2003 Nissan 350Z--bought used about a year and a half ago.
Last week, I sent an email to Nissan's customer service about some VIN-specific info. They responded and also told me that my car was affected by a recall notice for a fuel hose; take it to a dealership and they'll hook me up. Made appt. with the local Nissan dealer on Friday, dropped the car off this morning.
On the way home from the dealership, I notice a distinctly different exhaust note than usual, and immediately start trying to think about what the hell they screwed up
Get home, pull the car into the garage and shut the door...and hear a rattle/squeak. This was
as typically, the only thing I hear when I shut my door is the door closing. Go behind the car to take a peek real quick and notice my right-side exhaust pipe is touching the body of the car...not good, as there's usually about a 1/4 inch gap between the pipe and the body. Then, get down on the ground, go to wiggle the pipe to see if they just didn't hang it right (they had to drop the fuel tank to replace the line)...and see that it's completely disconnected from the cat back! Now, I'm aggravated.
Call the dealership, got the sales department; service department is closed already, so can't take it back in till tomorrow. The Service Manager was still there, apparently, as he called me back about 2 minutes later, was very apologetic and said they'll take care of it (duh!). Kudos, though--good customer service skills.
My gripe here is what the hell happened to attention to detail? How difficult is it really to put a damn exhaust pipe back together and make sure everything is buttoned down properly?
Of course, while I was there, they told me what else "needed" to be fixed on the car (simple stuff--brake pads, rear shocks, control arm bushings), and they could take care of it all for $2000. First off, the only reason my car was at the dealership was for a "free" recall service. Second, the parts needed (bushings, shocks, brake pads) will cost me under $300, and they wanna charge me almost 7 times that amount (I know, a big chunk of that cost is labor, but it's still ridiculous). Third, after screwing up something so damn basic today, why the hell would I EVER trust them to touch anything else on my car?!?!
So, that's my rant. Thanks for letting me vent; my wife will appreciate not having to listen to me beotch about something she doesn't care about in the least
The one good thing that came of this experience? Gave me an opportunity to teach my step-sons about the importance of knowing your vehicle, so you can tell when something is "off" (especially after a trip to a dealership/mechanic).