a lot with the right tools. I have seen Aussie work magic in his garage as well. It can be done.

Originally posted by warmonger
Jens,

I can go you one better. How about a tool store and a shoe store in the same store?

http://www.sears.com/images/navigation/topnav/homepage/home_logo.gif

Having a blast this weekend driving my new Nissan.... Sentra GXE???

Well, just an update to my rear window deflector problem. I called the dealership earlier in the week and they told me to come down on Saturday and they would fix me up. Well, I got there first thing this morning at 08:00 in Windsor so you can imagine what time I had to get up in Sarnia (On a Saturday) to be there then. I was very pleasantly greeted and my Xterra was wisked into the shop. Now earlier in the week I was told I would talk to the service manager on how they were going to fix the problem but shortly after I arrived I asked if the service mangager was going to be in today and I was duly notified that it was his Saturday off. At this point I was a little confused but I let them proceed, perhaps the service manager had left instructions. Anyway a little later I took a peek in the shop and saw the mechanic had removed the deflector and it looked like he was just about to drill some new holes. That is when I approached the person running the service counter and explained to them that I had been told that I would have to talk to the service manager about how they were going to fix the problem and I told them that I didn't think that re-drilling the holes was going to be an acceptable fix ( I was very polite I promise, I didn't want to get in their bad books only one week after delivery). So the attendant went to talk to the technician in the shop and came back moments later to inform me that she would be calling the service manager to find out what was going on. They spoke briefly after which she got off the phone and appologized because she said they were going to have to replace the hatch but they didn't have one in stock and before I could ask what she wanted me to do she said if I could leave it they would give me a loaner and they would call me when everything was done (They were also going to cut and program a third key, install new tail light guards (one of the feet came loose so they were going to replace the whole thing), install the micron air filter and replace the boot around the 4x4 shifter (The material had been ripped prior to delivery)). They also told me the paint would be fixed up and that it would definitely be all ready to go this week. They even offered to drive it up to Sarnia and swap vehicles back so that I didn't have to drive back down to Windsor. I graciously thanked them for the offer and said it was OK but that I would drive down and pick it up (A little anal about who will drive my X during the break in period, do you blame me??)

So at the moment it looks like the dealership is going to do all of the right things to fix the problems properly. Only time will tell.

As a side note you should have seen the looks on the faces of the people at the dealership when they saw my one week old X drive in with the ARB and the equally shocked look when they saw the skids underneath. How does that saying go... And the look on the peoples faces was priceless.

Sorry for the long winded update but I wanted to be detailed hoping it might help some poor soul in the future.

SarnX.

I have to agree with SarnX on the choice to go with the dealership on the deflector install. I figured it was worth the extra $40.00 to have them install it since it required drilling into the sheet metal. This way, I can have fully insured incompetent people responsible for the job as opposed to my uninsured incompetent self.:)