Dealership Fail
 

Well I took my Z in for it's first oil change since purchasing it a little over a month ago and was pleasantly surprised when it was immediately pulled in to get worked on. I had a nice view of the service bay from within the waiting room directly in front of where my sweet ride was being worked on. I could clearly see that the technician was giving my Z a good once over to determine its condition (even though they did not charge me for this inspection) and appreciated their attention to detail.

Anyways, after a short wait my car was driven from the bay. What was interesting though is that it was not immediately brought around for pickup. My service advisor came out in short to let me know that they were running my Z through the wash and would be right out. I said, "wash...what kind if wash? Is it touchless, or by hand?". He stated that it was not touchless and had soft cloth brushes that "were designed not to scratch the paint".

I died inside a little.:ugh2:

I could just imagine the lovely swirls it was generating.

I stated that while I appreciated the gesture I prefer to hand wash my car. I've never seen a service advisor run before, but this one scrambled to get out to where this complimentary service was being performed. He came back a moment later to inform me that it was too late and was already going through the wash. :shakes head:

I'm not upset, but I do wish they had asked me if I wanted this service..especially this was my first time using them. I just asked that he make note of my preference for next time.

Wile this was not a major infraction, it makes me wonder what you all might have experienced with regards to dealerships starting unauthorized services in assumption that it was something you would desire?

Yes I always tell them to not wash or touch my car unless necessary. Even with installing simple things I can do myself. No thanks. Been there done that.

Just reiterate from now on. No car washes thank you very much.

Oh I most definitely will, believe me! Although I may have asked him to take note of my preference, I doubt he actually did so.

Trust no one.

Most dealerships ask if you would like the complimentary wash when you sit down to finish the work order. They should never assume that just because it is free that everyone will want it.

They washed it Before you bought it anyways. That's why dealers install those car washes.

I can't understand why dealerships don't pay more attention to simply ask before they even consider washing a customer car since I would imagine that they would be happy to oblige a request not to wash since it saves them product which is money. I definitely agree they should ask for the wash before starting any work.

There have been a number of occasions where I repeatedly said "no wash" and even taped a note to the steering wheel saying "no wash" and every time, they I see them pulling the car to the wash bay at which point I sprint out and say no wash. They all look at me like a crazy person but I don't care, if you listened and payed attention to my request and note ON THE FREAKING STEERING WHEEL, this wouldn't happen.

When i brought my car in for first oil change, i specifically asked them twice not to wash my car. some asked you if you want a carwash, some dont.

i bet most people who come there are happy to get the wash, but they are not driving a 370z. probably cars and mini vans.

:icon18:

Man I hear ya loud and clear! Let's hope my local dealer doesn't followmthis trend that you've got going on!

I would won't to know first also.....

On that subject there are a great group of guys on this site. cool and all seem to know what your talking about. and for sure love your Z.

And don't take this the wrong way cause i'm with you. But when it comes to the
paint and the detailing of your cars we get very paranoid. Does it seem that way to others.

Don't worry, this is mainly at the Lexus dealer when I take my parents cars in for service. I have no real experience with Nissan dealers other than OC Nissan Irvine where I bought it and they followed my instructions to skip dealer prep. Thumbs up to them from me on that!

Perhaps a little paranoid, but the paint on the Z is notoriously soft. :icon14:

It chips easily and without a doubt will swirl quite nicely in no time if proactive measurements aren't taken. I just know that if I wash the car myself and it gets swirls...its my own fault!:icon17:

When I worked at a dealership there were two different sections of washing. One section was for new cars which all went over to the detail department. They were in charge of taking off the transportation white protecting materials, washing the car, vacuuming, etc getting it ready to be on the lot or picked up by the new owner. The products used in that department were superior to those used for service car washes.

When a vehicle was serviced on it was brought down to a wash bay where a couple guys with what were basically brooms, a hose, and a vacuum washed cars with water and soap that got changed MAYBE once per day so whatever dirt and grime was picked up throughout the day made it onto every other car that went through that section.

I always advise against dealership car washes if you care about your car. Most people don't seem to and are just happy that from a distance it looks cleaner than when they arrived.

LOL. Its funny how paranoid we all are about our cars. I love it.

I had a little bad luck with the dealership for my maintenance check the other day too.

My dad took my car to get an oil change and the mechanic was a little careless placing my car on the lift and put a dent in my rocker panel. They're going to fix it but still, take care when handling people's vehicles.

Infiniti dealership washed my car without asking once. It's just my beater so I don't care, and they ripped me off on the quoted labor, etc. so I considered it payment for lying about cost of labor.

What will this cost?
Price given.
Called later to inform it would be another $40 for antifreeze and "shop materials" and a tube of silicon.


Well ****. I asked "how much will this cost". Not "How much for just the labor and none of the materials or antifreeze".

Yeah. Not a fan if Nissan/Infiniti's service department.

I ran over a maison nail and shredded a tire. I went to the dealer with the spare on. When the dealer put the new on on they couldn't figure out how to put the spare and speaker back together in the trunck. They even put the in carpet upside down. I had to put it all back together correctly at home. At the same time the mechanics were randomly throwing crap back into my truck I was talking to the parts manager about the NISMO aftermarket parts. He told me that the spoilers would go onto my sport package Z no problem. I had to point out the differences in the spoilers and ask how they would take care of the holes that would be created. He was sure but ensured me if I bought the spoiler it would work out. Don't know about you but I expect them to be able to explain what they would need to do to my car.

Most dealerships only have 1 or 2 techs qualified to work on the higher-end cars. I have my tech's name and cell # and book my appointments directly with him. I STRONGLY suggest that you do the same after you figure out who your 370Z tech guy is going to be.

Also, I buy a pizza or take-out for the service manager and that tech the day I bring the car in.

It goes a long way towards saying "I care--you need to, also."

So far, it has worked like a charm.

My 350Z was dirty last time I took it for an oil change.

They gave it back to me even dirtier, looked like they played Dukes of Hazzard on a gravel parking lot after a good rain storm.

I guess once the car is three years old they stop trying to impress you. :icon17:

I take it you don't stay at the dealership and watch the work being performed? If not, you may want to keep track of your ODO for potential inexplicable differences. I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'. :roflpuke2:

Hmm, is this right? For some reason I just naturally assumed that they were all qualified to work on the Z. How did you find this out? Perhaps an open dialogue with the tech himself?

:tup: