Having issues with Nissan dealership, need advice. - Zilvia.net Forums | Nissan 240SX (Silvia) and Z (Fairlady) Car Forum

Southern Clown · 07-13-2012, 02:03 AM

I just picked up a 1990 single cam auto for my wife for her daily, i knew it had its gremlins but nothing I haven't tackled before with previous cars. So I take it to the Nissan dealership to get the motor for the seatbelt replaced and while it was there have them check to see why my CO for smog was high and not allowing me to pass. They said they would fix the seat belt motor and do the factory recall, and while they waited on parts they would check on that smog issue. The only reason I couldn't do it is cause my wife works the night shift, I have the day shift, we have a new born, and I live in an apt with no garage. So a few days pass and they call me and say they can't replace the seatbelt motor and there is nothing they can do. Being the man that I am and after multiple calls back and forth and a few calls to Nissan headquarters I finally got them to agree to ship a new seatbelt motor from Japan and it will be here in about two weeks.
Now for the fun part, I ask them why my car had a high CO and they said it was because a misfire on week one, week two comes around and they now say that it is because the wires are bad going to the injectors so they have to be replaced but when they order pigtails to replace the ones they say are bad they don't fit and they have to modify my injectors to get the connectors to fit. By this point I just want the car back on the road and I say just make it work.
That night I think well what happens if an injector goes bad? Then I will have to modify all new injectors, I didn't want to do that. The next morning I tell two different service writers to not modify the injectors just modify the the clips that were ordered so future replacement of injectors would be plug and play. They tell me that they will get in contact with the tech working on the car and they will call me on updates. They never called...

Week three, this week Monday, I get a voice mail from the supervisor of the service department saying they just got the new wiring in and modified the injectors to get the clips to fit. I was heated. I don't call back, I decide to just wait for my day off and drive down there and pick up the car and be done with it. So when I arrive at the shop I don't say a word about the injectors, I just ask to see my car. They get the key and show me the car I pop the hood and go straight for the injectors and I see the bright white wiring for the new connectors awkwardly staring at me. I leave the hood up and try to start the cat, battery dead, get a jumper box and start the car.

IDLES LIKE £€^%~#!!!!

The car now shakes more than an etch-a-sketch being erased by Michael J Fox. I am now extremely upset but I keep my cool and ask what's the deal. The tech who worked on my car said that now injector 1 and 4 are not firing due to a bad ecu and they need to replace it. I told the service tech it wasn't running like this when I brought it in and he assured me that it was. The car couldnt move let alone drive out of the lot! How the hell you gonna tell me that the car was like this when i brought it in!?! So now they want me to buy another ecu from a junkyard or have them replace it for $900.

I said I would search for another ecu but after writing this long mess I'm going back in the morning to have them correct their mistake and get my car running again and do it for free!

I could technicaly do that.......right?

SLiDe_WaYz · 07-13-2012, 02:13 AM

Stealership for a reason.

They would fix my shit for free or get a fat law suit for being dumbass's and messing up my perfectly running car.

laurentj23 · 07-13-2012, 04:28 AM

Did all that have in writing?

Cris · 07-13-2012, 04:45 AM

Do you have a copy of the R.O.?

WanganNastyMachine · 07-13-2012, 07:30 AM

Get a copy of the RO, go above the Service Manager if you have to and contact the General Manager. If you need help decoding the RO, scan the RO and post it in this thread (Put sharpie over your personal information for your safety) so I can read it. According to your story, your car ran fine prior to them modifying the wiring, Im sure it isnt the ECU if thats the case. The technician most likely broke an injector ground on the injectors that arent firing.

I would push to have the dealership repair the wiring, properly, because they CUT your original harness in attempt to resolve the CO issue. The high CO has nothing to do with the way your car is running now. The service they performed on the vehicle does.

Just because Dealerships are known as Stealerships, doesnt mean they should operate that way.

Mike
Nissan of Bowie Maryland

va240dude · 07-13-2012, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WanganNastyMachine

Get a copy of the RO, go above the Service Manager if you have to and contact the General Manager. If you need help decoding the RO, scan the RO and post it in this thread (Put sharpie over your personal information for your safety) so I can read it. According to your story, your car ran fine prior to them modifying the wiring, Im sure it isnt the ECU if thats the case. The technician most likely broke an injector ground on the injectors that arent firing.

I would push to have the dealership repair the wiring, properly, because they CUT your original harness in attempt to resolve the CO issue. The high CO has nothing to do with the way your car is running now. The service they performed on the vehicle does.

Just because Dealerships are known as Stealerships, doesnt mean they should operate that way.

Mike
Nissan of Bowie Maryland

Hopefully management knows what they're doing and treat you better than the guy working on your car that is having a hard time diagnosing it. Well put, Mike. I worked at a Nissan dealership as well and loved it, management was straight up, no bs.

Southern Clown · 07-13-2012, 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WanganNastyMachine

I would push to have the dealership repair the wiring, properly, because they CUT your original harness in attempt to resolve the CO issue. The high CO has nothing to do with the way your car is running now. The service they performed on the vehicle does.

Just because Dealerships are known as Stealerships, doesnt mean they should operate that way.

Mike
Nissan of Bowie Maryland

The only thing that scares me about this plan is they might say, "well since we have to replace the harness we are going to charge you for the harness"

Nismo_34 · 07-13-2012, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Southern Clown

The only thing that scares me about this plan is they might say, "well since we have to replace the harness we are going to charge you for the harness"

They shouldn't since they modified it. Unless they warned you about that before, which it doesn't sound like they did. Based on how they operate, from what you said. They better eat whatever costs there are for them to get the car running like it was when you brought it in or better. That's how we work at the MINI dealership I work at. If we mess it up we fix it. And we, the techs, sometimes have to eat labor. Which sucks, but sometimes it your own fault.

240sxDavid · 07-13-2012, 07:55 AM

Beautifully put^^^ zilvia at its best:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide using Tapatalk 2

Southern Clown · 07-13-2012, 08:14 AM

What is an R.O.?

Southern Clown · 07-13-2012, 08:19 AM

Oh repair order, it just clicked...

no I don't, the guy wouldnt give me one, he said it was cause the parts manager wasn't there so he couldn't bill me for the clips and since they never figured out the cause of the CO issue no charge, and no paperwork. But I'm on my way there in the hour.

And to further inform, the car did run fine drove it from riverside to palm desert with no issues. Then after getting it home drove it to a few parts shops, gas stations, and the smog test center in cathedral city which ironically is the same smog shop the dealership used. Mind you, riverside is about an hour away, and cathedral city is about 30 min to 40 min away using the back streets. And everythime drove fine.

WanganNastyMachine · 07-13-2012, 09:50 AM

I understand your concern, the Service Advisor may tell you that you would have to pay for the harness. If thats the case you go directly to the Service Manager or above and explain the situation/condition of you car. Try to remain calm, it will help your case out if you are respectful. The Manager does not want to be screamed at, he/she has little to do with the services performed on your car. The Advisor and Technician are the ones communicating to eachother.

At this point, I would hope they would correct/revert the services done at the least and not charge you for labor. The harness can be repaired without replacement but it was altered for its original state you brought the car in so I would push for that.

Either way, the goal here is to get your vehicle back in the running condition it was in before with the seatbelt motor replaced and no charge for the injector wiring modification, regardless of what they have to change/replace for this to be completed.

Mike

Southern Clown · 07-13-2012, 10:01 AM

The bad thing about that is I know they are going to blame it on the ecu being bad and it needs to be replaced. I told them I would source one out, but it doesn't make sense, how does an ecu fry injector grounds from replacing clips? Im about to head out and pick up the wife from work since she doesn't have a car to drive. Update in about three hours.

KendallH · 07-13-2012, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Southern Clown

The bad thing about that is I know they are going to blame it on the ecu being bad and it needs to be replaced. I told them I would source one out, but it doesn't make sense, how does an ecu fry injector grounds from replacing clips? Im about to head out and pick up the wife from work since she doesn't have a car to drive. Update in about three hours.

They could have been soldering the wires with the ecu connected. A friend had that happen to him while replacing the TPS connector on his SR. Fried the ECU.

hammy · 07-13-2012, 12:00 PM

Mike is 100% correct. My technicians at my dealership have unfortunately performed repairs on vehicles which happen to lead to a free motor replacement for the customer. If the owner/manager of this facility knows how to properly take care of their customer then you should be seeing 1. No bill 2. Your vehicle fixed and back to its orignal state and 3. a sincere apology. Technicians are humans, they make mistakes, shit happens, specially when working on cars. Your concern should and will be taken care of. LIke mike said, remain calm and explain your case. If they have no written documention of how your vehicle performed/ran before it entered their shop then it is all he said she said, which ultimately in the court of law the customer is right.

good luck

Charlie Hamilton
Hamilton Nissan

Southern Clown · 07-13-2012, 03:28 PM

So just got back from the dealership and pleaded my case to both the service manager, the lead tech, and the tech working on the car. I showed them the paperwork in regards to the smog check saying I was running rich and asked how could that be if I was only running on two injectors. Then I asked about the rough idle and the lead tech said it was like that when I brought it in, I soon corrected him. I asked them all to come look at the car with me and see the engine shake. As we all left the office I stayed behind with the service manager to get a copy of the RO (which I forgot to ask for again when I left), he grabbed the original and we started walking to the car. When we get to the car, it's running the way it was when I dropped it off.... What the hell? I was stumped, my whole argument was now out the window, so I stayed quiet. The lead tech pulled his head out of he engine bay and said " you were right, the engine was shaking violently."

I asked him what the problem was and he said that is was because the spark plug wires were installed incorrectly after they did a compression test on the motor. The service manager then made the decision to remove the service guy from my case and take control of the rest of the repair.

They are still saying that the car's ecu was still faulty and not grounding the injectors properly and I would still need a new one. They also said that if I pick one up they will install it and piggy back the two new grounds from the ecu directly to the injectors and bypass the harness all together to see if there in a break in the harness somewhere. They also saw the shotty intake job on the plastic intake tubeing sealing an air leak with duct tape and said, if you can find the ecu and a new intake and have them shipped here we will install them for you no worries. I said again I would look for the parts and headed home.

The question now is........, should I be worried?

JasianBlazin · 07-13-2012, 05:48 PM

why not post a WTB thread for a single cam ECU on here, it should only cost about 30 shipped to your door. Also purchase a intake tube on here for cheap.....

Southern Clown · 07-26-2012, 12:21 PM

UPDATE:
So picked up an ecu from a local s13 owner and brought it to the dealership and they said that every thing is good now and they will get it up and running. Two weeks go buy and no call. I get a little impatient so I give them a call and they say that they did a direct connect from the ecu to all injectors and the car ran fine for a few minutes then the harness began to smoke as well as the ecu. They are saying that it is because of the maf and the evap solenoid is now fried as well as the ecu that I just brought them. After talking with them for a few minutes they said that they cannot find the problem and it now lies somewhere in the harness. They can't find the harness and now want me to find another one and drop it off to them.

What should I do?

Okinawandrifter87 · 07-26-2012, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Southern Clown

UPDATE:
So picked up an ecu from a local s13 owner and brought it to the dealership and they said that every thing is good now and they will get it up and running. Two weeks go buy and no call. I get a little impatient so I give them a call and they say that they did a direct connect from the ecu to all injectors and the car ran fine for a few minutes then the harness began to smoke as well as the ecu. They are saying that it is because of the maf and the evap solenoid is now fried as well as the ecu that I just brought them. After talking with them for a few minutes they said that they cannot find the problem and it now lies somewhere in the harness. They can't find the harness and now want me to find another one and drop it off to them.

What should I do?

Your signature says it all. Quit dumping money into it since you can't figure it out. Either that or take your car over to El Jefe at Jordan Innovations if you want it done right and not the dealer runaround. If not sell the car as a rolling shell and take the loss, look for something cleaner, if not a more reliable car .

blueshark123 · 07-26-2012, 09:01 PM

ha you should of bought a g35 lol and learn to fix it yourself.

mrsuave · 07-26-2012, 09:21 PM

should've taken it somewhere else..
btw, this could've helped with the high CO

brizanden · 07-26-2012, 09:21 PM

they melted your harness and new ecu they owe you both. thats my opinion. they tried some half as thing jumping grounds and it happened through no fault of your own. unless you said it was ok for them to do such a thing and they werent responsible for the damage

shiftdrift · 07-26-2012, 09:21 PM

wtf...you're getting bent over by this place man, they obviously don't know wtf they're doing. what ecu is it? i have a 5 speed single cam ecu i'd let go cheap, tell them you found a known good ecu (pulled it from my running hatch i parted out) and see if they'll cover fee's.

07-13-2012, 02:03 AM	#1
Southern Clown Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Coachella Valley Age: 41 Posts: 33 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Having issues with Nissan dealership, need advice. I just picked up a 1990 single cam auto for my wife for her daily, i knew it had its gremlins but nothing I haven't tackled before with previous cars. So I take it to the Nissan dealership to get the motor for the seatbelt replaced and while it was there have them check to see why my CO for smog was high and not allowing me to pass. They said they would fix the seat belt motor and do the factory recall, and while they waited on parts they would check on that smog issue. The only reason I couldn't do it is cause my wife works the night shift, I have the day shift, we have a new born, and I live in an apt with no garage. So a few days pass and they call me and say they can't replace the seatbelt motor and there is nothing they can do. Being the man that I am and after multiple calls back and forth and a few calls to Nissan headquarters I finally got them to agree to ship a new seatbelt motor from Japan and it will be here in about two weeks. Now for the fun part, I ask them why my car had a high CO and they said it was because a misfire on week one, week two comes around and they now say that it is because the wires are bad going to the injectors so they have to be replaced but when they order pigtails to replace the ones they say are bad they don't fit and they have to modify my injectors to get the connectors to fit. By this point I just want the car back on the road and I say just make it work. That night I think well what happens if an injector goes bad? Then I will have to modify all new injectors, I didn't want to do that. The next morning I tell two different service writers to not modify the injectors just modify the the clips that were ordered so future replacement of injectors would be plug and play. They tell me that they will get in contact with the tech working on the car and they will call me on updates. They never called... Week three, this week Monday, I get a voice mail from the supervisor of the service department saying they just got the new wiring in and modified the injectors to get the clips to fit. I was heated. I don't call back, I decide to just wait for my day off and drive down there and pick up the car and be done with it. So when I arrive at the shop I don't say a word about the injectors, I just ask to see my car. They get the key and show me the car I pop the hood and go straight for the injectors and I see the bright white wiring for the new connectors awkwardly staring at me. I leave the hood up and try to start the cat, battery dead, get a jumper box and start the car. IDLES LIKE £€^%~#!!!! The car now shakes more than an etch-a-sketch being erased by Michael J Fox. I am now extremely upset but I keep my cool and ask what's the deal. The tech who worked on my car said that now injector 1 and 4 are not firing due to a bad ecu and they need to replace it. I told the service tech it wasn't running like this when I brought it in and he assured me that it was. The car couldnt move let alone drive out of the lot! How the hell you gonna tell me that the car was like this when i brought it in!?! So now they want me to buy another ecu from a junkyard or have them replace it for $900. I said I would search for another ecu but after writing this long mess I'm going back in the morning to have them correct their mistake and get my car running again and do it for free! I could technicaly do that.......right?

07-13-2012, 02:13 AM	#2
SLiDe_WaYz Zilvia FREAK! Join Date: May 2011 Location: Texas Age: 34 Posts: 1,282 Trader Rating: (6) Feedback Score: 6 reviews	Stealership for a reason. They would fix my shit for free or get a fat law suit for being dumbass's and messing up my perfectly running car. __________________

07-13-2012, 04:28 AM	#3
laurentj23 Zilvia Junkie Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Chattanooga,TN Age: 40 Posts: 422 Trader Rating: (1) Feedback Score: 1 reviews	Did all that have in writing? __________________ 'Born Ready!',LJ

07-26-2012, 12:21 PM	#18
Southern Clown Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Coachella Valley Age: 41 Posts: 33 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	UPDATE: So picked up an ecu from a local s13 owner and brought it to the dealership and they said that every thing is good now and they will get it up and running. Two weeks go buy and no call. I get a little impatient so I give them a call and they say that they did a direct connect from the ecu to all injectors and the car ran fine for a few minutes then the harness began to smoke as well as the ecu. They are saying that it is because of the maf and the evap solenoid is now fried as well as the ecu that I just brought them. After talking with them for a few minutes they said that they cannot find the problem and it now lies somewhere in the harness. They can't find the harness and now want me to find another one and drop it off to them. What should I do? __________________ CONGRATULATIONS YOU JUST LOST THE GAME!

07-26-2012, 09:21 PM	#21
mrsuave Zilvia Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: San Diego PH<3 Age: 33 Posts: 231 Trader Rating: (3) Feedback Score: 3 reviews	should've taken it somewhere else.. btw, this could've helped with the high CO __________________ 91 coupe *sold 90 se coupe sold

07-13-2012, 04:45 AM	#4
Cris Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Texas Posts: 3 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Do you have a copy of the R.O.?

07-13-2012, 07:30 AM	#5
WanganNastyMachine Zilvia Junkie Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Maryland, USA Age: 32 Posts: 468 Trader Rating: (3) Feedback Score: 3 reviews	Get a copy of the RO, go above the Service Manager if you have to and contact the General Manager. If you need help decoding the RO, scan the RO and post it in this thread (Put sharpie over your personal information for your safety) so I can read it. According to your story, your car ran fine prior to them modifying the wiring, Im sure it isnt the ECU if thats the case. The technician most likely broke an injector ground on the injectors that arent firing. I would push to have the dealership repair the wiring, properly, because they CUT your original harness in attempt to resolve the CO issue. The high CO has nothing to do with the way your car is running now. The service they performed on the vehicle does. Just because Dealerships are known as Stealerships, doesnt mean they should operate that way. Mike Nissan of Bowie Maryland

07-13-2012, 08:14 AM	#10
Southern Clown Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Coachella Valley Age: 41 Posts: 33 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	What is an R.O.?

07-13-2012, 08:19 AM	#11
Southern Clown Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Coachella Valley Age: 41 Posts: 33 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Oh repair order, it just clicked... no I don't, the guy wouldnt give me one, he said it was cause the parts manager wasn't there so he couldn't bill me for the clips and since they never figured out the cause of the CO issue no charge, and no paperwork. But I'm on my way there in the hour. And to further inform, the car did run fine drove it from riverside to palm desert with no issues. Then after getting it home drove it to a few parts shops, gas stations, and the smog test center in cathedral city which ironically is the same smog shop the dealership used. Mind you, riverside is about an hour away, and cathedral city is about 30 min to 40 min away using the back streets. And everythime drove fine.

07-13-2012, 09:50 AM	#12
WanganNastyMachine Zilvia Junkie Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Maryland, USA Age: 32 Posts: 468 Trader Rating: (3) Feedback Score: 3 reviews	I understand your concern, the Service Advisor may tell you that you would have to pay for the harness. If thats the case you go directly to the Service Manager or above and explain the situation/condition of you car. Try to remain calm, it will help your case out if you are respectful. The Manager does not want to be screamed at, he/she has little to do with the services performed on your car. The Advisor and Technician are the ones communicating to eachother. At this point, I would hope they would correct/revert the services done at the least and not charge you for labor. The harness can be repaired without replacement but it was altered for its original state you brought the car in so I would push for that. Either way, the goal here is to get your vehicle back in the running condition it was in before with the seatbelt motor replaced and no charge for the injector wiring modification, regardless of what they have to change/replace for this to be completed. Mike

07-13-2012, 10:01 AM	#13
Southern Clown Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Coachella Valley Age: 41 Posts: 33 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	The bad thing about that is I know they are going to blame it on the ecu being bad and it needs to be replaced. I told them I would source one out, but it doesn't make sense, how does an ecu fry injector grounds from replacing clips? Im about to head out and pick up the wife from work since she doesn't have a car to drive. Update in about three hours.

07-13-2012, 12:00 PM	#15
hammy Leaky Injector Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: maryland Posts: 101 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Mike is 100% correct. My technicians at my dealership have unfortunately performed repairs on vehicles which happen to lead to a free motor replacement for the customer. If the owner/manager of this facility knows how to properly take care of their customer then you should be seeing 1. No bill 2. Your vehicle fixed and back to its orignal state and 3. a sincere apology. Technicians are humans, they make mistakes, shit happens, specially when working on cars. Your concern should and will be taken care of. LIke mike said, remain calm and explain your case. If they have no written documention of how your vehicle performed/ran before it entered their shop then it is all he said she said, which ultimately in the court of law the customer is right. good luck Charlie Hamilton Hamilton Nissan

07-13-2012, 03:28 PM	#16
Southern Clown Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Coachella Valley Age: 41 Posts: 33 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	So just got back from the dealership and pleaded my case to both the service manager, the lead tech, and the tech working on the car. I showed them the paperwork in regards to the smog check saying I was running rich and asked how could that be if I was only running on two injectors. Then I asked about the rough idle and the lead tech said it was like that when I brought it in, I soon corrected him. I asked them all to come look at the car with me and see the engine shake. As we all left the office I stayed behind with the service manager to get a copy of the RO (which I forgot to ask for again when I left), he grabbed the original and we started walking to the car. When we get to the car, it's running the way it was when I dropped it off.... What the hell? I was stumped, my whole argument was now out the window, so I stayed quiet. The lead tech pulled his head out of he engine bay and said " you were right, the engine was shaking violently." I asked him what the problem was and he said that is was because the spark plug wires were installed incorrectly after they did a compression test on the motor. The service manager then made the decision to remove the service guy from my case and take control of the rest of the repair. They are still saying that the car's ecu was still faulty and not grounding the injectors properly and I would still need a new one. They also said that if I pick one up they will install it and piggy back the two new grounds from the ecu directly to the injectors and bypass the harness all together to see if there in a break in the harness somewhere. They also saw the shotty intake job on the plastic intake tubeing sealing an air leak with duct tape and said, if you can find the ecu and a new intake and have them shipped here we will install them for you no worries. I said again I would look for the parts and headed home. The question now is........, should I be worried?

07-13-2012, 05:48 PM	#17
JasianBlazin Zilvia Addict Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Central California Posts: 941 Trader Rating: (24) Feedback Score: 24 reviews	why not post a WTB thread for a single cam ECU on here, it should only cost about 30 shipped to your door. Also purchase a intake tube on here for cheap.....

07-26-2012, 09:01 PM	#20
blueshark123 Post Whore! Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Jersey Posts: 5,481 Trader Rating: (55) Feedback Score: 55 reviews	ha you should of bought a g35 lol and learn to fix it yourself.

07-26-2012, 09:21 PM	#22
brizanden Zilvia Addict Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: C-Bus, ohio Age: 35 Posts: 640 Trader Rating: (4) Feedback Score: 4 reviews	they melted your harness and new ecu they owe you both. thats my opinion. they tried some half as thing jumping grounds and it happened through no fault of your own. unless you said it was ok for them to do such a thing and they werent responsible for the damage

07-26-2012, 09:21 PM	#23
shiftdrift Nissanaholic! Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: indiana Age: 33 Posts: 2,242 Trader Rating: (42) Feedback Score: 42 reviews	wtf...you're getting bent over by this place man, they obviously don't know wtf they're doing. what ecu is it? i have a 5 speed single cam ecu i'd let go cheap, tell them you found a known good ecu (pulled it from my running hatch i parted out) and see if they'll cover fee's. __________________ SW Fab