| "Dear Sam, Just wanted to thank you for Glenn's handling of the warranty, or lack thereof, on our Nissan Frontier. To fill you in: Glenn diagnosed a faulty windshield pump motor. He took it to the dealer for us and they charged us $90 to tell us what we already knew and stated that it was not covered under the factory warranty . . . afterwards he took it to another dealer who replaced it under warranty and gave us great service, almost as great as yours . . . " |
Although the mail was complimentary in nature, I was in the dark as to what actual events had really transpired. The next day I brought the e-mail into my brother Glenn and questioned him about it.
Glenn explained that the author of the e-mail was a customer of ours who owned a 2004 Nissan Frontier with just over 18,000 miles. The owner had come in last January reporting that the windshield washers were inoperative. A subsequent check by one of our technicians revealed that the pump was getting power and ground, but it was faulty. Knowing this should be covered under the factory warranty, Glenn made an appointment with one of the several Nissan dealers that supply our parts and warranty service.
On the date of the appointment, Glenn was shocked to get a call from the service advisor stating that the washer pump was not covered under the factory warranty. The advisor stated that the vehicle had been subjected to "off-road" use and was, therefore, void of warranty. Glenn questioned the service advisor about their verdict. The advisor stated that the technician had found some grass under the vehicle and that this off-road observation required them to decline the warranty service. In addition, the advisor advised that the total cost for testing and inspection of the pump was $90. Glenn was astonished to learn of the vehicle's condition and sent one of our drivers to pay the bill and retrieve the car.
Once back at the shop, Glenn immediately hoisted the vehicle for an under-car inspection. Much to his surprise, he only found slight traces of tall grass under the vehicle. There were no signs of damage, mud or other clues to that might be considered abuse or off-road use. Then he called the customer to update her on the situation. The customer responded that the car had never been driven off-road, but stated that it was parked at times in an area of tall grass located adjacent to her home. Glenn advised the customer of the dealership's findings and suggested that she call the Nissan Customer Assistance Center.
The next day, Glenn received another call from the owner. She stated that the Assistance Center representative told her a history check of the vehicle revealed that it was owned by a "famous person" whose mechanic had previously replaced the washer pump with an aftermarket type. The representative stated that they would have to stand by the dealerships' decision to decline the warranty.
Then the owner questioned the representative about the allegation of "off-road" use. The owner even went on to state that her warranty booklet showed a picture of the Frontier in an off-road scene and that her window sticker even stated that her vehicle was built with the "off-road package." Still armed with these facts, the owner was unable to get the representative to agree to replace the pump under warranty. Glenn told our customer that he would take the vehicle to another Nissan dealership for a second opinion.
The following week, the vehicle was sent to a second dealer with an explanation of what had transpired. Later that day, the service manager of that second dealership called Glenn and said that the washer pump was covered under warranty. He also said they were going to replace the Mass Air Flow sensor as well for a separate, unrelated condition.
The manager later apologized to the customer for having to go through such trouble getting the pump replaced. The dealer went on to state that her vehicle's warranty was valid and that there was no such history on file regarding the pump's prior replacement. The manager was unable to explain why the warranty was really declined in the first place.
In the end, the customer was happy to learn that her vehicle did have its three-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty intact, not to mention the additional Nissan powertrain warranty. Obviously, regarding warranty work these days, there can be some confusion as to what is covered, for how long and under what circumstances.
Bravo to the second dealer and to our staff, for working tirelessly in an effort of customer satisfaction. That is after all, what our end job is all about. Unfortunately, some days it just comes harder than others.
