Zoe the Z is back and better than ever! (AKA World's Best Dealer)

"Dsscats" (dsscats)
10/06/2014 at 23:21 • Filed to: None

So everything went way better than expected at the dealer. Thanks to Travis-King of Spun Bearings, I was able to source my own radiator and save $200 (Markup much?). It's just a generic Spectra radiator, but so far it's been working well. But here's the best part:

Most of you know something about my car. Most of you know it's really clean and has 54k miles. I thought it was really clean and drove well too.

Boy was I wrong.

This dealer worked absolute magic with the car, and for free (Just charged for the radiator labor). First, they did a complete interior and exterior detail for free, including waxing. The real good part, though, is that they went through and tuned EVERYTHING up. They tightened up everything. The brakes must have had some air in the lines because the response is much more immediate now. It runs smoother. The alternator no longer draws as much power. The transmission shifts smoother (Rebuilt 4k ago any ways). It idles like silk. I think it's safe to say that this is within the top 20 300ZXs in the country at this point. It's that good.

Again, this is all on a car which I thought was in nearly perfect BEFORE.

So a massive thanks Nissan of Van Nuys. I thought my car was great already. Then you got to it.

Needless to say, it's off the market. I'm keeping it and modifying it to be just perfect over time. Forget the automatic haters, it's my car and I love it.

DISCUSSION (35)

Scary__goongala! > Dsscats
10/06/2014 at 23:25

That was pretty swell of them. I hate how expensive parts prices are from dealerships.

RazoE > Dsscats
10/06/2014 at 23:26

You always hear about bad dealers, it's nice to hear about some good dealers!

Vicente Esteve > Dsscats
10/06/2014 at 23:26

Looks amazing, and a place like that is rare these days!

Dsscats > Vicente Esteve
10/06/2014 at 23:29

Seriously. I was terrified to go to a dealership, but they kept me updated, did great work, and noticed crap I NEVER would have. 10/10 would go again.

Vicente Esteve > Dsscats
10/06/2014 at 23:33

That is much better than what I experienced when I got my older car to the dealership. They asked for a healthy amount of money to just make it a space in the service area.

Your boy, BJR > Dsscats
10/06/2014 at 23:33

This. Whenever I'm doubting my love of all things automotive, a story like this pops up.

Shit like this is why I'm into cars.

03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST > Dsscats
10/06/2014 at 23:34

That's awesome! You rarely see dealers go above and beyond like that. Stick with them. Glad to see you want to keep the 300ZX, I love your car. It gives me hope after seeing all of the trashed ones at Cars and Coffee last week.

Dsscats > Vicente Esteve
10/06/2014 at 23:35

Not gonna lie, they asked for $120 inspection fee up front, but it went as credit towards the repair, so who cares!

Dsscats > 03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST
10/06/2014 at 23:36

Awwww, thanks! So many people have told me it would be a mistake to get rid of it, and now I realize it too. And it absolutely drives 100x better.

PushToStart > Dsscats
10/06/2014 at 23:41

That's really cool that they did that extra little bit for you. They probably noticed how good of shape the car was in and could tell you cared for it a lot, and so they went the extra length to show you that they appreciate someone else who cares about their car.

03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST > Dsscats
10/06/2014 at 23:42

Would have been a huge mistake! I guarantee you will never find one like that ever again. Especially now with all of this work done to it. When I got some work done on my car it was easy to tell it just ran better. But it looks like you got a bit more of an upgrade...

treesmakewater > 03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST
10/06/2014 at 23:43

i still don't understand why people trash the z32... They keep me from owning one, and I hate every last one of them for it.

unpredictable_swerve > Dsscats
10/06/2014 at 23:45

Thats a shop to keep right there. And the car glows man, so clean! Time for a daily! That needs to be a weekend car!

Axial > Dsscats
10/06/2014 at 23:45

Kinja'd!!!

I still love this rear fascia. It's practically perfect.

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > Dsscats
10/06/2014 at 23:47

gotta love a dealer that still cleans the car for you. My old mechanic used to detail mine if it had to stay overnight.

now days I'm lucky if I get a voucher for an auto-wash that I'll never use.

Vicente Esteve > Dsscats
10/06/2014 at 23:50

I was afraid they would find a repair so expensive it would be worth more than the car itself.

PheeNoIVI > Dsscats
10/07/2014 at 00:23

Thats awesome. Love your z. That rear end is sexy.

Dsscats > PheeNoIVI
10/07/2014 at 00:44

Thanks! The front end is pretty good, but it can't make it into my garage if I back in and it's much harder to capture

Kinja'd!!!

Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST) > Dsscats
10/07/2014 at 00:46

Yeah, your Z is pretty clean, majority I see around here are total shit cans. I think there are only a few clean Zs in my area. Two being my buddy's cherry red twin turbo which I posted about a while back and a silver Z ("Bane 300ZX") that was customized for over 800rwhp I think. And then the engine blew or something.

Kinja'd!!!

Dsscats > Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST)
10/07/2014 at 00:50

Yep, that's Bane! Owned by Matt. And yeah, the engine blew a piston straight through the side of the block IIRC, but he's going LS!

Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST) > Dsscats
10/07/2014 at 00:58

Are you familiar with Houston ZAuto on facebook? They have some pretty clean Zs around their shop often which happens to not be too far from me. They service any Nissan and other cars as well but seem to take special care for Z32s and older. Which is completely opposite to another Z shop close to me, they only handle Z33s and newer and much more high end cars. It's hilarious.

Dsscats > Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST)
10/07/2014 at 01:02

I am indeed! They are VERY knowledgeable.

Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST) > Dsscats
10/07/2014 at 01:08

Yeah, they know a lot. So then maybe you have heard of the other Z shop that services mainly newer Nissans, Jtran Motorsports? If I recall they even serviced a drift car...

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10…

Post by Jtran Motorsports Inc .

Big Bubba Ray > Dsscats
10/07/2014 at 01:09

Holy shit they done good. That's awesome that a dealer did all that for you! It's so hard to find a place that does good work and really gives a shit. The garage I dropped my Datsun off at a couple weeks ago to get the horn fixed has been known for some price gouging in the past.

Those guys knew all about my Baja Bug and they were thrilled to work on my Datsun. Only charged me $50 to fix the horn, which was beyond awesome. Stick with those guys in the future. You've struck gold man.

Dsscats > Big Bubba Ray
10/07/2014 at 01:10

I was excited as hell. Most shops charge out the ass for labor on Z32s but it was reasonable.

Dsscats > Big Bubba Ray
10/07/2014 at 01:13

And I'm insanely jealous of your Z :(

Big Bubba Ray > Dsscats
10/07/2014 at 01:18

Haha, thanks. It's a work in progress but things are coming along! If you ever happen to find yourself in or around St. Louis, I'd be more than happy to give you some wheel time in it!

Dsscats > Big Bubba Ray
10/07/2014 at 01:21

Will defiantly let you know, though it's unlikely haha. Same goes for you if you're in SoCal!

Brian Silvestro > Dsscats
10/07/2014 at 10:01

OMG MANUÉL4LIFE

ttyymmnn > Dsscats
10/07/2014 at 10:09

Sorry, but I'm a little late to this story. Why did the dealer comp all that work?

Dsscats > ttyymmnn
10/07/2014 at 11:56

Kindness?

ttyymmnn > Dsscats
10/07/2014 at 12:11

So you took it in for a certain repair and they did all that work gratis?

NaturallyAspirated > Dsscats
10/07/2014 at 12:13

I've run Spectra radiators in a bunch of cars and never had a problem. It should work well for you.

Glad to hear about your good experience. My sister had a similar good experience with Nissan of Simi Valley. Maybe Nissan is trying to step up their game?

Dsscats > ttyymmnn
10/07/2014 at 12:45

Yep

ttyymmnn > Dsscats
10/07/2014 at 13:20

Outstanding.