‘This is crazy’: Expert warns you should always do a pre-purchase inspection. Then a 2024 Nissan Altima with 10K miles proves his point

If you're planning on buying a Nissan, numerous mechanics will probably tell you the same thing. And it's that you should be very wary of its CVT transmission. The Japanese auto manufacturer's vital drivetrain component has purportedly been "plagued with issues." Some may argue that they're so bad, that they've effectively "ruined" Nissan as a brand.

Others have maintained that they've driven a slew of "garbage" vehicles, and Nissans with CVTs are even worse than those. Conversely, some say with careful, routine maintenance on the car's most important components, they can be dependable.

That being said, the problems presented with this 2024 Nissan Altima in Royalty Auto Service's (@royaltyautoservice) recent TikTok isn't a good look for the brand. At the top of the video, Sherwood, the shop's owner, sits in the car. He calls the issues with the late model Altima a "crazy" situation.

Pre-purchase inspection

Right from the onset, he cites the situation with the popular sedan model as a prime argument for preemptive vehicle inspections. Prior to buying a car, Sherwood states, they should be scrutinized by a professional for any potential issues. This way, folks can know if there are things in their car that should be addressed. Or, if these problems are just going to leave them stuck with a money pit/lemon.

Sherwood says the customer initially complained that the car's air conditioner was not working. Which is strange, as it only had 10,000 miles. Initially, the customer just wanted freon reloaded into the vehicle in the hopes this would fix the problem.

Turns out, this didn't work. Next, Sherwood shows off the shop's diagnostic tool which displayed two errors on its screen. He says the car's laser radar system was experiencing issues. Furthermore, another error indicated a problem with a "refrigerant pressure sensor." The way the auto tech spoke of the latter issue, he doesn't seem to think it's that big of an issue.

Not that simple

Following this diagnostic, Sherwood pops open the hood of the Nissan vehicle. What he encounters next is a "crazy" wiring setup. He points to a collection of wiring tied to the A/C system, showing that they're just "hanging" there. Moreover, it's "rubbing against the plastic" of another part of the car's interior. This setup, the mechanic says, is contributing to the air conditioning problems the Nissan driver is experiencing.

But this was just the tip of the iceberg. As he assesses the issue even further, he discovers that the ends of the wires are simply "hanging" in a space under the hood. This led Sherwood to think that the car had been wrecked. As he's explaining the problem, he notices indentations under the hood. Consequently, these markings further indicate that Altima may've been in an accident.

He then clocks a "crazy janky bolt" fixed into the hood of the car. This indicates it's an aftermarket part and further evidence the vehicle sustained front-end damage. He then inspects other parts of the vehicle. He spots a significant gap between the bumper and another portion of the car's body. Again, just more signs that the car's been in an accident.

Further assessments

Underneath the front passenger wheel well, Sherwood also spots some "filler" remnants.

"That's like bond-o. That hasn't even been...they haven't even sanded that," he says, running his finger across it. This points to the strong possibility that portions of the car have been glued together.

There are uneven panel gaps between the hood of the car and where it meets the rest of the car. "Look at this, it's been creased...see the crack?" he says, pointing to a marking on the car, which suggests the "fender's been really damaged...and was not replaced."

The more he inspects the car, the more signs of damage become apparent. On the driver's side, a portion of the front hood is clearly not in alignment. Sherwood and his son, who is recording the video, also mention that a segment of the car is being held together by "zip ties."

After cracking open the driver's door, the tech spots even more un-sanded "filler." At the back, he also noticed inconsistencies in the paint of the car. This leads him to believe the area sustained damage and was re-painted to cover it up.

Even more glaring, is how the vehicle is sporting different brands of tires on all of its rims. "Come on guys," he says of the obvious indicator the car's been wrecked.

@royaltyautoservice You would think it couldn’t get worse, but it doesn’t end here… #nissan #mechanic #automotive #dealership #viral #cartok #fyp #foryou #stitch ♬ original sound - Royaltyautoservice

Checking the Carfax

Sherwood looks up the Carfax information pertaining to the vehicle. What he found only further reinforces the importance he lends to pre-inspections on vehicles. According to the online resource, the car only had "very minor damage" in an accident. This is categorized as "dents and scratches to the vehicle."

Furthermore, Carfax says this "minor damage" report means the vehicle's airbags didn't deploy.

"Come on," Sherwood says in disbelief. "That's not minor."

However, the accident reporting application did lead the mechanic to a portion of the car he didn't initially assess: Roof. He notices clear markings of what he calls a "horrible paint job."

The front bumper also sports the same speckles, the business owner points out. Surprisingly, the owner of the vehicle spent $20,000 on it, which both Sherwood and his son believe is way too much considering the damage done to it.

Sherwood says in his state, Georgia, dealerships selling new cars don't have to disclose vehicle damage. Only if it's tantamount to 5% or more of the damage to the car. And since the car is used, he says none of this damage has to be reported from the seller to the buyer. Which again, makes pre-inspections all the more important.

'Do the job right'

Sherwood says he hasn't looked under the vehicle yet, so he can't rule out the possibility of structural damage.

"Don't just patch over it with bond-o. That's like '70s and '80s stuff...just bond-o it up," he says.

Toward the end of his clip, he says he's never seen, in his "entire life" such a slapdash job of fixing a damaged vehicle.

"I could do better than that when I was in high school," he says. "And I'm not even a body guy."

In a follow-up video, Sherwood says he called the Nissan dealership which sold the vehicle to the customer. The biggest issue that the auto tech brought up to the seller is an issue with its front-avoidance collision detection system. This is due, most likely, to the damage the car sustained.

The call

Next, his secondary clip cuts to a snippet of Royalty's conversation with the dealership. On the call, they highlighted that the safety feature wasn't performing correctly, despite the seller indicating it was operational. They also mentioned that the air conditioner wasn't working properly to boot. A rep from the dealership said the car turns on and turns off. This led Royalty to question if that was the extent of the seller's "safety inspection" protocol and if collision detection isn't included in that.

@royaltyautoservice You would think it couldn’t get worse, but it doesn’t end here… #nissan #mechanic #automotive #dealership #viral #cartok #fyp #foryou #stitch ♬ original sound - Royaltyautoservice

Their reply was a simple, "no." Following the call, Sherwood gets back on the camera. He states he hopes a safety inspection would also include assessments of the car's ability to brake and steer properly. Not to mention its collision detection system functioning adequately as well. Additionally, the tech says even salvage title cars undergo more rigorous scrutiny.

"You gotta look out for yourself, you gotta take these cars and have them inspected," he says.

The Daily Dot has reached out to Nissan and Royalty Auto Service via email for further comment.

Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.

Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.

The post ‘This is crazy’: Expert warns you should always do a pre-purchase inspection. Then a 2024 Nissan Altima with 10K miles proves his point appeared first on The Daily Dot.