Tried to give money away but no takers

[bamamarc77]

just reflecting on the journey purchasing my amazing leaf. I went to the dealer closest to me to test drive and try to buy one last month. amazingly neither of the 2 leaf specialists were in the office and nobody else was authorized to tell me about the car...i was sent away unfullfilled. I then called back over memorial day weekend and spoke on the phone with one of the specialists. He brushed me off after about 15 seconds by saying he was busy and took my name and number and said he would call back in a couple of days...he never did. I then found my leaf online at a lexus dealer in atlanta and purchased there which was a great experience.
As she is 6 months old i called the same nissan dealer near me (only God knows why) to ask the price on the 6 month service. I was told by the service manager that he didnt know but he'd have the service guy who specialized in leafs call me back...1 week later still no call. Wait, it gets better...while i was having my evse upgraded i had to rely on the chargers at the nissan dealerships and for convienience i went to the same place. They happily let me charge up and one of the leaf sales specialists saw my car and came over to ask why i didnt buy from him...didnt feel like being confrontational so i just said i was looking for a used one as i didnt qualify for the federal rebate. (no state rebates in alabama). He said everyone gets the tax credit...how much you pay in federal taxes has nothing to do with anything...was a little argumentative too.
Love my leaf!
marc

 

[adric22]

just reflecting on the journey purchasing my amazing leaf. I went to the dealer closest to me to test drive and try to buy one last month. amazingly neither of the 2 leaf specialists were in the office and nobody else was authorized to tell me about the car.

This is exactly the kind of thing I keep bringing up when we get into these arguments on this forum about sales vs demand vs supply. While it is true California may have a Leaf on every lot and somebody happy to sell it ASAP, much of the country is still facing what Bamamarc77 just described, or worse, no Leafs on the lot at all. And now since you cannot order from Nissan directly you are at the mercy of the dealer to call you back or make time for you over a car they really have no interest in selling.

Personally, though, I would have told the salesman exactly why you didn't buy the car from him. Over the years many car dealerships have lost my business for one reason or another and I wind up going to another dealership to make a deal. Every time it happens, I write a letter to the sales manager of that dealership detailing exactly what they did wrong to lose my business.

 

[TomT]

FYI, there is no required 6 month service on the Leaf... Your first required service is the one year free battery check (and you don't need a brake fluid change then, by the way - two or three years is plenty or just test it with a DVM or test strip).

As she is 6 months old i called the same nissan dealer near me (only God knows why) to ask the price on the 6 month service.

 

[bamamarc77]

Was gonna have the tires rotated and i'm not sure if she's had the software upgrade. She was purchased new at the end of december.

 

[Boomer23]

Was gonna have the tires rotated and i'm not sure if she's had the software upgrade. She was purchased new at the end of december.

My dealer rotated my tires for free as good will, and the software update is free. Obviously, if they try to gouge you on the tire rotation, you can take it to any tire shop and they'll do it cheaply.

Also, don't go for any "Nissan recommended" brake fluid replacement and cabin air filter replacements. The brake fluid only needs changing at 12 months, and only if you are putting the LEAF through heavy duty driving. You can buy the cabin air filters online for cheap and install them yourself if you're handy.

 

[TomT]

Your sig says a delivery date of May 31, 2012 so I'm a little confused on when you actually got it... In any event, it should already have all the software updates. Tire rotation is usually done by mileage, not time, and 7,500 miles is the norm though many go longer than that if the tires are wearing uniformly.

Was gonna have the tires rotated and i'm not sure if she's had the software upgrade. She was purchased new at the end of december.

 

[bamamarc77]

Sorry to be confusing...the original owner bought her new in december '11 and sold her in may '12 to the lexus dealership...i am the second owner having bought her last month.
marc

 

[garygid]

So, she probably still needs the April 2012 firmware update.

 

[TomT]

I wasn't aware of any software update that came out in April 2012... Did I miss something?

So, she probably still needs the April 2012 firmware update.

 

[P71VIC]

I tried to by a VW GOLF VR6 in 2001. One dealer didn't want to pay me any mind, leaving me in a waiting room with a loan check for 30k in hand for 45 minutes. The second dealer I went to meet with me for about 25 minutes. They noted that a car with my exact specifications was on a boat on the way to the dealer and would be in stock in a matter of days. I say great, can I put down a deposit? They decline and assure me they will call me the day it came in. I call them five days out; they state the car had not arrived yet. I call them ten days out and they state the car had been SOLD!

I decided that VW as a company did not want my money. I went to a Honda dealer and bought a Civic off the lot for about 6k less than I was planning on spending on that VW.

I hate the dealer ship system of purchasing cars in this country. I think a manufacture would be successful with a "demo" store location in every metro area. They would have a few popular packages in stock, but 80% of the cars would be ordered with custom options and delivered within 2 - 4 weeks. Kind of similar to buying a computer.

I feel like I need to put on a hazard suit everytime I walk into a car dealership.

 

[TomT]

Manufacturers have tried this in the past, most recently and notably Porsche, and every time they have the very well financed dealer lobby has managed to make it illegal or legislate it out of existence in most-all states. Dealers don't WANT to make it easy or less expensive in general!

I hate the dealer ship system of purchasing cars in this country. I think a manufacture would be successful with a "demo" store location in every metro area. They would have a few popular packages in stock, but 80% of the cars would be ordered with custom options and delivered within 2 - 4 weeks. Kind of similar to buying a computer.

I feel like I need to put on a hazard suit everytime I walk into a car dealership.

 

[ebill3]

I wasn't aware of any software update that came out in April 2012... Did I miss something?

So, she probably still needs the April 2012 firmware update.

I don't recall the date for sure, but April sounds about right for when I received the mailed notice of a software update and new Owner's manual. Have not had it accomplished yet, as the update didn't sound very interesting.

Something about a door open alert, and improving the accuracy of the GOM.

I'll get it done when I go in for the required battery check in September.

 

[TomT]

I had mine done when I brought my car in for the annual battery check on March 1 so it had to be well before April when it came out as I received my notice a number of weeks before I brought it in...
But yes, it really had nothing of great interest to me in it... Do also be sure that TB for the TCU is done as it has to be done separately via a SD card...

I wasn't aware of any software update that came out in April 2012... Did I miss something?

So, she probably still needs the April 2012 firmware update.

I don't recall the date for sure, but April sounds about right for when I received the mailed notice of a software update and new Owner's manual. Have not had it accomplished yet, as the update didn't sound very interesting.

 

[ebill3]

I had mine done when I brought my car in for the annual battery check on March 1 so it had to be well before April when it came out as I received my notice a number of weeks before I brought it in...
But yes, it really had nothing of great interest to me in it... Do also be sure that TB for the TCU is done as it has to be done separately via a SD card...

Boy, how time flies when you are having fun or getting old. :lol:

Right you are - found the announcing email dated mid-February 2012. So, it appears that the last software update was February 2012.

Bill

 

[PatricioEV]

We have experienced this with so many types of businesses. It's amazing really. You'd think with the economic downturn that every business would bend over backward to get every customer they could. Alas, no. For instance, when we bought our Schneider EVSE, we called three different electricians to come give us an installation quote -one of which lives in our neighborhood. None of them showed up. We ended up installing it ourselves for about $95 in materials. That's just one example. It has happened over and over for the last few years. We try to stimulate the economy! Often, we just do it ourselves and save money - mainly for lack of response from businesses.