Sirl

Hey Guys,
I don't post here often, but I wanted to share a recent experience with the Stealership.

Long story short... my 03 Max, at 103k miles throws a Cam Position Sensor code and started to stall out. I check 6 websites.. they all say RECALL for this part... Great. Bring the car in... $120. for diagnostic and NO RECALL for my VIN...

The Service Mgr. proceeds to tell me the he suggests that I change the 2 Cam sensors along with the Crank sensor and it was also giving a code for the Throttle body... Total cost...................... $1100.

I asked how much just for the 1 Cam sensor.... $100 for the part and 2 hours labor!!! Labor = $120 per hour... so $340. + tax!!!

No thanks.... I go to Advanced auto.. buy the sensor. It was on bank 1, by the firewall. $55.00

Within 10 minutes, the engine cover was off and the Cam Sensor was out. Another 10 min. to put it all back together....

Get in car... use my trusty old OBDII reader to erase codes.... Problems fixed... for a grand total of $55.00 and maybe 30 minutes worth of work.

WESTON NISSAN in S. Florida, YOU CAN KISS MY ****....

I truly feel sorry for any other unsuspecting individual that walks in with a minor CEL light and walks out with an UNNECESSARY... more like.. BULL**** $1100 credit card bill.

Thanks guys... Rant over!!

Any questions on how to change the Crank Position Sensor, hit me up...

adamsanders

iTrader: (12)

I would have paid cash



j/k

'02_EMILBUS

iTrader: (3)

Just another story to prove... NEVER, EVER trust the dealers!

Scottwax

iTrader: (8)

North Point Nissan in Little Rock, AK wanted $1100 for 1 wheel for my car (I'd hit a driveshaft in the freeway on my way through Arkansas) and when I said I'd head on over to Pep Boys and buy 4 new wheels instead, all of a sudden they were more than happy to try to find me a used wheel for a lot less. Don Davis Nissan back here in Arlington said they show a book price of $613 for the same wheel but would probably have sold it to me for less. The parts guy said it appeared someone at North Point was trying to have a good day at my expense.

I've only dealt with the parts department at Don Davis, pretty happy with them so far. Never taken my car in for service though.

Sucks that dealers try to screw us over like that, especially since I was on a road trip and didn't have a whole lot of options not knowing the area or having internet access to look for the best price.

danger300z

iTrader: (4)

IF you own a OBD2 why did u go to the stealership and pay $120 ??? Or I read wrong?

Czerkas

iTrader: (1)

They wont do work without checking it anyway .. meaning even if you tell them the problem and bring in your own OBDII with the goddamn thing showing them the problem, they will still have to inspect it...

PLUS

They probably told the guy that its free unless its not under warranty or a recall so he probably agreed and then they pulled that crap on him..

god i hate dealers.

ROCKART

iTrader: (23)

I watched a salesman at Delray Nissan tell this little old lady that it would be ~$450 for a new set of spark plugs............for her ALTIMA !

I litterally walked up to them, interrupted him, and told her that she could buy them all for under $30 and pay someone like me $30 for the install.

Well I guess I didnt have that "professional scumbag" look about me, so she agreed to pay the $450 for her 4 spark plugs to be replaced. I guess she thought of it as some sort of safety issue.....
Some people are just ****ing stupid.

ROCKART

iTrader: (23)

That same day, which was 2 days after I changed my own ECTS, I asked, just to humor myself, how much they would charge me to change my Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor.
$225 was the answer I got.

I asked, "how much does the part cost?"

"Just under $100, plus an hour for labor".


I didnt want to be a **** about it so I just stopped right there, but all the while knowing the part costs around $28 and it takes under 10 minutes to swap.


My question is, where the hell does this markup go?
To the service managers?

to the dealership?

it sure as hell doesnt go to the techs.

Snypa

iTrader: (35)

^^ i ask the same effing question.

Sirl

Thats a great question.... to which I have a great answer.

Because EVERY website out there says that the 2003 Maxima SE had a recall on the Camshaft Position Sensor...

So I figured... go to dealer, let them diagnose, then fix it under the recall..

Well, I drop the car off only to find out that my car is a few hundred numbers OUT OF THE RECALL... I had no choice but to pay the $120...

PS... Changed the sensor a couple days ago and the CEL has NOT come back one... Score 1 for the little guy!!!

BLACKonBLACK98

iTrader: (42)

i don't understand why everybody throws a hissy fit when it comes to dealer prices. parts prices are from a list and labor is off of a computer. you are paying for oem parts and trained technicians.

you don't go to ruth chris, order a filet, get upset, go to golden corral, and say "this sirloin is way cheaper". go to the dealer, expect dealer pricres.

now in the case of someone dileberately trying to get over (not going by list price), thats a different story.

undercutting somebody in a place of business is just pure bad form. no ifs, ands, or buts.

ROCKART

iTrader: (23)

scamming an old lady isnt bad form?

Sirl

$120. an hour for labor is getting out of control if you as me...
Your getting into lawyers territory at this point.

Cutler

iTrader: (3)

.
Umm, charging an old lady $450 for a set of spark plugs.....fail.

that breaks down to $112.50 per plug..... BS

Kinda like when a shop wanted to charge my sister $250 to fix her thermostat, on her accord(that's all, nothing else). I came home and swapped both upper and lower hoses and replaced the t-stat/gasket for $60...a good mechanic is worth his/her weight in gold.....

Cutler

iTrader: (3)

Crappy lawyer. The chick I am dating bills her time out at $240/hr and she does event/strategic planning...I am so in the wrong business

BLACKonBLACK98

iTrader: (42)

i must have missed where it said it was a 4 cylinder. i automatically assumed 6. so building off of that; list price on most nissan plugs is near $20 (6x20=120). that leaves about $330 or about 2.5-3 hours at current dealer labor rate. not absurd when you are talking about removing the intake manifold.

whether you want to pay it or not, this is the going rate.

you diy'ing it in your driveway with autozone parts and tools is not an accurate gauge of fair cost. you do not pay to train technicians, salary for techs, have millions of dollars worth of insurance, millions of dollars worth of equipment, any kind of warranty (much lees nationwide), or the overhead of opening a dealer-level service center day after day. for you to walk into a place of business that does and say "i can do it for $60" is . washington apples and rotten oranges.

i'm pretty sure that lady didn't wake up old this morning. she's probably been having her car serviced for some years now and chooses the dealership out of choice. hence why you weren't given a second thought with your "great" offer.