00bullitt
07-20-2009, 10:17 AM
Hi Guys.....been following the threads about all the brake issues on the Armadas of various years. I continue to see the pattern of warped rotors and wanted to turn here for advice.
I have a 2008 LE 4x2. I bought it new. At 8k miles I had developed a bad vibration when I brake. I tried to take it to a dealership near me at 22k but got into a bad pissing match with the service rep and I left before it turned into something it did not need to. Because of that.....I did not make it back to the delaership I purchased from until 39k miles. I have the extended gold warranty so I figured no big deal.....they will take care of me. Well,not so....I was told that the pads look fine but what I have is warped rotors and that they need to be turned but can only be turned on the vehicle and it was going to cost me $160 for the front and $160 for the rear. So naturally I became agitated and very argumentative because I did not think this was something I should pay for. I was told to call Nissan. That they would not do anything for me since I was out of warranty unless Nissan payed them for it. I was not happy. I called Nissan and of course....they say sorry can't help you. I became more unhappy and I now wanted my Armada to burn to the ground.
The Nissan dealership told me that brakes were a wear item and only covered under the factory warranty for the first 12months/15k miles. Understandable. Brake pads wear out. But rotors? And I do have the 13.8" front rotors. Apparently the upgraded rotors to fix the problem of the past with the Armada. The dealership told me the pads look fine and ask me if I recently changed them? I said No. They said they look brand new. Well then......in my mind.....there is obviously an underlying problem here. Especially after what I have read on here.
I have owned a few large SUVs in the past 10 years. A Hummer H2,A Tahoe,an Avalanche,a full size Chevy Silverado. All of these vehicles with exception to the Hummer went over 120k miles before a brake job was necessary. The Hummer never saw the need for a brake job in the 50,000 miles I owned it. The vehicles I mentioned are all heavy vehicles and saw heavy towning. Never had brake issues and all stopped awesome even with a load. Now here I am with my new Armada that develops a problem after 8k miles and has to this day of 54k miles never towed a thing. At 54k miles it still has an awful shake while braking and it is worse at high speeds on the interstate.
I am not rough or abusive on my vehicles and maintain them very well. I am just now ready to replace the Michelin Latitudes at 54k miles.
I see most members on here saying yeah.....its the rotors.....you need to turn them or replace them. That just seems like a big expense considering what we paid for thses vehicles to start with. They apparently are still deficient in the braking department even after the upgrades and personally I don't feel its an expense I should have to incur. It really makes me hate Nissan and my Armada. I have never had service people treat me as poorly as they have at Nissan. I almost feel guilty for not continuing my support of Government Motors. So.....I ask......do you guys seem to think there is an existing underlying problem still prevalent? Are rotors that were poorly designed to start with considered a wear item? Should we be fiscally responsible for poor design on Nissan's behalf here? Is there something I could do to get Nissan to stand behind this? This seems to go beyond warranty and more of a latent defect issue.
I have a 2008 LE 4x2. I bought it new. At 8k miles I had developed a bad vibration when I brake. I tried to take it to a dealership near me at 22k but got into a bad pissing match with the service rep and I left before it turned into something it did not need to. Because of that.....I did not make it back to the delaership I purchased from until 39k miles. I have the extended gold warranty so I figured no big deal.....they will take care of me. Well,not so....I was told that the pads look fine but what I have is warped rotors and that they need to be turned but can only be turned on the vehicle and it was going to cost me $160 for the front and $160 for the rear. So naturally I became agitated and very argumentative because I did not think this was something I should pay for. I was told to call Nissan. That they would not do anything for me since I was out of warranty unless Nissan payed them for it. I was not happy. I called Nissan and of course....they say sorry can't help you. I became more unhappy and I now wanted my Armada to burn to the ground.
The Nissan dealership told me that brakes were a wear item and only covered under the factory warranty for the first 12months/15k miles. Understandable. Brake pads wear out. But rotors? And I do have the 13.8" front rotors. Apparently the upgraded rotors to fix the problem of the past with the Armada. The dealership told me the pads look fine and ask me if I recently changed them? I said No. They said they look brand new. Well then......in my mind.....there is obviously an underlying problem here. Especially after what I have read on here.
I have owned a few large SUVs in the past 10 years. A Hummer H2,A Tahoe,an Avalanche,a full size Chevy Silverado. All of these vehicles with exception to the Hummer went over 120k miles before a brake job was necessary. The Hummer never saw the need for a brake job in the 50,000 miles I owned it. The vehicles I mentioned are all heavy vehicles and saw heavy towning. Never had brake issues and all stopped awesome even with a load. Now here I am with my new Armada that develops a problem after 8k miles and has to this day of 54k miles never towed a thing. At 54k miles it still has an awful shake while braking and it is worse at high speeds on the interstate.
I am not rough or abusive on my vehicles and maintain them very well. I am just now ready to replace the Michelin Latitudes at 54k miles.
I see most members on here saying yeah.....its the rotors.....you need to turn them or replace them. That just seems like a big expense considering what we paid for thses vehicles to start with. They apparently are still deficient in the braking department even after the upgrades and personally I don't feel its an expense I should have to incur. It really makes me hate Nissan and my Armada. I have never had service people treat me as poorly as they have at Nissan. I almost feel guilty for not continuing my support of Government Motors. So.....I ask......do you guys seem to think there is an existing underlying problem still prevalent? Are rotors that were poorly designed to start with considered a wear item? Should we be fiscally responsible for poor design on Nissan's behalf here? Is there something I could do to get Nissan to stand behind this? This seems to go beyond warranty and more of a latent defect issue.