Caught the dealership abusing our 350z!
04-11-2006 | 03:33 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 53
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From: DC
Caught the dealership abusing our 350z!
Cliff notes: Dropped car off to get serviced for a service engine light, happened to see my car on a road test being driven ~100mph, they claim to have fixed a 'rough idle' that I never noticed or asked them to fix and now it idles worse than before. 
Long:
So I just got back from Victory Nissan in Gaithersburg and am upset to say the least about how our Z was treated……
This afternoon, my mom dropped off our Z because it was throwing a Service Engine light. I pulled the code, U1000 or 'Manufacturer Specific DTC', which according to the manual is a malfunction in the ECM lines. Originally the Slip, TCS off, and check engine lights came on at once, but the check engine stayed on. Regardless, it drove perfectly. I figured the problem worked itself out and the CES light just needed to be cleared
I was actually headed to Europro's which is almost right next door to pick up a towhook cover for my WRX since they put on my Jun bumper last week. I just stopped by Victory on the way just to say hi to my mom. As I pulled back onto Wisconsin Ave/MD355 in the WRX and came to a stop at the intersection, I noticed a black 350z pull out behind me. I remember thinking that it was cool because that car looked exactly like ours… but then saw the license plate and realized it was our car, out for a test drive.
As soon as the light went green the guy driving our Z NAILED it. I was like
. He didn't launch or anything but by the time we reached the second intersection he had gained at least 18 car lengths over the rest of traffic from that light. I was wondering if I was just reacting overprotectively since it was someone else driving our car but it was really a sight to see. The turn for EuroPro's came up but I decided to stay on 355 and follow him. He took it to around 90-100mph easy... on Wisconsin Ave with mid-afternoon traffic although there were only a few scattered cars in this particular stretch. 
I can’t imagine the speed limit even being more than 40-50mph with all the intersections. I was going about 80-85mph just to keep up and he was pulling away hard… I felt my own driving was pretty unsafe and I was just trying to keep up about 7-8 carlengths behind. When we got to a curve in the road he didn’t even slow down, I didn’t feel comfortable taking the turn at WOT so I hit the brakes even with my aftermarket suspension and Advan Neovas AD07 
. I went about 1 mile out of my way before he turned off and I pulled a U-turn to go back to the dealer ask the service manager why they felt the need to drive our car like that. When I called my mom to give her a heads up she was just as upset. After having words with the service guy about what happened I hear a 350z’s exhaust revving in the parking lot and sure enough our car was back…
I asked the guy whether he was done flogging the hell out of my car and he thought I was talking about all the revving, not even realizing I spotted him on the road. I didn’t rage out with his boss standing right there but I made it perfectly clear that we wouldn’t be back. 
I’m just posting to find out if they messed up my car and what I can do to fix it. They only had the car in their possession for about half an hour. They got rid of the service engine soon, but he told us the car was idling rough so he changed something that has to do with the idle. But after getting the car back it was much rougher than before. Can anyone help me find what they might have changed? Could I just reset the ECU or is there anything else I could do to get it back to factory settings (and how do I do that)? I’ve heard of stories in the past of dealers doing stuff to mess up cars just so they’d come back to have work done… I’m not sure if this was the case but it’s definitely worse than when I dropped it off. And could his actions be justified in any way? I know when TurboXS tunes WRX’s they run the cars hard on a road tune but they have to since they’re tuning… checking to make sure there isn’t knock or any other problems in extreme driving conditions. I didn’t even see the need for a test drive but they claimed they had to take it on a drive to make sure the CEL wouldn’t come on.
As KamikaZe said earlier this just goes to show don’t trust anybody with your car… this experience has really turned me off on getting anything done under warranty, I’d think I’d rather pay someone I know and trust.
Long:
So I just got back from Victory Nissan in Gaithersburg and am upset to say the least about how our Z was treated……
This afternoon, my mom dropped off our Z because it was throwing a Service Engine light. I pulled the code, U1000 or 'Manufacturer Specific DTC', which according to the manual is a malfunction in the ECM lines. Originally the Slip, TCS off, and check engine lights came on at once, but the check engine stayed on. Regardless, it drove perfectly. I figured the problem worked itself out and the CES light just needed to be cleared
I was actually headed to Europro's which is almost right next door to pick up a towhook cover for my WRX since they put on my Jun bumper last week. I just stopped by Victory on the way just to say hi to my mom. As I pulled back onto Wisconsin Ave/MD355 in the WRX and came to a stop at the intersection, I noticed a black 350z pull out behind me. I remember thinking that it was cool because that car looked exactly like ours… but then saw the license plate and realized it was our car, out for a test drive.
As soon as the light went green the guy driving our Z NAILED it. I was like
. He didn't launch or anything but by the time we reached the second intersection he had gained at least 18 car lengths over the rest of traffic from that light. I was wondering if I was just reacting overprotectively since it was someone else driving our car but it was really a sight to see. The turn for EuroPro's came up but I decided to stay on 355 and follow him. He took it to around 90-100mph easy... on Wisconsin Ave with mid-afternoon traffic although there were only a few scattered cars in this particular stretch. I can’t imagine the speed limit even being more than 40-50mph with all the intersections. I was going about 80-85mph just to keep up and he was pulling away hard… I felt my own driving was pretty unsafe and I was just trying to keep up about 7-8 carlengths behind. When we got to a curve in the road he didn’t even slow down, I didn’t feel comfortable taking the turn at WOT so I hit the brakes even with my aftermarket suspension and Advan Neovas AD07 . I went about 1 mile out of my way before he turned off and I pulled a U-turn to go back to the dealer ask the service manager why they felt the need to drive our car like that. When I called my mom to give her a heads up she was just as upset. After having words with the service guy about what happened I hear a 350z’s exhaust revving in the parking lot and sure enough our car was back… I asked the guy whether he was done flogging the hell out of my car and he thought I was talking about all the revving, not even realizing I spotted him on the road. I didn’t rage out with his boss standing right there but I made it perfectly clear that we wouldn’t be back. I’m just posting to find out if they messed up my car and what I can do to fix it. They only had the car in their possession for about half an hour. They got rid of the service engine soon, but he told us the car was idling rough so he changed something that has to do with the idle. But after getting the car back it was much rougher than before. Can anyone help me find what they might have changed? Could I just reset the ECU or is there anything else I could do to get it back to factory settings (and how do I do that)? I’ve heard of stories in the past of dealers doing stuff to mess up cars just so they’d come back to have work done… I’m not sure if this was the case but it’s definitely worse than when I dropped it off. And could his actions be justified in any way? I know when TurboXS tunes WRX’s they run the cars hard on a road tune but they have to since they’re tuning… checking to make sure there isn’t knock or any other problems in extreme driving conditions. I didn’t even see the need for a test drive but they claimed they had to take it on a drive to make sure the CEL wouldn’t come on.
As KamikaZe said earlier this just goes to show don’t trust anybody with your car… this experience has really turned me off on getting anything done under warranty, I’d think I’d rather pay someone I know and trust.
04-11-2006 | 03:43 PM
#2
Doh..well I won't be taking my car to them any time soon. I go to DARCARS..but with all these stealerships...its hard to find a trust worthy one.
Sucks they drove your car hard, but I don't think they did any damage..its a Z..its meant to be driven.
Sucks they drove your car hard, but I don't think they did any damage..its a Z..its meant to be driven.
04-11-2006 | 03:49 PM
#3
well at least u know how to fix a rough idle...
:/......
i hate it when someone i dont know drives my car...
but that would just kill me... i'd spazz out like
right infront of the dealer owner and just f*cking own the guy to get his *** fired...
:/......
i hate it when someone i dont know drives my car...
but that would just kill me... i'd spazz out like
right infront of the dealer owner and just f*cking own the guy to get his *** fired...
04-11-2006 | 04:32 PM
#6
Originally Posted by tochigi350z
Cliff notes: Dropped car off to get serviced for a service engine light, happened to see my car on a road test being driven ~100mph, they claim to have fixed a 'rough idle' that I never noticed or asked them to fix and now it idles worse than before.
Long:
So I just got back from Victory Nissan in Gaithersburg and am upset to say the least about how our Z was treated……
This afternoon, my mom dropped off our Z because it was throwing a Service Engine light. I pulled the code, U1000 or 'Manufacturer Specific DTC', which according to the manual is a malfunction in the ECM lines. Originally the Slip, TCS off, and check engine lights came on at once, but the check engine stayed on. Regardless, it drove perfectly. I figured the problem worked itself out and the CES light just needed to be cleared
I was actually headed to Europro's which is almost right next door to pick up a towhook cover for my WRX since they put on my Jun bumper last week. I just stopped by Victory on the way just to say hi to my mom. As I pulled back onto Wisconsin Ave/MD355 in the WRX and came to a stop at the intersection, I noticed a black 350z pull out behind me. I remember thinking that it was cool because that car looked exactly like ours… but then saw the license plate and realized it was our car, out for a test drive.
As soon as the light went green the guy driving our Z NAILED it. I was like . He didn't launch or anything but by the time we reached the second intersection he had gained at least 18 car lengths over the rest of traffic from that light. I was wondering if I was just reacting overprotectively since it was someone else driving our car but it was really a sight to see. The turn for EuroPro's came up but I decided to stay on 355 and follow him. He took it to around 90-100mph easy... on Wisconsin Ave with mid-afternoon traffic although there were only a few scattered cars in this particular stretch. I can’t imagine the speed limit even being more than 40-50mph with all the intersections. I was going about 80-85mph just to keep up and he was pulling away hard… I felt my own driving was pretty unsafe and I was just trying to keep up about 7-8 carlengths behind. When we got to a curve in the road he didn’t even slow down, I didn’t feel comfortable taking the turn at WOT so I hit the brakes even with my aftermarket suspension and Advan Neovas AD07 . I went about 1 mile out of my way before he turned off and I pulled a U-turn to go back to the dealer ask the service manager why they felt the need to drive our car like that. When I called my mom to give her a heads up she was just as upset. After having words with the service guy about what happened I hear a 350z’s exhaust revving in the parking lot and sure enough our car was back… I asked the guy whether he was done flogging the hell out of my car and he thought I was talking about all the revving, not even realizing I spotted him on the road. I didn’t rage out with his boss standing right there but I made it perfectly clear that we wouldn’t be back.
I’m just posting to find out if they messed up my car and what I can do to fix it. They only had the car in their possession for about half an hour. They got rid of the service engine soon, but he told us the car was idling rough so he changed something that has to do with the idle. But after getting the car back it was much rougher than before. Can anyone help me find what they might have changed? Could I just reset the ECU or is there anything else I could do to get it back to factory settings (and how do I do that)? I’ve heard of stories in the past of dealers doing stuff to mess up cars just so they’d come back to have work done… I’m not sure if this was the case but it’s definitely worse than when I dropped it off. And could his actions be justified in any way? I know when TurboXS tunes WRX’s they run the cars hard on a road tune but they have to since they’re tuning… checking to make sure there isn’t knock or any other problems in extreme driving conditions. I didn’t even see the need for a test drive but they claimed they had to take it on a drive to make sure the CEL wouldn’t come on.
As KamikaZe said earlier this just goes to show don’t trust anybody with your car… this experience has really turned me off on getting anything done under warranty, I’d think I’d rather pay someone I know and trust.
Long:
So I just got back from Victory Nissan in Gaithersburg and am upset to say the least about how our Z was treated……
This afternoon, my mom dropped off our Z because it was throwing a Service Engine light. I pulled the code, U1000 or 'Manufacturer Specific DTC', which according to the manual is a malfunction in the ECM lines. Originally the Slip, TCS off, and check engine lights came on at once, but the check engine stayed on. Regardless, it drove perfectly. I figured the problem worked itself out and the CES light just needed to be cleared
I was actually headed to Europro's which is almost right next door to pick up a towhook cover for my WRX since they put on my Jun bumper last week. I just stopped by Victory on the way just to say hi to my mom. As I pulled back onto Wisconsin Ave/MD355 in the WRX and came to a stop at the intersection, I noticed a black 350z pull out behind me. I remember thinking that it was cool because that car looked exactly like ours… but then saw the license plate and realized it was our car, out for a test drive.
As soon as the light went green the guy driving our Z NAILED it. I was like
. He didn't launch or anything but by the time we reached the second intersection he had gained at least 18 car lengths over the rest of traffic from that light. I was wondering if I was just reacting overprotectively since it was someone else driving our car but it was really a sight to see. The turn for EuroPro's came up but I decided to stay on 355 and follow him. He took it to around 90-100mph easy... on Wisconsin Ave with mid-afternoon traffic although there were only a few scattered cars in this particular stretch. I can’t imagine the speed limit even being more than 40-50mph with all the intersections. I was going about 80-85mph just to keep up and he was pulling away hard… I felt my own driving was pretty unsafe and I was just trying to keep up about 7-8 carlengths behind. When we got to a curve in the road he didn’t even slow down, I didn’t feel comfortable taking the turn at WOT so I hit the brakes even with my aftermarket suspension and Advan Neovas AD07 . I went about 1 mile out of my way before he turned off and I pulled a U-turn to go back to the dealer ask the service manager why they felt the need to drive our car like that. When I called my mom to give her a heads up she was just as upset. After having words with the service guy about what happened I hear a 350z’s exhaust revving in the parking lot and sure enough our car was back… I asked the guy whether he was done flogging the hell out of my car and he thought I was talking about all the revving, not even realizing I spotted him on the road. I didn’t rage out with his boss standing right there but I made it perfectly clear that we wouldn’t be back. I’m just posting to find out if they messed up my car and what I can do to fix it. They only had the car in their possession for about half an hour. They got rid of the service engine soon, but he told us the car was idling rough so he changed something that has to do with the idle. But after getting the car back it was much rougher than before. Can anyone help me find what they might have changed? Could I just reset the ECU or is there anything else I could do to get it back to factory settings (and how do I do that)? I’ve heard of stories in the past of dealers doing stuff to mess up cars just so they’d come back to have work done… I’m not sure if this was the case but it’s definitely worse than when I dropped it off. And could his actions be justified in any way? I know when TurboXS tunes WRX’s they run the cars hard on a road tune but they have to since they’re tuning… checking to make sure there isn’t knock or any other problems in extreme driving conditions. I didn’t even see the need for a test drive but they claimed they had to take it on a drive to make sure the CEL wouldn’t come on.
As KamikaZe said earlier this just goes to show don’t trust anybody with your car… this experience has really turned me off on getting anything done under warranty, I’d think I’d rather pay someone I know and trust.
man im sorry to hear that! i work at victory in richmond and i feel like an *** even being associated with those guys. i appologize which i know really does nothing for you im sure. but what they did with your car was wrong, very wrong!
as for their comment about needing to drive it to check for the light? well thats crap too, as it ususlly takes about 50-100 miles to kick a light back on after being reset.
again im sorry about your experiance and i hope you dont think all of the stores in the victory chain are the same
04-11-2006 | 06:43 PM
#7
my ex gf used to work at EuroPros, those guys there are pretty cool. anyways, sorry to hear that, that's such bull****. i wouldn't be able to keep my cool, i'd probably kick the **** out of the guy as soon as he stepped out of the car.
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04-11-2006 | 08:47 PM
#12
Registered User
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 179
Likes: 0
From: Sacramento
Originally Posted by S TWO K
Call the DSM, ask for a meeting. This has probably happened before, they just got caught this time.
You have to look at this as...
He took a huge risk with your car. He was endangering peoples lives. He shouldn't have even driven your car. He abused your car. ON THE JOB.
You need to hold him accountable. He probably does this all the time and just has never gotten caught. And don't take **** from service managers either, they will just side with the tech to shut you up. Take it to the highest level and demand that action be taken.
Tell them you expect to have free oil changes for 6 months, and action be taken against the employee.
I would be so furious, just reading that I want to punch someone. Honestly don't let this bastard go, get him, get him good for deflowering your BABY. POOR CAR!!!!
Edit: PS. Get your mom and dad involved asap.
04-11-2006 | 10:08 PM
#14
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
From: DC
Originally Posted by John@Victory
man im sorry to hear that! i work at victory in richmond and i feel like an *** even being associated with those guys. i appologize which i know really does nothing for you im sure. but what they did with your car was wrong, very wrong!
as for their comment about needing to drive it to check for the light? well thats crap too, as it ususlly takes about 50-100 miles to kick a light back on after being reset.
again im sorry about your experiance and i hope you dont think all of the stores in the victory chain are the same
as for their comment about needing to drive it to check for the light? well thats crap too, as it ususlly takes about 50-100 miles to kick a light back on after being reset.
again im sorry about your experiance and i hope you dont think all of the stores in the victory chain are the same
Yeah to be sure this is Gaithersburg Victory that I had the problem with... I don't hold it against your dealership or any others. I wouldn't even hold it against this dealership had it not been for other super-shady stuff I saw in the half hour I was there...
Like originally bringing a salesperson in with the service guy to try and convince my mom that she needs a new car (no idea what they thought Nissan sells that could replace a Z
)... Watching them argue with some poor family over whether or not their problem was covered under warranty even though they had bumper to bumper coverage, and making fun of them after they left... And trying to blame the original ECM code/malfunction on an improper ground on the Lojack 
aka the only aftermarket part on the car that wouldn't be under warranty (and they installed it originally... )Would clearing the ECU bring the 'idle' data back to the factory settings? That's my main concern since tampering with the idle was the only thing that they changed afaik apart from clearing the code.
Thanks for some of the advice on what to do... just a crappy situation that I never asked for.
What really sucks is this could have happened to LOTS of people and you just never know... just his bad luck I happened to be passing by when I did.
Last edited by tochigi350z; 04-11-2006 at 10:15 PM.
04-11-2006 | 10:10 PM
#15
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
From: DC
Originally Posted by philude
my ex gf used to work at EuroPros, those guys there are pretty cool. anyways, sorry to hear that, that's such bull****. i wouldn't be able to keep my cool, i'd probably kick the **** out of the guy as soon as he stepped out of the car.
. They've done the bodywork on a handful of local Z's w/ full kits too
04-12-2006 | 02:31 AM
#16
Originally Posted by tochigi350z
Yeah to be sure this is Gaithersburg Victory that I had the problem with... I don't hold it against your dealership or any others. I wouldn't even hold it against this dealership had it not been for other super-shady stuff I saw in the half hour I was there...
Like originally bringing a salesperson in with the service guy to try and convince my mom that she needs a new car (no idea what they thought Nissan sells that could replace a Z )... Watching them argue with some poor family over whether or not their problem was covered under warranty even though they had bumper to bumper coverage, and making fun of them after they left... And trying to blame the original ECM code/malfunction on an improper ground on the Lojack aka the only aftermarket part on the car that wouldn't be under warranty (and they installed it originally... )
Would clearing the ECU bring the 'idle' data back to the factory settings? That's my main concern since tampering with the idle was the only thing that they changed afaik apart from clearing the code.
Thanks for some of the advice on what to do... just a crappy situation that I never asked for. What really sucks is this could have happened to LOTS of people and you just never know... just his bad luck I happened to be passing by when I did.
Like originally bringing a salesperson in with the service guy to try and convince my mom that she needs a new car (no idea what they thought Nissan sells that could replace a Z
)... Watching them argue with some poor family over whether or not their problem was covered under warranty even though they had bumper to bumper coverage, and making fun of them after they left... And trying to blame the original ECM code/malfunction on an improper ground on the Lojack aka the only aftermarket part on the car that wouldn't be under warranty (and they installed it originally... )Would clearing the ECU bring the 'idle' data back to the factory settings? That's my main concern since tampering with the idle was the only thing that they changed afaik apart from clearing the code.
Thanks for some of the advice on what to do... just a crappy situation that I never asked for.
What really sucks is this could have happened to LOTS of people and you just never know... just his bad luck I happened to be passing by when I did.
04-12-2006 | 04:39 AM
#19
I'm not going to be back to work till Saturday at the earliest as my grandmother is in ICU fighting cancer and i dont have anyone to sit with her till the weekend. but i will forward it alog sooner or later. but there are probobly faster ways to handle this waiting for me.
04-12-2006 | 05:24 AM
#20
Originally Posted by John@Victory
I'm not going to be back to work till Saturday at the earliest as my grandmother is in ICU fighting cancer and i dont have anyone to sit with her till the weekend. but i will forward it alog sooner or later. but there are probobly faster ways to handle this waiting for me.