Owner of a 2011 G37 Sedan, about 5K miles on it. So here we go (F.M.L.)

I decided to use the "free first time oil change" thing the dealer provided on new cars. The 4750 Mile oil change. Ok, cool. So I take my car in and they do that, along with the worst possible "car wash" ive ever seen in my life. It looked worse then when it came in, but this is the least of my concerns, keep reading..

Ok well 2 weeks pass after the oil change, im on the freeway heading to work, and i smell this odd burning smell. I pull over right away and pop the hood to see something pretty horrifying. The Coolant cap is not on AT ALL, and is sitting on the black plastic where you close the hood. There is blue dried up coolant EVERYWHERE all spilled around that area. WTF.

Basically, those COMPLETE F'IN MORONS at my dealer service center did their usual "FLUID CHECK" and forgot to close my coolant cap.

I came from owning a 2009 audi a4 that i almost used the lemon law on, because of all the mechanical problems it had. I was hoping that by moving to Infiniti I would have a better car experience, and this is what I end up with on my BRAND NEW CAR. and its a BUY not a lease so it really is a big deal to me.

What would you guys here say is my best course of action right now. I know that without the cap on, the coolant pressure levels are different and it can cause damage. It probably boiled and exploded out everywhere.

Also, directly under that area there are parts that have wiring. It probably spilled all over that too.

Please, any advice from my fellow G owners? Legal advice or best course of action to make those ****** pay for what they did. Thanks much

 

This is a joke, right?

 

I'm being completely serious, I wish it was a joke.

 

Are you talking about the black plastic cap on the overflow reservoir or the silver metal cap that's on the coolant filler neck?

 

What did you do after that. Hopefully you called Infiniti Roadside and towed to the dealer.

Leaving the cap off sounds very unacceptable. See how they would compensate you. Maybe you should try to get free extended warranty on the car since it's a buy and not a lease.

 

Black plastic cap that says Coolant on it.

 

The overflow reservoir tank is not under any great pressure like the radiator is, so it couldn't have exploded all over the place. Was there any coolant left in the overflow tank? If so, you probably just have a dirty engine and melted plastic cap.

 

Well the coolant in that tank is all over the place, and as I said earlier, it probably spilled on those electric wires right underneath. What do you mean by melted plastic cap? The cap wasn't melted, it was just sitting somewhere

 

If it was me, I would take it to the dealer, explain what they did, have them clean it up like new, check the wires for damage and then tell them what you think of their customer service.

 

Your car is perfectly fine. That's an overflow tank, not the main coolant tank. Rinse off any spilled coolant and refill the system to the correct level. No harm done.

 

I don't really think the coolant will hurt much. Have them clean the engine and replace the coolant in the reservoir. I think you'll be okay. I don't think the wiring will suffer; most stuff under the hood is designed to get wet and/or dirty.

 

lol that sounds dirty

 

Had a similar dealership experience. Went in for a routine oil change but they also had to replace one of the horns on my car. When I get home after picking up the car I notice that my drivers side air filter is sitting partially(not much) outside the housing and their was a crack in the black plastic cover over the radiator. I called and complained and told the service advisor to never let that technician work on my car again. I put the air filter back in its housing and they replaced the broken cover at my next oil change. Lesson Learned: Always check under the hood before leaving after getting your car serviced or better yet, Service your own vehicle if possible.

 

^ Ditto on that. Getting old is hell; I can't work on the car like I used to. Fortunately, service at Sewell Infiniti of Dallas has been good.

 

^ very well said. as with most services one pays for; it's always prudent to verify that everything is as it should be. obviously you can't go checking the suspension and undercarriage easily, but a quick check underhood is essential.

i'm sure once you explain the situation in detail to the service dep't they will throw some compensation your way as good will.