Warning - dealer oil change
 

Folks:

Just a very important heads up. When taking your 350Z or 370Z into a dealer for an oil change insist on them doing the oil change using the drive-on ramps NOT the side-arm lift.

Back in July I had my first oil change of my 370Z done at the dealer. The next day I noticed the running board right behind the tie into the front fender well was bulging outward and had a soft-curved upward impression from underneath. Also the gap between the fender and the running board lip was increased to 3/4-inch. Not knowing what had caused it when I took it into the dealer they said it looked like someone kicked it from underneath. Having been at a restaraunt after the first oil change I thought that very plausible since there are plenty of red-neck hillbilly azzholes in Ohio where I live.

Needless to say to have it fixed the entire running board had to be replaced, painted and installed to the tune of $879.00. The new running board alone was $679.00.

The other day I took the car into the dealer for its second oil change. I picked the car up after it was finished and drove it home. I noticed when I got out of the car that theere were grease finger prints all over the exact same spot of the previous problem area. I wiped the finger prints away and low and behold the identical same soft-curved upward impression from underneath but no bulge and no gap problem this time.

So I immediately drove it back to the dealer and blew my top about it. I decided not to have it fixed (though they offered) because it is completely under the car and is this time just the soft impression pressed into the running board plastic. You cannot see it at all unless you get down under and look up underneath the running board.

However I did indicate that this is clear proof that the first time it happen that it had to be caused by their first oil change as the soft-curved impression this second time is identical to the first time it happened and I demonstrated to them that it was an exact match to the side-arm lift dimensions as it skirts across underneath the running board when placed onto their side-arm lift.

They conceded the fact that the side-arm lift caused the problem. As a result they are going to work out an oil-change maintenance agreement with me to make up for the $879 I shelled out the first time it happened. Needless to say this dealer immediately issued a local-shop directive that all 350Z and 370Z oil changes must be performed on the drive-on ramp from now on.

Make sure before leaving the dealer when picking up your car that you check this area immediately behind the front wheel well/fender where the running board converges with the fender/well. If you feel or see any noticeable impression then your Z has been the victim of the side-arm lift.

Thanks! My Touring Coupe's ('04.5) warranty period is long gone, so I do my own light stuff---oil changes, tune-ups, etc.---but I know for a fact that stealerships are mass production lines of sorts, so they don't give a rat's derriere about the cars they work on.

I use the side-arm lifts all the time and my car is fine. Your dealer is being lazy and isn't adjusting the lifting points (round parts that make contact with the car and screw to move up and down). If they just swing the arms under the car and start lifting, the contacts will be too low and the swing-arm will hit the running boards before the lifting points make contact.

If they are REALLY dumb, they are just putting the lifting points on the plastic running boards instead of the true lifting point under the car.

All in all, just another reason why I change my own oil and service my own car.

Actually it was a careless tech who caused the problem.....

When I think about it in light of what you say the internal service bulletin issued to now use the drive on ramps is giving all the technicians a pass to continue to act carelessly and saying that the dealer management doesn't have much confidence in their own technicians.

Yeah...Unfortunately no learning occurred here....Which means it will happen again.

Hopefully the line techs exhibit more care than the oil change monkeys...

Thanks for the heads up... Do you by any chance have any pictures?? And what exactly is the oil change deal you are working out with them??? Don't know about you, but I have free oil changes for the life of the car, that was included in the price! I would see if you cant just get the money back!

I have that deal too, but my car will never see the dealer to take advantage of it.....Hopefully it will never see the dealer for anything short of a major warranty issue..
Having a lift in the gararge makes all this much easier....:-)

http://images17.fotki.com/v294/photo...MG_1460-vi.jpg

S-w-e-e-t ramp/lift, dude! How much did you pay for it?!

Under $1500

Why did you pay for it the first time? I would have made them pay or at least have the insurance pay for it. This kinda goes to what I was saying in another thread that had a chart on problems reported with various cars. Some people fix them themselves while others will take it in for something like this.

Damn just doing your own oil changes would almost pay for the lift if you had to pay Nissans $100 oil change every time. Nice.

I've had this for 7-8 years now. Trust me, it's more than paid for itself!

http://images44.fotki.com/v1468/phot...MG_1450-vi.jpg

I had the same issue with the dealer when I took it in to get a tire replaced because of a nail. I didn't notice the damage until my dad came out to visit and asked what is that nick on the side skirt. Sure enough I had it on both sides.

I took it to the dealer for an oil change and as soon as I got it back I busted them for the scratches as if I just found them and made them fix it. I didn't have any buldges or gaps, but still are they that stupid?

I didn't discover it the first time until the day after the oil change. Because the car was away from the service dealer for 24 hours they WOULD claim that the cause was questionable and would deny the claim. This second time they couldn't deny it because it was off the lot 5 minutes only before I discovered it.

As for the insurance my deductable the first time was at $500 with the average coverage. So the net $389 the insurance would pay would have been placed right back on the next renewal which was coming up that following month.

And don't even be foolish enough to think that wouldn't have happen because I have experienced it several times in the past for other cars I have owned no matter what insurance I was with.

Now with my renewal my deductable is now only $250 and my premium was lowered $60 / month and my coverage is maximum. I would hate to have seen what my renewed premium would have been if I hadn't just ate the fix myself like I did.