1st Nissan of Simi Valley

Reviews 3

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Dean Hoover

This review is about 1st Nissan service department! Over four years ago I moved to Simi Valley, and have been bringing my Nissan vehicle to 1st Nissan Simi Valley service department every 5,000 to 6,000 miles for routine maintenance, there was one recall issue, and also had a front window washer unit replaced. 1st Nissan became my go-to place for service. BUT NEVER AGAIN WILL I USE THEM. Here is why: Something changed with this service department over the past 6 months. They now seem to operate on a corrupt line of practice as you hear so often of so many other automotive service shops. They make claims of bogus problems that simply do not exist. I am sure they make a lot of up-sells $$$ on people that are naïve or simply do not know enough about cars and who fall prey to these tactics, but I have worked on all my cars most of my life from changing my own brakes, plugs and fluids to replacing timing belts to replacing entire engines. 6 Months ago I brought my vehicle in for routine maintenance, oil change, tire rotation and even asked them to change out all my air filters. The price was reasonable and I approved the work. When I came to pick up the vehicle the service agent told me there were two serious issues that needed immediate attention or could create a dangerous situation if left unrepaired. He told me that one of my engine motor mounts was broken, and that my timing belt was making noise and that both needed to be replaced (Total cost for both in excess of $1900). Many customers would probably trust the agent and likely pay for the “Needed repairs” and not think twice. I said I would have to think about it before I approved the work (Believe me, if I discovered the vehicle needed those repairs I would have done so). Of course I examined both and found nothing wrong, I even took my vehicle to a friend who is a mechanic and he confirmed that there was absolutely nothing wrong with either. Today 05/16/16 I again took my vehicle in for oil change, tire rotations, and also asked them to clean up the battery which had a little corrosion on the terminals, and (Also asked them to determine why my window washer reservoir was not holding fluid). The agent gave me a quote for all but the fluid reservoir, and I approved. When he called me, he said during their multi-point inspection they determined that my brake lines had “Dirty fluid” and that this would cause adverse pressure on the brake systems and cause faster wear on my pads and that they could replace my brake fluid for only $121. (Sounds very technical and expertise, right? What a line of BS! When I told my friend the mechanic he almost choked with laughter, and said how does an encased hydraulic system get dirty fluid), The service agent also said that while working on my battery that they noticed the “voltage was a little low and that they had another battery in stock and could easily replace it same day" (My battery is just over 1 year old, and works perfectly as the gauge on my console supports). Of course when I picked up my vehicle I asked the tech why during their multi-point inspection didn’t they notice a broken engine mount or timing belt today like they told me they found 6 months ago when I was last in for service? (I DO WANT TO MENTION THAT MY VEHICLE IS A 2008 WITH ONLY 67,000 MILES) I am explaining each claim with great detail because I want you the reader of this review to be prepared if you hear the same lines from them, maybe it will prevent others from paying for something that they truly do not need, like so many of people do. Please notice I didn’t mention any of the service personnel’s names. This is because I do not believe this is the fault of any one employee, but more likely the practice that plagues the entire operations of this business.

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Brenda Beltran

I was very disappointed with my most recent experience at 1st Nissans Service Center and I dont think I will ever be coming back. They are a bunch of rip offs who take advantage of people. I took my car in because my AC wasnt blowing cold air anymore. I was greeted by Chris Bonilla and at first he was very nice and helpful and took his time to explain the process and the different AC components and how they worked. He said that they would have to run a diagnostic test to determine what the problem was and he said the price for this test was $188. I agreed to pay for this test and waited about 2 hours to get results. I called them after 2 hours and they said that my AC compressor was damaged and that I would need to replace it. I asked how much that would cost and they said that it would be a little over $1200 but they were applying a discount and would also be discounting the diagnostic test fee so it ended up going down to about $1000. I agreed to get repairs done and Chris said that repairs would have to start on Monday because they had less than 3 hours left in their day and the repairs would take hours. I called Chris back about 10 minutes later to cancel repairs because I had found a different repair shop that gave me a cheaper quote and that I was on my way to pick up my car. He immediately got frustrated and started saying that the technicians had started repairs already and that they had taken my car apart and it would take them HOURS to put my car back together and so they couldnt give me my car back until Monday. I asked to speak to their supervisor and very conveniently he wasnt there that day. Finally after going back and forth with Chris and Robert, we hung up and I got a call back 30 minutes later for me to go pick up my car. I am not sure if telling me that I wouldnt get my car back until Monday because it would take hours to put everything back together was just a tactic to get me to agree to get repairs done or if Chris just wanted to be a jerk and give me a hard time for changing my mind. 1st Nissan Service Center, I am not very happy with your service. Your staff is manipulative and rude. I took my car to a repair shop in Reseda and I ended up paying $650 to repair my AC compressor when 1st Nissan wanted over $1000. Oh and that diagnostic test you guys charged me $188 for, I ended up getting for free at this repair shop.

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Brian Covington

I could not be happier with my experience at First Nissan in Simi Valley. I have been researching and shopping for a Murano for about a week and was drawn in to other dealerships with "no haggle" internet sites like TrueCar and Edmunds. These services have become questionable because dealers manipulate other factors once you show up, such as adding hidden fees (a $1500 maintenance fee??), and manipulating interest rates(almost 6% with a 725 credit score--huh?), so when you show up at the dealership, the bottom line price is not the great deal you think. I drove an hour for one of those deals, and was treated like I was trying to rob the place to get them to honor the deal. After several terrible experiences, I checked out online reviews and saw that First Nissan in Simi had great customer satisfaction rates, so I emailed them with details of the deal I wanted. Mayra sent me an email and then called me inviting me into meet with the manager. I then got a call from Billy the manager, and was blown away by his friendliness (but not in the sleazy salesman sort of way), honesty and directness. He offered me a great deal on the phone, and even after he had be hooked, continued looking for Nissan discounts and saved me an extra $10/mth. Who does that? Other deals would have pocketed it. I showed up to the dealership and their were no games or..."oh you wanted car mats with that too?" I received an extremely fair price and was treated like a valuable customer, all in record time of like 2 hours TOTAL. That is the way a car sale should go. Juan was my salesman and he could not have been a nicer, more professional guy. He completed an orientation with me of the the car and its ridiculous breadth of features. His love and pride of Nissan cars and trucks was evident. Brian the financial manager was also super friendly as we walked through the paperwork. I never buy dealer add-ons, but actually saw great value in service that repairs tires, replaces windshield, lost keys, and dings. He probably got me at the right time as I have recently dropped a ton on all of these. Either way, he was also non-pressure. I really cant say enough good things about this company and its people. If you are looking for a different, better car-buying experience , call First Nissan.