As you may have read in my other "Dealer" story, Pinnacle Nissan
has been a nightmare. Barring the financing deal, here is the
story with the service department on a used car they sold me off
their lot.
I bought a 94 Nissan Pathfinder from Craig Niles at Pinnacle on
4/28. When I bought it there were an agreed upon "WE OWE" list of items to be fixed. The salesman told me the parts needed would be ordered and to check back in about a week. I did.
At that point I was now handed off to the service department, and never heard from the sales team again. So I delt with the service advisor, Sergio, who is a very nice guy but also just took over the position. He tells me nothing is ordered, so I ask if tehy can order teh parts and I can bring the car in. He tells me I have to bring it in so tehy can order it all. I begrudingly agree. So May 17th is my appointment and they and up keeping it through May 19 and I have to pay for a 1/2 (2days) of the rental car. I figured as long as it all works, I am going to pay the $25 bucks.
Leave and still have the engine noise and clunking in the backend.
Their Response: Ok bring it back and we will have someone ride with you to hear the problems.
I show up at the time indicated, i wait twenty minutes but no
mechanic that can RIDE WITH CUSTOMERS is available. I am told to come back at 1pm.
I show at one. No mechanic is still available but based on my
description they know the problems adn will fix them.
I show up to get my car the next day and they adjust belts to fix what they wrote up as a whine. I nver mentioned a whine at all.
Over the course of 4 more visits they determine they fixed the
wrong things a couple times. Finally they mount the exhuast right, refix the keyless ignition (Went out a day after tehy fixed that on the WE OWE.) But still my transmission noise is bad, in fact growing worse. Also I notice the A/C is not working very well.
I take it in for my 5th visit and ask that someone ride with me. Finally I get to show somebody the sounds adn feel of what I feel everyday driving. The mechanic agrees with the fact that i am not crazy adn that there is a transmission problem. He also agrees the A/C is blowing inadequate as it heats up. He recommends a full replacement of teh transimssiona and I am told that will take a few days. He also recommends a full diagnostic on the air to determine and fix the A/C problem. I inform them I have the extended warranty which I purchased from them that covers bumper to bumper. Including A/C.
Two days later (Yes I fought and got the rental car) I pick it up and have to ask what was done. No air fix. They inform me it is a no standard, undersized compressor and should not be in that vechicle. (This is the same @%#$ing service department that certified my vechicle was in great shape when I bought it) They now want me to pay for the repair if I want A/C because the
warranty the finance department sold me does not cover non-standard compressors on A/C. Plus the service advisor tells me he doesn't even think the warranty is in effect yet. ( I just read my agreement tonight while typing and the d**n thing took effect the day I bought the car!) So right now no A/C unless i pay them $500+.
The other issue, remember two days to get a transmission shipped
in... Well it is NOT A PROBLEM they now inform me. It won't shift because I must have had the economy mode on. @#%$*! These guys are full of it. A mechanic rode with me. We tried all modes, and overdrive and the vechicle doesn't shift right. The transmission engages abbruptly and the vechicle sounds like a 1976 school bus.
I have a warranty, this does still stem from their first 4 botched attempts, and I have a lot of frustration and wasted time. Add the time to keep going in adn reporting the same problem, the time to get a hold of someone to fianlly explain what tehy did or didn't do---once I waited an hour just to hear what they couldn't fix, and then waited another 20 minutes for them to bring the car around.
I am at teh end of my rope. I am afraid to drive it out of town as it runs poorly, overheats now easily, and has limited A/C. Avoid this dealer Pinnacle Nissan if this is how they check their cars and treat their customers.
Ben
Scottsdale, Arizona
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