How long can a dealer wait?

[jwatte]

I purchased my leaf on June 23 (not waiting for the ca tax rebate)
Howkever, when i called this week, the DMV doesn't yet know about my car!
I contacted the dealer (boardwalk Nissan) and they said they have 30 days to file with the DMV.
I know if I sell a car, I have to file title within 5 days -- is it true they get so much longer?
I can't start filing for HOV stickers, which I need, until I get a plate number! I think delaying this long is just dumb -- why isn't it a 1 minute electronic deal?

 

[TomT]

Yep, it is true. The entire DMV system is tilted toward the dealers (which have a much more powerful lobby than us) and income. Did you know, for example, that a dealer can transfer/sell a car without even having a title for it? It's true and happens all the time. That exact thing happened to me many years back when a car of mine was stolen.

I contacted the dealer (boardwalk Nissan) and they said they have 30 days to file with the DMV.
I know if I sell a car, I have to file title within 5 days -- is it true they get so much longer?

 

[jwatte]

Thanks for the information!

Meanwhile, I'm sitting in stop-and-go traffic during my commute. Grr.

 

[folla]

I purchased my leaf on June 23 (not waiting for the ca tax rebate)
Howkever, when i called this week, the DMV doesn't yet know about my car!
I contacted the dealer (boardwalk Nissan) and they said they have 30 days to file with the DMV.
I know if I sell a car, I have to file title within 5 days -- is it true they get so much longer?
I can't start filing for HOV stickers, which I need, until I get a plate number! I think delaying this long is just dumb -- why isn't it a 1 minute electronic deal?

My dealer was also Boardwalk and they took just about the full 30 days before filing the paperwork with the DMV. However, they made an error (wrong fees paid) so the DMV returned everything to Boardwalk further delaying my HOV sticker application. It took them about 10 days to resubmit the paperwork to the DMV. Found this all out by calling the DMV directly to check the status.

YMMV - I hope it goes more smoothly for you.

 

[jwatte]

Well, they gave me $1,000 below MSRP, so if it registers soon I won't go negative on them. However, there is no reason not to be digital in this day and age. Manual processes are like... Trying to upsell 8-tracks or something...

Jw

 

[TomT]

Welcome to the 40 year old computer system of the California DMV!

Well, they gave me $1,000 below MSRP, so if it registers soon I won't go negative on them. However, there is no reason not to be digital in this day and age. Manual processes are like... Trying to upsell 8-tracks or something...Jw

 

[Glenn]

My dealer was also Boardwalk and they took just about the full 30 days before filing the paperwork with the DMV. However, they made an error (wrong fees paid) so the DMV returned everything to Boardwalk further delaying my HOV sticker application. It took them about 10 days to resubmit the paperwork to the DMV. Found this all out by calling the DMV directly to check the status.

YMMV - I hope it goes more smoothly for you.

We got the same song and dance from Boardwalk. Where's Brendan Dolan when you need him?

Our finance department guy assured us he'd have our License number back from DMV in about two weeks (something about a special relationship dealers have with DMV) and we could call him to get that number so we could apply for the HOV/Parking stickers without waiting for the actual plates. But when we later spoke with Carol (somewhere in Boardwalk's business office) she told us, basically, he shouldn't have said that and Boardwalk sends their reports to DMV in batches, thus the long delay. I guess saving a few bucks in postage is part of their profit model. And perish the thought of actually paying whatever fees are involved in joining the electronic age and sending the forms to DMV immediately, as other dealers apparently are doing according to some folks here on the Forum.

Oh well, as others have so eloquently stated, at least we love the car.

Glenn

 

[BrendanDolan]

]
We got the same song and dance from Boardwalk. Where's Brendan Dolan when you need him?

Sorry, I was stuck changing in a phone booth with a VW logo and not a Nissan logo on it. :lol: New VW is opening up for pre orders and I'm tasked with helping them out.

The skinny: The dealer has 20 days to file (which we usually do in 10 days, but sometimes we get backed up). Then it's up to the DMV. I've been into the business office at least 20 times in the last month pinging the ladies to speed up.

 

[jwatte]

I've been into the business office at least 20 times in the last month pinging the ladies to speed up.

You do not need to ping the "ladies."
You need to call an open post-mortem (free discussion without any blame) and re-engineer the process based on meeting customer expectations.

Jw

 

[greenleaf]

I guess the higher volume now must be playing a part. When I picked up my Leaf in March from Boardwalk, my license plates arrived within a month.

 

[BrendanDolan]

I've been into the business office at least 20 times in the last month pinging the ladies to speed up.

You do not need to ping the "ladies."
You need to call an open post-mortem (free discussion without any blame) and re-engineer the process based on meeting customer expectations.

Jw

Trust me, it's a large action item in the next meeting. This has been a common issue, and it needs to be solved ASAP.

I guess the higher volume now must be playing a part. When I picked up my Leaf in March from Boardwalk, my license plates arrived within a month.

It's partly us (sending batches to the DMV), and partly the DMV. In the peak selling season they get swamped too.

 

[greenleaf]

I guess the higher volume now must be playing a part. When I picked up my Leaf in March from Boardwalk, my license plates arrived within a month.

It's partly us (sending batches to the DMV), and partly the DMV. In the peak selling season they get swamped too.

I must have got lucky since I bought at the end of March and the end of the month is probably a convenient time to bunch up and send to DMV.

 

[Glenn]

I must have got lucky since I bought at the end of March and the end of the month is probably a convenient time to bunch up and send to DMV.

By the same logic we must be unlucky, as we waited until the first of the month to take advantage of the tax situation. Not a big deal really, except that 1) we'd like the HOV sticker sooner rather than later and 2) we got two different stories from two Boardwalk employees, neither of whom, unfortunately, was Brendan!

Shopping for cars has never been a pleasant experience for me; this changes nothing.

Glenn

 

[BGog]

Being that it is the second decade of the 21st century, it is pretty unacceptable to have such a delay filing papers with the DMV. It may not matter on a normal car but the HOV stickers are a tangible benefit of the Leaf. You'd think it wouldn't be too much to ask for them to file the papers the next day considering you just spent $35k+ with them...

I'm getting my leaf soon and am very excited. I'd consider taking a hard line with the filing of papers but I don't think I'll have much of a leg to stand on. They could sell an orphan leaf in about 2 seconds. Oh well. Maybe they will have fixed it by the time I get down to Boardwalk. Brendan and Boardwalk have been really great otherwise.

 

[rickrides]

I picked up my car from Boardwalk on Sept 17th. It is now Oct 18th and no plates but the lease payment bill arrived in time.

"Before you buy, you're the boss...After you buy, they're the boss".

 

[rickrides]

I picked up my car from Boardwalk on Sept 17th. It is now Oct 18th and no plates but the lease payment bill arrived in time.

It's now been 44 days! Will my plates arrive today?

 

[waitingforaleaf]

It's now been 44 days! Will my plates arrive today?

My plates took about 2 months to arrive. It was stress-free driving around all the traffic cameras during the wait. If it's about the HOV stickers, I'd call the DMV directly and inquire if a plate number has been assigned to your VIN already and then send in the application that way. The assigned plate number also shows up on your certificate of title, but even that took 6 weeks for me to receive. In any case, I received my HOV stickers before my plates (not surprising as I was told that the state's new vendor for plates had just recently been changed therefore resulting in greater than usual delays).

 

[EricBayArea]

My plates took about 2 months to arrive ... If it's about the HOV stickers, I'd call the DMV directly and inquire if a plate number has been assigned to your VIN already and then send in the application that way. The assigned plate number also shows up on your certificate of title, but even that took 6 weeks for me to receive. In any case, I received my HOV stickers before my plates ...

Here's a question for you - I ordered a set of personalized plates on August 22nd. I purchased my car on October 8th.

Since I need a plate in order to apply for HOV stickers, the selling dealer said I need to wait until I receive either set before I apply.

1) If the standard plates come first and I apply for HOV stickers with those, when the personalized plates come and I go to the DMV for pickup, does that trip suffice for updating my HOV sticker records?

1.5) If 1 is Yes, can I call the DMV as you described and ask if a plate has been assigned so I can get the ball rolling on the HOV stickers and let the plate change work itself out on the DMVs end?

 

[waitingforaleaf]

With regards to personalized plates and related procedures, I haven't a clue. The selling dealer was inaccurate when claiming that you needed to receive plates before applying for the HOV stickers. You need to wait for the VIN to be ASSIGNED a license plate number (which occurs after the dealer has finally submitted vehicle registration; dealer has 30 days from date of sale to complete this step or pay CA fines). Once the license plate number is assigned to your VIN, it will be up on the DMV computer system, and a representative should then be able to provide you with the actual plate number. With that plate number, you can fill out the application and send it in with your check. I did this before receiving either title or plates and received the stickers before I received my plates but after the title.

I believe on the HOV sticker thread (http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=2420), there were cases where some people filled out their VIN number onto the application and successful received stickers that way (personally, I think they lucked out as I remember seeing that others got their application mailed back to them as they were improperly submitted).

 

[rickrides]

It's now been 44 days! Will my plates arrive today?

They came late this afternoon! There is a new form from the DMV that I just happened to find online before I sent in the old one. It's still $8.

One step closer to filing all these papers.