We have a 2002 SE that is 6 weeks old and needs paint repair (defect, not damage) which Nissan is covering. The car will be in for 3+ days, and I was shocked and amazed that the dealer would not provide a loaner.

When I explained the schedule that my wife and I keep and how being without a car for 3+ days is a MAJOR PROBLEM that will cause us to have to cancel SEVERAL appointments, I was given the "you should have purchased the extended warranty" line. Gee, silly me...I thought that Nissans would reasonably reliable and not require an extended warranty. My bad...

You would think that when you purchase the "flagship" you would get a bit better treatment.

We previously had a 1993 Subaru and when it went in for major service the dealer OFFERED a complimentary rental car since it would be "at least 1 day, possibly 2" and they didn't want me to be put out. Oh yeah, the Subaru dealer is also Infiniti.

My next car was going to be the 350z convertible, but I am having serious doubts about going with another Nissan product. That should replace "shift_" as their advertising slogan with "Great Engines, Crappy Service"...at least it would be accurate.

Some day people will realize that having great products is about 25% of it...great service is the other 75%. I will gladly pay more for
a car from a dealership that I know will treat me well.

 

Get the G35 coupe instead. From what I hear Infiniti Service treats you the way they should.

 

G35 does look nice, and if it comes in a ragtop, put me on the list!

I have been looking at BMW 330CiC as well...bimmer.org doesn't seem to be as full of dealership complaints as maxima.org.

I agree about Infiniti service. Our Subaru service was excellent, and they share space with Infiniti (must have rubbed off).

 

You would think that you spend that kind of money for a Maxima and the dealer would take care of you. I'm glad I didn't buy the extended coverage because once my vehicle is out of warranty, I have no intention of bringing back to Nissan for service.

 

try a different dealer, i know the dealer i bought my car from wont provide a loaner car but another nissan dealership i know of does provide a loaner car. it all comes down to the dealer, nissan has a higher rated dealership listing, kinda like ford's blue oval, find a dealer on that list and go to them first.

 

Nissan Owner First Award of Excellence

The Nissan Owner First Award of Excellence is the highest award presented by Nissan North America to our Dealers. This award recognized the top 10% of our Dealers from across the nation who were able to meet the high standards of achievement for the Owner First Award of Excellence. It recognizes those Dealerships that embody the philosophy and vision for Nissan—that is, to endeavor to provide our customers with an outstanding ownership experience, from the showroom through every aspect of the dealership. Basically, putting our owners first.


•Scores for Dealerships were measured on a multitude of criteria including Nissan's Owner First survey, which was sent to each of our customers following the purchase of a new Nissan vehicle or service on their current Nissan


The Nissan Owner First Award of Excellence dealers are recognized for consistently living up to the high standards of excellence!


find one of those dealers and see how your service is different.

 

Go here and punch in your zip code for a list of dealers. If they have the First Award of Excellence, it will show an icon next to the contact info, you can't miss it.

 

Trust me you can always get a loaner car. Just threaten them by telling the Service manager that you're calling nissan up and telling them about the horrible treatment. If the car is only six weeks old you should also try the sales manager.

 

yup the infiniti dealers are sweeeeeeeeeet....

it don't even have to a day job or anything....

when ever i get any work done... i just drop off the car in the morning and they give me a loaner car which i take to work and after work i drop the loaner car off and pick my car up.....

and as for loaner car... they don't give u less then what u have...
so i had loaner car as G35 Q45 and the SUV....and of course I35 which i have but never G20....

 

technically, you dont get a rental car w/o the Nissan Extended warranty.

I would probably just rent a car for $20 a day before I'd start missing work and client's meetings. I'd caulk the $60 lost in the 'reasons not to buy another Nissan' column and move on.

BTW, I have Nissan Gold on both cars and they still try to deny me a rental car just about everytime. My warranty CLEARLY states if my car is there more than 30 mins, I get a rental. Yet, sometimes I have to call Nissan NA and argue with them. So, I asked the dealer why they were being asses about the car. Their response was they thought NNA wouldnt cover it. Sure 'enuff, if I had not called to argue with NNA, they would have denied it... And thats the Gold Warranty! This started at my first visit at 8K. And each time with both cars.

However the new dealer I go to 40 miles away, asks me if I have a warrant and gets me a car, no questions asked. I asked them about NNA giving the a hard time, they said it wasnt something I needed to worry about They knew a gold warranty should get a rental/loaner.

I believe that alot of dealers were screwing around, not fixing things and such. So NNA felt that 3-4 visits with a loaner for one problem was excessive and put a stop to it. Those who actually deserve a rental/loaner were caught in the pinch... heck, even me with the gold warranty.

I keep a copy of my warranty book in the car. Nice huh?

 

An I is a Maxima with service, plain and simple. You save $3-4000 going the Nissan route. 2-3K if you got the extended warranty (however infiniti extended warranties can be high! $$$ understandably).

Look at it this way, if you have to drop some money for a rental and get your problem fixed, youre coming out $3840 ahead

actually, given the hassle with service in general, I will pony up the 3K+ for the Infiniti *next* time, or leave Nissan altogether. But I dont feel cheated that the 'I' gets better service. I knew they were the same car and I choose the cheaper route. If you were to ask me right now if arguing with Nissan service was worth $3-4K in my pocket I would take the cash and give 'em hell as usual.

 

Did you order the G35C yet?

 

well just to make u more upset i got my I35 jan. of 2002 for 28000.00d walk out.... talk about great deal huh? i was going to get a maxima SE 6 speed but i just couldn't pass this offer.... only down side was that it only came in auto..... but i didn't think twice about getting the I35 walk about for 28000.00 and not a penny more

 

What kind of paint defects do you have that Nissan is willing to fix?

 

I was wondering how long it would take for someone to ask this!

The problem is a spot about the size of a half dollar right above the rear wheel, driver side. It is slightly discolored (faded) but only visible at certain angles. Their theory is that a spot of water or something got on the car between the paint (Merlot) and the clearcoat. I have gone over the whole car many times and this is the only spot.

I also asked them about the hood and why I have over a dozen large chips. As expected, I was told that they are from rocks and nothing much Nissan can do. I told them that I am very careful where I drive, and our 120k mile Subaru which was driven through everything didn't have nearly as many chips as this new babied Maxima with under 2k on the clock. I guess I just have to be careful where I drive and avoid things like roads, air, etc.

 

dont forget about rain, the non-acidy type is the worst
pulls the paint off as if the paint is defective

 

A deal in hand is worth two on the lot.. Since I bought mine almost 3 years ago when i30 sales were strong, there were no discounts. Again, no regrets when I think about how much I saved...

Sure, now there are $4K discounts on the i35. I'd be a fool to get a Maxima for anywhere near 28K. At the end of the model line for both this gen max and i, I'd be crazy not to look really hard at the G.

Ice, nah.. we want to move north and my wife wants to find a job in publishing instead of tech, its a good time to have the cash and not the payment. Plus, reading the freshalloy G forum really showed there are some growing pains in these first models. Maybe next year.

 

Ok. Good luck BTW!

 

I really think it depends on the dealer because I have more than 5 dealers within a 50 mile radius from where I live that have won this "owners award" thing, but the one I go to that always provides a rental car w/out asking and fixes everything does not have this award.

Plus, when I bought my car from this dealership... they offered two free tickets to Las Vegas if you brought back the first owners survey for them to fill out. I never brought it back cause it was too far, so they drove 30 miles to my office to come pick it up. Well, as you can imagine, i'm sure they fill out the first owners survey on their behalf and i'm not surprised they are on the awards list.

 

Now that sounds like a letter for Nissan Consumer Affairs if I've ever heard it.

Kind of reminds me of that Quiznos sub sandwich commercial for a toasted bread sub vs. the other guys untoasted sub with "lettuce"(cash).

 

My 02 Max is at the dealer as I type. The ignition froze up...key goes in and will not move from the locked position. Tried every trick in the book.

I called the dealer I purchased it from and described the problem. I figured since the car is only about six weeks old, has no plates on it and their advertising, they'd be willing to provide outstanding service. The service writer gave me a number of a towing company and said they'd pick up the tab. That was last Wednesday AM. The writer called last Thursday and said they were trying to locate a replacement ignition switch and do a swap. He said to come in and they'd provide a rental. All this under the standard warranty and I didn't have to ask. I was ready to fight them on the tow and loaner too.

Now if I could only get my car back and they fix the pesky dim SES as well I'll be happy! Hmmm, warped rotors the first week, dimly lit SES light and now the ignition. I think Nissan's quality has gone down as my 97 Max is rock solid and has only been to the dealer for non-standard stuff maybe 5 times in 5 years...of those 5 times, two were for recall items. I wonder if any of the quality issues have to do with Renault buying Nissan?

 

technically, your dealer is probably charging the loaner to the sales dept since your car is *that* new.