Worse service experience ever?

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HiDefGator

Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2011
Messages
7
I took my 2012 Leaf into Gainesville Nissan to get the battery replaced. It was down to 7 bars. After talking with both Nissan and dealer, Nissan agreed to pay for half the battery cost or $2500. I then had to take the car to the dealership again so they could order the correct battery. Apparently VIN number won't do it. Then I waited 8+ weeks. None of my calls to the service manager were returned. FInally I called NIssan EV Help line to ask if they knew when my battery would arrive. NIssan said the battery was never ordered by the dealer.

Like magic, a battery suddenly appeared at the dealer shortly after my call to Nissan. The dealer had me bring my car in and said it would be a one day job so figure 2 to make sure. On the fifth day I went to the dealer and was told my car had been wrecked and was now at the body shop across town. A week later I get the car back and nothing works correctly. Blinking light on dash, something in engine compartment runs 24/7, ... the list goes on. I return it to them the next day.

They replaced a part but that didn't fix problems. They replaced another part. Still no better. FInally they text me on Sept 25th that the wrong battery was installed a month ago. They need new battery from Nissan to fix the car. Today, 3 weeks later, I find out the new battery still has not been ordered. And the wait time is 8 - 10 weeks. So another 2-3 months without my car. If they would go ahead and order it. What's stopping them you ask? I'm told red tape. The dealer doesn't want to have to pay for the new battery.

I've told everyone for 3 years how much I love this car. Today I can no longer recommend a Leaf to anyone. 4 months no car is absurd.
 
Levenkay said:
Yes, and the really exasperating thing is that every Nissan dealer in the country is just the same.
Not just limited to the USA
Maybe I will start a thread on " The worst sales experience ever"
Still in process :roll:
 
Did the OP sign a service authorization form that included a test drive authorization and waiver? I really hope not, because I'd want the full retail value of that car from the dealership, in cash.
 
Are they at least providing a loaner? Everything that has happened after the "wreck" is 100% their fault and they should be paying for a rental.
 
davewill said:
Are they at least providing a loaner? Everything that has happened after the "wreck" is 100% their fault and they should be paying for a rental.

Remember I mentioned a test drive waiver? They usually include that in the service agreement you sign before the work is done. It absolves them of all responsibility for mishaps during a test drive, including ones that are their fault. If they violated a law when the crashed it the OP may have an avenue to pursue, but if not they are probably forced into negotiating with them. I usually cross out the line dealing with that, and initial it, for just this reason.
 
The car was not wrecked during a test drive. They tried to drive it under a garage door that was open enough for the car but not enough for the satellite radio antenna on the back. The antenna crushed and damaged the roof around it. Honestly the repair shop did a great job on it and I can't tell it happened.

Originally I did have a loaner car while they were swapping battery and fixing body work. When I returned car to them it was a sunday and I just dropped it off. So I didn't get a chance to ask for a loaner. The leaf was a second car for me so I thought I could live without a loaner for what I thought would be short time repairing whatever was wrong. Then it turned into "you need another battery" 8-12 weeks.

And the last loaner I had from them smelled so bad I couldn't be in it with the windows rolled up. Someone had soaked the car in chemical cleaner.

I'm most mad about the fact that they knew for the last 3 weeks my car needed a new battery to drive out of the shop again and they haven't ordered it yet. That's at least 3 weeks additional time I won't have my car. What if it wasn't a second car? At this point I'm not sure the dealer will ever care enough to actually order the battery if they have to pay for it.
 
Might need to get a lawyer involved.

Alternatively, check with whichever agency in your state regulates car repair shops. My brother was getting jerked around by Tesla until he contacted the state regulator. Once their agent showed up and started asking questions about why they couldn't get parts to repair his car, presto, they got the parts and finished the repairs. Unfortunately, he let them jerk him around for about 5 months before going that route. When he got the car back, it was missing some minor interior trim parts that they had cannibalized from his car to repair someone else's car. So he had to take it back a couple weeks later so they could install those parts once they got them in. Dealers and repair shops can be complete a******s.
 
Wow. That is horrible.
Levenkay said:
Yes, and the really exasperating thing is that every Nissan dealer in the country is just the same.
Nope. Not in my experience. The two dealers where I use their service departments are ok to good. I like one more than the other, except the good one is far and only has a 1 way shuttle.

There are some known (at least a few years ago) bad service depts in the Bay Area, but fortunately, I don't work nor live near them.

When I was in WA state, Nissan of Fife had a well-regarded service dept. I used them sometimes but they were far from work and home.
 
Levenkay said:
Yes, and the really exasperating thing is that every Nissan dealer in the country is just the same.

I strongly disagree with this statement. There are good and bad dealers out there. The dealer where I purchased both of my LEAFs is very good. They service many LEAFs so their technicians know how to deal with the unique issues. Their sales staff includes LEAF specialists who understand the vehicles and their limitations so they can advise potential buyers.
 
I see that the original poster just joined this forum. Sound like they decided to join in order make these complaints about Nissan, and others are joining in to trash Nissan. Let's keep these things on a case by case basis and not use this to badmouth Nissan or all dealerships. We do not know the real facts of this case, so let's not collude with the original poster.....
 
GerryAZ said:
Levenkay said:
Yes, and the really exasperating thing is that every Nissan dealer in the country is just the same.

I strongly disagree with this statement. There are good and bad dealers out there. The dealer where I purchased both of my LEAFs is very good. They service many LEAFs so their technicians know how to deal with the unique issues. Their sales staff includes LEAF specialists who understand the vehicles and their limitations so they can advise potential buyers.
My apologies for not making the sarcasm more self-evident.
 
For me, Woodbury Nissan in NJ. Never again. I had to deal with the same kid who was a service adviser there three times over the course of a few years. Never again.Never again.Never again.

First time: he called me to tell me my sentra was ready. I get dropped off to pick up the car, turns out it was never worked on. Two hour wait at the dealership.

Second time: though i didn't purchase the leaf from there, its the closest one to my house. My leaf locked up with a TM warning while i was stopped at a light. Car wouldn't turn back on and i had to have it towed to the nearest nissan dealership after hours. Same kid calls me back the next day telling me there is nothing wrong with my car. He keeps telling me that they had to jump the car and i prob left the lights on. Told me it was my fault. I told him that is impossible as the car died in the middle of a road and a transmission error(TM) came up. I show up the service place and he goes to get the car. 30 minutes later he comes back to where i'm waiting and tells me he can't start the car. Another hour or so passes, they end up replacing a defective 12v battery under warranty.

Third time, i got a service letter about the phase out of 2g and the upgraded module for the nav system. I attempted to get that scheduled. Never happened. I tried to ask the kid some basic questions about the upgrade and if my nav system will work properly. Over the course of multiple callbacks from him, the answers i received were equivalent to a first grader's response. I finally hung up on him. He immediately calls me back and tells me that "he didn't appreciate me hanging up on him and wanted an apology from me for it". i ended up cursing him out.
 
I think I get a better experience if I drop by the dealership and talk to them. On the phone, it can feel like you're talking to a pizza delivery shop.
 
I thought I should post an update.

Nissan eventually caved and sent the dealer a new battery for free. I was told they had to do it because the dealer flat out said they would never order the replacement battery if they had to pay for it. The dealer simply did not care about me the customer or my car.

A week after the dealer received the 2nd battery I was called that the car was finally ready. 7 days to install it.

So take what you want from this. Nissan seems OK to me. The dealer's actions unfortunately makes me never want to buy another Nissan.
 
HiDefGator said:
I thought I should post an update.

Nissan eventually caved and sent the dealer a new battery for free. I was told they had to do it because the dealer flat out said they would never order the replacement battery if they had to pay for it. The dealer simply did not care about me the customer or my car.

A week after the dealer received the 2nd battery I was called that the car was finally ready. 7 days to install it.

So take what you want from this. Nissan seems OK to me. The dealer's actions unfortunately makes me never want to buy another Nissan.

I am glad you are finally back on the road. In contrast, here is my battery replacement experience with my 2011: I received a call from Nissan EV Customer Service during the summer of 2013 asking me to take the car to my dealer so they could run some tests to confirm battery condition and start the battery replacement process. The dealer performed the tests and I received a call from EV Customer Service a few days later to tell me that a new battery was on order. EV Customer Service called me every week or so to tell me the status because the battery was coming from Japan and they expected delivery to take up to two months. When the new battery arrived, I dropped the car off in the morning and picked it up that evening just before closing time. My dealer wanted to keep it overnight so they could return it fully charged, but I said all I needed was enough charge to get home so I was able to pick it up the same day. The dealer now has a DCQC so charging time is no longer an issue with battery replacements. Their DCQC is conveniently located near the showroom and I have used it several times since it was installed.
 
HiDefGator said:
I thought I should post an update.

Nissan eventually caved and sent the dealer a new battery for free. I was told they had to do it because the dealer flat out said they would never order the replacement battery if they had to pay for it. The dealer simply did not care about me the customer or my car.

A week after the dealer received the 2nd battery I was called that the car was finally ready. 7 days to install it.

So take what you want from this. Nissan seems OK to me. The dealer's actions unfortunately makes me never want to buy another Nissan.
Sorry you had to deal with such an awful dealer. If there's any other way at all, you should definitely never set foot in the place again...but you knew that. In general, I think Nissan is pretty good, but they have to take responsibility for their dealers, and they could/should have stepped in much earlier from what I can see. Disappointing.
 
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