Nissan GT-R...

Serendipity

That's exactly what I am talking about. If you need to bring your car to the mechanic more than 2 times in the same week...for the same problem...then I would suspect incompetence.

audiobliss

BeRad wrote: »

The scanners the dealerships have cost up to 2500 dollars.

Only $2500? There are some models, like the 'brick', that go for that cheap. But Dad sells scanners to mechanics that cost $8000, too.

BeRad

audiobliss wrote: »

Only $2500? There are some models, like the 'brick', that go for that cheap. But Dad sells scanners to mechanics that cost $8000, too.

Whoa. Love to see the detailed print-outs from those things!

shadowofnight

Here is the page from the manual ( Pic below ) ....VDC is Vehicle Dynamic Control....its used for a lot more then just launch control .....it basically lets the driver take over full control of the throttle without ECU assist , as well as turning off any stabilty control from the ECU as well.

With stability control off, this lets you spin tires and drift or slide in any direction without the ECU applying brake power to specific wheels to control your vehicles attitude....as well as limiting engine power to stop spinning wheels when necessary.


A GTR owner wrote Nissan to ask why using a FEATURE ( Provided and touted on the production car available to the public ) on the car would void the warranty...here is Nissans response.....




" So this is the mail contents I have back from Nissan


Please see our current policy detail regarding your VDC (ESP) issue below. Please note however, this is still work in progress.

Tuning:
Malfunctions caused by operation performed at workshop other than NHPC or mount of parts other than Nissan genuine will not be covered by warranty.

Driving condition:
Malfunctions caused by severe driving (eg. driving at circuit) will not be covered by warranty.
Verification of travel distance with Vehicle Status Data Recorder (VSDR) and history of parts replacement may be conducted.

Special driving condition:
Launch mode needs to be set VDC off. When the customer set VDC off, then warranty is not covered as described in the Owner Manual (OM).
Customer should be checked and maintained in NHPC before and after driving racetrack to follow special racing service intervals in OM.
System failure on the vehicle during race driving on a circuit is non-warrantable. System failure on the vehicle during city driving related to having driven the vehicle on a race circuit is non-warrantable.

NB: Specific warranty booklet will be supplied to all RBUs for translation and distribution to local network

My understanding is that essentially, any car driven on track is out of warranty until re-checked by a certified NHPC which effectively re-sets the warranty.

Effectively, any time VDC OFF is engaged, the car is out of warranty while VDC OFF is engaged. "



So basically the VDC button is on the dash but you cannot use it



My Nissan also has a VDC button which ( Ever since I put on the traction bars and installed the limited slip differential) I use EVERY time I get in the vehicle. With the factory open diff and VDC OFF all you would do is light up the right rear tire...so I never used it. But now that I am able to put 100% of the engines horsepower to the pavement with both wheels I use VDC OFF 100% of the time .

It also allows me to spin both rear tires and change the trucks attitude while 4 wheeling...something you cant do with VDC on.


If Nissan says the warranty is voided turning the VDC off, then they shouldnt have provided a dash mounted button whose only function IS TURNING THE VDC OFF.

Serendipity

shadowofnight,

If you don't mind me asking, what kind of Nissan do you have?

shadowofnight

appadv wrote: »

shadowofnight,

If you don't mind me asking, what kind of Nissan do you have?

Titan 4x4 ......I LOVE the truck...but, if after all of my mods I couldnt turn off the VDC with that little button on my dash...I would have sold it. That one button makes all the difference in the world.

Serendipity

shadowofnight wrote: »

That one button makes all the difference in the world.

Why?

Nice truck, BTW

shadowofnight

With it on ( Its default is on when you start the vehicle ) ....at the slightest hint of a spinning wheel the ecu tells the engine to lower its output to stop the wheel from spinning....it feels like someone took 2 of your cylinders away.

Now, when I press that VDC button....I am the one who is in control of the throttle...if I want a little wheelspin or a lot of wheelspin...its a touch of the throttle away. Now that I have the limited slip differential , I can use the throttle to steer the truck in any manner I want offroad ( Or even onroad if I want to act 18 again )

Airplay355

I thought the VDC would transfer power to the wheels that weren't slipping and let the ones that were slipping just roll. Is that true? I don't know much about car parts.

shadowofnight

Airplay355 wrote: »

I thought the VDC would transfer power to the wheels that weren't slipping and let the ones that were slipping just roll. Is that true? I don't know much about car parts.

No, thats the Active Brake Limited Slip ( ABLS ) system....basically a factory limited slip function. It clamps the brake caliper slowly on the spinning wheel...enabling the open diff to transfer power to the non slipping wheel.

Sounds good in theory, but with the brakes clamping on one wheel to send power to the other wheel you still end up with a lot less power to the ground for both wheels. Installing a real limited slip differential works much better.



Back to the GTR...
The thing with the GTR is , that it has so much horsepower AND 4 wheel drive in such a small vehicle that without the VDC system on the street or road course ( Using the launch control and turning off VDC for drag racing is a different matter ) it could be a real handful even to a lot of experienced drivers. They probably shouldnt have even made it a button on the dash....more like a button or lever in the trunk.

Ron-P

What a joke, first spending near $100k on a Nissan...a Nissan! Secondly, on a car built to race and for speed yet you cannot use it for the purpose it was designed for, wow, talk about stupid. I've never been impressed with anything Nissan; cars, trucks, suvs but stuff like this will keep me away from even considering Nissan for a future ride.

sucks2beme

It could be worse. Like buying the gauge pakage for your Ford F150, and
finding out oil pressure and charge are just idiot gauges(off or at preset).
WTF? I believe some of these guys in car company management need
to get out to the real world once in a while. No oil dipstick?
Non-functional gauges, buttons you can't push. Brake wear sensors that break
(when the sensor dies, time for new pads/rotors).
Or your compact truck being 95% the size of the full size.

concealer404

Or calling the GTR a small sports car.....

Danny Tse

Ron-P wrote: »

....on a car built to race and for speed yet you cannot use it for the purpose it was designed for, wow, talk about stupid.

Mitsubishi had the same issue with people racing around in their EVO

Ron-P

But, did Mitsubishi have a factory installed option on their EVO's that if used would void the warranty?

mark090852

heiney9 wrote: »

Actually, BMW, MERCEDES, JAGUAR, AUDI, VOLKSWAGEN do not have dip sticks on the 2009 model cars. They want you to come to the dealership to have your oil checked and changed. You can, for an additional charge, buy a dip stick and unscrew a cap where you can insert it inside the engine compartment.

Dealerships apparently don't make enough money on repairs these days. :mad:

H9

I have a BMW 530i. It's true that it doesn't have a dipstick but it has a very accurate electronic oil level sensor that can be checked through the electronic iDrive system. I only have to press a button and I can see the oil level displayed on the iDrive screen. All scheduled oil changes and maintenances are provided free of charge up to 50,000 miles. If I want to change the oil myself more frequently I can easily do that. A dipstick isn't necessary.

bobman1235

mark090852 wrote: »

A dipstick isn't necessary.

Right, electronic meters never go bad, right?

sucks2beme

mark090852 wrote: »

I have a BMW 530i. It's true that it doesn't have a dipstick but it has a very accurate electronic oil level sensor that can be checked through the electronic iDrive system. I only have to press a button and I can see the oil level displayed on the iDrive screen. All scheduled oil changes and maintenances are provided free of charge up to 50,000 miles. If I want to change the oil myself more frequently I can easily do that. A dipstick isn't necessary.

50k? I hope you're changing oil a LOT more often than that!

Sami

sucks2beme wrote: »

50k? I hope you're changing oil a LOT more often than that!

Free up to 50k miles, I think interval is about 15k (or could be 10k with 5-series).

mark090852

Sami wrote: »

Free up to 50k miles, I think interval is about 15k (or could be 10k with 5-series).

Yes, the free maintenance is ALL the scheduled oil changes, etc. during the first 50,000 miles. The scheduled maintenances are at 15k, 30k, and 45k. That varies a little depending on how you drive. The onboard computer monitors different driving parameters and alerts the driver to the service intervals but they are usually close to every 15k miles.

And yes, electronic sensors can fail like anything else. My point was more to the fact that, at least with BMW, the lack of a dipstick isn't an attempt to force the owner to the dealership to have the oil level checked. I have to trust the electronics to alert me to a problem, just like I trust the electronics to alert me to an overheating engine. I wouldn't take it to the dealership to have its temperature taken.