Just in case anyone in Hawaii is on this board, I thought i would share an experience I had at King Nissan, in Kaneohe, with my father's 2000 Maxima.

Long story short, My dad paid the Dealership $89.00 to run a diagnostic on a MIL. The service manager told my dad that all 6 coils needed replacing, then tried to charge my father $492.00 for 6 ignition coils. AND, told him that the intake needed to be removed to install the coils, at a price of $362.00 labor plus $35 for intake gaskets. Well, we bought the coils online, from Jerry Rome Nissan for $290 shipped, and installed the coils ourselves. Funny . . . the intake didn't need to come off.
I now begin my one man crusade against this dealer. The service manager would only hand-write down the costs on the TSB I brought in, he would'nt give me a 'written estimate' on their company form . . . hmmmm, sneaky. I tried a local tv news station, but they said unless we actually paid the dealer, or could get an 'official' written estimate, there isn't much I can do. But I can at least make some noise here. And come monday, I'm going back down to the dealer and cause a commotion!

BTW, I got the info on the coils from this forum, thanks for the replies to my earlier post regarding that.

 

Other than the diagnostic fee, the dealer didn't get any more money out of you. This sounds VERY retarded to me. Dealer gives you a quote you don't like and you fly off the handle. Grow up.

 

No need to call him a child. He had with good reason to be heated. I know what it was like when they take you for granted cuz you're young means that we're dumb. Well at least, Maxmom did balk and walk away and did his homework. Save you a lot of time and expense from that rip-off dealer. Great job Maxmom. As far as the service manager goes, if he didn't want to give you a written quote on the dealer's header form, I would have asked him that you would like to speak to the general manager of the dealer.

 

I plan on speaking with the GM on monday. I think it is outragous for a Dealership to lie regarding repairs. They can charge what they want, but to say that the intake manifold had to come off was a complete lie.

6spmax . . . I guess you either work for a dealer, or don't have the sense to care if someone is trying to take advantage of you.

 

You miss my point entirely. If you react this way everytime someone tries to rip you off or see how dumb you are with money, you're going to hit the grave early from high blood pressure or heart failure. By ASKING for more money, the dealer is doing NOTHING wrong. They may have big ***** to ask and they are under no legal obligation to give you a written estimate for anything(as far as I know). The fact that you bought the coils cheaper elsewhere and installed them yourself saving even more $$$ means you beat them already-GAME OVER. This dealer experience is going to be constantly repeated over the course of your life whether you're buying coils, a car, a plane ticket, or a house. Not saying it's right or fair, but it's the way capitalism works.

And no, I'm not in the automotive business in any way.

 

Sorry to hear about your experience at King. Any time you need service you should take your car to Infiniti on Nimitz. They actually may charge more, but the service is about 50 times better than any of the Nissan dealerships on the island. Buying parts online is also a great idea. Jerry Rome and Courtesy are both good bets. Lastly, you should check us Hawaii Maxima's out at www.maximage.org

late

 

And I think you’re missing his point entirely also. By writing his experience into this forum, he is venting and relieving himself of some of the aggravation of his experience. By telling him to “grow up” you are adding to it and not really contributing anything really useful to the thread. I have to laugh when I see people write “GAME OVER” in their posts, like it adds some sort of finality or concrete evidence proving their point, but of course it does neither. I don’t believe that you can really compare a buying a plane ticket or house is quite the same experience as when you buy a plane ticket, you know full well why you’re paying more for a first-class ticket. Also, in Hawai'i at least, the disclosure laws are fully biased towards the buyer, and if the seller pulled this kind of dishonesty, the law would side with the buyer. Capitalism works not because of these “dealer experiences” as you call them, rather it works through the free market system whereby which people are allowed to choose which goods and services they want. People want the best products and services for their money, so they try to make informed choices. By providing this information, we are hoping to inform people of undesirable practices so that they may make an informed decision when it comes to servicing their car, which I believe is partly why these forums were created in the first place.

 

yea as far as this situation i dont trust any dealerships in hawaii.. i just do my own work or go to outside shops.. dealers here are a RIP.. also.. didnt know there were this many ppl from hawaii too.

 

There used to be about 15-20 active members on the maximage site, but the admin lost the domain and there hasn't been any activity since. Still a bunch of the old guys still lurking around here though.

 

Agreed. I understand that the dealerships make a lot of their money on service, but the means by which they're doing it is questionable. I had a similar experience with Pacific Nissan in Waipahu. I took the car in for some warranty work there, and was getting free oil changes as part of an extended warranty plan(I'm 2nd owner). As I would only take it in for the free oil changes, the service manager told me that in order for me to continue to get the free changes, I would have to start getting my car serviced there. So I got a quote for a service visit for $300. After looking at the services provided (which amounted to checking washer fluid, wiper blades, tire pressure, etc.) I decided that it really wasn't in my best interest to drive out all the way from town to get a free oil change and pay an additional $1,200 a year for services that take 10 or 15 minutes to do. Which is why I recommend that no one go to the dealer for service unless you've got a BMW or similar car that includes service when you buy the car, and really there, you're not getting it free, you're just paying for it up front. A good and honest mechanic is pretty rare these days, so if you find one, you need to keep him in business. Wayne of Wayne's Auto Electric was one such professional, it's too bad he retired.

 

I find it dissapointing that some folks on this forum feel it is ok for a scrupulous dealer to attempt to rip anybody off. The attitude of just "accept it" is foreign to me. Attempt to rip me off and I will bite back as much as I can. I am no sheeple and it seems you are not either. You may not get anywhere, but at least you know you tried something, in leiu of bending over and, well you know the rest.

Go get'im, no telling what they are doing to folks with a lessor knowledge of
car repair. Especially the most vulnerable folks of society, senior citizens.

With little effort I was able to find this hopefully helpful information.

http://www.consumerlaw.com/437b.html#estimate

BTW, not providing a written estimate is in violation of Hawaii's consumer protection laws. However, the statute mentions it has to be provided prior to starting the job. So since they did not do the work, this might not apply (any lawyers out there want to interpret this?). In addition to any actions you take, I suggest you call Nissan immediately and make them aware of what transpired.

Here's the specific statue I found addressing written estimates. I did not read them all or look much further. I'll leave that for you .

437B-15. Estimate for labor and parts.

(a) The motor vehicle repair dealer, mechanic, or apprentice shall give the customer a written estimated price for labor and parts necessary for a specific job prior to commencement of the job. Such written estimated price need not be given if waived in writing by the customer. No charge in excess of fifteen per cent of the estimated price, if the estimated price is less than $100, or ten per cent of the estimated price, if the estimated price is in excess of $100, shall be charged for parts and labor supplied in excess of the estimated price, without the prior written or oral consent of the customer. Such consent shall be obtained at some time after it is determined that the estimated price is insufficient and before the labor not estimated is performed or the parts not estimated are supplied. This provision may be waived in writing by the customer, provided that such waiver by its terms shall be effective only after the dealer or mechanic has made reasonable efforts to contact the customer. The form and content of any waiver shall be as prescribed by rule of the board. Nothing in this section shall be construed as requiring a motor vehicle repair dealer, mechanic, or apprentice to give a written estimated price if the dealer, mechanic, or apprentice does not agree to perform the requested service. A reasonable fee may be charged for making the estimate.

(b) If any crash parts manufactured by anyone other than the original vehicle equipment manufacturer are to be supplied or installed, the estimate shall clearly state that fact and identify each of those crash parts. In identifying the crash parts which are not manufactured by the original vehicle equipment manufacturer, the motor vehicle repair dealer, mechanic, or apprentice may include information on any applicable manufacturer's warranty and information about the part's compliance with any certified testing program.

(c) No motor vehicle repair dealer, mechanic, or apprentice shall use crash parts which are not manufactured or supplied by the original vehicle equipment manufacturer unless the owner of the motor vehicle accepts the use of such parts and signs the estimate acknowledging the use and source of the crash parts.

 

dealerships just like to overcharge. period. the coild.. if theyre new MAYBE i could see the $400 or so justified.. but the labor doesnt require more than 20-30 minutes of work with a simple screwdriver..

btw I wish there were something for maxima enthusiasts in hawaii still in existence.. =(