Lets just say I am very upset right now as how Performance Nissan is handling my situation. But lets start from the beginning.

I took my car to Performance Nissan today (January 17, 2004 at 8:00am) The reason I took it there is because I have done business transactions with Jason and also because I know Jeff. Not only that, I have also heard positive feedback from members on this forum. I figured, why not give them the business when they have first hand knowledge on performance parts and are active members here in the community. I had already contacted Jeff about my problems, the infamous 3rd gear grind, the axle bearing clicks and of course who can forget the window streak grease. So I arrive there 8:00 sharp and the service consultant J.D. Cardenas helps me out very friendly to say the least. I explained my problem I told him BE CAREFUL WITH MY SIDE SKIRTS AND RIMS!! I just got them about 2 weeks ago, and I had 3 shops already crack my side skirts because my car was to low. Also, please thoroughly inspect my car for any scratches or dings it is flawless! My car is not a daily driver, it is over 2 years old and just hit 11,000 miles. So I wanted to make sure he understood if their was any damage that they would be held accountable. Anyhow we got off on the right foot made his service tag and told me he would call me around 1:00pm. Sounds fair, went off to do my daily activities...


2:00pm shows up, no phone call yet. Well, maybe I should call him to see what's going on. I call Performance Nissan and sure enough he had some news for me. He lets me know the window problem has been taken care of and that the axle bearings needed to get replaced but he had to charge me $165.00 dollars? And that my car would be done by 4:00pm today. So I asked, why do I have to pay $165.00? He said because I had an aftermarket brake system. "uhh, Ok..." I replied, "brakes are brakes" I said? His reply "Well, our techs are trained for OEM engineered parts and altering the OEM specs are a bit different and that's why we need to charge that extra fee." I said "Let me speak to Jeff!" (I didn't want to deal with someone who has little power). I was on hold for about 3 minutes when J.D. picks up the phone again and say's "Ok, we can do it but we can't be held liable if we scratch the brakes or if something goes wrong with the braking system". ( I Guess Jeff set him straight). I said "Its understandable, but their should be no reason why I should have a "scratched" brake system if you guys take care in the installation". He said "Well, they are oversized and we just dont know something can happen". I told him "Ok, its understandable but my wheels BETTER NOT BE SCREWED UP or BODY KIT!" Just had to re assure that. At this point Im thinking WHAT THE HELL!! This is coming from a company who sells aftermarket products AND INSTALL's them on people's car, to tell me in other words that their techs are not qualified to do the job, or may not understand the engineering portion aside from OEM is ********! I appreciate Jeff for stepping up and saying something (dont know what, but it got the job done!)

So than I ask, "what about my transmission?" He states that the tech couldn't replicate the problem and couldn't find anything. So I said "well, something is going on because EVERYTIME I drive my car my third gear grinds within the time period I drive it and let me tell you that I have had MANY manual transmission cars, actually this is like my 8th car and NEVER had any problems with it. I know about 5 personal members and of course all you message forum people that have had this problem, wel all know Nissan has revised this thing about 7 times if not more. "Well, my tech couldn't find anything" Well, drive the car again... You know it does it A LOT in the cold specially at start up, when the car is driven off first 15min." He than said "Well, your going to have to leave it overnight so that we try it in the morning and see if we can get it to do it?" I kindly said, "That's fine, no problem"

So at this point of course im upset the car is gone and wont be here overnight. This is where the PLOT THICKENS...


8:30pm I get a phone call


J.D: Hey what's up Man this is JD

ME: Hey what's going on?

J.D: Nothing much, I just had a question to ask you before we do anything. And I wanted to get your permission.

ME:Ok??

J.D: Well, since the tech didn't find the problem I was wondering if I could drive your car to my house, that way I can see if I can replicate this problem and most likely we can order you a transmission.

ME: (THINKING IN MY HEAD IS THIS GUY ON CRACK) Uh... Where do you live? (giving him hope)

J.D: Rancho Cucamonga

ME: LOL!! How do you expect to get my third gear to grind when you will be driving on the freeway all the time?

J.D: I could take baseline all the way home (side streets)

ME: I don't see why you would need to drive my car so far to get a problem that shows up right away within a few miles, it doesn't make sense? (Rancho is about 30 miles away from Nissan so it would be a 60mile trip, plus the miles he decides to put extra for joyriding my car)

J.D:Well, im just letting you know if my techs dont find anything tomorrow than we can't do anything...

MeAt this point I am furious) Let me tell you something, my car has a transmission problem! I HATE DEALERSHIPS! I do all of my installations myself, I hate the fact that other people have to touch my car, as you can see I am very **** about my car so the last thing I WOULD WANT is someone changing the transmission on my car. I have had this problem for such a long time OVER 1 YEAR!! I have just waited it out, I know I need a new transmission 3 other Z members from this message forum have driven my car and they also have got the grind on my car so its obviously not my driving style their is a problem. I have one of the first Z's probably tranny number 001 You and I know this has been a BIG issue with Nissan and they already revised it about 8 times. It is very surprising that you guys can't feel the notch but out of the 3 members on this forum plus others can feel it?

J.D: Well, thats why its better if I take it home so that I can see if I can replicate this problem. (Still trying)

ME: No, their is no need to.

J.D: Well, if its about the gas or anything I can top it off so you don't have to worry about that (WTF? Is this guy foreal? I have never experienced such a thing this guy really wants to take my car home... What if something happens? Theft, accident, or who's to say how he would drive MY CAR? this is very unprofessional!!

ME: Its not about the gas I just dont see why YOU would have to drive my car. (since when did he become a certified tech?)

JD: Because it would be easier that way, because if tomorrow he doesn't find anything than we cant do anything.

ME: NO NO NO, you will do something because if I get my car back and its still grinding I will bring it right back and contact my attorney and I will get my transmission fixed. (GUYS, and I am not bluffing I know the best attorney's and as a matter a fact if this problem gets thick I will just have him call them immediately! I am the LAST person you want to mess with)

J.D: Well, how many miles would you like the tech to drive the car?

ME: Max 15 miles it doesnt take that long to notice the problem?

He still continued trying to somehow get to convince me to take my car home... I am disgusted at the way Performance Nissan is handling this. And before I even decided to make this public (maybe I thought I was over reacting) I called my dad, sister, friends and they were like "WTF, you better complain this is ********, you should have not left your car there" So I know I am not in the wrong. I know that Performance Nissan's reputation is HIGHLY admirable here but I am not very pleased right now. And If tomorrow I have more than 20miles on my car HELL IS GONNA BRAKE LOOSE!! oh and my car better not even have a hairline scratch or anything. This is obscured, does NISSAN accept the liability if something were to happen to my car? Is this the type of professionalism dealerships are doing letting employee's take the cars home? I will call them tomorrow to find out more what happens.. I'll keep you guys posted.

 

Take your car home what kind of BS crap is that......I never heard of this before that is bullcrap.....Oh AND I WANT MY RADIATOR COOLING PLATE BACK!!!!!!!!! You have had it enough time already either that or replace mine from STRICTLY Z....

 

That is messed up! Give me a break! Wicked you have every right to feel exactly how you feel. Very glad you brought this up because this is a very important card. Let us know what happens. BTW I should be getting my a check from the insurance company this week.

 

Very unprofessional; shoulda had jas or jeff handle it directly.

 

That sounds very sketchy from a reputable company. I've never dealt with them but I hear nothing but positive things from Jason over there.

 

That is wack, i cant beleive that they would treat any customer like that especially a board memeber, and if they sell these aftermarket parts and charge a grip to install them how could he say they might scratch something and then want to take this guys car home? i think someone needs to step up here and take care of this whole mess.... this is really rediculous!

P.S. I have driven wickeds car and it does have a grind and it is really bad! i have had my trannys replaced 3 times because of the same problem he is having its a very common flaw in these cars and i cant beleive this guy is threanting not to cover it just because he wants to joy ride his car!

 

Thanks guys for the response, again I have nothing against Jason or Jeff. As a matter a fact, I have nothing but good to say about these 2 individuals. If it wasn't for Jeff, they would have tried to tax me $165.00

I just wanted to say that there are several reasons why I posted this on a public forum. One because I want proof documentation on a LIVE forum for potential future references. I just want to get to the bottom of this, I want to know whos idea this was? I felt J.D. was trying to bribe me into letting him drive my car home and he can assure me that a transmission will be ordered. I don't take kickdowns and I don't need to get bribed on something that is already there (the problem). This is what upset me the most, in the way he tried to finagle his words in telling me pretty much taking the car would almost get me a tranny but if it wasnt going to be that way than no guarantee. A lot of people are SHOCKED, to hear this and again specially from a reputable company like Performance Nissan. I mean, I didn't drive an 30 extra miles to get treated like this? I have a Nissan dealership close to me... I choose them for a reason, and at the same token I took my other car and had my Uncle drive it so he can give me a ride home. I didn't ask Nissan to give me a rental for the inconvenience, I wasn't going out of reason, I was prepared and just wanted to take care of my problems... Now you see why I HATE DEALERSHIPS!!

 

Disclaimer: I don't work for Nissan Performance.

As of the 2 service I had with them, and purchasing my Z from them, they convey to me a friendly professional manner. I don't really know my current service rep to a real personal level, but I'm working on that part.

Because I don't have every single fact of the story, I'll make a few comments.

I do not know how long J.D. has worked for Performance, perhaps he's new and still learning the policies that Performance has. J.D. might have been to other dealerships and using their rules for warranty work and doesn't know that Performance works under a more relaxed system on warranties. Perhaps he did a rookie's mistake and deserves some slack. On the other hand, he may be expereinced and should have known better and get flamed on this post and you have every reason to be upset.

On him asking for your car to incur 60 miles is quite alot to ask for. I myself would freak out initially. However, if you really think about this............. What happens if he's REALLY trying to help you get a new tranny replaced under warranty?

At this type of situation, you want to make a compromise. If J.D. is able to get ONE grind on 3rd gear, will he be able to get you a new tranny no further questions asked? In perspective, if he is able to get 1 3rd gear grind, you'll end up with a new tranny on 11,000 miles (I would obviously think they'll give you the most up to date 05 specs for the tranny). Now you have to weigh your options, 60 miles is alot to ask for, but chances are J.D. should get 1 3rd gear grind (since L.A. traffic sucks, he should get plenty of 1, 2, 3 gear shifts in).

I'm sure your probably paticular no one touches your car and have your own rules, so I'm sure the tech should be able to reproduce the problem in 15 miles on a cold run.

Now for the liability part, you could have asked J.D. to send you a signed statement any damage caused to your car is covered by Nissan Performance. I believe dealerships are liable for any damages in the first place already.

Because this is your first time visiting Nissan Performance, I can understand that you don't know everyone personally there and suspicious or certain actions. In addition, all the postive feedback on this forums does kinda creates a halo glow on Nissan Performance. However, sometimes if you get to know the dealership, it can go a long way and smooth things out in the long run.

Yes there is bad dealerships, but sometimes the first impression doesn't always work out. A few services and warranty issues with repeated resistance is a good indicator to move on.

I have worked with other service reps from other car manufactures and knowing them to a personal level really does help the warranty situations out ALOT.

In any case, hope you get your warranty work completed to your satisfaction.

 

Are you for real?!

Did you even bother to read the first paragraph where it states that he knows performance nissan very well and does business with them? I think its ridiculous that this guy J.D. is trying to milk him out of taking his car home when

1. Hes not a tech and his opinion would be just as valid and the customers

2. If he really wanted to "help him out" he would just cover as it is a very common problem and i have had people there cover it no questions asked ( im on my 3rd transmission )

This doesnt seem like a rookie mistake to try and take someones car home, i bet if it was completely stock like mine was when i took it in to the dealership they wouldnt be asking to take it home on a joy ride.

another thing that frustrates me is him trying to get an additional $165.00 for the axles bearings because it has a big brake kit which they sell and install!! so there techs should be very familiar with it!

I am more surprised than anyone as i have had nothing but good expeiances with performance nissan!

 

Im sure they will make it right. last year i took my car to performance nissan for some mods and as they were pulling my car on rack the tech cracked my rim. Mind you i just bought my rims a week before(19 inch cpf tuner)the rim cost $800+ at the time.i was furious but jeff made it right,they bought a new rim for my car and even bought me lunch and gave me some nismo caps.Just talk jeff and jason and they can talk to javier who is the head honcho for the service department.


p.s. there is a reason performance nissan has a cpf tuner on display.If anyone ever visits check out the crack on lip hahahhaa

 

I don't feel that I need to know service reps on a personal level for them to take my car home and order a new tranny... This is a business and the consumer should be taken care of plain and simple. I dont think I am asking for much, I am not asking for anything just fix my problems move on have a nice day... Whats hard about that? Its not like im trying to get something out of them, its a warranty item that NISSAN pays for them to fix... Check my Tranny number, its an early model. But I guess we will see what happens.

 

I did read your first paragraph, I was refering to the service rep, not Jeff or Jason.

In any case, keep us posted, I would like to hear your outcome. It's certainly caught my attention.

 

I feel your pain. This guy was way out of line!

 

you should offer to drive the car with JD in it to demonstrate the grind. Go on as long a trip as is required.

 

WTF!!!!!! This is the first I heard anything about your car!!!!! I will look into this right now!!!! Some WILL be fired today!!!! I'll be back to you all here soon.

 

I have taken my car to performance under the recommendation of fellow forum members. This is when my tranny was grinding BAD so I left it with them not once, but twice over the same week. I had three guys drive my car including the service manager, had three different opinions on what it actually was and they all said it was NORMAL!!!! Shortly afterwards, I brought my car to a dealership in South OC under the recommendation of Ed (SKAR), they drove it once, and replaced my tranny. As far as Im concerned, Performance Nissan is an over touted, unprofessional delaership whose right hand doesnt know what thier left hand is doing. I will never take my car back there again because I actually like to be taken seriously when I have a genuine problem. Instead, they didnt listen and then treated me like I was some 12yo girl who doesnt know the first thing about cars. "All sports cars have trannys that sound like they are about to fall out"........come on guys, seriosly.

 

What dealership did you end up taking it to? I would like to know just in case I have future problems.

 

WOW!! THanks Jeff..

So I spoke to jeff around 9:00am today and wanted to find out what was going on...

In a nutshell, he isnt really doing the service part anymore in Performance Nissan. He is handling more of the Race team and traveling all over the US. Ever since he left Performance has been having MAJOR problems with customers due to lack of customer service skills and what not. Jeff is a very professional business man and can handle any situation in the correct manner. He told me he didn't know my car was there, and when I asked to speak with Jeff yesterday regarding my axle bearing clicks (remember JD put me on hold?) JD didnt even talk to him... Jeff knows this is a TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) part and had told me that they had already ordered me the transmission a few days ago. He doesn't know why their was so much BS involved? Again this is why I went to performance in the first place....

He said my transmission will be installed today and not to worry about it. He also mentioned that any work they do say they were to scratch my BIG BRAKE KIT they would replace it and thats a bunch of ******** what JD said. Any work they do is warrantied, doesnt matter what! I am very pleased with the way JEFF has handled my situation, let me say if JEFF wasn't aboard with Performance right now they would GO DOWN!! Jeff, thanks again for taking time, specially in a department where you dont even work there anymore and taking care of my problem ::TWO THUMBS UP:: As far as JD goes, I hope when I go pick up my car he is not there because if he was in my company he would be PACKING RIGHT NOW!! The service team at performance is very poor, again if it wasnt for JEFF I would have handled it my way....

And unless Performance doesnt get their $hit together they will go down! Its sad too, specially from a dealership who handles performance side of things and is willing to take it to the next level. Well, so far so good... Now im just praying that my car doesnt have any scratches or dents... I'll keep you guys posted to see what happens...

THANKS AGAIN JEFF!!

 

You guys are going nuts to soon. I know both parties, very well. Mondo did you talk to Jeff personally before you Fumed Performance in open forum, I think not.

Just getting on the forums and ranting without exhausting all the avenues of redress does little to handle the problem.

As for Performance, and tranny
problems, Performance have handled more warrantee issues than any other dealer around, Many forum members will attest to that, most dealers just pass it off, as thats the way it is.

As for someone at Performance wanting to "joyride in your car", I doubt that.

I suggest you take a test ride with the tech until the problem accures, 60 miles if need be.

 

WOW In the time it took me to respond to the thread, the problem was handled.

Now that we've kissed and made up ... When's the next event!!!!!!!