ABS Sensor damage - Chewed through twice in 6 weeks - Advice needed
Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2019 10:17 am
Hi all,
New to the QQ forum. Sorry for the ramble but stick with me..
My wife and I purchased a Qashqai from Nissan approved dealer in January 2019 for £15,000. 2015 NTEC+ model 1.6 Petrol engine.
Unfortunately, around 6 weeks ago, we were welcomed by a “System Fault” message on the car whilst my wife was out with our Daughter. It appeared that the ABS sensor cable had been chewed through by a rodent or fox! (I’ve read similar posts on this forum but appears there is no answer on how to prevent). As this meant the car was unsafe to drive in wet weather we had to get it towed to our local dealership where we purchased the car and wait for it to be repaired.
To my annoyance the Nissan Approved Dealer contradicted themselves by the manager advising they had never heard of this happening before. When speaking to the service team they stated it was a very common problem... (at least keep your story consistent!). They also charged us £250 to replace, which for no more than an hours work seemed excessive. We sought quotations from non-Nissan mechanics but decided to go with Ancaster as the car was already at the dealership and didn't have time on our side to seek alternatives.
The service team at the dealership advised they covered the cable with grease and a copper coating which we was told should act as a deterrent but couldn't offer a guarantee. We was actually advised by the service engineer to go on amazon and purchase pest control deterrent sprays, high frequency sensors – which we did. I felt this to be somewhat comical considering we spent £15,000 less than 6 months prior!
Low and behold, fast forward to Sunday just gone we started the car to be met with the same "System Fault" error code. We had an emergency appointment booked with the doctor on the Monday for our daughter and so you can imagine my frustration..!
We phoned the Nissan branch again to speak with management but as nobody was available, instead we spoke with our initial sales advisor who was extremely understanding and helpful and advised us that they may be able to sort as a “goodwill” gesture. Long term, if it happened again there was a possibility we could look to return the car. This was all caveated by the fact the manager would have the final say and we was to await his call.
After spending the day stuck in doors and chasing several times, the manager finally phoned at 5pm and advised that as this comes under an “environmental” issue, there is nothing Nissan can do with regards to “goodwill” gestures or returning the car. The only option we had was to £250 and to "hope" that it doesn’t happen again.
We are currently waiting for him to advise on alternative options from the service team. The bottom line is we would have to pay for any repairs, no matter how many times this happened.
After carrying out some research it appears the cables are made with plant based materials containing Soy and this is what attracts the animals / rodents, especially when the cables are warm. Surely this disproves the theory that it is an "environmental" issue, the fact Nissan are manufacturing cables that attract rodents / animals to chew? If they used an alternative cable = no environmental issue.
One other thing to note is that the ABS cable itself hangs low and is not secured in any form of casing? Perhaps this could be looked at by Nissan. Then again, why would they if they can charge £250 a time to replace!
After discussing with my wife’s friend who also owns a QQ it transpires that she has had it replaced 3 times in 5 years (albeit at a cost of £120 not £250)
I’m at a point where I now want to return the car, as we, as a family, cannot take the risk of this happening another 3,4,5 who knows maybe 10 times a year!
If anyone has heard of similar problems or can offer some advice of next steps then please let us know!
Thanks
T
New to the QQ forum. Sorry for the ramble but stick with me..
My wife and I purchased a Qashqai from Nissan approved dealer in January 2019 for £15,000. 2015 NTEC+ model 1.6 Petrol engine.
Unfortunately, around 6 weeks ago, we were welcomed by a “System Fault” message on the car whilst my wife was out with our Daughter. It appeared that the ABS sensor cable had been chewed through by a rodent or fox! (I’ve read similar posts on this forum but appears there is no answer on how to prevent). As this meant the car was unsafe to drive in wet weather we had to get it towed to our local dealership where we purchased the car and wait for it to be repaired.
To my annoyance the Nissan Approved Dealer contradicted themselves by the manager advising they had never heard of this happening before. When speaking to the service team they stated it was a very common problem... (at least keep your story consistent!). They also charged us £250 to replace, which for no more than an hours work seemed excessive. We sought quotations from non-Nissan mechanics but decided to go with Ancaster as the car was already at the dealership and didn't have time on our side to seek alternatives.
The service team at the dealership advised they covered the cable with grease and a copper coating which we was told should act as a deterrent but couldn't offer a guarantee. We was actually advised by the service engineer to go on amazon and purchase pest control deterrent sprays, high frequency sensors – which we did. I felt this to be somewhat comical considering we spent £15,000 less than 6 months prior!
Low and behold, fast forward to Sunday just gone we started the car to be met with the same "System Fault" error code. We had an emergency appointment booked with the doctor on the Monday for our daughter and so you can imagine my frustration..!
We phoned the Nissan branch again to speak with management but as nobody was available, instead we spoke with our initial sales advisor who was extremely understanding and helpful and advised us that they may be able to sort as a “goodwill” gesture. Long term, if it happened again there was a possibility we could look to return the car. This was all caveated by the fact the manager would have the final say and we was to await his call.
After spending the day stuck in doors and chasing several times, the manager finally phoned at 5pm and advised that as this comes under an “environmental” issue, there is nothing Nissan can do with regards to “goodwill” gestures or returning the car. The only option we had was to £250 and to "hope" that it doesn’t happen again.
We are currently waiting for him to advise on alternative options from the service team. The bottom line is we would have to pay for any repairs, no matter how many times this happened.
After carrying out some research it appears the cables are made with plant based materials containing Soy and this is what attracts the animals / rodents, especially when the cables are warm. Surely this disproves the theory that it is an "environmental" issue, the fact Nissan are manufacturing cables that attract rodents / animals to chew? If they used an alternative cable = no environmental issue.
One other thing to note is that the ABS cable itself hangs low and is not secured in any form of casing? Perhaps this could be looked at by Nissan. Then again, why would they if they can charge £250 a time to replace!
After discussing with my wife’s friend who also owns a QQ it transpires that she has had it replaced 3 times in 5 years (albeit at a cost of £120 not £250)
I’m at a point where I now want to return the car, as we, as a family, cannot take the risk of this happening another 3,4,5 who knows maybe 10 times a year!
If anyone has heard of similar problems or can offer some advice of next steps then please let us know!
Thanks
T