Do you trust your dealership? This is always a rhetorical question that everyone find themselves in such dilemma situations. Most of the time there is no other choice but to bring your staggering car in for repair. Now, upon entering these doors a man with a big smile on their face and flat iron shirt with tie, enticing you with their small talk and silver tongue. But behind all that smiles are opportunistic sharks lurking and ready to swallow you whole. Full of deceptions and deceits and what it comes down to is about getting your money.

What came about writing this letter is not about money but “Trust”. It all started when I heard sound coming from the front undercarriage of my Nissan Murano. First thought came to mind was a hole in my muffler or exhaust. So I checked the exhaust and muffler and the sound was definitely coming from the front. I brought my car first to a muffler car shop and lifted my car up and making the diagnostic evaluation. They have examined my mufflers and exhaust and instead of having it repair there I was kindly told that the repair needed is in the front manifold and it’s better to take it to the Nissan dealership because my car should still be under warranty at 58, 000 miles.

The same day I made an appointment with Middletown Nissan Dealership. The following morning I turned my car in for repair and I told them about the sound that was coming from the front. Few hours later I was called by the Nissan service advisor. I was told that the problem was the rt. side manifold that needs replacement and that there is a small leak starting at the transfercase. He advised needs of replacement, and then he added since my car is almost at 60, 000 miles the drive belt and transmission fluids need replacement as well. No other diagnostic added at this time. At this point he told me that unfortunately my basic warranty had already expired in March of 2007 and my powertrain had also expired. Therefore all costs will be coming out of pocket, $1895 for manifold, $159 for drive belt and $??? for transfercase. I was appalled by these and I just don’t know where to begin. My Nissan murano is 2004, but I purchased it in 2007 @ 12, 000 miles at a Certified Nissan dealership. I know I have some form of warranty. So I paused and I told him that I will have to call him back and make decisions to have it fix or pull it out. So I did my own research and called the Nissan Consumer Affair.

Magically, I was told by the Nissan Consumer Affair that I have a pre-owned vehicle warranty that won’t expire until March of 2011. And that the repair needed (manifold and transfercase) are included in the warranty. So, I called the service representative back, and told him the case. He paused, and then he said he’ll call me back. He didn’t call me back; I called him back an hour later. He apologizes, because he said he didn’t realize that I do have a warranty, but it didn’t show on his computer. At this point I started having doubts with his excuses. I told him to just fix what cover under the warranty. The he said he has to keep the car for the day because they won’t have time to finish the job by the end of the day.

The following day I called in the afternoon to check on the status on my car because I haven’t heard from the dealership. I was told that they had finished replacing the right manifold but now working on the transfercase and will call when finish. End of the day came and there was no call, so I assumed the car was not finish. At this point I already felt that I’m now being pushed in the back burner.

3rd day came, there was no call in the morning, so I called the dealership again around 2pm. I spoke with the service representative again, and he said “ oh, you didn’t get my message, I called you and your car is ready.” I checked my phone again there was no caller ID from the dealership nor there was a message…” My thoughts…”Liar“. Then he added on the phone that my muffler needs to be replaced and that my midpipe is broken. At this point why suddenly there is a problem at my muffler and midpipe exhaust. My car was just checked out for muffler and exhaust the day before I brought the car to the dealership. So I wasn’t so concerned. But I ended up calling the Nissan Consumer Affair again just to validate how much my deductible. I already don’t trust my own dealership.

At the dealership, I was greeted by the service representative and then he told me that to be careful because my exhaust might fall and the noise from the front is gone but there will still be noise from the back. My thoughts were “what are you talking about…” as my car was being pulled out of the car there was a little noise from the back. At this point I just want to get out of that dealership. As I started driving, there were fumes coming out of the vent that was never there when I turned my car or the weird nose from the rear. Every owner knows every sounds or every shakes their car makes, and I know that sound was not there nor the vibrations that I felt when I started driving my car. I even called my wife to let her know something weird is going on with my car especially the fumes that was coming out of the vent. Then suddenly I heard a crash and then screechy noise under my car, so I pulled over. Sure enough, there it was, the rear exhaust is on the ground broken off from the rear muffler of the Murano and the bracket was broken off from the frame. I was in fumes. I called the Nissan Dealership again, and spoke with the service representative, and all he could tell me was “ I told you so”. So I hang up and never returned to that dealership. I felt that this entire incident was way too coincidental and that I felt that my car has been tampered. My car was fixed somewhere else that day.

I called the service Manager of the Middletown Nissan Dealership the following day to express the whole incident. Instead of reassuring me he was very defensive and telling me that there was rust on the exhaust and that they didn’t bring that rust to my car. And that I didn’t listen to their advice and he was accusing me that I couldn’t possibly hear the noise from the back because of the noise from the front of the car. He was doing more of the talking instead of hearing what I have to say. Needless to say, it was not a very constructive conversation. How do you complain about the service of a dealership, when even the service manager has poor management and poor customer service? Now more than ever, I’m convinced that the service on my car was tampered. And you can’t complain to a manager who works on the same dealership, because I believe that they all look after each other like a hornets nest. All I can do is to write. And hopefully other people will not fall in the same hole.
I’m saddened by this because I always believed in Nissan and so as my family. For many years we have owned many Nissan cars, (sentra, stanza, maxima, altima, and murano). Now I think it’s time to change that culture. Clients tell is the importance.