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Comments
I decided to buy a G35 because I thought the value I saw in the car made the risk worthwhile. So far I'm right, love the car, best service I've ever had. Just old enough to know that things in life can change - as I look at the remnants of my 401(k) - now renamed 201(k)!
I spoke to the Service Manager who was very courteous and considerate and took time to show me the new coupe they had in the back that they would display for a few days.
I took the car in to have a scratch that it got during the 15k service on the back bumper repaired, and that went off without a hitch, no questions asked and they were sending it to the body shop and it wasn't going to be just a hack repaint job, but actual finish bodywork.
I inquired and there was absolutely no intention of pulling the loaner cars for oil changes, that it was always going to be like that and in fact they were going to get a larger allotment of newer Infiniti's to add to the loaner fleet.
I have no idea if the loaner program is indeed national, or local, or if it is variable depending on the type of service rendered. All I know is that Infiniti of Pleasanton gives you a loaner car for ANY kind of service done if you decide not to wait for it, and that is why I would not take my car to any other place to be serviced. Maybe it might cost more, maybe it may take longer to have it done at the place I bought the car, but I don't really care, I am paying for the peace of mind of PREDICTABILITY and I know how I will be treated, who I will talk to, the great job they will do, and how they will bend over backwards to correct something if they make a mistake. I'm willing to pay for that kind of peace of mind, and I think many others are as well.
I think that alot of people might be discovering the same thing that I discovered very shortly after getting my G35. At first, "Dealership experience" was just a nice fringe benefit of owning an Infiniti, with performance, value, reliability etc, being the primary concerns, now I am of the mind that owning an Infiniti is ALL ABOUT Dealership experience and continuing dealership experience. I get flustered too easily, I don't do well butting heads with people, and the infiniti people are never do that!
Faenor/Dane4
Key word = "participating"
This means, they can tell you they WILL give you a loaner car at sale (just to sell it), and then later retract that and say, "Sorry, we don't offer that program"
BS
I spoke to the Service Manager who was very courteous and considerate and took time to show me the new coupe they had in the back that they would display for a few days.
I took the car in to have a scratch that it got during the 15k service on the back bumper repaired, and that went off without a hitch, no questions asked and they were sending it to the body shop and it wasn't going to be just a hack repaint job, but actual finish bodywork.
I inquired and there was absolutely no intention of pulling the loaner cars for oil changes, that it was always going to be like that and in fact they were going to get a larger allotment of newer Infiniti's to add to the loaner fleet.
I have no idea if the loaner program is indeed national, or local, or if it is variable depending on the type of service rendered. All I know is that Infiniti of Pleasanton gives you a loaner car for ANY kind of service done if you decide not to wait for it, and that is why I would not take my car to any other place to be serviced. Maybe it might cost more, maybe it may take longer to have it done at the place I bought the car, but I don't really care, I am paying for the peace of mind of PREDICTABILITY and I know how I will be treated, who I will talk to, the great job they will do, and how they will bend over backwards to correct something if they make a mistake. I'm willing to pay for that kind of peace of mind, and I think many others are as well.
I think that alot of people might be discovering the same thing that I discovered very shortly after getting my G35. At first, "Dealership experience" was just a nice fringe benefit of owning an Infiniti, with performance, value, reliability etc, being the primary concerns, now I am of the mind that owning an Infiniti is ALL ABOUT Dealership experience and continuing dealership experience. I get flustered too easily, I don't do well butting heads with people, and the infiniti people never do that! In fact they do just the ver nice opposite!
Faenor/Dane4
I mean come on, having to go to their web site to read the fine print to find out that the sales people are not providing full information. Heck, if I had known that, I would have just written off the idea of a loaner.
Now, it appears that I would have to enter into discovery proceedings to get available posters and statements from dealer sales people to prove my point. I don't think so. I also do not think that I am the only person who remembers this type of promise (I know my wife does and she is also ticked).
Am I going to enter into legal action? No. Don't have either the money or time. Will I be likely to buy another Infiniti? Not from a dealer! I may buy one used, but never new again. I paid near MSRP for the car (closest to MSRP of any car we have every bought) in implicit trade for this higher level of service. Heck, you can read my past posts where I lauded Infiniti's service... no more.
This alteration of the implicit (and explicit) "contract" established by statements of Infiniti and its dealer network (how I HATE that "participating" wording as it is, IMO, nothing more than a cop out to allow a company to wiggle out of commitments) makes this company (Infiniti) no better than Nissan (parent company) and/or other companies that compete in lower tiers (ie. Ford, Chrysler, etc., MAYBE at the Lincoln/Cadillac levels). I wouldn't mind as much as I do not have the expectations from them that I do (did) from Infiniti. It surely is not a practice that I expect from a company who is hoping to compete with the likes of Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Lexus, Jaguar, etc. and is approaching that competition from a lagging position. The expectation was even higher BECAUSE Infiniti was trying to overcome/improve on years of languishing at the back of the (high-end, therefore domestic producers excluded) luxury pack.
For a company that is trying to make a comeback via its new vehicles and "customer experience", the idea of letting its dealers "randomly" change conditions of service, with no recourse for the customer, is inexcuseable, IMO.
I'm just posting a warning for those of you who may be getting a certain (excellent) level of service (as I WAS)... don't COUNT on it lasting. The longer this recession lasts, the quicker you can expect to see dealers trying to shore up their profits (unreasonably, IMO, to "bubble-era" levels) by cutting every "legal" service extra. I guess that it is just happening a bit quicker here in Memphis.
Faenor - Oh, I should state that the "ownership experience" was a VERY IMPORTANT part of the Infiniti PACKAGE that led us to buy an Infiniti over the competition. I'm VERY happy for you that Infiniti of Pleasonton (CA, I assume) is showing such service excellence, but I wouldn't bank on it. I was told the same thing by BOTH Infiniti of Memphis AND Infiniti of Nashville (TN).
Anyway, other than for warranty work or major services, I am going to go to ONE OF the local Nissan dealers and let them do the service and save a few bucks... especially since I supply my own oil, for which the dealer "generously" credited me a whole $2.50 for 5 quarts of their oil.
GAG!
I think I need to go cool down somewhere...
Scott
PS. The above post represents only my OPINION and my rememberances of past contacts and discussions. However, it is my BELIEF that this is factual and that I am not intentionally misrepresenting what has happened.
Get to know your dealer. Build a relationship and reap the rewards when it comes time for service, or the next new car.
Documentation Fee 51.40
License Plate Transfer 80.00
New License Plates 143.00
That's it unless you add sales tax in your state.
Just a half-a-thought.
Take care.
Joe W.
First, it is the customers who pay the paychecks for every person at the dealership and manufacturer. Our perceptions are paramount.
I realize it may seem like I'm being a bit pompous, but this is the reality in business (I have 20 years of work (business) experience, from front line to management, a BA, MBA, and am currently working on my PhD). While I do not believe that my perceptions can be generalized for all customers, I do not think that they are all that unusual.
Second, you make a VERY telling statement:
"The only thing that has "officially" changed in the 2003 model year, is that Infiniti will not give free loaners for scheduled maintenance. BTW, if you own a 2002 or older, the loaner program remains the same as in past years."
The G35 I bought was "officially" a 2003, but was sold during the 2002 model year (probably more accurate to call it a 2002.5 model). During the period I bought my car (it was March when we were looking, bought at the beginning of April (1st week)), the (general) promotional materials that were distributed to the dealerships were, by your own admission, touting the free loaner (and car wash) for all service work. It would not be unreasonable to expect that the dealership's sales people were not trained in the fact that this "service" was not going to apply to the 2003 G35's they were selling. In fact, I would be willing to bet (not money) that this policy did not formally come out until the official advent of the 2003 model year (usually July/August).
Because of this, it appears that Infiniti (and their dealerships) want to apply this retroactively to the 2003 G35's sold during the 2002 model year. This is ironic as they do not appear to want to apply the public statements made by an Infiniti VP about the "Infiniti Navigator" service (like GM's OnStar service) retroactively to those 2003 G35's sold during the 2002 model year. (For those who don't remember, this VP stated that ALL (emphasis mine) 2003 Infiniti's would have this Infiniti Navigator service. This statement was made more than once.)
Third, TWO dealerships told me that this was an official policy of Infiniti ("Even Lexus doesn't provide loaners for oil changes."). This was supported by the fact that my local dealership PROVIDED a loaner for an oil change on my 2003 G35... until the 2003 model YEAR arrived.
Anyway, I think that I have found a "work around" for this problem...
Again, I'll state, "for the record", my wife and I LOVE the car, just not the "customer experience".
Scott
PS. Also, adding additional "services" increases the perception of customer service in a customer's eyes, taking them away reduces that perception. One of the key attributes of the luxury car market is customer service.
While we were doing the normal paperwork, I asked the service guy if they were receiving any complaints about the oil change loaner policy change. His response was, "Not as many as we expected." There is a substantial amount of research in marketing that points to the fact that for every customer that actually complains, there are at least 10 who don't, but may not buy again (the product and/or related services from that firm again, kind of a "kill the messenger" thing). I didn't say this as he apparently felt pretty good that they were only receiving a "few" complaints. Then again, when I asked about the AC compressor noise (ours is making progressively more noise), he said he hadn't heard about it and had not had any customers have the problem.
After we finished the paperwork, the service guy said, "Ok, I'll be right back with your loaner." I said, "Huh?" (Brilliant response, right?
Later that day, I went back to the dealership to pick up the car and the work seemed to be done OK and they still wash the cars. Apparently, that is still an official policy (THIS model year, sarcasm intended).
The service guy said that there was NO TSB on the dash clock light brightness. However, I can distinctly remember people on this board and on freshalloy.com claiming that there was and that they had had the problem fixed.
The fuel system recall apparently only involves checking to see if some clamp bolts are actually tightened... probably why there have been no reports of problems.
I asked about the AC compressor noise our car was beginning to make (it IS getting louder, more noticeable, but not LOUD) as I had asked them to look at that also, since I was getting a loaner, and he said that they thought it sounded "normal" and were not going to do anything about it now. Looks like you need to have an "abnormal" noise before they will fix it. Don't you just LOVE these subjective decisions about whether or not to "fix" a problem?
The dealership did not credit me for providing my own oil (last time they at least gave me $2.50, which is less than one quart of the oil I use). However, that may have been an oversight as I was paying more attention to their statement about the clock TSB than to whether or not the credit was there (just saw it wasn't).
Anyway, I thought many of you might be interested in hearing what actually happened during my visit, since I have been complaining about this policy change so much...
The regulator will effectively cut the engine off, requiring you to pull over, turn the engine to the off position, and then turn it back on to get the car to behave normally again.
Scott
My dealership performed the TSB fix for my A/C noise even though in 3 visits (scheduled maintenance) they could never reproduce it.
I think they were checking for the noise simply by running the AC while the car was in the shop, and not test driving it in 85+ temperatures at 2400+ rpm as I told them they had the best chance of hearing it from.
In the end, they were all to happy to do the fix (new compressor, brackets, drain hoses) all on my say so, and now my A/C is SILENT! I can't even tell that its on unless I look at the dash controls or notice that I'm freezing my digits off!
I would urge you to let them know that the sound is there and you are very unsatisfied. I'm not certain why they would hold this fix back from you unless it was a local policy of that dealer to only do the repair for people who were concerned beyond a "reasonable" level.
The other day I was driving to work and as I was parking, I noticed that the front defroster control was lit along with the A/C! I must have hit the defrost button as I was reaching for something in the Glovebox.
I can tell you wholeheartedly that before the fix, there would have been NO WAY I could have driven more than 100 feet and not known my AC was on
Good luck to you and keep trying...
Faenor/Dane4
Just a quick comment: I've never heard of a dealer who would fix a customer problem without being able to duplicate it, unless it is a specific recall. It's happened to me twice and can be real aggravating. But they'll sometimes give in with a "good will" repair, like they did on Dane4's a/c.
Just a thought. Joe
My car is 6 month old now, and every time I drive it I reconfirm my decision was the right one.
I think I will go test drive some G35's this weekend. On paper at least, they have just about everything I'm looking for except a stellar interior.
1. Looks
2. Handling
3. Power
4. Safety (active and passive)
5. Spaciousness
6. Reliability
7. Great warranty and solid dealer service
8. Decent image w/o the hassles you can get from Mercedes or BMW ownership. (my last bmw actually got spit on as a pickup drove by, and my wife had a couple of incidents with redneck drivers)
9. Very reasonable price
10. It does lack the polish inside of the Lexus or even BMW brands.
On the other hand, in many states, the driver of another vehicle that throws up a rock and damages your windshield is responsible for that. In most states, this liability is limited to commercial trucks. So always get the license plate number and try to wave them over to exchange information. They may not, but you can then say you tried.
Scott
Guess I'm going to have to bug them about this. At least it isn't "screaming" like some other people have claimed.
Scott
Thanks for the comments and recommendations.
It's kind of like squeezing a balloon, in some ways. However, if no trade or "hidden" charges, this is a pretty good price.
You may also want to check over in the "What did you pay?" Edmunds.com board. Here is the URL:
/direct/view/.ef0b873
Scott
Does anyone know if an AWD version is planned? Andy any rumors as to any changes expected for the 2004 model year? (Even minor tweaks, I find of use to know...)
Thanks.
Has anyone else heard this? If it is true, that would be good considering Infiniti said Feb. 03 was the release date. Thanks. :-)
Love the car either way.
Since the '79 VW Scirocco I owned about ten years ago, I have not owned a car in which I could hear the AC running. I could hear a brief change in the pitch of the engine (V6, 155HP) as it was put under load in the '95 & '96 Chrysler Sebrings we owned, but no perceptable increase in actual noise. With our '99 Dodge Durango we cannot even hear a change in pitch (V8, 245HP). We bought these Chrysler products new. This is why I am bothered by "some" noise from a $36K luxury sport sedan.
Scott
This will change your idea of Bridgestone performance. Traction rating is AA. Only a few tires can make that statement.
From the way I see it, it's just another design flaw translation from Japan to US. Obviously if you are the typical 155 Japanese dude in Japan, this probably isn't an issue.
Apart from that, the car is great, no AC noises or funny heat blasts when AC is off.
Looks like it will coincide perfectly with the expiration of my lease on the '00 Altima. I can't wait to place my order, which will be very soon.
I absolutely love the car.
I would never counter by saying that people to whom the seat bothers have a problem because I'm convinced that no one would really complain about it unless it was truly an issue with them, but I would offer that it seems to be more satisfactory, than it is a problem if you gauge things simply by the overall responses.
I'm certain that if the seat controls were placed in the more typical side location, some people would complain about how hard it is to wedge your hand inbetween the seat and door to manipulate them, or how much of a drag it is to see your tall passenger approaching and having to take off your seat belt and dive over the center console to reach the passenger seat controls to move the seat.
I suppose the confusing bit to me here is that portly people have admitted to not having a problem with the seat control placement, and relatively skinny people have complained...
If I did voice some disappointment about the seats it would have to be with the amount of side bolster that is present. I've sat in the coupe and its seats wrap around your sides and feel solid and with the right amount of restraint, but this disparity is understandable because we're comparing a sports car to a sporty passenger sedan.
I'm extemely curious now if the seat back of the coupe can be "substituted" for the seatback of the sedan. the materials seem to be a perfect match, and the amount of side bolster for people inclined toward more spirited driving would be very attractive.
Faenor/Dane4
I'm a size 35, so would say I'm pretty average. What I do to counter this (seems to be working) is that I nudge the plastic to the right each morning for about 5 min. But man, I shouldn't have to do something like that for a 30k car...
The Winter/Sport Model uses exactly the same tires as the normal luxury model, however the suspension is calibrated to be 20% firmer. SO yes you will feel the road more. If you are considering the Sport model I would strongly suggest driving a sport model car to evaluate the ride. Especially since you already like the ride of the luxury model.
There are two different winter pkgs. on G35 sedans. The luxury winter pkg. comes with heated seats and a full size spare. The sport winter pkg. comes with heated seats and all-season tires(no full size spare).