Nissan South Africa: Latent defects in Nissan Juke clear coat and cracking leather/ synthetic seats.

<p>I purchased my Nissan Juke Tekna late 2011 from McCarthy Nissan in Woodmead. In February 2014 the clear coat on the front bumper started blistering and peeling. I discussed the problem with McCarthy Nissan in February 2014. Their response was that they can do nothing about the issue as the vehicle was out of warranty. The problem however got worse and currently large portions of the front bumper is without clear coat. The peeling is only on the synthetic body parts. No peeling has occurred on any of steel body parts.</p> <p>In the past three weeks I had several conversations with Eugene and Monica at Customer service, Nissan South Africa. It was actually mentioned by them that this must be due to sun damage. Nissan SA refuse to take responsibility for the peeling of clear coat. Their argument is that the vehicle is out of the warranty period.</p> <p> I would like for Nissan to explain to me why the peeling does not occur all over the car, but only on the synthetic body parts. I would also like to know if Nissan’s should only be driven in the dark to prevent sun damage? Would any Nissan employee be happy to buy an expensive product if they know that within three to five years their vehicle would be minus a clear coat? Would you buy from a company that is not really interested in their client’s best interest?</p> <p>After some research on the internet, it appears that there is quite a lot of similar complaints from all over the world, and in some instances Nissan even had the guts to admit the problem is Nissan related. Nissan SA have not reached that point, and is actually leaving faithful Nissan fans disillusioned. As a previous proud Nissan 370Z owner, Nissan SA made sure that I would never buy any Nissan product again. I would also advise anyone interested in buying a Nissan, about the pitfalls of dealing with the company and dealerships.</p> <p>Another issue with the Juke Tekna. At the same time the blistering started, the leather driving seat started cracking on the sides. I then noticed that the leather seat was actually synthetic. If it is leather, it is the first time that I have seen 1 mm thick leather that stretches and burns like plastic. I did pay a premium for the leather seats when the vehicle was bought. My question is if it is accepted practice to pull wool over the client’s eyes? How much of the brochure is actually not included in the car? The brochure did not state “partial leather seats”. I paid for leather seats and would appreciate if Nissan SA can either replace the synthetic seats with the real deal as per the brochure, or give me a refund complete with interest.</p> <p>On 29 August 2016 the turbo blew on the vehicle at 115000 km. I limped the vehicle back to Imperial Nissan in Menlyn. By Wednesday 31 August a new turbo was fitted. When Nissan took the vehicle for a test drive they discovered that the new turbo was defective. According to the workshop the nut that keep the impeller on the shaft, came loose and damaged the new impeller. This resulted in waiting till 23 August for another new turbo to arrive. After discussions with Nissan SA a courtesy vehicle was provided to me from 5 August 2016. In the first week the dealership provided me with a courtesy vehicle while Nissan SA apparently was busy with an investigation as for who was to blame for the defective part. At the same time of the turbo replacement, I requested the car to be serviced. The dealership was friendly and helpful, although when I received the vehicle back on 2 September, it was not cleaned after the service. On Friday night I also noticed that the left headlamp was out of order. This I fixed on my own. On Saturday morning I noticed the vehicle was leaking oil. I once again investigated and fixed it myself. They also did not complete the service book, although I paid a fortune for the service and turbo replacement. This is the reason why I prefer to service my vehicle at a trustworthy independent workshop.</p> <p>My question to Nissan South Africa. Would your CEO be happy to receive the same kind of treatment and value for money as I have? I am currently stuck with a vehicle less than 5 years old which will be hard to trade in, even at a Nissan dealership. All because of latent Nissan defects.</p> <p>Below is the link to two interesting articles in USA where Nissan actually admitted that the blistering clear coat is a Nissan problem.</p> <p>http://www.nbc12.com/story/ ********** 0/12-on-your-side-nissan-paint-job-dispute</p> <p> </p> <p>http://www.kcbd.com/story/ ********** 5/12-on-your-side-nissan-corrects-paint-problem</p> <p> </p> <p> </p>