Clear Lake Nissan - How I Loathe Thee!

[Titan4x4Aggie]

Have I mentioned how much I hate Clear Lake Nissan, their parts department, and Nissan's part numbering / management information system???

I tried to order clips, screws, and other fasteners for my interior, because a number of the parts either broke while disassembling the interior, or were missing from the factory.

So, I tried to order new ones to hold everything in place and reduce the infinite number of rattles in my interior.

NO DICE

After spending 30 minutes browsing through a cluttered, unorganized electronics parts catalog with the parts guy (some kid with horrid breath), we finally find the parts I was looking for. So, he enters the numbers, and orders the parts.

Funny thing is, I have to pay before he orders them. Total is $15+ dollars for speaker clips, vent screws, and A-pillar panel clips. Ripoff...whatever. I'm just thinking "I'll get my parts, and I can get my interior back together".

So, a week later (yeah, 1 week to order and receive 1 lb of fasteners) I get my parts in, receive a call, and drive 15+ miles round trip to get the parts.

Yes, that's more than a gallon of gas.

So, I get there, and wait 20 minutes for the same kid with smelly breath to get off the phone and give me the parts I already paid for. He does, and low and behold, 2 of the 3 parts are incorrect. The screw are wrong, along with the A-pillar clips.

A large number of indescribeable feelings overwhelm me

(Realize I spent three trips to this same dealer to order a black door echelon WITHOUT a keyhole, so this isn't a new problem I'm facing here)

So, I explain to him that these parts are NOT correct, they dont look correct, and they wont work. Apartently he wants to confirm they are wrong, so he says "can I have your insurance".

WTF do you want my insurance???

"Because it has your VIN on it, and I need that to check to see if the parts are correct".

So I reply "I dont have my insurance. It is in my glove box, which is in my apartment because I dont have to clips to hold it in it's place!"

Anger rising.

So, he walks out with me, writes down the number, and we go back in. We look at his screen, where he stumbles around through is computer, and confirms "well, the P/N matches the screen, it's Nissan's fault". He doesn't provide a solution, or seem to car about the fact that I can't get the parts I need to fix my truck.

So, I say "well, lets try to find some other parts I need. An airbag lock-nut w/ integrated washer, it was crossthreaded and would go back on. I also need a clip for my passenger knee panel. It's the same clip that is used on every peice of the interior - the center speaker panel, the front defoster grille, the lower dash knee panels, etc".

Well, he can't find the airbag nut, and says the interior clip only comes with the part, and can't be ordered separate.

BULLSH!T

I'm not going to order a $50 part for one $0.05 brittle, metal clip.

So I guess if they work on your interior, and loose / break a clip, they wont replace it because they can't order the part.

Quality Customer Service.

So, my anger level hits it's peak, and I'm tired of wasting my time / gas / mental energy on these dolts. So, I grab the few parts (that I already paid for) that might be of use to me, and go off on the guy about how much gas I've wasted, how they could at least look at the part and make sure it is correct before calling me and telling me my parts are int, how much I hate Nissan / Clear Lake Nissan, that I will never buy another Nissan, etc, and walk out.

At which time I meet QuickSilverTitan in the parking lot.

We chat about how much crappy the Titan is (expect for the engine and tranny, which we love) and the kid with stinky breath approaches us, and says "why do you attack me? I'm just the messenger, it's Nissan's fault" etc.

So I said "you are Nissan, and Nissan's poor parts management system is part of your business, since you are a parts dealer. Yes, it is your fault. And even if it's not, good customer service takes the blame and fixes the problem. It doesn't blame someone else. You service is terrible, I'm tired of wasting gas and time. I will never buy a Nissan, when I can't even order the parts to fix it. I could get better service online, which I will do in the future."

And so I'm between a rock and a hard place. I need my parts, but Nissan's part number system is all jacked up and wrong, so I can't get the parts I need. I'd order online, but I'll probably end up with the same wrong parts - AGAIN.

So, I"m thinking about taking pictures of the parts I need, printing them out, and going to David McDavid Nissan and saying "order me these parts. I'm driving 30 miles round trip to get these, make sure they are right before I come in to get them. Here is a picture of the parts I need. If the part doesn't match, then reorder and get it right until I come to get them. If you can't even order the correct part, that will signify to me that you can't fix my truck, which means I will NEVER come back to this dealership for service, and you will lose a customer - unless it's warrenty work you are paying for."

More on this story later.

[baseballfanz]

I hate Tom Peac0ck Nissan, don't really want to add a long story here either. People in the parts departments are idiots, took them 30 min. on their fancy computer just to find the part number for the "blank switch".

[llajumpvid]

Check with Pepboys or another parts store to see if they may have these clips. I know a few of the ones you are talking about and I could swear I've seen them before in a parts store. If they don't I'd take some good pictures and email it to a site sponsor or two and let them get it for you. Probably cost $8 for shipping $0.50 worth of parts but you won't have to waste the time and gas...nor worry about their hygiene

[springtitan]

I have had fairly good luck with Robbins. I don't have my service book in the motel room with me, but they have some pretty good service advisors, they have always taken good care of me. Tomorrow I will post the service advisor's name that has been very helpful. Soory for the laziness, I worked a 12 hour day and just don't feel like walking out to my Titan to get his card.

[hookemhorns]

I have been very happy with both the service and parts departments of Baker Jackson South. Talk to Lance Clemmons in Service and he will be able to help you, I would bet.

[Titan4x4Aggie]

Thanks for the replies guys. I took some pictures of the parts I need (or the spots of where the parts should go), and will print them out along with how many of each I am looking for. We'll see if that helps.

O'Reilly has some of the parts I was looking for, but not the special metal clips. I may try Pep Boys.

[baseballfanz]

You still see Pep Boys around? All the one around me (SW Houston) are closed down.

[Iyami-Sama]

Originally Posted by baseballfanz

You still see Pep Boys around? All the one around me (SW Houston) are closed down.

there's one about a half-mile or so from me... Just east of Abrams on NW Highway in Dallas. Wife and I were in it a coupla weeks ago wandering around.