STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHTS! This is how I got NEW wheels from Nissan!

Background:
Let me give you a quick summary of my experience, I brought in my Track Z for the feathering TSB. They scratched my wheels and then consequently refinished them. I was not satisfied with the finish and it’s been a struggle with their service department in order for me to get an acceptable outcome. I battled the dealership for a few months on and off as well as Nissan Customer Service. First let me tell you that Nissan Customer Service is by far the worst “customer service” I have ever dealt with. When I complained about the wheels they basically tried to negotiate with the dealership and both parties came to an agreement: “The dealership will give you two free oil changes.” I have never been so insulted in my life! They scratched my wheels, did not do a good job with refinishing, and now want to give me two oil changes to make up for this??? Give me a break! Nissan Customer Service told me “It’s out of our hands since the dealerships are privately owned.” So it’s okay for dealerships to do whatever they want and Nissan Can’t do anything about it? Doesn’t a dealership represent Nissan? Isn’t there any standards enforced in order to bear the Nissan name? The Manager of Customer Service couldn’t respond to my questions. She suggested I take Nissan to small claims court.

My response: Well I wasn’t going to give up, so I wrote a letter to the Head Manager at the dealership. I stated the facts and gave a good argument why I should receive new wheels. He talked to his Vice President, and I got a call today… THE DEALERSHIP IS GIVING ME NEW WHEELS!!!

Now what? Well, I’m selling my wheels and tires now because I just recently purchased 19’s. Some ppl have asked me, why are you going through this when you got new wheels? This is the worst argument I’ve ever heard. It’s the damn principle! Dealerships should not get away with this kind of abuse. So a dealership can damage anything on your car and you should shrug it off because you’re willing to replace the part because of their negligence? Anyways, I’m happy now to sell my wheel/tire package. Most Z owners are very picky. I would have not felt comfortable selling re-finished wheels.

The letter:

This is the letter I wrote to the dealership:

Mr. -------

This is a formal letter of complaint regarding an unpleasant incident I experienced on 5/13/04. I have been very dissatisfied with my treatment when the fault was clearly at ****** Nissan. With this correspondence, I hope to come to a resolution for an incident that has not been resolved in two months.

In summary of my experience, I brought my Nissan 350z (Track Model) for a front wheel alignment and tire replacement in response to a TSB. Before I even left your dealership I spoke to Mike (Service Manager) and told him to PLEASE be careful not to scratch the wheels or damage the TPS. I know this kind of comment can be insulting to experienced service personnel, but I knew I should say something for my own piece of mind. Mike called me a few hours later and regretted to tell me that my front wheels were scratched during the alignment process. Mike informed me that the wheels would be outsourced for refinishing. I had absolutely no problem with that as long as they looked "factory." When I came to pick up the car, the wheels appeared to look fine, but upon further inspection at home, I noticed numerous dust specs/granulations throughout the ENTIRE finish. This is unacceptable to an individual who paid the premium for the track model Z. I also removed the front wheels and compared them to the back wheels and noticed the color was off. I immediately called Mike and after he talked to the refinisher, I received this response: “It’s the best they could do.” Mike even had me drive to the refinisher for their opinion. I was received with the same statement. Mike offered again to re-do the wheels when I called him on 7-6-04. I honestly do not know what the point is when the wheel refinisher does not even think they can be improved upon.

So what am I suggesting? I think the only resolution is for ******
Nissan to provide me with 2 NEW front wheels. When this was suggested to Mike, he said: “We can’t do that, those track (Ray Engineering) wheels are very expensive.”

I do not think that is my problem. Yes, they are expensive, but why should I now have substandard wheels because of the negligence of your service department? I find this to be a very black and white issue: ****** Nissan damaged my wheels, and since the refinishing was not adequate, new wheels are the only solution I find appropriate. Any other reputable dealership would not question this suggestion especially if they are at fault for damaging a customer’s vehicle.

One of the reasons I bought the track model was specifically for the wheels. Now I have wheels with mismatched paint and a low quality finish. Is this the type of work that is typical from ****** Nissan?

Up to this point, I have been very pleased with the service and hospitality at your dealership. I have recommended your dealership to fellow 350z owners. I am the owner/administrator of www.chicagoZ.com. I have even referred members of my site to your dealership prior to this incident. I feel it is now my responsibility to NOT recommend this dealership to others due to this dreadful experience. I have not mentioned this to anyone up to this point because I am hoping this problem can be resolved. I can assure you that other Z owners and myself will no longer utilize your dealership for repairs/sales, or anything for that matter. If the RIGHT thing is done, of course I will be back and hope to continue to do business with you, if not, I will take myself and influence in the Z community elsewhere. Please give me a call at your convenience and we can hopefully come to an FINAL agreement.

 

Nice - I like the letter. I'd glad the service manager did something about it. The wheels MSRP for $1500 EACH. I would say "hey, instead of forking of $3000 to Nissan, hook me up with $2000". Always pushing the envelope like the scammer I am.

 

Glad you're getting new wheels, I went through a similar ordeal. Funny how Nissan says they have no responsibility for what their dealerships do, yet you are only allowed to take your car to an "authorized Nissan dealer" for warranty work. They used the same crap to avoid having to buy my car back...claimed that their dealers don't know how to properly align a car, and Nissan is therefore not responsible for fixing the tire problems.

 

Wow, finally someone who can write a proper letter. That alone deserves props.

 

hey ya want to sell me your wheels cheap???

 

I'm selling the wheels/TPS/and tires. everything is MINT... see the private classifieds section of this site...