I just need to vent!

Rant -On-

Okay, first off I'm a girl. I had an '04 Touring Z that I bought new in '04. I have been to competitive driving school and like to drive my Z like it should be - HARD - So I know the envelopes of what a Z should 'feel' like, and how it should behave. I also should add that I am religious about maintenance... Anyway, I think to myself, "Hmmm, I sure would like a new Z." So I go to the Reagal Nissan in ATL, GA and trade my '04 Touring Z in for a new '06 GT Z.

I notice when I get it home the next day it idles @ 2500 when the engine is cold for about 20-25 minutes before kicking back down. After the idle kicks down, it kind of 'pulses' between 800-1200 rpms. I know, I know - It didn't do that when I test drove it... So I go back to the dealership to have them look at it, and the mechanic tells me, "Miss, if the 'check engine' light isn't on then there's nothing wrong with your car." Like I'm an idiot...

I insist that they *please* run diagnostics on it since I don't think it should be idling @ 2500 rpm or pulsing after it warms up... So with much attitude, they do, and they 're-learn' the computer. It idles fine after that.

BUT -- the next day I notice it is running sluggish & the MPG is way down. The power band is totally flat between 3k & 4+k. And it sounds kind of 'girgled', instead of 'crisp' like my old Z. It also back-fired once (more like coughed) when I started the engine after it was already warmmed up. So I take it back. The same mechanic proceeds to lecture me (in a very sarcastic irritated way) that if the 'check engine' light isn't on, then everything is okay. I asked if they could please look at it anyway - and the @sshole starts laughing at me and lecturing me that he's been doing this for over 20 years, blah, blah, blah.

So I went to the 'New Car Manager' of the dealership and explained what was going on, and he said that if his mechanic said the car was okay then it was okay and nothing more they could do. The mechanic is still LAUGHING & snickering at me right in front of the Manager -- I am SOOOO PISSSED!! The Manager wouldn't even tell the mechanic to stop snickering, but did state, "Miss, you're just making a big deal out of this because you want your '04 back. Well it's already sold." Ummmm - Helloooo - As much as I luved my '04, if that were the case I wouldn't have traded the '04 in the first place. I just want my '06 to run like it should.

Fine. I know they are totally full of ****, so I make an appointment to take my new Z to another dealership (Cobb Nissan) with one of their "Master Technicians". I get there the next day and we took it for a test spin. Although everyone's "perception" is different, he agreed the power was flat and lack-luster. So we parked the car and he hooked up a laptop to the ECU. Looked at several different parameters. He explained everything to me and talked with me (like I actually had a brain), and showed me how we could tweek this and that. It was sooo Coool!!

It turned out it was running lean. Like way 'out of spec' lean. I sat there and watched the ECU try to calibrate itself for that parameter. It failed. And... The other dealership set the idle too low as a way of compensating for it. When we tried to re-flash the ECU with the proper air/gas mix, it wouldn't accept the new parameters for that setting. So he checked for any vaccum or air leaks. None. He then replaced the Mass air flow assembly ($530 bucks under warranty)... Bingo. After a second, the ECU accepts the new parameters! We take it out for a test spin and it feels like a different car - pulls hard enough to keep a permanent smile on my face!!

Then he says, "But wait, I still have room to tweak some other stuff to make it even faster if you want." So I say awesome, let's do it!! He advanced the timing 2 degrees and some other minor stuff with the ECU. It ain't no 505hp corvette, but it's much faster/ smoother running than it was, & I am totally happy now. I tipped him well for putting his afternoon into it! He had such passion for the Zs in particular that it made me excited to own a Z again!

Moral of the story: It sucks to be a girl if you have to buy a high performance car from some backwoods pisswater redneck good ol' boy dealership like Reagal Nissan in Atlanta. They've lost a customer for life, and I can't wait to get that 'new car customer experience survey' in the mail...

Rant -Off-

 

good for you, stick it to those dirty red-neck ****'s!

Reagal Nissan in Atlanta

 

Send the GM this thread, most dealers have no idea of the power of these forums...good and bad.
Glad your car is running like it should.

 

Isn't it normal for the engine to idle high when its cold. I think mine is somewhere around 2200 rpms

 

Wow, sorry to hear about your experience.

 

When I put my plenum spacer on I forgot one vaccum line and it was idleing rough at 1800 rpm (37 degrees out at the time according to Z temp gauge) dropped to 900-1000 after reconnected, but 2200 seems a little extreme...

 

My G idles at 2k rpm when i start up. then it creeps down to 600 rpm once it's warm. stick it to those ***** and file a complaint with the BBB.

 

Wow that sucks...Im sorry to hear that.

 

I see that Regal Nissan is a forum sponsor here. There link is right above your post. LOL

 

Glad to hear things worked out so well.

That's terrible about the first dealer, but odds are good that if they would do that to a woman, they would also do it to a man.

A good service department will treat everyone equally and take time to evaulate a situation fully and explain their findings in plain English.

Morale of the story - don't like a dealer's service, go elsewhere.

 

 

Did you go tell the other dealership about it? Rub their face in the work order that shows what was done to the car to fix the problem.

"If the Check Engine light isn't on, all is well"....WOW!!!

 

That is really sad that you were treated like that. Many dealerships treat pretty much everyone like a POS. The one I bought my cars from has treated me with nothing but disrespect and has flat out lied on my oil consumption test. Needless to say, they too have lost a customer.

I can only imagine that it must be ten times worse being a woman and dealing with these SOBs. There was no excuse to be treated the way you were and I am glad you noted it here. As usarmyttt mentioned, these forums can have power.

 

Good for you... I'd take back the service write-ups to the crappy dealership.. show them what was replaced, and let them know that you will never be back.

 

You should file that complaint with Nissan watch him call you and beg to lick the bottom of your feet.......... as you step on his face for being such an *** face........


OH, that wasnt a funny story at all........... Id call it another stealership experience.............

 

Sucks you had to go through all that with the first dealership, but at least the 2nd one worked with you, and got your Z running better!

 

Dealer where I bought my car is famous for the "can't replicate" excuse. 2 years ago my fuel hatch would not open - not the usual hit the button a few times, no click at all at the fuel door, but not all the time. Worked when I took it in for service, manager said we'll take it to the back and check but if we can't replicate, no fix. Told him I was leaving for ZDayZ the next week, and if I could not open the hatch by the switch, I would rip the hatch off and then they could fix it. Miraculously, they found a bad relay and fixed it. There seem to be very few dealers who care about service after the sale, and future sales too. I'll never buy another car from Buckeye Nissan, and I now go for service to another dealer. (Warranty service only, don't trust ANY dealers)

 

Good, I hope those a-holes see it. I love Nissan's products... Especially their Z's. But I doubt an 'indepenent' dealership like Reagal falls under Nissan Corporate HR guidelines. I've just started running this up the flagpole, so I guess we'll find out...

 

You are probably correct about the guidelines. The problem is the you can report the dealership all you want, there is little that consumer affairs will do. They just give me the excuse that since all Nissan dealerships are independently owned, there is nothing they can do to them.

 

Unfortunately you (as well as many many other women) will have to face this...simply because of your gender.

I would definitely bring this issue up with the GM of the dealer you purchased from...and then never go there again. Stick with the dealer that helped you. Glad to hear that you got it taken care of.