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Took our Family Van in to the dealer for 75k service before a big trip out to Colorado to visit family a few months back. 2006 Nissan Quest, Nissan Dealer, the one i bought it from in 2006. Ive never had any issues in the past so this struck me kinda odd, here it goes. Had the wife take it in due to my work schedule. They did the service, took about 7 hours, but it got done. Next day wife calls me and says the AC isnt working in the front, and the gas gauge wont show that its full, just stops at 3/4 the way. We know the AC worked, she was running it on the way to drop it off for service, and i take her word that the gas gauge was fine too. :whistle: So i told her to drive it back to dealer, ask for same service rep, explain that they were working when she dropped it off and see what they do, they’ve always been good to me in the past. I get the call, you know the one, angry wife telling me ” here, you talk to the service guy!!”. He tells me , the AC issue is an electrical issue with the circuit that feeds the front of the van. Now to fix that it would be $630 dollars. :pinch: The fuel gauge issue most likely is the sending unit at the fuel pump, we would have to drop the fuel tank which is pricey , so we recommend changing the fuel pump while its down, cost is $890 dollars. :blink: :blink: I tell him- I cant explain the fuel pump issue, but this AC issue seems a bit fishy to me. I feel like you did something to the Van to create work. He didnt like that at all. He says, Mossy is a great family to work for, and ive worked here for 12 yrs, there is no way we would sabotage your vehicle and risk our reputation. I reply- With as many times that ive taken my vehicles there, i really dont feel comfortable allowing you to work on my Van. If you can just put it back together and hand the keys to my wife, im gonna have to take it somewhere for a second opinion. He didnt like that. Long story short. I didnt take it anywhere else, just dealt with not having AC up front, and the odd fuel gauge issue. But then today happen. Battery goes down on Van. I change it out. While doing it i figure hey, lets check the fuses for the front blower, those are fine. Lets check the relay for front blower, its good. Leeds me to the Front blower resistor under the glove box. BAMMMM. What the hell is this??? It was completely unplugged. Its a snap in connector. How the hell is it unplugged. I plug it in, pull on it, wiggle it, wont come out. Did this dealer unplug my resistor?? and if so what did he do to the fuel pump??? Dam its getting hard to trust people anymore.. What do you guys think? Sorry for the long drawn out story.
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hard to say without knowing what services they did on your van in the first place.
it could also be something that a tech did in the back and the service writer had no knowledge of it.
Either way it’s pretty fishy. Couldn’t hurt to simply go up there and tell them what you found and why you’re outraged about it. Under the circumstances I would insist that they at least look into the fuel gauge issue free of charge and that they have a different tech from the one who did the services in the first place do the work.
If they’re really worried about their reputation then they should do everything they can to look into the issue. Of course understand that from the dealer’s perspective that there are a lot of people out there trying to get something for nothing. Don’t be surprised to run into some skepticism.
I would say that without a doubt you were being scammed and you were smart enough to pick up on it. Your air con and fuel gauge are fine and then suddenly they are not once the service center touched your car.
There would be no reason on a routine 75000 service to cut power to the blowers. That has been done deliberately unless it just came apart which is very unlikely most especially just after a dealer visit. Too bigger a coincidence. 630 is a nice little earner for plugging back a connection. No time expended and maximum profit.
As far as I know there is nothing you can do to screw up some one’s fuel gauge so that it reads inaccurately unless there is some electronic tool that can be hooked up to the gauge to somehow change how it reads so when the tank is full it just goes to the 3/4 level on the gauge. Maybe a gauge specialist would know. Automotive fuel gauges can play up though and it is possible that yours is. I would do a google check to see if this is an issue with your model.
I’d talk with the owner of the location and have the service manager present. This doesn’t sound quite like the dealership was being evil—but it sure sounds like the “Nut-Buster” (I can’t call someone like that a tech) was trying to make more work for himself. Most shops are ‘flat rate’ and the techs/mechanics are paid a percentage of the time worked on cars/trucks. The more they can find wrong? The higher the paycheck.
There are A LOT of honest hard working techs at dealerships and private shops, and even national chain shops!!! Please do not let one taint your vision of the entire group.
That being said? You’re 100% correct. A snap on connector that was working fine when you brought it in? Just isn’t going to disconnect itself, unless you have a ghost in your transport. (in that case, I’d call TAPS)
I’d give the dealership a chance to make this right and skip working with the service writer(s) Go to the head of the dept and ask for a meeting with the owner of the dealership. If they have truly a bad apple working for them and they get nailed ‘creating’ work? That’s a black eye they can’t afford.
As for the fuel issue? Might be something as simple as a dirty contact or something like that. I’d go for a 2nd opinion on that one, as testing can be sure—guessing and suggesting a large repair such as a fuel pump? Put it this way–my Bronco II has over 200,000 miles on it. And it’s got the factory fuel pump. They do fail, but not as often as you might think.
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Is the blower plug located near the cabin air filter? Was the cabin air filter replaced as part of the 75k service? If so, it’s possible that the person forgot to reconnect the plug. I don’t know the vehicle, but I’ve make a similar mistake myself.
I too would be suspicious if two things no longer functioned after a service, especially with AC during this time of the year.
If you know of an independent shop that you trust, I mean really trust, have them look at the vehicle. Take notes and THEN go talk to the service manager, dealership manager, or owner (if you can get that person to participate) and give them the information you got from another professional shop. You actually got some great advice in prior postings from others but I think the dealership would be more likely to consider what another trained professional mechanic has to say after checking out your vehicle.
with Mustangroddick, go with a local mechanic everyone loves, ask them questions, put them too the test, if you like them get there imput and maybe let them work on your car…
i have one shop i go too, ONE! they are the only people who touch my car besides me, they have EARNED my trust, Edland automotive! these guys do a darn good job! never really had a issue with them i couldn’t deal with and more than one person i know has them work on there cars. they are a local mechanic shop not a chain mechanic shop or some dealership, they are pricey but they get the job done and they do it right the first time because there mechanics know what the heck they are doing and they use quality parts! the owner is honest with me and is well known through out the community is a good man, i ask them how much this is going too cost, they don’t bullcrap they crunch the numbers and give it too me straight! i give them the keas, they work on my car right, they call me when its done, i pick it up and shake there hand, and i drive home without a issue, thats how a shop should work too me, and that is how you earn my repeat business.
[quote=”13aceofspades13″ post=103338]with Mustangroddick, go with a local mechanic everyone loves, ask them questions, put them too the test, if you like them get there input and maybe let them work on your car…
/quote]
=================================================================================================Yes you are right Ace but these kinds of people are hard to find or they may only deal in particular brands of cars you do not drive. I know some top workshops but there is no point in taking my cars there (for work I will not do myself) when out of warranty as they don’t handle my models.
Furthermore if you buy new or newish cars (which are becoming increasingly complicated) that are just out of new car warranty you may end up having to go back to “some dealer” as you put it because it is hard for the independents to keep up. They do not get factory training on new models or see the same faults week after week in the newer cars or necessarily know how to fix them properly. It is even a challenge for the dealers. Unless the independents specialize in one particular model of car, and poach trained staff from dealer networks, it is hard for them to keep up. German cars, for example, are just so chock full of complex electronics now that if you do not understand the systems or have the correct equipment and know how you will not necessarily be able to fix a fault. Other manufacturers are also increasingly introducing more complex systems in their vehicles which is only an advancement as long as they continue to work. When they don’t, as usually happens eventually, the pain kicks in.
Dealers are supposed to be up to date and experts in the models they sell and have factory support with vehicle issues. I know a guy who recently bought a new Subaru WRX. It had significant electrical gremlins and the dealer was unable to find the problem and fix it under warranty. He gave up trying and sold the car and bought a GM product. It took the local Honda dealer nearly 3 weeks to find and fix a problem with the throttle system in my neighbour’s new Honda including having to wait days for parts. How would the independents go? It would be tough for them in these kinds of cases I believe.
When you plugged in the front blower resistor, did that fix the AC problem? I was wondering if they unplugged things as part of the electrical diagnosis and forgot to reconnect it.
Here is what the 75k service included:
$149.80
-Replace engine oil and filter, Rotate tires, Replace wiper blades (front), Replace engine air filter, Replace wiper blade (rear), Inspect air conditioning system,Inspect all lights, Inspect automatic transmission fluid, Inspect axle & suspension parts, Inspect battery fluid level/terminals, Inspect brake fluid level, Inspect brake lines and cables, Inspect brake pads, rotors, drums & linings, Inspect charging/starting system, Inspect coolant level/top-off, Inspect cruise control vacuum hoses, Inspect drive shaft boots, Inspect engine air filter, Inspect engine coolant level/top off, Inspect engine drive belts, Inspect exhaust system, Inspect front suspension ball joints, Inspect horn operation, Inspect power steering fluid/top off, Inspect radiator hoses, Inspect shock absorbers/struts, Inspect steering gear and linkage, Inspect steering linkage ball joints, Inspect tires/adjust air pressure, Inspect transmission fluid/oil, Inspect washer fluid level/top-off, Lubricate all locks/hinges, Road test vehicle.
Thats everything they did Quick. I do see that there is “inspect AC system”. Maybe during the inspection they reach up and under the glove box and unplug the resistor? I dont know, maybe.
I had to take the glove box out to be able to plug it back in. Now if they do unplug the resistor during there testing of the AC system I would think that would be one of the first things they would have checked when it was brought back the next day by a customer stating the AC stopped working. Keep in mind im not a mechanic, but when i finally decided to check into the AC issue when changing my battery, my steps went like this: check fuses, fuses good, check relay, relay good( opens and closes when voltage applied to coil), then check resistor, found the issue. Just on the AC issue ( i cant explain the fuel issue yet) if the AC worked on the way to the service, then it stopped working in front half of the Van after service, customer brings it back next day , what steps did they take to try and diagnose the issue? Wife says they had it for close to an hour before they came out to tell her the issues. I would hope they start by pulling up the service records on the Van and see it had the 75k service which included AC inspection. Then more hoping, take the same steps i took when troubleshooting it. Instead they came with a price to fix it, a $630 dollar price to boot, turns out to plug the resistor back in.with a 75k service and inspection of the a/c system is simply turning on the a/c and making sure it blows cold and probably visually inspecting the compressor to make sure that it’s engaging properly and not making any weird noises. All these inspections look good on your service ticket but they’re nothing more than a quick one-over. There’s no reason to unplug the resistor for the service.
That said, it was more than likely a tech trying to create some work for himself and the service writer/dealer didn’t have anything to do with it. Bust him out. His name will be signed off on the 75k service on the vehicle at the dealer.
This is unacceptable behavior and it’s techs like that that give us a bad name and make it hard to earn peoples’ trust when we’re working on their vehicles.
Thanks for the reply’s and good advice guys. As far as going back to the Manager of that department and having a sit down, not sure if that would actually solve much. It might allow a manager to apologize or make a good show with eye candy, try to give me something free, which might solve my individual issue, but in the long run not help the issue as a whole especially if hes part of the problem. Now maybe im just venting or maybe its a product of getting older and looking at things in life differently, but i cant help but look at a issue like this as a product of a corporation effect. Ill try to explain it ( i dont understand myself sometimes 😉 ) As corporations get bigger they tend to become inhumane by nature. Meaning, the original owner might have loved what he did, or loved the product he sold, most likely took care of his workers and his customers out of that same passion for his products or services he created. Then came time to sell the company. Then it sells again, and again, getting away from that original passion and love for the product or services. The way of big corporations these days tend to be a board of investors. There main concern being numbers. At quarterly meetings they look at the numbers and decide what numbers they want to hit for the next quarter. There looking for a return on there investment, nothing wrong with that. They hire people and put them in positions to carry out there vision. Those people have to do the dirty work and find ways to get those numbers or risk losing there jobs. They go to the local managers and put demands on them to achieve the results there looking for. In turn the pay scale might get adjusted, or revamped. Take away the hourly rate that allowed the worker to still love what he does and replace it with lower hourly + incentive based pay. The more services they sell the more they can make or at least make close to what they already had. That can turn some hard working good guys into someone that might justify to themselves some shady things just to keep food on the table, or to just keep his job. So in the long run, the board of investors lost sight of the employees and the customers. Again maybe im just venting or getting old, but cant help but view large corps this way. I try to keep it short to avoid getting timed out on.
You should still bring this to the manager’s attention. Worst case scenario they toss a few “sorry”s around, give you a free oil change and keep doing the same thing. Best case scenario they make an example of this guy and fire him on the spot to set the example that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated.
It’s easier than most would think to make a good living on a flat rate scale by providing honest services and good work to each and every customer. “creating” work like this is simply dishonest and lazy. Instead of doing the leg work and actually finding legitimate issues to be fixed on each customer’s vehicle, getting the work approved, then fixing the issues, he creates a simply solved problem that he can easily make a mint off of. You were smart enough to catch it. Others were probably not so lucky.
If it’s something the tech did due to dealer policies, then that’s on him to fight that battle. If my boss started pressuring me to create work like that I’d walk out the door and go somewhere else. There’s no shortage of jobs out there for good techs and there’s simply no reason to put my good name on the line like that just to satisfy my boss’s greed/money problems.
you make a excellent point Quick.[quote=”quickNpainless” post=103749]You should still bring this to the manager’s attention. Worst case scenario they toss a few “sorry”s around, give you a free oil change and keep doing the same thing. Best case scenario they make an example of this guy and fire him on the spot to set the example that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated.
It’s easier than most would think to make a good living on a flat rate scale by providing honest services and good work to each and every customer. “creating” work like this is simply dishonest and lazy. Instead of doing the leg work and actually finding legitimate issues to be fixed on each customer’s vehicle, getting the work approved, then fixing the issues, he creates a simply solved problem that he can easily make a mint off of. You were smart enough to catch it. Others were probably not so lucky.
If it’s something the tech did due to dealer policies, then that’s on him to fight that battle. If my boss started pressuring me to create work like that I’d walk out the door and go somewhere else. There’s no shortage of jobs out there for good techs and there’s simply no reason to put my good name on the line like that just to satisfy my boss’s greed/money problems.[/quote]
Baker wrote:
Now maybe im just venting or maybe its a product of getting older and looking at things in life differently, but i cant help but look at a issue like this as a product of a corporation effect. Ill try to explain it ( i dont understand myself sometimes ) As corporations get bigger they tend to become inhumane by nature. Meaning, the original owner might have loved what he did, or loved the product he sold, most likely took care of his workers and his customers out of that same passion for his products or services he created. Then came time to sell the company. Then it sells again, and again, getting away from that original passion and love for the product or services. The way of big corporations these days tend to be a board of investors. There main concern being numbers. At quarterly meetings they look at the numbers and decide what numbers they want to hit for the next quarter. There looking for a return on there investment, nothing wrong with that. They hire people and put them in positions to carry out there vision. Those people have to do the dirty work and find ways to get those numbers or risk losing there jobs. They go to the local managers and put demands on them to achieve the results there looking for. In turn the pay scale might get adjusted, or revamped. Take away the hourly rate that allowed the worker to still love what he does and replace it with lower hourly + incentive based pay. The more services they sell the more they can make or at least make close to what they already had. That can turn some hard working good guys into someone that might justify to themselves some shady things just to keep food on the table, or to just keep his job. So in the long run, the board of investors lost sight of the employees and the customers. Again maybe im just venting or getting old, but cant help but view large corps this way. I try to keep it short to avoid getting timed out on.
I don’t know why I didn’t see this before….WOW you made me feel better just reading this. I wish I could sit down and have a cup of coffee with you.
I worked at 16 different auto Dealers for 38 years. I changed jobs usually for the lack of work, trying to better myself or didn’t like the way the operation was run. Of that 16 I only know of two that were honest, one was a Ford dealer which the original owner past on and the siblings took over ….well you know the rest. The other Dealership I never worked at, but I found out it is very honest. It’s a GM Dealership in Missoula, Montana.
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