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Why Dealerships give poor service.
Nissan dictates to dealers the markup on cars through the MSRP, versus dealer cost and various other financial supports.
It seems to be leaving these franchises a low margin there, and forcing the typical padding like extended warranties, paint sealers, stain proofing, rust proofing, advertising fee, administration fee etc., to increase the profit margin in order to stay in business. All these services are either worthless or cheaper and better elsewhere.
Other brands dealers will sell this junk too, but their service is better.
(Toyota especially shines in their service, often combining with their Lexus grade service departments.)
So why is Nissan service so poor?
The dealers want to only follow rigid procedures and service schedules not of their making. A mechanic told me Nissans service schedules are unrealistically frequent and extensive, and consequently overly costly. He felt this would drive customers away. It did me. Why pay to have the car serviced when it doesn't need it. Look in your service book and you'll see what I mean.
Nissan is still coming back from the financial brink, and it shows in how inflexible some dealers are in providing warranty service. They are afraid of being turned down by Nissan corporate for payment, and being on the hook for the repair.
It’s sickening.
Why else does one dealer refuse to replace a broken hook prop latch, and another does?
One says that the heat damaged Nissan emblems on the engine cover are not covered by warranty, yet others outside Toronto will and do replace them.
Their mechanics under fill engine oil by a full liter (about a US quart) and overfill transmission fluid after a service change of these fluids.
Why?
My only conclusion has to be that they simply do not have the resources to do a good, decent, yeoman job of the work that the public should expect of them.
Happily, there is a solution.
Now that I am beyond the free adjustment period, and the dealerships have proved themselves mediocre at best, I'll make use of the many alternatives for servicing my Alty.
Canadian Tire, Green and Ross, Midas, Speedy, independents, etc. All are highly competitive in price, and not like Nissans dealers, in that they are not being pressured by Nissan corporate to maximize profit at my expense.
I'm not saying they don't deserve to make a profit, but when it is a struggle to get it done right the first, second, third or more times, for jobs that are simple for a trained mechanic, AND when service advisors hands are tied from acting as true advocates of the customers best interest, then its time to look elsewhere.
Overall, I really like my 2003 Altima SE. The V6 and automatic are superb.
The interior works for me even though it has been widely and justly criticized for its low quality plastics. (The 2005 interior materials are much improved.)
My advice is:
Get all the free fixes you can while under the initial adjustment period of the first year and whatever else until the warranty expires.
Then find a good alternate source of routine maintenance.
If its seems I am distrustful of the dealers service, it is because I am.
I am 50 years old now, and do not care to do my own service any longer.
I need to be able to TRUST the mechanic who is servicing my brakes, (Don't you?) and I will NEVER allow a Nissan dis-Service Department to degrade the factory quality level again, when better alternatives exist.
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