Any Mod Friendly Dealers in MD Area?

Jon@AAMComp · 03-07-2011, 08:45 AM

Yeah, TSB is a little different than a warranty issue, as it is a known factory defect. Essentially when Nissan issues a TSB for a car, it's them saying, 'we screwed up somewhere, and if your car does this, it's our fault and we'll fix it.' Regardless of your modifications, any Nissan dealer should repair this for you for free, without question. Sorry if that may have come across the wrong way; I'm not trying to diminish what you've done to your car, just pointing out the fact that you have not done any extreme modifications to the engine, drivetrain, or electronics or any modification that would cause factory parts to fail.

For warranty work, you'd want to find a mod-friendly dealer. Sheehy Nissan in Annapolis have been pretty good with our GT-R guys. Keep them in mind, along with any other dealers recommended by other Mid-A members.

-J

b1adesofcha0s · 03-07-2011, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon@AAMComp

Yeah, TSB is a little different than a warranty issue, as it is a known factory defect. Essentially when Nissan issues a TSB for a car, it's them saying, 'we screwed up somewhere, and if your car does this, it's our fault and we'll fix it.' Regardless of your modifications, any Nissan dealer should repair this for you for free, without question. Sorry if that may have come across the wrong way; I'm not trying to diminish what you've done to your car, just pointing out the fact that you have not done any extreme modifications to the engine, drivetrain, or electronics or any modification that would cause factory parts to fail.

For warranty work, you'd want to find a mod-friendly dealer. Sheehy Nissan in Annapolis have been pretty good with our GT-R guys. Keep them in mind, along with any other dealers recommended by other Mid-A members.

-J

Thanks Jon! Yeah I haven't done any performance mods yet, but plan on doing some in the future. I thought it would be more beneficial to me if I find a mod-friendly dealership now and start building a relationship with them. This way, when I do eventually get the mods they will be cool with it and more likely to help me out than if I was just some random guy with a modded 370Z looking to get some work done.

BTW the plan for my performance mods include: hfc, intake, exhaust, and maybe a pulley kit. Nothing too extreme, but I want to avoid experiences like Tony's when a dealership told him to never come back there because he wanted to get hfc's installed.

Jon@AAMComp · 03-07-2011, 04:07 PM

Lol, yeah I remember that. Brown's Nissan I think; I'm sure Tony will chime in and let us know. Basically, a dealer's worst nightmare the following scenario; If they have a modified car in their repair facility one of the dealer employees ends up damaging a part that THEY can't replace(i.e., factory Nissan part they can grab off the shelf), they have to come out of pocket to replace the aftermarket part. And building a good relationship with the service writer/technician is a really good idea. One of our GT-R customers has a such a good relationship with his dealership, he avoided being 'blacklisted' when he was having trouble with his GR6 transmission. They repaired the problems he was having under warranty, even though his car is far from stock. Nissan have, and will blacklist GT-Rs VIN numbers nationwide if they feel the owner is in violation of 'engine safe' modifications.

Most dealers shy away from lowered cars, cars with body kits, titanium exhausts, etc. for this exact reason. It's much cheaper to replace a factory Nissan part than it is to replace a Powerhouse Amuse VESTITO kit on a show car. Some dealers are an exception, but most will exercise their right to refuse service to you. You should be ok with your basic intake, hfc, and exhaust, but just to be on the safe side, look over everything before you pull off the lot. If you can, keep an eye out for 'joy-riders' as well with your Z. Lots of 17-18 year old lot attendants or service apprenticeships looking to take advantage of the opportunity to drive a Z for the first time. I've no problem with that, just do it on one of the dealers cars, not mine.

Just my .02

-J

b1adesofcha0s · 03-07-2011, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon@AAMComp

Lol, yeah I remember that. Brown's Nissan I think; I'm sure Tony will chime in and let us know. Basically, a dealer's worst nightmare the following scenario; If they have a modified car in their repair facility one of the dealer employees ends up damaging a part that THEY can't replace(i.e., factory Nissan part they can grab off the shelf), they have to come out of pocket to replace the aftermarket part. And building a good relationship with the service writer/technician is a really good idea. One of our GT-R customers has a such a good relationship with his dealership, he avoided being 'blacklisted' when he was having trouble with his GR6 transmission. They repaired the problems he was having under warranty, even though his car is far from stock. Nissan have, and will blacklist GT-Rs VIN numbers nationwide if they feel the owner is in violation of 'engine safe' modifications.

Most dealers shy away from lowered cars, cars with body kits, titanium exhausts, etc. for this exact reason. It's much cheaper to replace a factory Nissan part than it is to replace a Powerhouse Amuse VESTITO kit on a show car. Some dealers are an exception, but most will exercise their right to refuse service to you. You should be ok with your basic intake, hfc, and exhaust, but just to be on the safe side, look over everything before you pull off the lot. If you can, keep an eye out for 'joy-riders' as well with your Z. Lots of 17-18 year old lot attendants or service apprenticeships looking to take advantage of the opportunity to drive a Z for the first time. I've no problem with that, just do it on one of the dealers cars, not mine.

Just my .02

-J

Thanks again for all the great info Jon! I'm gonna give it a few more days for some other Mid-A people to give any suggestions, if not then Nissan of Annapolis is the way to go. Will definitely stop by to check out the shop if I end up there.

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03-07-2011, 08:45 AM	#1 (permalink)
Jon@AAMComp Enthusiast Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Maryland Posts: 327 Drives: Nissan 370Z Rep Power: 16	Yeah, TSB is a little different than a warranty issue, as it is a known factory defect. Essentially when Nissan issues a TSB for a car, it's them saying, 'we screwed up somewhere, and if your car does this, it's our fault and we'll fix it.' Regardless of your modifications, any Nissan dealer should repair this for you for free, without question. Sorry if that may have come across the wrong way; I'm not trying to diminish what you've done to your car, just pointing out the fact that you have not done any extreme modifications to the engine, drivetrain, or electronics or any modification that would cause factory parts to fail. For warranty work, you'd want to find a mod-friendly dealer. Sheehy Nissan in Annapolis have been pretty good with our GT-R guys. Keep them in mind, along with any other dealers recommended by other Mid-A members. -J

03-07-2011, 04:07 PM	#3 (permalink)
Jon@AAMComp Enthusiast Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Maryland Posts: 327 Drives: Nissan 370Z Rep Power: 16	Lol, yeah I remember that. Brown's Nissan I think; I'm sure Tony will chime in and let us know. Basically, a dealer's worst nightmare the following scenario; If they have a modified car in their repair facility one of the dealer employees ends up damaging a part that THEY can't replace(i.e., factory Nissan part they can grab off the shelf), they have to come out of pocket to replace the aftermarket part. And building a good relationship with the service writer/technician is a really good idea. One of our GT-R customers has a such a good relationship with his dealership, he avoided being 'blacklisted' when he was having trouble with his GR6 transmission. They repaired the problems he was having under warranty, even though his car is far from stock. Nissan have, and will blacklist GT-Rs VIN numbers nationwide if they feel the owner is in violation of 'engine safe' modifications. Most dealers shy away from lowered cars, cars with body kits, titanium exhausts, etc. for this exact reason. It's much cheaper to replace a factory Nissan part than it is to replace a Powerhouse Amuse VESTITO kit on a show car. Some dealers are an exception, but most will exercise their right to refuse service to you. You should be ok with your basic intake, hfc, and exhaust, but just to be on the safe side, look over everything before you pull off the lot. If you can, keep an eye out for 'joy-riders' as well with your Z. Lots of 17-18 year old lot attendants or service apprenticeships looking to take advantage of the opportunity to drive a Z for the first time. I've no problem with that, just do it on one of the dealers cars, not mine. Just my .02 -J