Sorry guys, its a long one. But I'm fired up and need to vent.

An open letter to my local Nissan dealership,

Dear Nissan Dealer,

I only went to you because I didn’t want to void my extended warranty. I paid the higher prices for oil changes and routine maintenance because I know that any after market work done could have voided out that warm and fuzzy extra protection. For four years my truck has been visiting your garage bays and I know the service guys at the desk by first name. Generally a good bunch of guys, but on the occasion they would always try to get me to have an additional service that my truck really didn’t need. Hey, I know the pressures of making goals and I listened to each and every up-sell out of respect. I think I even had them do a couple things, like that car wash at the end of my 70K service. I really do appreciate the work you do to keep my truck performing well and the pros of the pathfinder having the title as “dealer maintained”. Until this week.

Just recently my truck was in for its 90K service and as I was driving it in, the check engine light came on. I thought it was a good thing because I know that my extended warranty was going to be expiring very soon. Turned out the problem wasn’t covered, but it was a minor fix, a reprogram of my ECM (engine control module) and I was out the door. But, did you check to see if anything else could have been wrong? Nope. Fast forward a week and as I’m driving to work Wednesday morning and my check engine light comes on again. I called and you said that you couldn’t get me in until this Tuesday, because of the holiday. Ok. I drop the truck off and get a call in the afternoon that it’s my intake timing control valve, which, ironically WOULD have been covered under the extended warranty if it hadn’t expired 5 days before. It’s funny because the truck was just there 10 days ago, before the warranty expired, fixing a problem that, after much research and a mechanics second opinion, could have caused the new problem or was a problem before, but you never checked.

Do you, service guy, cut me a break in some way in response to this unfortunately strange timing? Do you sympathize with me at all and help out a loyal customer? Is 5 days (and 3 of which was a holiday weekend) a deal breaker for your dealership to make a customers day and keep her loyal? Do you call Nissan and see about a good will repair because of this awkward situation?

No. No you didn’t. Instead when I asked to talk to a service manager to see if there was anything they could do, I got a brick wall and some stammering. When I asked for the number to your Regional Service Manager, I was told to call the general Nissan Help-Line and that Nissan didn’t HAVE a Regional Service Manager. There really wasn nothing they could do for me. Dejected, I bought the part, left the dealership, and I’m now waiting for it to be delivered so your guys can install it for me.

Today being a new day, and frustrated by the level of service I didn’t receive, I did call the general Nissan Help-Line. I talked to 2 levels of costumer service, who sympathized and really do want to see what they can do for me, and were both appalled at your behavior. I’m now waiting for the 3rd level of customer service to call me by the next business day to credit me the part and labor because Nissan prides itself with superior service. Guess who it is? Yeah. It’s your fricking Regional Service Manager. But, I must be crazy because you didn't have one of those, right Dave?

Sincerely,
~me