A&Q about 350Z
Q:
As usual, I'm extremely frustrated with the Nissan service department.
My 03 Touring Z with 17K miles is in the shop today for the following:
1. Front end aligntment and tire replacement (NTB04-043).
2. Skipping CD player.
3. Absolute **** bass and treble coming from the not-so-high-end Bose system (NTB03-087).
4. Service Engine Soon light on.
I dropped the car off at 8:15 this morning. I explain the symptoms. Right out of the shoot, the guy is arguing with me stating that "Nissan covers the alignment, not the tires." I was so expecting this so I came prepared--and I urge all of you to do so as well. I pulled out the big guns and showed him that TSB NTB04-043 states that I am entitled to a free alignment AND new tires if my car is experiencing feathered tires, major tire noise while driving and falls within a certain range of VIN numbers. My car met all three requirements. He said he'd "look into it but he couldn't make any guarantees."
We then went on to talk about the Bose system. I explained to him that I have had cars with two blown out speakers and two almost blown out speakers produce clearer highs and better lows than my Z. He went on to say "well that's just because of the cabin of the Z. The cabin of the Z was engenieered in a way that doesn't allow any sound system to reproduce good sound." I explained to him that my last Nissan 86 200SX, my 91 240SX and my 91 300ZX (with the Bose system) with similar cabins sounded significantly better. He said he would look into it.
Lastly we spoke about the skipping CD player. I explained to him that for the first 10-15 minutes after starting the car, CD's skip. No matter what type of CD. He said "you haven't cleaned your CD player for awhile have you?" I responded by saying "the car has 15K stinking miles on it. I have gone 200K miles with other systems without having to clean the CD player."
At about 11:45 this morning, I receive a follow-up call from the guy I spoke to earlier. He admitted that I was entitled to free tires and an alignment. He went on to explain that there is a national backorder on the Bridgestone tires. He said he would "talk to Nissan Corporate" and see if they would be willing to substitue Michelin tires BUT I would have to purchase tires for the rears as part of the deal. NOPE! I told him I would happily wait for the Bridgestones. He went on to explain that I would have to sign a waiver stating that Nissan is not responsible for any tires blowouts that may occur. That got me thinking...what if I didn't know about the TSB on the tires or what if I didn't know that the inside of the tires were feathering so much. Would I eventually found out with a blowout one day? Does Nissan do anything proactive to alert their customers of serious problems like these? Ugh!
From there he goes on to say that he listened to my sound system and said that it didn't sound as good as other Z's because I only had the 4 speaker sound system. OMG! Hello, it's the Touring model. I explain that i have the SEVEN speaker Bose system. He continued to say that it sounded as good as the seven speaker system and that my car did not fall within the range of the recall for the amp. I went on to cite TSB NTB03-087 (Bose Audio System - Sound Clarity bulletin). My VIN number falls right in the middle of the second range that is listed. He said he would call me back.
Still nothing on the check engine light.
I am now waiting patiently for the next call.
Could someone tell me why they are so apprehensive on EVERYTHING! It's like they take it presonally.
Post Edited (May 6, 12:24pm)
A:
old_man:
No way in hell would I sign anything telling me that "the manufacture" is not responsible"!
I am really sorry for the lack of SERVICE you are receiving.
I usually go into my dealer with mellow attitude and always have whatever TSB printed out for them if needed.
Some of these service reps are just a$$holes.
-Zanioed '03 Le Mans Sunset Touring Coupe w/ Nav.
A:
old_man:
Take your business elsewhere, looks like this particular dealership does not deserve your time. I can't believe the arrogance of some of these guys ... 4 speaker system ... cabin designed to not sound good ... LOL ... what kind of lame excuses can these guys dig up?
Post Edited (May 6, 12:41pm)
A:
Sad thing is, I chose this dealership over another. The other dealership said the only thing they could do was put the driver's side tire on the passenger's side and the passenger's side tire on the driver's side. I told them about the TSB and they said the wheel flip was all they could do.
This is just unbelievable.
A:
Isn't there a TSB out for the "service engine soon" light coming on? I thought I read somewhere that there was a recall for that specific problem.
A:
Find a new dealer; your current one is failing miserably. And if you receive the survey, be honest when filling it out, your dealer deserves to get ripped on.
My dealer in central Ohio is Buckeye Nissan and they gave me new tires without me even asking; all I did was tell them about the tire noise and referred to TSB and they called back and said it was out for new tires at a local shop and they would call when it came back. Got it all done same day.
So all dealers are definitely not the same.
A:
It may just bee the particular A_HOLE you're dealing with at this dealer. Talk to the service manager next time instead. IF he's just as bad, find a new dealer.
A:
I dont know about this national backorder thing. My tires were just replaced yesterday and I just had to wait a week for them. They are just making up lies hoping you will just leave. Go somewhere else where you are aprecaited. The service manager at mine even gave me a free oil change for the hassle of having to bring my car in.
'03 350Z Redline
JWT Pop Charger
JWT clutch
JWT lightened flywheel - 14lbs
Kinetix Racing plenum
Grounding kit
A:
I'm also in central Ohio. Germain Nissan. My dealer gave new tires without question and they had them in stock.
They did gouge my rim a bit while performing the TSB, but they fixed it and it looked like new when it came back. They also gave me another free oil change for the trouble.
If you can.. I say move on and try another dealer.. why deal with the hassle.
RJCTouring
_________________
Chrome Silver
Stock Touring - All Options (minus Nav)
A:
They wanted you to sign a waiver becuase the tires are unsafe but, according to Nissan, the tire feathering does not constitute a safety issue. Two years and they can't even get their statements straight let alone actually fix the problem. Also very convenient for Nissan to agree to replace tires but they don't actually have any tires to carry out said replacement. This sounds alot like their argument that the 350Z feathers tires because it has a race suspension designed for maximum dynamic handling but you can't actually race one due to the feathered tires. Sorry that you are having problems. Hope you get it straightened out but there is not much they can do for the Blose.
Post Edited (May 6, 3:56pm)
A:
I'm based out of Salt Lake City, UT. Believe it or not, this service department has been the best out of the three in this area. Slim pickins here.
It's 4:30. The Nissan service department called to let me know that the repairs that they could perform had been completed.
I signed for the repairs, ignoring the waiver. They drove my car around to the service garage. Before pulling out of the garage I flipped on a CD and chose a song that I knew had a lot of highs and lows. To my surprise, a significant improvement. Highs are finally clear and clean and I can actually feel the bass hits. I'm a happy camper in the sound department. FYI: According to the work order, they replaced my amp with part number 28060-CE400.
No news on the SES light. I asked them to let me know what code had been stored but they didn't note it.
No ETA on the tires. They're holding off on the alignment until the tires are in. Not sure why but whatever.
Anyone know a way to confirm that the tires are actually on back order?
Post Edited (May 6, 4:08pm)
A:
for me, there was not a problem with the highs or lows, it was the mids, which still aren't so good after 3 amplifiers.
anyone else agree?
A:
OLD_MAN:
A word of advise. Find a new dealer for warranty work.
A:
Is the service department trying to order the tires from Nissan directly?
The TSB (page 7) states:
NOTE: Do NOT order tires from Nissan. If needed, order tires directly from your local Bridgestone tire supply source.
A:
I happen to be both a 03 performance 350z owner as well as a Nissan service advisor for a dealership in Massachusetts. This means that I have the luxury of seeing and appreciating both sides of what has happened here. For those of you that have never been on the advisor side of the table, it is far and away one of the most stressful jobs I have experienced. The advisor you had here clearly sucked at his job. He worded things very poorly when speaking to you, however he was correct in not giving away the tires right out. As soon as he says you get them he has to give them to you. You never make any promises on anything until a tech has seen the car, verified the condition of the complaint, and has checked into accidents/mods on the car. He also shouldn't have fought you on it. I usually go with "as soon as my tech verifies the bulletin we will go over what Nissan does in your particular case." With a high profile change in stance as the one with the tires he really should have been up to date on that though. You should look into finding a different dealership. As far as the last notation, it is my understanding that for Nissan to pay for the tires now that the warranty has been extended by them, you must actually order the tires from Nissan. The will not reimburse you otherwise. That waiver was also a load of garbage. There is not a large safety concern with the feathering of the tires until they have been feathering for a substantial amount of time. Even then im not sure there is a safety issue, but i would have to research that more before being positive. Your advisor was awful in the way your case was handed, but try to see it from the other side of the table sometimes. The advisor is at the mercy of the tech and the dispatcher. I do not decide the order the cars are worked on or what needs to be done to it. I am just a messanger. In your case your advisor did suck, but before getting bent out of shape at the advisor in all cases make sure its their ignorance you are mad at and not something the dispatcher or the tech did. We have absolutely no control over that.
03 Performance
Redline
A:
if all else fails choke somebody
A:
hunter164 what dealer in MA are you from?
A:
i work at kelly nissan in lynnfield