The Saga Continues: 2008 Nissan Altima Hybrid Loses Its Head(liner)
As if I haven't had enough problems with my newly-leased 2008 Nissan Altima Hybrid. First the battery died as I tried to leave the car dealer's lot. Then, it died again two days later, requiring that it be towed and the battery replaced.
Now, the headliner -- the cloth that covers the roof interior -- is falling down. I've only had this vehicle one month. What happened to "vehicle quality"? Tomorrow I go to a nearby dealer to get it fixed... the whole headliner might need replacement. I just love hanging around dealership service departments; don't you?
But wait, there's more. The dealer's finance department messed up a date on the original contract, so the leasing company (Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation) thinks I took possession of the car two weeks before I actually did. Calling the dealership finance manager (twice or three times) to straighten things out (which NMAC told me to do) has been fruitless.
NMAC has said if I make my next payment (albeit two weeks early), I can then change my due date... or, they say, I can go to the dealership and have the contract entirely rewritten. That would take hours. Opting for the former, I tried to use NMAC's automatic payment process over the phone, only to discover they would charge me $5 to do it that way. So how much time have I wasted on all of this so far? Plenty.
Funny thing is, none of this is my salesman's fault (seriously), and I still think highly of him. Just goes to show you; It's not necessarily the salesperson that a customer ends up doing battle with. Sometimes it's the product; sometimes it's the company. In my case, it's both.
Oh, I know; it's not like there's any major mechanical problems I'm dealing with. Compared to a lot of the horror stories I read on CarSpace, I got off easy. But if you thought that editors at Edmunds don't go through the same hassles as everyone else, this little story should prove otherwise. We know our cars, and we know to negotiate, but there's not much we can do about incompetence or shoddy workmanship.
For more on this continuing saga, check back here another day. I'll be blogging here (at least) every Wednesday, now that The Driving Woman is part of the Strategies for Smart Car Buyers blog. In the meantime, feel free to share your own sagas!
- Posted by
- Joanne Helperin July 2, 2008, 5:01 AM
- Permalink
- Categories:
- Buying New Cars, Dealing with Car Dealers
- Technorati Tags:
- Car Dealers, Nissan Altima Hybrid
Keep a copy of your lease contract handy so you have proof of actual delivery.
LS
Still having the battery problem?
Knowing that it's Nissan's own finance company handling the lease, I'd expect them to do the leg work on this issue. This is despicable.
I thought the days of crappy headliners that come unglued and constantly tickle your scalp ended around MY1983. I seem to remember this problem being particularly bad in any number of boats built during the 70s. I'm genuinely surprised Nissan can't get this minor detail right in 2008.
Hey ahightower -- No, the battery's fine, although you have to keep an eye on it, because if you leave the car for a number of days, or you run it on accessory power for a length of time (shorter than with a regular car), the battery begins to drain. So as long as I have this car, I'm going to be a little nervous about the battery and have to keep a sharp eye on it.
I did stop by the local dealer today, who said, "Yup, the headliner's falling down. Normally we don't cover that because it's a trim piece, but because it's only a month old, we'll replace is. Have to order the part, though. Be a few days. It'll take some time to replace, too... couple days."
I had foolishly hoped that the part would be in stock. Silly me. At least they said they would give me a loaner car while they replace the headliner... over the phone, they said that they would only do that if they had sold me the car.
So, the saga continues....
We had similar experience with a simple glovebox latch on a 2003 Quest. Just terrible service, over something so small.
"Oh, I know; it's not like there's any major mechanical problems I'm dealing with."
Don't worry, researchqueen! Trust me, you're not complaining. I'd be FURIOUS if I had a headliner coming out of a new car! BTW, is there not a lemon law or something you could use? Your Altima's behaviour and Nissan's poor service are proving very annoying, to put it mildly.
Should've got a Hybrid Camry...
An old friend had serious issues with her 2002 Altima... as did other people (as she told me). I never, EVER consider Nissans after the horror stories people tell me about theirs, then the general lack of help even from Nissan pushes me far away from the company.