djsk

So I bought Infinit's premium maintenance package when i first bought my 09 G37. I just took my car in for a routine 9 month oil change and it was good until I got home and looked at my work order. I noticed that they put in regular 5w30 oil instead of the nissan esther oil they put the other two oil changes i've done.

So i called only to have them tell me that infiniti recently changed the premium maintenance package to not include nissan esther oil but just regular oil. They told me to contact infiniti consumer affairs if i wanted to solve the problem.

Now...i'm pretty pissed at how they handled this situation. Especially since i called two other infiniti dealerships in my area and they told me they still include nissan esther oil. It would of been polite of them to let me know before they changed my oil that it just includes regular oil and not the nissan esther. I would have taken the car somewhere else.

BTW, i got my oil changed at niello infiniti in CA and had good experiences with them before this. Pisses me off even more cause they kept bringing up Beshoff infiniti and that i should contact them since thats where i bought my car and the maintenance package. I wonder if i would of had this problem if i bought the car from niello.

Has anyone else who has the premium maintenance package experienced this? I am still waiting on infiniti to get back to me. I might not have bought the premium maintenance package to get the nissan esther oil, but if what niello is saying is true, then WTF infiniti! How can you sell a product and change it later on!!!

LightsOut

iTrader: (7)

Thats bad service on their part.. let consumer affairs take care of it for you.

SM_Shadowman

Well hold on a second. When you bought the maintenance plan, did they tell you it included ester oil changes? It seems to me they shouldn't just be able to change that after-the-fact -- that would be a breach of contract.

Also, is the maintenance plan with the dealership or Infiniti? In other words, can you go to any dealership to get the oil changed?

CougarRed

Nissan Ester oil tends to shear out of grade before 3750 miles. Also seen a bunch of high wear metal counts with it.

Just an average product with poor durability that's way overpriced.

However, since it costs $12 a quart, if you bargained for it then you ought to be able to specify any oil as a replacement that costs $12/qt or less. Which is just about every oil known to man.

madmax2k1

I have the Infiniti maintenance plan and I get Ester oil with each service at Infiniti of Tustin.

SM_Shadowman

Yeah, but that's another discussion for another time. It may still be preferable for the G to whatever standard bulk 5w30 they're dishing out for standard $30 oil changes at the dealership.

jtla

This is why I would never buy any kind of pre-paid service plan, on a vehicle or otherwise. In addition to you being locked up, they act it as if they were doing you a favor when the service is rendered because you don't have to pay for it -- while in fact you had paid the cost upfront.

As to the contract, I bet its wording would be something like this -- "We will perform the service items in accordance with Infiniti's Premium Maintenance Schedule." I doubt that it would specify ester oil.

As you have discovered, other dealers still use ester oil. Next time, call around and confirm before going in. Even if Infiniti does not specify ester oil, I am sure there will be dealer willing to use it in order to get your business (they get paid by the Plan). Good luck!

SM_Shadowman

LOL. When I bought my car I paid for the rear spoiler, which was to be installed a few weeks later when it arrived. In addition the salesman forgot to give me the second keyfob after showing me how to use the car's features and sending me on my way, etc.

Long story short, when I came back a month later I got the spoiler installed and a new keyfob programmed (who knows what happened to the original. Salesman had quit a week before that). No more money out of my pocket but I still got an invoice for no charge I had to take to the cashier and have her close it out or whatever.

Of course she made a huge deal about what a great deal I was getting for more than $1000 worth of services "for free!" Lucky me.

15951

+1

Prepaid service plans only benefit the dealer. That's why they push them so hard. Anytime you're wondering whether to take an item offered as an extra that is a "great deal for you", know for certain that you're being ripped off and the dealer is winning. This goes for prepaid maintenance, protection packages, wheel insurance, and any other snake oil they have on the menu.

It never ceases to amaze me how people will haggle and go the extra mile to save money on the purchase price of a car, and then roll in all sorts of crap at the finance table.

djsk

I bought Infiniti's premium maintenance package. Meaning i can take it to any Infiniti dealership in the US and get my car worked there using the package.

When I bought the package, I bought it thinking it would include the esther oil for the 5years i have the service for. And even at the dealership that just put in the regular oil put esther in oil when i came in 3 months ago to get my oil changed.

I bought the maintenance package knowing that i would have to pay an extra couple hundred dollars for the conivence factor of being able to get a free rental car from Infiniti and also the convienece factor of having a dealership near my place. However, what i didnt expect was to get screwed by a dealership over something that would have cost them as little as $40 to put in esther oil.

The person i talked to at niello told me they would put in the esther oil for free if i buy the oil from them for only $40. I mean cmon!!! Your business is about customer service. You're going to be that cheap and make your customer pay $40 so they can be happy. By me posting on this website and telling all of my coworkers, friends, family, etc is going to hurt them lot more than a lousy $40 they werent willing to dish out to keep my mouth shut.

CougarRed

Especially with the G37. It's so easy to maintain.

Changing your own engine air filters costs 2 minutes of your time and $15 in parts.

Changing your own cabin air filter costs 15 minutes of your time and $15 in parts.

I buy my oil and oil filters on special, and have my oil changed for $22 in labor/disposal fees.

Have the tires rotated every 8K-10K miles. Have the brake pads replaced when they start to squeak. Have the tires replaced when they get to 2/32nds.

That takes care of most of it. The spark plugs last 100K miles. The coolant lasts 100K miles. Your not even supposed to check the 7AT transmission fluid - it's a closed system.

You can have your differential oil, engine belts, radiator cap and wiper blades changed every 30K miles out of precaution if you want to, but it's not necessary.

TinsleyC

Really? It's that quick & easy? I heard it was a bit of a pain to get out. My Honda Pilot took me 45 minutes.

CougarRed

Do it yourself

SM_Shadowman

I wanted to add the Factory Service Manual Recommends (but does not require) changing the coolant first at 60K, then every 30K afterwards. Probably could get away with at least inspecting color, etc. Manual Transmission oil also can be changed along with the diff oil.

The belts they say to inspect (or have inspected) first at 60K, then every 15K afterwards. That's probably the most important (albeit potentially most expensive to replace) out of all of the optional maintenance items.

I suppose if you followed the "premium" maintenance schedule you would replace every single one of these items every 15-30K or something ridiculous like that. For that kind of money you'd probably just be able to buy a new car every 60K

15951

They shouldn't even call it "premium" service. It ought to be called "unncessary money wasting service schedule". I mean, who the hell actually replaces their radiator cap EVER, much less every 30k miles?