Jump to content

Eastside Nissan, Failed me again


RedRider3141
 Share

Recommended Posts

So I usually avoid my nearest Nissan Dealer which is Eastside Nissan in Bellevue, WA because

1) They aren't actually that close to my house

2) So far the prices are way out of line (100% Stealership)

3) And they quoted me $6,000 in top end work to fix my SES light that I ended up replacing $80 worth of Cam sensors to fix (2+ years and counting).

 

Anyways, I need to replace my front struts and I have all of the part except the Lower strut mount bolt. I checked my favorite OEM source courtesyparts.com and was disappointed to find that for <$20 in bolts/ nuts they were going to charge $15 to ship so about $35 total, shipped to my front door. I figured even if the dealer was a little higher thought that surely I can't go wrong such a simple parts request,4 common service bolts and nuts with no shipping. However. when I called the Dealer they quoted $2 a nut and $9 a bolt! Plus they didn't even stock them so I'd still have to wait about a week before I'd have them in hand.

 

So to recap:

$44 to pick up locally in 1 week from Eastside Nissan

$35 to ship to my door in ~ 1 week from Courtesy Nissan in Dallas, TX

 

When I asked if they price matched another Nissan dealer I just got silence so I told him that I would be ordering from the other dealer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you dont want to go through Rob for any reason, I can suggest two of my buddies who work at Tacoma Nissan. I know its a bit of a drive, but it might work out for you. Tell either one you are a NPORA member and a friend of Derek, probably give you a discount! Talk to Geoff or Shea.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Eastside nissan is (or was?) a nice dealer, great for buying cars from what i hear, but a complete fluster cuck when it comes to get parts, i was quoted $21 for a trans drain plug , got it for $9 shipped to my door from rob. I also had them install it to since i couldn't get the old one out and really didn't have the tools to do it. $80 later, i've got a new plug and fluid, both of which i provided, but i was very pleased!!

 

But good to hear that there are other dealers in Washington who are actually in touch with the rest of the world, and realize that there are people who cant afford GTR's and cant afford GTR pricing, unlike Nissan of the Eastside.

 

-Kyle

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As a dealer mechanic I realize that dealer prices are high, however you have to consider several things when going to a dealer. The mechanic only makes a small part of the labor rate, the dealership has a lot of overhead cost, and the people whom you are dealing with don't set the prices. Unfortunately it is difficult to be competitive with smaller shops. However if you can find a good independent shop that does quality work and you trust I strongly recommend going to them! There are a lot of awesome independent shops out there! And word of mouth is the best reference.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh, after the many talks i have had with Rob, i totally get it, labor rate is fair (somewhat fair, depending on who were talking about), for what a dealer has access to and doesn't really have a way to charge for, so its thrown in (according to Rob, harness repair parts are an example of this, pigtails, plugs, etc).

 

But even shops are expensive, i just had a quote of almost a grand for a clutch change on my 96 from a highly rated, transmission dedicated shop. So yeah, im going to do that myself, but he also quoted me around that for a trans rebuild, which was a little disheartening, but may have to have it done.

 

At any rate, labor rates are not my issue with dealer pricing, its part pricing that should be a crime.

 

-Kyle

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh, after the many talks i have had with Rob, i totally get it, labor rate is fair (somewhat fair, depending on who were talking about), for what a dealer has access to and doesn't really have a way to charge for, so its thrown in (according to Rob, harness repair parts are an example of this, pigtails, plugs, etc).

 

But even shops are expensive, i just had a quote of almost a grand for a clutch change on my 96 from a highly rated, transmission dedicated shop. So yeah, im going to do that myself, but he also quoted me around that for a trans rebuild, which was a little disheartening, but may have to have it done.

 

At any rate, labor rates are not my issue with dealer pricing, its part pricing that should be a crime.

 

-Kyle

Agreed, even with the discounts I get I'm dumbfounded on the cost of some of the parts. Frustrating when you are trying to keep an older vehicle maintained.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's cause they have a 100%+ markup on everything. They fit markup for list price to sell it to another shop and make money(who then also marks it up and adds tax), then marks it up again for regular customers. Dealers who "wholesale" parts are usually the best to get cheaper pricing from. I can only assume that's what Rob does.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the suggestion guys I'll give Rob a try next time. I'll gladly spend my money on someone who cares about their customer.

 

 

I just can't say much good about Eastside Nissan. My wife and I even tried to buy a car from them and it didn't go well. They had a decent deal on a well equipped Sentra but could only offer us 18% interest on the car! We were fresh at out of college and had no credit history so I understand why we didn't qualify for better but they had the audacity to try and convince us that it was a "good" deal and that we shouldn't walk away from the "opportunity". I can't stand that kind of lying. We might have been young but not stupid, we walked out and went straight to a Credit Union that gave us a car loan with a rate around 4%. We purchased our next car elsewhere.

 

I might have thought it was just a fluke but I was in there for recall/warranty work this past year and as I was waiting in the 350Z I over heard a whole discussion of a salesman selling a lady hard just like we had been.

 

In general I avoid dealers like the plague but its inevitable sometimes, all other times I repair it myself or take it to a local independent shop that has been working on our family cars for 20+ years. My dad jokes his Mercury Sable put the owners kid through college. Good thing too because now the owners kid owns/ runs it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For the most part I have always had good experiences at the local (south end) Nissan dealership parts departments up there. But the one that I completely wiped off my radar was Yonker Nissan in Renton. No way in hell would I ever go back there looking for parts. That + that 5523 put after the 100% applies directly to them. You might even want to add another + or two after the first one!

 

When I needed a new fusible link set I called all the dealers near home, work and in between (so Olyimpia up through Seattle, even called one on the east side, perhaps it was Eastside Nissan.) Only two had them in stock, Olympia and Yonker. Yonker had three of them and it was no wonder why after they told me the price, they wanted nearly 50% more than the highest of all the other dealers (who had to order it.) That was the second time I encountered that asinine pricing with them and the last time I bothered. This was when they were on 167, so before they moved(?), if they are in a shiny new building, I can only imagine what prices are like now. :blink:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...