| TLDR: I took my Z in for a 120k service and AC leak diagnosis. The shop pressure washed the engine bay without my consent. Shortly after, I developed misfires, AC started blowing fuses, my aftermarket stereo system began glitching, and the clock stopped working. Another Z specialist warned this could lead to worsening corrosion and possibly a full wiring harness replacement. I’m looking for advice on whether the shop is responsible and what steps I should take. It's been 3 weeks since they did the work. ---- I had to use a new shop after my long time mechanic retired. Nissan quoted over $4,000 for the 120k service, so I went with a shop that claimed Z32 experience and showed photos of previous work. I brought the car in for a 120k service and AC leak diagnosis. When the job was finished, they initially told me the AC was working but they could not find a leak after a vacuum test, which didn’t make sense since I had previously had it recharged it due to a known slow leak. When I came to pick the car up a couple of days later, they told me the AC had stopped working and was blowing multiple fuses, which they showed me. At pickup, they showed me the engine bay and hood cleaning they did, the timing cover painted and water pipe/cas polished. I never authorized any cleaning or cosmetic work. The engine bay had not been cleaned in over a decade. Shortly after getting the car back, I began experiencing new electrical issues. The aftermarket stereo started glitching and making unusual electronic noises when connecting to Bluetooth. Within about a week, the car developed intermittent misfires that quickly became more frequent and severe. I performed a wiggle test and traced the misfire to the PTU wiring. The engine behavior changed immediately when the wiring was moved. I brought the car back to the shop while it was actively misfiring. The owner/main mechanic wasn't there, so while I showed the assistant mechanic and helper what was wrong, I asked them how they cleaned the motor, and they admitted they used heavy degreaser and pressure washed the entire motor, explaining how hard it was to get the paint clean and showed me their technique, so they basically blasted my motor bay with water. I asked if they covered the electronics and they said no. I confronted the owner and he denied claiming they only cleaned the bottom of the motor and wiped down the top. Next day, they told me they fixed the misfiring by cleaning the connections and said I would need a new PTU and wiring repair soon. However, the misfire started right after i left the shop, so I drove it home and figured they just moved the wiring in position so it wouldn't misfire. When I inspected the connections myself, there was still visible corrosion and debris, indicating they were not properly cleaned. I cleaned the PTU connections properly, and the motor runs smoothly now. The wiring can be moved without affecting engine behavior. Current issues are AC compressor is inoperative, stereo intermittently glitching, clock no longer working. I can't inspect the coil pack connections because the plastic is so brittle, and I don't feel comfortable checking the injectors. Another Z shop told me that aggressive pressure washing can force water into connectors and wiring, leading to corrosion that worsens over time and may eventually require a full wiring harness replacement. I have an appointment with them in a couple weeks. Given the timing and the fact that the engine bay was pressure washed without my consent, I am concerned the shop caused these issues. Would you consider the shop responsible for this type of damage, and what would you do next? What are your thoughts about this other shop basically saying (without inspection) my harness and fuse box is effed and will only get worse over time and will need a new wiring harness.
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02:00:47 05/03/26
