Bad Experiance with my 2010 370Z
 

Hello fellow Z owners,

I am new to this forum and would appreciate any feedback everyone might have. My history with Z’s goes back to the early eighty’s when I had a 1970 240Z. Since then I have had multiple Z’s to include a 1977 with 90,000 original miles sitting in my garage waiting for a restoration.

This month I purchased a 2010 370Z off the showroom floor. I went with a Black Cherry touring sport model. What a great car!! I will post pictures once the weather clears up.

Once I got the car home, I noticed light scratches throughout the car. I called my salesman and he said this was most likely due to the car being wiped down on the show room floor. He agreed to detail the car and remove the scratches.

After leaving the car with them for detailing I pick my baby up and drove to a friend’s house and noticed damage to the rear bumper. The car had 300 miles on it and I knew every mile the car had been. I knew the car was not like this when I dropped it off at the dealer.

As everyone can image I was very upset. I went back to the dealer and spoke to my salesman. Even though I went in like a bull dog, he agreed to fix the damage. The following day I was asked to bring the car back for the Executive Manager to see the damage. After he inspected the car I was told this most likely was a manufacture defect and agreed to fix the bumper. I wish I had taken picture of the damage but didn’t.

I called to check the status after four days and was told by the service manager that when he inspected the car, he felt the repair wasn’t up to his satisfaction and had them do further work on it. Friday the car was ready, they even put it on the showroom floor.

After getting to the dealership I noticed a problem in the paint. It appears to be a hair that was in the paint and removed during one of the coats of clear coat. You have to look to see this but it is there. I was told by the Executive Manager this is as good as it gets. I was also told by my salesman, the painter and the detailer was aware of this after the repair.

I certainly appreciate the fact the dealer stepped up and agreed to fix the bumper. I had complete respect for them until my experience yesterday. If this was a manufactures defect, which I question, one would think Nissan would pay for the repair to be done perfectly.

Reading through many of the posts on this forum, most of us are very detailed, or as my wife says (anal) about our Z’s. Am I unreasonable for wanting the repair perfect? I would very much appreciate everyone’s feedback on how I should proceed.

Thank you

After all the work they did, I'm surprised they won't fix the hair issue.

It's a new car. It should be perfect. They should have replaced the bumper IMHO and defects in the paint or clearcoat on a new car are unacceptable and ANY good body shop could fix that...why can't they?

When you sign on the dotted line, you accept the condition of the vehicle. That's why it is called a contract.

Basically I was told they can't be sure the car wasn't damaged when I brought it in for detailing. If this was the case, they wouldn't have agreed to fix it in the beginning. I am 100% sure they damaged it.

And I'm 100% sure you can't prove that, whether it's true or not! Can a hair mark be removed by a body shop? Might be the way to go :tup:

I don't doubt you're screwed on this one, but you can be honest in your evaluation of the dealership to friends and in your follow-up survey. Dealerships can suck. I once got a car back with a huge ding/scratch in it. I noticed it when I got home (passenger side) and immediately drove back.

Simultaneously two of the dealer wanks said "it had that when it came in!" and "that wasn't there when it left!" (then grinned at each other). As a result I go over my vehicles very carefully before and after I pick it up from any dealership.

you should be keeping a log with pictures, better yet video log. Now days video is the way to go. Good luck and I hope they fix it.

as good as it gets for a pos paint job. get it redone.

You should have inspected the Z before handing over the check……and once you drive off the Nissan lot, believe me, it’s all downhill….you now have a used car! It will never be a “new car” again!

Take an OC pill and relax. If you can't see it then who the hell cares? Once you drive it a couple of road trips this stupid annoyance will not even matter anymore.

I agree Oscar
 

I want perfect also. That hair streak can be annoying and will be less going forward but I would push for the repair because its simple, your pissed off and expect perfect when new. fight it. Rich

I know how you feel man. I'm the same way. Fvck it, cut your losses and move on. It's not worth the aggrevation and gray hair. You're gonna die one day and it doesn't really matter in the end.

Get some 2000 grit sandpaper and wet sand it out.

there will be a point where you wish this was the only defect on your car. however, i agree that its not right and they should fix it

+1
Hahahahahha! Its lthe best advice as of yet. A hairline scratch ain't nothin'. Look at it like this. Sometime this summer you will likely to get a rock chip or minor ding from something or other. Its inevitable and that will be more noticeable than a hairline you can barely see. And there is no warranty coverage for that. Sh1t happens homes! If you don't take on that attitude you will spend thousands upon thousands on semi-annual paint jobs.
At least they went and fixed the major stuff. You got a few guys on here that fight a whole lot more to get a lot less done. Next time inspect your car before signing. :)

As for what to do next? I mean like tj said. Wet sand it and also there's touch up paint for nicks and scratches. If u have a skilled hand? You can fix minor issues yourself.

I disagree. Fact is, it depends if you can be bothered or not.
You know the defect is there and it's therefore sufficient to my mind to demand it be done perfectly :eekdance:.

The bad part is if they agree to fix it and you take it in. Who's to say it won't have more scratches when you get it back. That happened to me.

You would think, with it being a 30-40k purchase and all, that people would inspect their cars at the dealership.

I was doing a very thorough walk-around inspection of my car at the dealer, and the saleswoman was like, "What are you doing?". My reply, "Making sure it's perfect."

While I don't blame you for being upset at the damage, a lot of heartache would have been avoided if you pointed these problems out at the dealership instead.

I really appreciate everyone's feedback. One thing I will point out is the car was perfect when we bought it. The damaged happened after I returned the car to have it detailed. I am a perfectionist and believe me the car had no damage the day I took it home. I agree with everyone about the car developing chips and scratches over time. These will be my fault and I will only blame myself. For me it is different when the dealership has your car a week after you sign the paperwork and then damages it. Accidents do happen and the dealer did own up to it but just do the best repair job possible.

Similar to doing a preflight, I always examine the car with the Service Manager and have them write down that we did. That way when you get it back you examine it again before taking release.

EXCELLENT advise SoCal !!

let's not split hairs over this

This is good advise SoCal, thanks!!

:facepalm:

Not at all unreasonable. Dig in on that one.

I'm not sure I agree with that, as there are flaws and defects a reasonable buyer might understandably not see on during the delivery inspection. If they are reported within a reasonable time after delivery and are of the type that could reasonably been undetected at delivery, I'm confident the manufacturer would be held responsible for the remedy.

Brother, I feel your pain.... same colour too!!!

http://www.the370z.com/exterior-inte...-painting.html

You said in original post that you noticed scratches AFTER you purchased and got it home. I'd say you should have looked it over better. We all want our cars to be perfect - at least for that few miles after purchase - but once you sign and leave the dealership it's your responsibility. Sounds like your dealer has been more than fair about taking care of you.

Like someone else said, after a few months and a few rock chips on the front you won't even notice those other minor flaws. That said, get some Clear Bra if you want to avoid rock chips.

What happened to you is why I do all the cleaning and simple maintenance work.

:iagree:

Not true - if there are manufacturer caused defects you can force them to be corrected. That's what a warranty is for...

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I agree with the suggestion to get some 2000 grit sandpaper from your local auto paint store, sand out the spot (assuming it's not deep), then polish back to a gloss finish. BUT - if OP isn't experienced in doing this, then I'd go back to the dealer and try one more time, this time with a witness - if necessary, tell them you will have the spot repaired and then sue them in small claims court to recover your out-of-pocket expenses to repair the damage that they caused. You could also try talking to the Nissan Area Supervisor.

Good luck!

Nobody proved there was a "manufacturer caused defect". IMO, the dealer is being responsive to a customer. Good luck suing Nissan in small claims court.

He doesn't need to sue Nissan. The dealer already admitted fault when they agreed to repair the damage. Their repair was inadequate. Small claims against the dealer with that data is a slam dunk.

Dude, what about the 300 extra miles, I would go in there and find out who put the extra mileage on my car and take care of him accordingly...PERIOD !!!!!!!

and to think, in another thread on this forum people are telling us to take our cars to the stealerships for normal maintenance work :shakes head:

:iagree: Exactly! IMO, the dealer is NOT being responsive to the customer - the dealer should fix the additional damage that they caused during the original repair. End of story.

And my other point was that just because you "sign on the dotted line" it doesn't mean that you're "accepting the condition" of the car as-is as 370Zsteve stated - if there are defects present in a new car when you drive it off the lot, the warranty covers you (not to mention lemon laws and other state consumer protection statutes).