Nissan says 3-4 weeks to get a driver's side lower control arm. The ball joint is fine, but the bushings are shot. WTF! I have a 2001 Sentra SE. Why should I ever buy another Nissan car? It is not like my car is an antique, they should be able to predict the need for these parts that wear out. It seems to be a policy; "Just in time" inventory supply seems to be supplanted with "Just some more time". Are other manufacturors this bad?
That's because it costs so much in taxes to keep inventory around. It is 6 years old too.
Parts delay for the 2007 Nissan models are no different. But overall parts supply at most dealerships whether it be domestic or import are all about the same. Had a Ford Focus and getting parts in a timely manner was a problem. But Toyota, Honda and Nissan appear to be the worst in lack of inventory on the self.
That's because it costs so much in taxes to keep inventory around. It is 6 years old too.
I have a 2000 Sentra SE that I purchased new at the time. The SR20DE 2.0 liter engine has been extraordinarily reliable. But the paint, radio, and the climate controls failed 3 years ago. Apparently there are no replacement parts available, I need to scavenge from a junkyard.
I've been in the shop for these and similar stupid "quality of life" issues that are surprisingly irritating, and NONE has been resolved. Ever.
So, I LOATHE Nissan service departments. It is what will keep me from buying another Nissan.
I have a bunch of Fords (trucks) and one Nissan Frontier (04). I'm going to sell the Nissan and get another Ford. Not that I like Fords all that much but at least I can always get parts and I don't need to go buy a manual to change a belt. So far the only part I ever had to wait for from Ford Parts was a radius arm bracket for a '92 Explorer and I got it in a couple of days for a reasonable price. Most parts are also available at auto parts stores for my Explorers and F350 ('78). Some Ford parts are rediculously priced such as $125 for front disc brake pads and $45 for spark plug wires but at least they are good quality parts.
When I lived in Orange County, CA there was a parts store called Orange Engine and they could get just about any part for any car in a couple of hours. They said "if we can't get it you don't need it."
Nah, blame FedEx. All the dealers have this attiude: stock the periodic service parts. If something broke, we can get it tomorrow. Except that, if the mech finds the problem after noon, it's not tomorrow, it's the next day. And the the local Nissan dealers can't ask each other of they have a part any more. They could in 1974, and were happy to send me to their competition to get me the part TODAY.. Thirty years later, with serious internet connectivity, they can't. DUMB.
And if the Nissan warehouse is out, you are SOL.
If I have to send a vehicle to the dealer, I make an appointment for first thing Monday, and make sure I'm number one in line on Monday. That way they have maximum time to sort out the parts situation. I don't mind being without the PF during the week -- I get to drive the 'vette. But the 'vette don't tow my boat, so I wouldn't get to dive on the weekend if the PF isn't back.
joint is fine, but the bushings are shot. WTF! I have a
car is an antique, they should be able to predict the
inventory supply seems to be supplanted with "Just
years old too.
I'll venture a guess that they are having a LOT fail at this time so they are out of inventory until the factory make a bunch more.
-SP
Dersu Uzala wrote:
Update on my situation. I went to my local dealer, and nicely bitched about the delay. They said that there was like 186 parts in transit, with 219 requests for the part. But they also said there was a special category for irate customers to get faster service. I actually picked up the part today, a four day wait. Evidentially, Nissan dealers have no way to do a nation-wide search of other dealer's stock, without manually calling every dealer themselves. The main office in California found it. So I guess the squeaky wheel gets the grease. I suppose those on the waiting list also paid sticker price. I am a little bit less unhappy now, but Nissan should really have a better system. As the last poster said, "[I] guess that they are having a LOT fail at this time". Well, duh! Bushings have a known statistical life span; as the number of replacement parts requested started to increase, they should have ramped up production.
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