Hovering

martums · 01-11-2010, 11:21 AM

Hi Everyone,

After picking up my Z 11 days ago, yours truly is shopping for a service dept. Have heaps of apprehension after reading some service dept. horror stories. My car was bought in a non-traditional manner. No plans to take it up the rear in the service dept., either. My money takes priority over their BS policies.

1) For those of you that use a Nissan dealer's service dept., have you declined to hand over your keys to them, and opted to move her, start her, as needed, etc.? (made other arrangements).

2) Do you have any methods to visually monitor the technicians working on your Z? (Not necessarily standing next to them & the car in the bay, I'm sure they'd whine & cry themselves to sleep...)

3) How do you prevent the idiots from joyriding and redlining (test driving) your ride after service?

This stereotypical service dept. our-way-or-the-highway just won't cut it. It's my bloody money, etc. Just need to find a reasonable middle ground between doing the work myself, and surrendering my new baby to the lowest nut on the rung for an $80-odd oil change. And am ready to neuter any idiot who thinks they can test drive her or (or just be an expletive bag) after same.

Where's the soapbox emoticon?

Have a trusted mechanic locally, and would prefer Nissan for this. Original selling dealer is too far away to use.

Appreciate your feedback!

vipor · 01-11-2010, 11:31 AM

Cobb and other ECU products have a valet mode that will hold your RPMs and such. Of course Nissan may frown on this.

I have a tendency to do the walk-around inspection with the tech so I know what's up with the car beforehand. I've only had my car worked on once and it was less than 2 hours total including the hand wash. Not an expert on this.

martums · 01-11-2010, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vipor

Cobb and other ECU products have a valet mode that will hold your RPMs and such. Of course Nissan may frown on this.

Limiting the RPM's would be fantastic. The ability for the Cobb device to monitor attributes like RPM & Speed is AWESOME. Is there a likelihood the service personnel would disconnect the Cobb device during the service period?

370zdub - working up a relationship with a service technician--that's a great idea. A few months from now, the situation could be much more reliable. It'd be a struggle for me in the beginning to trust any unknowns...

I'm considering a GPS/GSM gadget, for location, speed & unexpected travel, but that's reactive. Would prefer to keep the key fob altogether.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenchan

how about you download the service manual and do the work yourself? it's easy for the first 30K miles or so especially... just usual checkups and oil changes. if you need to do your brake fluid and pads (and dont know how), have a friend help you. there's no rocket science to just maintain a car while new. i do all the work on mine.

Man, I would love to change the oil myself. And have downloaded the service manual, (and props to the guy(s) that took the time to download, collect & share same). Just as you described, oil is doable, and there's a buddy to help me with the brakes. Is saving your receipts for materials sufficient support to maintain warranty, as others have indicated?

My current residence makes self-service unlikely, might have to impose on a friend. Which brings up something I've wondered about for ages--where can we go to rent garage space (either with ramps, or maybe a lift, etc.). A kind of do-it-yourselfer's motel 6?

Quote:

Originally Posted by kannibul

The people that did the paint repair drove the piss out of it. A whole 1/8th tank

Thinking of ways to hurt them...slowly

Lug & Pharmacist, you guys are my new heroes.

kenchan · 01-11-2010, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by martums

Man, I would love to change the oil myself. And have downloaded the service manual, (and props to the guy(s) that took the time to download, collect & share same). Just as you described, oil is doable, and there's a buddy to help me with the brakes. Is saving your receipts for materials sufficient support to maintain warranty, as others have indicated?

that is usually the case. some dealers are arseholes to begin with so not sure if all will be as accepting as others.

azn370z · 01-11-2010, 05:26 PM

Some dealers have a window you can look through to watch your car being serviced. There's not a whole lot you can do about them joy riding it. Do the walk around with the tech before and after and take notice of miles on odo.

You really don't need to have anything serviced before 50k miles unless you track your car. The oil needs to be changed regularly though.

Tyrell Tyson · 01-12-2010, 01:50 AM

If you are crazy obsessive like me you can do the following things i have done with my Porsche Boxster

1. Get to know your mechanic (this takes time buy while this is happening)

2. Write down your exact miles/kms on your car soon as you drop it in

2.Wait at the dealer the entire time they are doing the service (which leads to)

3. Ask them to ride along for the test drive after finishing the service

4. If you can't be there due to work commitments etc and don't trust your mechanic you can always bring the car in for service with barely any fuel left and make a point of telling them "ops didnt have time to fill the car up" They will usually just take it around the block once and will minimise the crazy long joy rides i have seen happen so many times

-Ty

280z/300zx · 01-11-2010, 04:43 PM

Limiting the RPM's would be fantastic. The ability for the Cobb device to monitor attributes like RPM & Speed is AWESOME. Is there a likelihood the service personnel would disconnect the Cobb device during the service period?

Once the cobb is downloaded they wouldn't be able to turn it off as they would need the actual cobb tuner (which would be at your house) to do so. Go to cobbtuning.com to read about how it works

I'm considering a GPS/GSM gadget, for location, speed & unexpected travel, but that's reactive. Would prefer to keep the key fob altogether.

So why not do that? They don't need the fob once the car is running to move it. In theory if you left the car running they could then take the car to the service bay to do the work. Once they shut it off there will be no starting the car again until the fob is back in the car. In theory they wouldn't need the key from you until the work is done at which point the time from when you handed them your key to the time they pulled your car up would be minimal ensuring very little time for them to joy ride. Just a thought. Then again there might be cases in which multiple start ups or test drives may need to be done to ensure no leaks and such.

370zdub · 01-11-2010, 11:37 AM

^^What vipor said about the COBB unit being in valet mode to limit RPM's. I do not know what nissan would think of that either. My suggestion being, if you can somehow find a way to work up a relationship with a certain tech at a dealer and have him be the only one who works on the car you may find that the care taken of your car will be personal to that tech since you have now built a relationship, otherwise I would try doing most of the work myself.

kenchan · 01-11-2010, 11:44 AM

how about you download the service manual and do the work yourself? it's easy for the first 30K miles or so especially... just usual checkups and oil changes. if you need to do your brake fluid and pads (and dont know how), have a friend help you. there's no rocket science to just maintain a car while new. i do all the work on mine.

vipor · 01-11-2010, 11:50 AM

Went to an Audi dealer this weekend to look at the A5 and Q5 for the GF. The dealer recommended the ARP tune for the 2.0T and said many owners have it and come in all the time for work. He said if there was a motor or ECU problem they'd be inclined to blame the tune, but it wasn't an automatic voiding of the warranty or anything. It'd be nice to know a Nissan dealer like that.

Lug · 01-11-2010, 11:58 AM

DAMMIT!

I thought by the title of this thread that you had discovered a new feature for the 2010 model.

vipor · 01-11-2010, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lug

I thought by the title of this thread that you had discovered a new feature for the 2010 model.

Pharmacist · 01-11-2010, 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lug

DAMMIT!

I thought by the title of this thread that you had discovered a new feature for the 2010 model.

No I think you have to fork up the extra $$$ for a Rolls to get that feature

Lug · 01-11-2010, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pharmacist

No I think you have to fork up the extra $$$ for a Rolls to get that feature

No true hovering enthusiast wants a bloated pig like a Rolls as a hovercar! The 0 to 2 ft hover will take forever in that atrocity!

You probably prefer the automatic hover mode over the manual hover mode as well, poser.

kannibul · 01-11-2010, 12:01 PM

I've had paint chips repaired, but it was a 3rd party where the dealer ate the cost of the repair (it was the next day, I picked up the cat at night)...

The people that did the paint repair drove the piss out of it. A whole 1/8th tank

I raised hell with the dealer since they were the go-between. They said something to the shop, so when I took it back in for them to do a better job buffing and getting the holograms out, they didn't drive it as much.

That still ticks me off...

01-11-2010, 11:21 AM	#1 (permalink)
martums Base Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Reston, VA Posts: 22 Drives: 1995 Daihatsu Feroza Rep Power: 16	Hovering Hi Everyone, After picking up my Z 11 days ago, yours truly is shopping for a service dept. Have heaps of apprehension after reading some service dept. horror stories. My car was bought in a non-traditional manner. No plans to take it up the rear in the service dept., either. My money takes priority over their BS policies. 1) For those of you that use a Nissan dealer's service dept., have you declined to hand over your keys to them, and opted to move her, start her, as needed, etc.? (made other arrangements). 2) Do you have any methods to visually monitor the technicians working on your Z? (Not necessarily standing next to them & the car in the bay, I'm sure they'd whine & cry themselves to sleep...) 3) How do you prevent the idiots from joyriding and redlining (test driving) your ride after service? This stereotypical service dept. our-way-or-the-highway just won't cut it. It's my bloody money, etc. Just need to find a reasonable middle ground between doing the work myself, and surrendering my new baby to the lowest nut on the rung for an $80-odd oil change. And am ready to neuter any idiot who thinks they can test drive her or (or just be an expletive bag) after same. Where's the soapbox emoticon? Have a trusted mechanic locally, and would prefer Nissan for this. Original selling dealer is too far away to use. Appreciate your feedback! Last edited by martums; 01-11-2010 at 11:22 AM. Reason: grammer nazi

01-11-2010, 11:31 AM	#2 (permalink)
vipor A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Euless, TX [ DFW ] Age: 42 Posts: 13,531 Drives: Nismo 09-0183 QAB Rep Power: 49	Cobb and other ECU products have a valet mode that will hold your RPMs and such. Of course Nissan may frown on this. I have a tendency to do the walk-around inspection with the tech so I know what's up with the car beforehand. I've only had my car worked on once and it was less than 2 hours total including the hand wash. Not an expert on this. __________________ 2009 NISMO # 0193 \| QAB \| Albums! \| 05.04.10 (Dynojet) 291.94hp/248.28tq Oil Cooler (DIY) \| Custom Headlights \| GTSPEC Braces \| F.I. Long Tube Headers

01-11-2010, 05:26 PM	#5 (permalink)
azn370z A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Seattle Posts: 1,722 Drives: z34 - R1 Rep Power: 490	Some dealers have a window you can look through to watch your car being serviced. There's not a whole lot you can do about them joy riding it. Do the walk around with the tech before and after and take notice of miles on odo. You really don't need to have anything serviced before 50k miles unless you track your car. The oil needs to be changed regularly though. __________________ 2010 k23 H&R sport springs / Spc rear camber arms / SSR SP1 / Berk cbe / Varis cf lip / Nismo S-Tune side skirts

01-11-2010, 11:37 AM	#8 (permalink)
370zdub Track Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: UT Posts: 628 Drives: 09 370z 6mt,10 Ford Rep Power: 17	^^What vipor said about the COBB unit being in valet mode to limit RPM's. I do not know what nissan would think of that either. My suggestion being, if you can somehow find a way to work up a relationship with a certain tech at a dealer and have him be the only one who works on the car you may find that the care taken of your car will be personal to that tech since you have now built a relationship, otherwise I would try doing most of the work myself. __________________ 2010 Ford 6.4L Power Stroke Diesel: 588whp/1082wtrq 2007 Dodge 6.7L Cummins Diesel: 788whp/1405wtrq, runs 12's @ 7400lbs, Still miss my 370z!

01-11-2010, 11:50 AM	#10 (permalink)
vipor A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Euless, TX [ DFW ] Age: 42 Posts: 13,531 Drives: Nismo 09-0183 QAB Rep Power: 49	Went to an Audi dealer this weekend to look at the A5 and Q5 for the GF. The dealer recommended the ARP tune for the 2.0T and said many owners have it and come in all the time for work. He said if there was a motor or ECU problem they'd be inclined to blame the tune, but it wasn't an automatic voiding of the warranty or anything. It'd be nice to know a Nissan dealer like that. __________________ 2009 NISMO # 0193 \| QAB \| Albums! \| 05.04.10 (Dynojet) 291.94hp/248.28tq Oil Cooler (DIY) \| Custom Headlights \| GTSPEC Braces \| F.I. Long Tube Headers

01-12-2010, 01:50 AM	#6 (permalink)
Tyrell Tyson Enthusiast Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: EU Posts: 295 Drives: P90 TR Rep Power: 16	If you are crazy obsessive like me you can do the following things i have done with my Porsche Boxster 1. Get to know your mechanic (this takes time buy while this is happening) 2. Write down your exact miles/kms on your car soon as you drop it in 2.Wait at the dealer the entire time they are doing the service (which leads to) 3. Ask them to ride along for the test drive after finishing the service 4. If you can't be there due to work commitments etc and don't trust your mechanic you can always bring the car in for service with barely any fuel left and make a point of telling them "ops didnt have time to fill the car up" They will usually just take it around the block once and will minimise the crazy long joy rides i have seen happen so many times -Ty

01-11-2010, 04:43 PM	#7 (permalink)
280z/300zx Track Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Nevada Posts: 689 Drives: 280z, 300zx, Vette Rep Power: 273	Limiting the RPM's would be fantastic. The ability for the Cobb device to monitor attributes like RPM & Speed is AWESOME. Is there a likelihood the service personnel would disconnect the Cobb device during the service period? Once the cobb is downloaded they wouldn't be able to turn it off as they would need the actual cobb tuner (which would be at your house) to do so. Go to cobbtuning.com to read about how it works I'm considering a GPS/GSM gadget, for location, speed & unexpected travel, but that's reactive. Would prefer to keep the key fob altogether. So why not do that? They don't need the fob once the car is running to move it. In theory if you left the car running they could then take the car to the service bay to do the work. Once they shut it off there will be no starting the car again until the fob is back in the car. In theory they wouldn't need the key from you until the work is done at which point the time from when you handed them your key to the time they pulled your car up would be minimal ensuring very little time for them to joy ride. Just a thought. Then again there might be cases in which multiple start ups or test drives may need to be done to ensure no leaks and such.

01-11-2010, 11:44 AM	#9 (permalink)
kenchan A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: N/A Posts: 76,801 Drives: N/A Rep Power: 141521	how about you download the service manual and do the work yourself? it's easy for the first 30K miles or so especially... just usual checkups and oil changes. if you need to do your brake fluid and pads (and dont know how), have a friend help you. there's no rocket science to just maintain a car while new. i do all the work on mine.

01-11-2010, 11:58 AM	#11 (permalink)
Lug A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 1,926 Drives: 2006 350Z Rep Power: 20	DAMMIT! I thought by the title of this thread that you had discovered a new feature for the 2010 model. __________________ keep Chubbs in your pocket - Chubbs

01-11-2010, 12:01 PM	#15 (permalink)
kannibul A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Jenks, OK Posts: 2,281 Drives: 370z Touring/Sport Rep Power: 267	I've had paint chips repaired, but it was a 3rd party where the dealer ate the cost of the repair (it was the next day, I picked up the cat at night)... The people that did the paint repair drove the piss out of it. A whole 1/8th tank I raised hell with the dealer since they were the go-between. They said something to the shop, so when I took it back in for them to do a better job buffing and getting the holograms out, they didn't drive it as much. That still ticks me off...