Vitamin Z

iTrader: (1)

OK! I’m about done with Gwinnett Place Nissan Service Department.
In total my Z spent 5 days at the dealer and so far I’ve only gained more problems then solutions.
A new transmission was ordered for me (reason: noise from the engine bay if the clutch pedal is not pressed) and arrived last week. Also the part for the window streak problem on the passenger side was ordered and also arrived at the same time. Since I had Monday and Tuesdays off, I thought it would be a good time for me to get my car fixed. I left my vehicle at Gwinnett Place Nissan (GPN) early in the morning and was promised that it would be ready the next day. Meanwhile I got a rental, paid by GPN, of compact Dodge Neon (!) from Enterprise. The next day around 5 pm I decided to give GPN a call, as I have not heard anything from them all day, to see if my car was ready. I was told that they had some problems with time and techs but it would be ready tomorrow. On Wednesday around 4pm I decided to give GPN a call, as I have not heard anything from them all day, to see if my car was ready. I was told a story about a new tech who just completed his training for a transmission work and an old authorized transmission tech and their confusion on who is going to do what, or something along this lines. I was also told that there is another car that is having a tranny swap so my car will most likely not be ready until tomorrow. As I’m a pretty patient man and also thinking that the transmission job for a new 350Z might be complicated and can take a while (although I’ve done a transmission swap before on the 1985 Mitsubishi Starion with my friend in under 3 hours ) I’ve decided to wait on more day (I did not have much choice anyway as I wanted a problem free car). On the way back from work my rental car began to overheat and I spend a total of 2 ½ hours getting home, but it’s a different story. On Thursday I got a new rental because the old one was no longer drivable. Around noon I’ve received a call from the service advisor stating that my car was ready. The transmission swap went through fine and my window mechanism was also replaced with out any problems. My car was ready to be picked up. Since I new I had to drop off my rental car before 6pm (the closing time for enterprise) I left my work early but got stock in traffic jam so I had to call enterprise and let them now that I would be late. I was told that I can simply leave the car at the dealership and they will take car of the rest. When I arrived to the GPN, around 6:15pm, I met with my service advisor once again. Was told that my car is ready to go and that when the Nissan review of the service will arrive I should give them an all excellent marks unless I’m not satisfied in which case I should let him know immediately and he will take care of what ever concerns I might have. Seeing how long it took for them to finish the job on my car and the lack of basic costumer service (I only received 1 call and 2 call backs) I was fairly surprised by the request. I also found out that that the time listed in the flat rate manual for a transmission swap is 2.9 hours not 8 hours as I was told, but being a nice guy I am, I assured him that I will do just that and preceded to leave the dealership. On the way back home I noticed that the shifting was kind of rough for 1st and 3rd gears. Also when I arrived home there was a white smoke rising from my engine bay. I immediately called my service advisor and was told that it is probably a transmission fluid burning off of my new transmission. While I was taking on the phone I opened my passenger door and noticed that my window will not go down immediate as it is suppose to but would hesitate for half of a second just enough time to the hit car frame . The gap between the window and the side of the car was also noticeably bigger then on the driver side. Basically it is not aligned. properly. I informed my advisor of this problem and was told that it is not a big deal, but my window just needs an adjustment and it is a quick fix. To which I responded that it might be a quick fix for them to do but I somehow need to get my car back to the dealership as would not have time to go to the dealership on Friday or Saturday because I had to work on those days. My advisor was a bit confused on how we can get the car to GPN at which time I asked him if I could drop it off right now and if my rental is still there? We agreed that I will get the rental car back, leave my car at the dealership and give the keys to a receptionist because the service department closes at 6:30pm. I did just that and on Friday approximately at 9 am I received a call from the dealership stating that my car is picked up and they are looking at the window problem and the smoking problem. I asked them to take a look at my shifting difficulty as I was concerned about it. At 4pm I got a call and was told that my car is ready, the smoke was just a fluid burning off of the transmission and the window is fixed. They did not find any problems with the shifter. When I picked up my car (around 8pm) the service department was already closed so I did not check if the window was fixed at that time because there was no one who could help me as far as technical service. Plus to check the tranny I had to drive it. As far as the window, it really did not even crossed my mind to double check it as it was one of the reasons I brought the car back and I was explicitly told that the fix is very quick and as a matter of fact they did fix this problem. While driving home I’ve noticed that the shifting was much better and there was no smoke coming out. As soon as I got home I opened the door and was surprised to the noise coming from the engine bay. It is the same noise that concerned me in the first place and the main reason I took the car to the dealership. I also opened a passenger door to get something form the glove compartment. To my surprise (actually, at this point I was not surprised much) the window hesitated and hit the top. The problem was not fixed. The gap between on the side was still noticeably bigger. So now I’m pretty much at the square one. Actually, right now I have more problems because I have no way to verify if the window streaking problem was fixed because my windows are tinted and I would not know until I change the tint.

I’m planning on calling the service manager at the Gwinnett Place and complain. I’m also thinking about writing a letter of complained to the owner (something along the lines of the above piece) as I do not have his phone number.
Does anybody now of any good dealerships in Atlanta area? I’m sick and tired of dealing with Gwinnett.

z-rexxx

Dude that really sux...I had sim probs with a car like that before it seems to me dealerships always do that..so what I did was I either fixed it myself or I went a local automotive place and got to know the mechanics...now I have a close relationship with them and I will be taking my Z there for all the work..if I cant do it myself. If I were you I, Id write the letter anyway maybe then you can draw attention from the head folks and get what you need quicker. Somtimes lighting a fire under there *** can get things moving. Good luck

poweraddict

I love Team Nissan, they are awesome.

I went to town center nissan, and they wouldnt even let me test drive a car. I got ignored both visits to town center nissan, no one offered to help me, and when I asked for help, they acted like I couldn't afford one and I was wasting their time.

I went to Team Nissan, and they treated me great from the beginning. Found my car, because they didnt have a silver one on the lot, and that was it.

Vitamin Z

iTrader: (1)

Well, I'd like to do that but for complicated stuff like a tranny swap I'd rather have a dealer do is so the warranty is not voided.

Vitamin Z

iTrader: (1)

I really don't have a problem with their sales department. As a matter of fact I hade a great experience buying my Z from them. However, once it gets to the service department everything starts going down the hill.

My letter is almost ready. I'm going to find out the owners address this week and mail it to him. We'll see what happens after that.

z-rexxx

I went to a local dealership down here and it was the same way. They acted like I was wasting there time. I wanted to test drive a car and they wouldnt even let me do that. I got really agravated how can I buy a car I havent tested. Where is this team nissan @. Im alittle south of you guys, around Macon. Oh well as for as the warranty your right taking it and doing a tranny swap is somthing you might want the dealership doing now that I think about it. It just stinks that the time and resolve stunk. Have you gotten it fixed ..the window?If you were to get someone else to do it...heck paying for it done right might be worth it, or does it void the entire warranty? anyway good luck

poweraddict

Its in Marietta off 41 near Dobbins Air Force base and the big chicken.