A&Q about 350Z
Q:
http://www.marinij.com/Stories/0,1413,234~24407~2103424,00.html
Customers left in lurch after San Rafael Nissan closes
By Keri Brenner, IJ reporter
San Rafael Nissan abruptly shut its doors yesterday, outraging customers who had service appointments or cars being repaired.
One customer, Jason Bedell of Novato, said a service manager told him an irate car owner threatened a staffer over the phone, telling the woman he would "come and bash your head in" if he couldn't get his car.
"There's a lot of people down there who are pretty upset because the dealership has their cars," said Bedell, who bought a 2003 Nissan 350Z sports car last year. "They have my parts that I'd ordered and paid for, and nobody's got any answers."
Bedell and other customers visiting the store at 601 E. Francisco Blvd. yesterday found the doors shut and a sign posted saying the business was closed.
"People were coming to the door and seeing their cars up on the lift, and the service manager was saying there was nothing he could do about it," Bedell said. "He said he wasn't able to give them their cars."
Staffers inside the offices and on the phone declined comment and bluntly refused to provide any information. A reporter was told to leave the premises immediately.
"We're investigating the situation right now," said Eric Booth, a spokesman for Nissan North America in Gardena. He could not confirm reports the dealership was shut down by the Nissan corporation for undisclosed reasons or that it was purchased by an East Coast firm.
"I literally have no idea what's going on," Booth said. "It happened so quickly."
San Rafael business license records show the dealership is owned by Wific Inc., according to San Rafael city spokeswoman Lydia Romero. Wisel Ameen is the principal of Wific, according to Bedell.
The closure is the second in recent months among Marin auto dealerships. In January, the Saturn dealership in San Rafael closed suddenly; the owner cited tough competition in the Marin market.
"It's a sign of the times, I guess," said Dennis Coates, general sales manager of Marin Mazda Subaru in San Rafael, across the street from the Nissan dealership. "It's a wartime economy, the government's spending money, and people (car buyers) are spooked out."
Despite those factors, Coates said his dealership was doing well, which he attributed to having "popular products."
Ben Hannah, sales manager at NorthBay Nissan in Petaluma, said he knew about the closure, but had no specific information on the cause other than reports of "financial problems."
"I guess they just weren't selling cars," he said. By contrast, he said, sales are brisk at NorthBay Nissan, a separate franchise from the Marin dealership.
Other Marin auto dealership owners seem to be weathering uncertain economic times in fine form.
Tom Price of Belvedere, whose company, First America Automotive, formerly owned San Rafael Nissan, said he knew the San Rafael dealership had shut down but had no specifics. Price, who owns San Rafael dealerships Infinity of Marin, Jaguar of Marin and Land Rover Marin, said he took over two other San Rafael dealerships - R & G Toyota and the Volvo dealership - two weeks ago.
His new operations are named Toyota Marin and Volvo Marin, both at 445 E. Francisco Blvd.
"It's ironic that they're going out of business," Price said of San Rafael Nissan. "We're going to do a major expansion and upgrade." Price said he can do Nissan service at his Infinity dealership, but will not be able to handle Nissan warranty work.
Price's company ran San Rafael Nissan from January 1999 to fall 1999, when it was sold to Sonic Automotive, which owns Lexus of Marin in San Rafael. Price stayed on the board of Sonic until 2002.
Bedell, meanwhile, said he was still upset late yesterday. After being turned away in the morning, Bedell said he returned to the dealership in the afternoon and confronted his service manager, who was cleaning out his desk.
The man told him "Nissan had shut us down," Bedell said, and that he was not allowed to give Bedell his service records or warranty information.
Bedell said he paid "several hundred dollars" for parts and accessories for his car, but is unable to retrieve them from the San Rafael Nissan parts department. He said he made an appointment with the Nissan dealership in Petaluma for the repairs, which include a broken radio, torn seat and warranty service.
"I'm really frustrated," he said. "They won't transfer my service or warranty records, so I have to start from scratch."
A:
....I would effin kill sombody.
A:
dealerships don't just shut down and get locked up like this without something deeper going on.
Plus it's in the Bay area, and there are Nissan dealers nearby to pick up the service.
Another Evil Nissan inflammatory post.
A:
Haven't you guys ever seen a dealership go under? This happen all the time. The bankrupt court will seal up the place and post guards. Then they will slowly and carefully sort thing out. The whole ideal here is that the "owners" don't go in and steal the place blind. Everyone will get thier cars. It may take a few weeks though.
A:
Thats right , Mitsubishu in Seattle on auroura avenue did the fast move overnight on their customers and corporation by taking everything one night and dropping off the face of the planet. Some people I heard had no proof of thier down payments and recent purchases of their new cars and lost their cars and money.
A:
it could be something to do with taxes. The IRS can make a business shut down until they pay their owed taxes.
Just an idea, cause it does seem pretty odd to me that it would just shut down with no warning. Usually when a business goes under, they know the day before and they would be able to tell you "uh, were shutting down tomorrow so you might not want to leave your car here tonight".
Joe
Norman, OK
1976 Datsun 280Z
1987 BMW 635CSi
A:
sometimes, out of courtesy, they put a notice on the door too, so customers don't go freaky.
2003 350Z LeMans Sunset Track with Nav
No mods