I work as a service advisor at a Nissan Dealership in southern California. So I thought I would put this post here for people to ask me some questions relating to the dealerships or what ever you may have...Plus I am curious about feedback from customers since I usually only get to see things one sided!!

I bought mY '03 Z from Sheridan in Delaware and its resting in Z heaven waiting for Paul Newman now, but they were great..moved back to PA nad bought my Titna from Faulkner..so far so good

ALL Nissan Dealers have been more than helpful in PA so far...Heck when I bought my Z they even told me whatMOds would or would not effect my warrantyu which was great (They know I have the MOd bug)

Good, glad you are getting taken care of..but one word of advice I have found, not all dealers agree on what mods can be done and will void/not void your warranty. Most are in agreeance, but I came from a very relaxed dealer to this once which is very strict..so its always good to ask the dealership you will be useing what there "policy" is about doing mods to your vehicle.

I am having an issue with aftermarket wheels with my dealer. As to wether or not they are causing a ride problem. Up till now they have been pretty good to me. I have had to complain a few times to Nissan, but after that, they started to treat me different.

I work as a service advisor at a Nissan Dealership in southern California. So I thought I would put this post here for people to ask me some questions relating to the dealerships or what ever you may have...Plus I am curious about feedback from customers since I usually only get to see things one sided!!

Just try to keep a sense of humor when we get pissed off that something's not going our way at our local dealerships. I have been pretty fortunate, however, there are some pissed off people in here.

Are the rims you have the same size as the factory ones that came on the truck?? If you change the size of the rim (obviously the tires will be different then also) then the ride will be different. The reason they are treating you different is since you called Nissan, they probably either got called to ask whats going on or they saw a consumer affairs file on line from you..So now they think you are trying to "throw them under the bus" with Nissan and being grumpy. This isnt the right thing to do, but we are all humans and this is what I have seen so just passing on information...So it is them being lame...

I understand completely, I will not take any offense if you get angry....no worries!!

Now I have to ask. Since the dealer get's paid by Nissan to do Warranty work....why would mod's be looked at differently by any dealer. It would be the Nissan Corp. that would make that decision. You shouldn't get a different story from different dealers. Strict....I wouldn't see it as strick....I'd see it as one dealer being an a$$. But if the Corp. says no...then well they don't want it done to the car and won't back it if you do. Really....it's not even the dealers choice is it?

I Bought from John Elway here in Denver Co, I have only been in once for the brakes and they had the car done early, Also
they washed it for me. So far pretty good. My Infinity went in for the first time ( brakes also) WOW a free loaner car was offered ,and they gave me a full detail. The car looks new again. Thanks for joining us.

Yes we get paid from Nissan to do warranty work. To get paid, We have to do the repair then submit the claim to Nissan, in which they reimburse us for the repair. We have warranty books that tell us how much labor they will pay for repairs, parts knows how much they will pay for the parts, and if we cant find the answer there, then we can call Nissan and ask them what to use. Nissan also can call back any part and/or audit any repair we do under warranty to check to see what happend to the part and to check our paperwork to make sure all of their required procedures are being followed. And if Nissan finds something they dont agree with they will charge us and the dealership will have to pay for the repair. Also, the amount we are paid for warranty repairs is very little, dealerships do not make money off warranty repairs, the labor paid barely covers the time into the repair and the markup allowed on the part is very minimal. Yes some dealerships are being an a$$ about it, but they dont want to be charged back for a repair because of a mod. When I worked at a Chevrolet dealer, they had a tsb about k&n air filters damaging the mass air flow sensors. So, if one was replaced, GM would call it back, if any K&N oil was found, the dealer would be charged back. It just really depends on whats going on. Thats why its best to ask your dealer what there policy is. Some just would rather not risk being charged back.

It is nice having someone on the other side try to answer our questions. I have always heard that warranty work is where dealers make there money. But I'm not on the inside so the validity of that can be questioned. For a dealer to best serve it's customers wouldn't it be better to tell a customer that has a certain mod or wants a caterin mod to get clarification from the Corp. first before simply telling there customers....the one's that really pay there bills....NO.

Service is nothing like it used to be. My dealer...told me that if I brought in my servey...filled it out with perfect scores...they would fill up my truck and detail it. I could have hated them and filled it out the way they wanted. And yes I did get the tank of gas and detail. But..I did/do like my dealer and have have no issues with them at this point.

Redright9 it's great to have your perspective on the other side, what I am wondering is I have an appt. with my local dealership for two warranty issues that that I want to get fixed just wondering if you have any advice on how best to deal with the service dept. as I am not familliar with this dealer too much. I have a dash rattle that comes and goes, and also have what I believe is the engine knock tsb(evap purge valve) now they have already passed the knock/ticking noise off as injector noise which it is not and I have a feeling that I'm going to go through all the trouble of leaving the truck there all day only to get a could not duplicate customers concern out of the deal. So what would be the best way for me to go about getting them to do the work without pi#*ing them off?

As far as the survey's go, they are VERY, VERY important to the dealerships. The service advisors at just about all dealerships get part of there pay based on the survey scores. One dealer I worked for payed me a bonus upto $2,000 a month depending on my survey scores. And yes, if we know you are going to give us a bad score, the dealerships may "accidentally" change your information so your survey doesnt make it to you or gets sent to an employees residence. My dealership will fill your tank and clean your car when you bring in your first survey. You generally get one from sales, about how the sale went on your car, then one or more about service. Anyone is more than welcome to ask what mods will/will not void warranties. Basically if you put a part on a vehicle and it causes a failure, that isnt warrantiable. Warranty is there to repair a defect in materials or workmanship from Nissan. Yes, Nissan has the ultimate say on what they will cover, I am just trying to inform people that some dealerships will not be as flexible if they see mods done. The dealerships will fix a problem under warranty if it is a warrantiable concern. But some may have you authorize time ( $$ ) before they look at it.

I bought my truck from Advantage Nissan in Bremerton, WA. So far, I have had no complaints with this outfit (owned by Capps family). I haggled for a heck of a deal---------------------------------------------:)
I then had to have a steering rack replacement on my '05 (yes, '05) and not only did they do it handily, but they did accompany me on future dealer purchases and installs (Borla Duals and undercoating) with a discount!!
My dealings with this dealer are far better than the Ford dealerships of old which included my '01 Mustang GT (which I modified heavily--they hated that) and my 2004 F-150. Thanks for the "other side" view on our concerns!!

CLG,

Well, honestly, one of the most annoying things are squeeks and rattles...mainly because they are hard to track down and sometimes dont pay good. The best thing is to test drive with a tech or the manager and show them the noise. If its intermitant, it can be hard to do. Unfortunatly you have to chance leaving it there..As far as the noise, I would print a copy of the tsb that I know someone here can get you a copy of and show the advisor, ask them if it applies to your vehicle and that it sounds like what you are hearing. The advisor may seem to get "pissy", but oh well, its your truck (one of all service advisors pet-peives is people saying, I saw this on the internet, my vehicle has this problem, you have to fix it because they know its a problem and its covered under warranty). Not saying you are going to say that. Just be nice to them if they are nice to you. But from what I have been told by a Nissan Rep. is even with that valve making noise, it isnt detrimental to the vehicle.

Mick,

Your welcome, again, glad that a dealer is doing there job of helping a customer (who pays our paychecks!). Thats why I wanted to have this post, dealerships can be very hard to understand the ways and if an insider can give some ideas, things might be smoother and better for all on all ends!

Redright9:

Don't get me wrong........I was somewhat frustrated that I had to have a steering rack replaced on a brand new vehicle!! They had trouble with this also on an Armada in which was the same result. I can certainly feel for these folks depending on how often they must go back and go through the whole routine. The more, the worse, etc..
Like you said, it depends on how accomodating the dealership is and how tight-knit it is. Customer service is of the utmost importance. I guess that there have not been a mass amount of Titans built so far so they can fix what they have and take care of current customers. Timely service bulletins help out a whole bunch.

Thanks for the quick reply hopefully all goes well I don't have alot of time to play around at dealer I work waaaaaaaay to many hours for that(truck driver) anyway I did'nt think the valve would be detrimantal to the truck just my sanity.lol

Mick,

I understand what you are saying..It is frustrating..Things arent supposed to happen to new cars..but it does at times. and yes, with these being such a new vehicle, it is going to take a little time to find the "glitches" and develope fixes. Sometimes Nissan is a little slow on fixes, I have seen a few times where Nissan likes to "purge" its old parts before giving out the "fixed" part..not good for your or me.

CLG,
Your welcome, my reply speed will vary depending on how busey we get here..(obviously today I am very slow!! ha ha). Just dont wait until the last moment to take it to your dealership..I have seen people many times say its been making this noise for a while, I just havent had time to bring it in, but now its out or warranty, but I complained about it once...for warranty coverage (on most circumstances), the dealer has to verify a fault for it to count for anything. some people like for dealers to "note" things in the computer..honestly, doesnt really do much for you until a fault is found..just dont let a ton of time or miles go by..

ROGER THAT, yeah the truck is 6months old and has 4000 miles now and it is going in on 3-31-05 so it should'nt be a problem with warranty unless they put me off for the next 21/2 years, which by the way my luck has been running lately would not suprise me one bit.

Yeah, it would be crappy if they pushed you off 2+ years!! LOL. You shouldnt have any problems, you get the best warranty coverage from any vehicle within the first year and/or 12k miles.

ROGER THAT, yeah the truck is 6months old and has 4000 miles now and it is going in on 3-31-05 so it should'nt be a problem with warranty unless they put me off for the next 21/2 years, which by the way my luck has been running lately would not suprise me one bit.

Hey, CLG
I have the Purge Valve ping too, but I easily got it to manifest itself while taking the service manager on a test drive; the problem now is that this part is on "Global Back Order" meaning that there are none to be had anywhere (except the assembly line?). If yours pings like mine does (and it's been getting worse) you should have no trouble getting the right diagnosis.
The SM assured me that it's not doing any harm.
T Rex

Red,

it's great that you are here! I am surprised no one has asked about the dreaded brake fix. I think what we are hearing is summer time frame for a permamnent fix. Is this correct?

My next question is I am very interested to learn more about the extended warranty. Cost, coverage and such. Can the cost be added to your existing NMAC loan?

Thanks again for your great insight!

Well, on the brake fix, a Nissan rep stopped in about a week ago and showed us the "fix". I have seen pictures on this site (I beleive) of the new rotors that will be used and will also have some new pads. The pads will have alot more copper in them from what I was told. Yes, they should be out in a few months, they say they are trying to build up the stock of parts. As far as the extended warranty, you need to call your dealership and speak with the finance person about that..They are the ones to "sell" it to you, but I dont think they can roll the cost into your financing. I have seen prices range (depending on coverage) from $700-$2,000+.. I would HIGHLY recomend getting the Nissan extended warrany. No extended warranty is as good as the factory warranty (no matter what the sales/finance person says), but the best I believe is the Nissan one, It can help with rental cars, even when in factory warranty, some towing (usually only up to $100.00) and any Nissan dealer can run your VIN and see you have the warranty. An aftermarket extended warranty you usually have to bring in your paperwork when at a new place and they have to call in...and go through a hassle with getting paid..the Nissan warranty they can pull up on the computer your warranty, then once the fault is found, check the part number/operation code with the warranty manual and know coverage..