I had to write this today, it's been bugging me ever since leaving this establishment…read more
I am extremely disappointed with our experience at Metro Nissan of Montclair, particularly with Service Manager John and the lack of empathy shown toward my 16-year-old son.
My son brought his 2014 Nissan 370Z to Metro Nissan of Montclair for a routine oil change. The vehicle was operating normally when he brought it in. There was no check-engine light and no abnormal RPM/idle issue. Within two days after the oil change, the check-engine light came on and the engine began idling abnormally at approximately 1,000 RPM.
He was on his way to his first day of school only to returned to Metro Nissan because these symptoms had not been present before the service. This is his only true possession.
According to Metro Nissan of Montclair's own diagnostic assessment, the vehicle showed multiple fault codes across several control modules:
* U0100: Lost communication with the ECM/PCM
* U1000: CAN communication fault, appearing in multiple modules
* U1002: CAN communication/system communication issue
* C1109: Abnormal battery voltage
Their technician specifically documented that the "POWER SOURCE IS SUSPECTED FOR CAUSING CODES." They also reported finding "EXCESS CORROSION ON THE POSITIVE BATTERY TERMINAL CREATING HIGH RESISTANCE TO ALL RELATED CONTROL MODULES."
According to the repair order, Metro Nissan cleaned the positive battery terminal, cleared the fault codes and test-drove the vehicle approximately six miles. They reported that the codes did not return.
Here's where my frustration comes in.
I understand this is a 2014 vehicle and older vehicles can develop electrical and mechanical problems. I am not claiming Metro Nissan intentionally damaged the car, nor am I claiming we have proven that their oil-change service caused these problems.
But the timeline deserves a reasonable explanation.
The car arrived operating normally for an oil change. Within two days, it had a check-engine light, abnormal 1,000-RPM idle and multiple voltage/communication fault codes involving several control modules.
As a parent and customer, I believe it's completely reasonable to ask whether the battery was disconnected, tested, moved, jumped, charged or whether the terminals or any electrical connections were disturbed during the oil change or multipoint inspection.
What makes this particularly disappointing is that my son is only 16 years old and is learning to take responsibility for his own vehicle and expenses. We paid the $215 diagnostic charge, but he understands that his car is his responsibility and intends to pay his parents back out of his own money. For a 16-year-old, $215 is not insignificant.
What bothered me most was my interaction with Service Manager John. We weren't asking him to immediately accept blame or give us something for free. We were asking for some empathy, accountability and a reasonable explanation of how a vehicle that arrived without these symptoms developed them shortly after being serviced.
A simple response of, "I understand why you're concerned. Let's look into what happened and see what we can do," would have made a tremendous difference.
Instead, we left feeling dismissed, while my 16-year-old son walked away responsible for a $215 diagnostic bill for symptoms that were not present when he originally brought the car in for an oil change. His response "there is No way this could have happened during an oil change"!
Customer service isn't just about changing oil or clearing diagnostic codes. It's about how you treat your customers when something unexpected happens.
Unfortunately, that is where Metro Nissan of Montclair, and particularly its service management, fell short for us.
You lost a valued customer!!
