How not to treat your customers Nissan.

[darandon]

Dear fellow electric car enthusiasts. Before you continue reading I just wanted to apologise for the length of this initial post but I believe that I wanted to include a clear picture of what I am currently going through and have been going through for the past 6 weeks and wish that none of you who own a leaf or are planning to own one would ever have to go through what I'm currently dealing with. I also wanted to ask for what your advice might be on how to handle this situation because I am currently planning to reach out to the media.

In August this year I was one of the lucky individuals to purchase a brand new Leaf SV. ( a vehicle that I have loved and been saving for over a period of 2 years) I loved the car as much as many of you currently love your cars. 6 weeks ago the unfortunate thing happened. On my morning drive to the train station to head to work a lady slammed her brakes of her 2003 toyota corolla for no apparent reason with a 2 vehicle gap between her vehicle and mine. I was traveling with traffic at 40kmph and when I noticed that she did that I quickly reacted. Unfortunately the leaf slid and I was involved in a rear end accident. The impact speed was 20-25kmph. Being the person from behind I was the individual at fault. The good thing is that no one go injured. The Toyota had its license plate bent and nothing more. My brand new leaf with 1500km on the odometer on the other hand got the short end of the stick. Because she was on a slight decend the impact was between her bumper and the leaf’s hood/charge port. On the inside that area is hollow with some wiring and brackets for the charge port. The impact absorbers on the bumper were not compressed, the drivetrain was not affected. The front of the vehicle looked like it had shriveled in as if it were made from recycled water bottles. Because the impact speed was minimal, no airbags were deployed and I didn’t even feel the hit on my body. (awesome job on protecting the driver, not so awesome on handling the hit structurally) After ensuring that every one is safe and fine, I towed the car to the dealer that I purchased it from and with their help we got it to their Nissan certified body shop. My primary concern was to get the vehicle repaired without voiding the warranty. To retain the warranty original parts were ordered 2 days after the accident form the Nissan deler and this is where the sad part begins. The total repair quote was almost 5 figures (didn’t know that plastic and aluminum costs that much…) but with the help of the insurance company the money was obtained for the body shop and Nissan's parts. As the parts were arriving at the dealership, they would immediately send them over to the body shop so that they can get the vehicle back on the road ASAP. EXCEPT… The front chargeport plastic assembly and its mounting bracket. After 6 weeks from their order date they weren’t able to come up with an appropriate ETA. Their system would show an ETA and few days later the ETA would change to a later date or no date at all. The dealership contacted Nissan for assistance and after 3 days of waiting they got a response saying that Nissan didn’t have an ETA. They apparently checked all their parts depot across the country and none of them had these 2 parts. At week 5 I had to step in and call Nissan’s customer relations line. Opened a case with them and they said it can take up to 48-72 hours for a response. 72 hours later I contacted them and they said that they are still working on the case. The next day I got a call from a Nissan representative saying that their response was that they “don’t know when the parts will be available and have no information on them” 6 weeks since the initial orders were placed we are still at the same situation... Nissan doesnt know when the parts are coming and I dont have my car because of that. After getting that response from them the only thing they offered me was a rent a car that is a gas guzzler. From the time I got their management response of not knowing the information on the parts I have been calling in on daily basis asking for any support from them and regardless on who I talk to I get the same response and they just want me to just agree and wait. No one has taken the initiative to try to come up with a way of obtaining the parts in any way. I honestly feel like they do not even care about their customers nor any one is willing to provide me with any help on getting a part for the car that is sitting at the body shop… I know that the assembly line is rolling as we speak of this car. Dont know how difficult it would be to get those parts shipped from the supply over at Smirnia... With thousands sold I do not understand how it is possible for one of the largest car manufacturers in the world who is trying to lead the way in EV sales not to be able to support their own vehicle and to treat their customers this way. I am deeply disappointed in Nissan and everything they have done to treat their customers. This is my first and my last Nissan that I will ever buy. I do not know where to go from here nor how long it will take to get my car back.

I wanted to reach out to you for any advice that you might have. I am very sorry for making this such a long post but I wanted to caution individuals who have purchased the vehicle and individuals looking into purchasing to be aware of how they could also be treated if the unfortunate happens. I would never wish any one of you to be in my shoes. I love my leaf but it hurts when you cant have the thing that you have been saving towards for 2 years because a corporation treats their spare inventory as if they no longer make the vehicle and treats their customers the way I was treated.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

And your insurance company is paying for a loaner this whole time? I just got my renewal and the leaf is now the most expensive car on my policy. If these cars aren't repairable it's only a matter of time until insureres wake up and either won't write them or make them prohibitively expensive.

 

[darandon]

And your insurance company is paying for a loaner this whole time? I just got my renewal and the leaf is now the most expensive car on my policy. If these cars aren't repairable it's only a matter of time until insureres wake up and either won't write them or make them prohibitively expensive.

The insurance was covering me initially for a loaner. Nissan just gave me a loner in week 6. The vehicle is perfectly repairable but lack of customer support and not being able to purchase parts for the car that they are working soo hard at selling and promoting is what makes this whole scenario a nightmare.

 

[Stoaty]

I am baffled how they could be building and selling 2,000 cars a month and not have replacement parts readily available. A week or two would be understandable given the relatively low volume compared to a lot of ICE vehicles, but this is ridiculous. If the story is as you described, I would go to the media. You have been patient enough.

Edit: from reading your other posts, it appears that you are in Canada. Perhaps that explains part of the problem (not that it excuses it). Did you purchase your Leaf in the U.S. and take it to Canada, or did you buy it in Canada?

 

[RegGuheert]

I just got my renewal and the leaf is now the most expensive car on my policy.

So is mine, but it has always been higher than the other cars which are 11 and 12 years old. But only slightly. While the collision and comprehensive costs are higher, the liability costs are lower.

If these cars aren't repairable it's only a matter of time until insureres wake up and either won't write them or make them prohibitively expensive.

+1

I've been waiting for it to happen, too. But it seems my carrier has not dealt with LEAF repairs, yet.

 

[darandon]

I am baffled how they could be building and selling 2,000 cars a month and not have replacement parts readily available. A week or two would be understandable given the relatively low volume compared to a lot of ICE vehicles, but this is ridiculous. If the story is as you described, I would go to the media. You have been patient enough.

Edit: from reading your other posts, it appears that you are in Canada. Perhaps that explains part of the problem (not that it excuses it). Did you purchase your Leaf in the U.S. and take it to Canada, or did you buy it in Canada?

They just started selling the 2013 models in Canada in August. I got one of the first ones to come in. The 2013 models is also the one that I was waiting for all this time. Its a Canadian leaf but it doesnt mean that it should be that hard to get parts from the states in cases like this. Its Nissan Canada and USA are both part of Nissan.

 

[UBUYGAS]

Which two parts do you need?

There are a bunch of wrecked Leafs around. You might be able to find those parts at a junk yard. Did you try that route?

 

[KillaWhat]

There are guys parting out Leaf's on Ebay.
Just looked, and it appears that there are at least 3 on there.
They are 12's, but a charge door would fit.

I'm just saying.

I'd drive my Leaf without a charge door rather than lose it for months.

Tell them to give the car back, and call you when the part comes in.

I've done it.

 

[Wennfred]

Go here for some numbers & email of some high people in Nissan, hope it helps

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=14726&p=332599#p332599" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Fred

 

[darandon]

The problem with the spare parts from junk yards is that there arent many leafs up here. If I was in california or any of the other EV friendly states, i would have had the vehicle on the road by now.

As for driving without the chargeport cover, the body shop will end up charging me 2x the labour for assembling the vehicle without it and then having to re-assemble it with the parts once they arrive.

I feel like I need the car to be plugged in soon. When the accident happened I was at 83% charge but i dont know how long it would retain its charge on the main battery. I cant see it with carwings because i think the accessory battery is disconnected at the body shop.

 

[Stanton]

I feel like I need the car to be plugged in soon. When the accident happened I was at 83% charge but i dont know how long it would retain its charge on the main battery. I cant see it with carwings because i think the accessory battery is disconnected at the body shop.

That's the least of your problems: the traction battery will last for months at that level. If the car is (basically) disassembled, I'm sure the 12v battery is disconnected and the reason why the car can't talk to CW. If it's that important, I would have them return the car to you in a "driveable" condition and complete the work when you get the parts. I feel your pain, but if they don't have the parts, they don't have the parts; they're obviously not going to remove them from a car rolling off the assembly line.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

requesting new original parts I am sure is part of the problem. Nissan's seemingly inability to meet any kind of demand despite having 3 plants worldwide to build the car is probably part of it.

An independent body shop could have put the car back together in specs and guessing they could have done it much faster. My Prius (which at the time was also fairly rare) when it was repaired, we were given the option of getting salvage parts. They were "non-critical" parts (or so we were told since I wouldnt know the difference from one to the other) like random front end plastic and what not so we said yes especially when they said "3 days for salvage, 3-12 weeks for new".

so it was in the shop on a Friday, out the next Friday painted and all and the job looked like new.

FYI; although we were not at fault so not footing the bill. using salvage parts and I would have to dig for the paper work (about 10 pages!) reduced the cost by $3-4,000 and as mentioned above, it was just random plastic for the most part.

FYI 2; when the accident happened, we called the local Toyota dealer and they said that it would have taken at least 2 weeks for the repair.

FYI 3; the repair shop said the part that took the longest to get was the paint. it was a new color that was not stocked anywhere but the main Toyota warehouse in CA. but they told us that in the beginning so it was a 2 week delay before getting it into the shop. so total time from accident day to picking up the car was a few days short of a month.

FYI 4; same car later rear ended another car at 15-20 mph enough to set off driver airbags. this time a computer thingy valued at $4500 was damanged along with radiator, moderate front end damage and the car was totaled.

The fact that I was not driving was a bummer but that car was the first 2010 Prius sold in the State of WA. bummer....

 

[vrwl]

Are there any 2013 LEAF's for sale in Canada near you? Why can't the dealership rob the parts of a new car sitting on a lot somewhere waiting to be sold so they can get you back up and running? Then put the parts that are on order into the car on the lot once they arrive? Doing it that way, it makes the dealer wait for the parts instead of you.

 

[KJD]

To retain the warranty original parts were ordered 2 days after the accident form the Nissan deler and this is where the sad part begins. The total repair quote was almost 5 figures (didn’t know that plastic and aluminum costs that much…) but with the help of the insurance company the money was obtained for the body shop and Nissan's parts. As the parts were arriving at the dealership, they would immediately send them over to the body shop so that they can get the vehicle back on the road ASAP. EXCEPT… The front chargeport plastic assembly and its mounting bracket.

The chargeport plastic assembly and mounting bracket are pretty basic parts that do not fail very often. I would just purchase these items used and get the car back on the road again. It will not void the warranty. Try talking to autobeyours.com for used Leaf parts.
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=10713&start=12" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

Are there any 2013 LEAF's for sale in Canada near you? Why can't the dealership rob the parts of a new car sitting on a lot somewhere waiting to be sold so they can get you back up and running? Then put the parts that are on order into the car on the lot once they arrive? Doing it that way, it makes the dealer wait for the parts instead of you.

I heard that is a real no-no for a car dealer.

 

[surfingslovak]

I feel like I need the car to be plugged in soon. When the accident happened I was at 83% charge but i dont know how long it would retain its charge on the main battery. I cant see it with carwings because i think the accessory battery is disconnected at the body shop.

Sorry to hear about the trouble, and thanks for sharing your story. One thing I wouldn't worry about is the state of charge. The battery loses very little charge over time, and unless the body shop left the vehicle turned on, it should be fine. 80% charge is more than enough to help bridge half a year, if needed. I would re-iterate what others have said upthread. Perhaps it's time to look on eBay and have a used part or two from a wrecked LEAF shipped to you. Nobody will be able to tell, and this strategy could translate to substantial time savings.

 

[kubel]

It took Nissan over 3 months to replace my rear tail lights and front turn signal lights. I drove the car with the faulty parts during that time. I would suggest you do the same. The charge ports have their own water tight caps.

But I agree, parts availability for the LEAF is outrageous. Nissan needs to do something about it quickly.

 

[GoneSilent]

darandon,

If you want these parts asap. I just removed the charge port plastics and mounts from a wrecked 2013 leaf. No damage done to these items. I do not plan to reinstall them. And as others have said you can drive with out that part of the car. Your car can be finished with out those parts. You can get charger hinge and its plastic surround on and off the car with the bumper and everything in place.

Edit: A note about headlights and tail lights.....Nissan no longer sells just the lens. Now you need to buy everything as an assembly. So if its just a cracked lens your looking at $340 each for a tail light now.

 

[darandon]

Well I must say. thank you all for the advice. It has been really helpful. I feel like i got a better support here than from Nissan's headquarters. What I will probably do tomorrow is call the body shop and see if they can agree to install the parts on the vehicle once they come sometime this year or next year from Nissan. :roll: without charging me double the labour so that I take the car from their lot and be able to drive my own vehicle.

Here is another fun element added in all of this. Today I noticed that the rental company got $350 off my credit card for some reason even though the deal was that everything will be covered by Nissan. I have sent emails today and will be making phone calls tomorrow since its sunday night now and no one is open. I sure hope that it was a mistake and that things will be resolved tomorrow so we shall see. The dealer seems to be pretty good with resolving these types of issues.

If the body shop is not good with this then I will get in touch with you GoneSilent for those plastics and mounts. Here in canada there are no wrecked leafs in the scrapyards... Its to the point that the staff at the yards reply back to you with the term "A Nissan what?" when you ask if they have any Nissan Leafs in the yard. I dont think many people know of the existence of this vehicle in this country.

 

[user 10599]

Are there any 2013 LEAF's for sale in Canada near you? Why can't the dealership rob the parts of a new car sitting on a lot somewhere waiting to be sold so they can get you back up and running? Then put the parts that are on order into the car on the lot once they arrive? Doing it that way, it makes the dealer wait for the parts instead of you.

I heard that is a real no-no for a car dealer.

I heard my brother had a similar experience. He had an accident in his Tesla S about 2 weeks after getting it in Nov 2012. It took them 5 months to get the parts. In the meantime, they took parts off of his to fix other cars. Apparently they can't rob parts from new before they sell them, but I guess they can from cars already sold and in the shop for repairs. He finally got frustrated enough to contact the Calif. Department of Consumer Affairs - they regulate auto repair shops in Calif. and would have the ability to really cause Tesla some headaches. They sent a person out to look at the car and inquire why it was taking so long. Real soon after that, his car was ready, minus a few non-essential parts they had borrowed, which they were able to replace fairly quickly. Not sure if they finally got the parts from the factory or if they just borrowed from another car that was waiting for other parts.

Not sure if you have a similar regulator who can help in Canada. But if you do, that may be what you need to do.

When I bought my Leaf, I figured his Tesla situation was due to the company being so new and wouldn't apply to a mature company on a 3rd-year production run model. Reading these posts though, I'm a little worried.

I love this car and hope that Nissan is willing to properly support it. It isn't appropriate to have existing customers without their cars due to parts availability while they roll new ones out of the factory. When you sell something as significant as a car, you've made a commitment. If they betray that trust to try to grab a few more sales that month, they will lose big time in the long run.