Any Info About Whether "Pollen" Cars Have Damage to Finish?

[Stoaty]

As the time drags on to take delivery of my 4/22 "Pollen" car I am wondering whether the process to remove the pollen, or the pollen itself has done any damage to the paint or finish. Since two promised dates to have the car cleaned and ready for shipping have come and gone (May 16, May 23) and the third date is right around the corner (end of May), perhaps they are having some other kind of trouble. Has anyone who has taken delivery of a "Pollen" car seen any evidence of damage? Does water bead normally on the car, or are odd spots visible? I am resigned to not getting my car for 2-4 weeks or longer, but am concerned I might get in another mess later on if there is a problem with the finish. I really don't want that kind of hassle with Nissan.

 

[Volusiano]

I hear a lot about "pollen" cars but I never heard what the story was. Did a batch of cars get "attacked" by some kind of pollens? What kind of pollen would cause enough trouble that the cars simply can't be washed off with soap? What did Nissan have to do to rectify the problem?

 

[mwalsh]

I sort of missed it too, but I got (mistakenly perhaps) that "pollen" was a euphemism for something else.

 

[Stoaty]

Here is the story I have gleaned from Brian (supervisor) at Nissan CS:

About 200 cars in the ship that left Japan the day before the earthquake were "contaminated" with Japanese pollen. One version of the story (on MNL) was that the pollen acted as an adhesive for the plastic covering so it was stuck on. According to Brian, Nissan has never run into this problem before (my guess is that it involved some kind of screw-up in Japan) and it took them a bit of time to figure out how to deal with the problem. Apparently they set up a special room with infrared lamps to heat the car/pollen, which allowed them to safely remove the pollen. The process supposedly takes about 5 hours per car, which is why it is taking a lot of time to get all the cars done (do they only have one special room?). Nissan CS gets these completion dates from Nissan, which makes them look incompetent when their own dates aren't met. A lot of us got a call from Nissan CS around May 10-12 (can't remember the exact date, but I got the call) telling us just a bit about the problem and promising the May 16 date for completion. When that date wasn't met, it was "clarified" that meant the week of May 16, so May 23 was the promised date. In my most recent conversation with him, he guessed that about 70% of the "pollen" cars had been cleaned, but I am not sure where his info came from. Nissan CS was most recently told that all the cars would be cleaned by "end of May". Brian has emailed the port of Long Beach twice re: my specific car and hasn't received a response. Apparently he is not having any better luck getting info from Nissan than I am. :lol:

 

[LEAFfan]

Since Brian told me that my car didn't have the pollen problem, why is it still at the port after arriving Mar. 22?

 

[Stoaty]

Since Brian told me that my car didn't have the pollen problem, why is it still at the port after arriving Mar. 22?

Did he tell you what was holding up delivery on your car? Have you asked him to email the port for more information if he doesn't know? If he doesn't have any info on June 1, I will probably call Nissan Corporate to see if I can get any answers about why Nissan Customer Service is unable to provide any customer service. I don't expect to get anywhere, though, so if that doesn't work I will write a letter. Beyond that, I can't think of anything more that can be done.

 

[lonndoggie]

I'll summarize my experience:

-- VIN received in late March, timing such that it was most likely on the ship that left Japan on 3/10.
-- See my sig for the delivery week notices; still at April 22nd.
-- A few weeks ago, chatted with CS, was told I'm on hold for accessories.
-- Got the call on 5/10 that my car was due for depollenization, should be done by 5/16.
-- 5/19 chatted with CS again, was told that I was back on hold for accessories.
-- Last week chatted one more time with CS, told my car's status is "waiting assignment to dealer"

And there it sits. I hope "waiting assignment" means "waiting to get on a truck", but so far, it seems to mean just "waiting".

MWalsh, if pollen is a euphemism for something else, it isn't for radioactive fallout (the only allegation I've seen on the board). However, that isn't to say that it's some sort of contaminant that isn't pollen that is still a mess to clean up. Pollen certainly sounds nice.

LEAFfan, there may be the possibility that your car is still parked, waiting for someone to get to it, if they don't have any further status.

Or, then again, it could be that they really don't have any clue about any of our cars, and are just supplying semi-random answers (the "semi" part being that once you establish communication, perhaps they keep track of what you've been told so they can provide a consistent and plausible evolution of reasons).

 

[downeykp]

Got a chance to see my Black Leaf today at dealer. I did not notice that anything was done to finish by anything. Car had white plastic on the roof and the hood. I did not see anything but a car that had been in storage in Long Beach for two months.
Pick up is on Tuesday 5-31-11.

 

[FairwoodRed]

Did he tell you what was holding up delivery on your car? Have you asked him to email the port for more information if he doesn't know? If he doesn't have any info on June 1, I will probably call Nissan Corporate to see if I can get any answers about why Nissan Customer Service is unable to provide any customer service. I don't expect to get anywhere, though, so if that doesn't work I will write a letter. Beyond that, I can't think of anything more that can be done.

Good luck writing to Nissan. If you get anywhere let me know where you sent your letter. Last week I sent my own letter via email and got the run around back to Leaf CS. Below is the email chain where they brushed me off. Leaf CS did not contact me yet.



From: Nissan Consumer Affairs [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2011 11:32 AM
To:
Cc: '[email protected]'
Subject: RE: Frustrated Nissan Leaf Customer - File # 717xxx
May 26, 2011
Dear xxx:

Thank you for contacting Nissan North America, Inc. regarding the new Nissan Leaf. The dedicated EV Customer Support Team has been notified of your concern.
Nissan appreciates the time you have taken to contact us regarding your current situation. Unfortunately, at this time Nissan Consumer Affairs is not in a position to move forward with your request.
Please refer your concern to Nissan EV Customer Support Call Center for further assistance.
Nissan EV Customer Support Call Center
1-877-NO-GAS-EV (1-877-664-2738)
Hours of operation: Monday to Friday, 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. CST, Saturday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. CST
In the event you are contacting the Nissan EV Customer Support Call Center outside the regular hours of operation you may leave a voice mail or email the EV Support Team at [email protected].

Thank you for your interest in the new Nissan Leaf.

Sincerely,
Nissan North America, Inc.
JANE PACALDO
Consumer Relations Representative
Nissan Consumer Affairs
----- Original Message -----
From:
Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2011 01:39 PM
To: Nissan Consumer Affairs
Subject: RE: Frustrated Nissan Leaf Customer - File # 717xxx
Mr Aquino,
My mailing address isxxx.
My cell phone number is xxx.
My VIN is JN1AZ0CP3BT00xxx.
There is no current mileage on my vehicle as it has not been delivered yet.
My vehicle is to be delivered to xxx.
My request is described in full in my original email (see below).

----- Original Message -----
From: Nissan Consumer Affairs <[email protected]>
Date: Thursday, May 26, 2011 10:06 am
Subject: RE: RE: Frustrated Nissan Leaf Customer
To:
May 26, 2011
File # 717xxxx
Dear xxx:

Thank you for contacting Nissan North America, Inc. regarding your concern with your Nissan Leaf. We apologize for any inconvenience this situation may have caused you.

So that we may expedite your inquiry and provide you the best service, please send us the following additional information:

* Your current mailing address
* Your day and evening phone numbers
* The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) for your vehicle
* The current mileage on your vehicle
* The authorized Nissan dealer you are working with (if any)
* A brief description of your request

You may send this information to us in writing or you are welcome to call us at 1-800 647-7261.

File # 717xxxx has been created to document your inquiry. Please reference this file number when you write or call. When we receive the requested information from you, we will forward your file to a regional specialist for individual handling.

We look forward to hearing from you soon. Your satisfaction is important to us!

Sincerely,
Nissan North America, Inc.
Michael Aquino
Consumer Affairs Representative
Nissan Consumer Affairs

----- Original Message -----
From:
Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2011 12:47 PM
To: Nissan Consumer Affairs
Subject: Re: RE: Frustrated Nissan Leaf Customer

Ms Pacaldo,

Thank you for responding to me. I have been in contact with the dedicated EV Customer Support Team several times now and they have been unable to satisfy my concerns. That is why I am now trying to seek assistance from outside of those channels. Is there anyone besides the EV team that can help me? Anyone who is willing to take a personal interest in my concerns?

----- Original Message -----
From: Nissan Consumer Affairs <[email protected]>
Date: Thursday, May 26, 2011 9:07 am
Subject: RE: Frustrated Nissan Leaf Customer
To:
May 26, 2011

Dear xxx:

Thank you for contacting Nissan North America, Inc. regarding the new Nissan Leaf. The dedicated EV Customer Support Team has been notified of your concern.

For your future reference the team at the Nissan EV Customer Support Call Center can be reached at 1-877-NO-GAS-EV (1-877-664-2738) and they are available to assist you Monday through Friday between the hours of 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. CST and Saturday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. CST.

In the event you are contacting the Nissan EV Customer Support Call Center outside the regular hours of operation you may leave a voice mail or email the EV Support Team at [email protected]<mailto:[email protected] you for your interest in the exciting new Nissan Leaf.

Sincerely,
Nissan North America, Inc.
JANE PACALDO
Consumer Affairs Representative
Nissan Consumer Affairs

----- Original Message -----
From:
Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2011 11:29 AM
To: NNA Consumer Affairs
Subject: Frustrated Nissan Leaf Customer

Dear Nissan,

I am a frustrated customer. Technically, I guess that I am not a customer because I have not purchased a car yet. And that is part of my frustration - I hold reservation xxxx for a 2011 Nissan leaf. If this email is not something that you can assist me with, please forward it to the correct person/group at Nissan.

<deleted several paragraphs discussing the successes and failure of my experience so far>

Lastly, this brings me to my personal issue and the real reason for writing this letter to you today. Where is my Leaf? Nissan has a dashboard system and it looked like it would keep me reasonably informed. By watching others, it seems to update the expected delivery date often, consistent with reaching milestones in the production/delivery process. I would have liked Nissan to have explained that to me rather that leaving me to figure it out on my own. Unfortunately, my delivery date hasn't changed like so many others. As it approached, this has caused me a lot of anxiety about how accurate my delivery date was. This is when I started to call Leaf customer service.

Initially I felt better as I talked to customer service, but as the things they said were proved false, I finally came to the conclusion that customer service is making up most of what they told me. If they were given the information necessary to accurately answer my questions, I would not be writing to you today.

I have been told my Leaf was initially on hold, but not that ALL leafs were on hold pending a fix for the failure to restart problem. I have been told that I am waiting on 4 accessories to be installed. I have been told that there is a pollen/paint issue that is taking hours per car to fix (this one worries me most as I planned to keep my Leaf for many years and expected it to have the same great finish that my 20 year old Toyota does). I have been told that I am now waiting on the same 4 accessories to be installed that I was waiting on 3 weeks ago. Most laughably, I have been told that my estimated due date is accurate - even though it is in the past. Why doesn't Nissan's dashboard system automatically flag every due date in the past for human intervention?

My Leaf was produced March 8th, has been at Long Beach since March 22nd, and there is no explanation that rings true as to why, or even when I will get my Leaf. If the port work is having to heavily buff the paint to bring the finish up to snuff, tell me that so I can decide if I really want to keep this car for years and years, or if I might consider only leasing and upgrading after three years. If there is a disorganized mess/backlog at the port with no order to how the cars are getting worked on, tell me that. Tell me how many are waiting to be worked on and how many are being processed per day (that way I can make my own delivery estimates). If my car is lost, tell me that so that I can decide if I should get my routine maintenance done on my existing car, or continue to delay it. If my car is being held up to deliver the forgotten Oct-Dec orders, tell me that. In a world where FedEx can tell me exactly where my $20 package is anywhere on the planet, is it really a stretch to expect the same for a $35,000 car?

Finally, I have some requests. I would like a personal phone call from someone at Nissan who has the knowledge and authority to tell me what is really going on with my Leaf, where it is, what it is waiting on, and when I can expect it to move forward. Whatever the truth is, that's what I want to hear. If there is a lot of unknowns, I would like regular follow up phone calls until the unknowns become known. If it is information that Nissan doesn't want made public, consider a non disclosure agreement, but tell me what's going on.

 

[Stoaty]

FairwoodRed,

That is quite a string of emails. Are you sure there is a human on the other end? I think that a phone call or a written letter to the president of Nissan North America is the way to go... not that I think that would necessarily help. Based on your experience, I would certainly skip the email route.

 

[cdub]

Any pollen people receive their car yet?

 

[TomT]

How come all I can think of is the Pod People from that classic sci-fi film...

Any pollen people receive their car yet?

 

[Stoaty]

How come all I can think of is the Pod People from that classic sci-fi film...

Probably because this is like science fiction, only not as believable.

 

[SanDust]

Any pollen people receive their car yet?

I know a woman who got a phone call telling her about the pollen. If that's a pollen car then she got one. No obvious issues. There was was some yellow particulate gunk around the door latches of the hatch on the inside. You could wipe it off and it may have been anything.

 

[Stoaty]

I got a PM from someone who got a Pollen car and saw no issues with the finish. I encouraged them to post details to this thread, but they haven't. Since the information was sent privately, I am not going to re-post it without the authors permission.

 

[cdub]

Nissan CS now claims my car is at the dealership but no call yet from Fontana.

I wonder what "at the dealership" is a euphemism for... just like your car is "waiting for accessories"

 

[lonndoggie]

Some of my workmates and I were speculating about the random statuses Nissan CS provides. Taking things to extremes, we're imagining things like there was an accident at the port and our cars actually fell into the water and are at the bottom of the harbor. They're stalling us while they build replacement cars.

And--to follow cdub's euphemism thought--we can now call our cars Reefs, instead of Leafs. :lol:

 

[Nazanne]

Ours was a pollen LEAF. We picked it up last night. It doesn't have any issues I can see.

 

[Stoaty]

Do you think a Pollen Leaf could have value as a collectors item? I mean, only 200 or so were ever made, and they don't expect to produce any more. Could be very valuable due to its rarity. :lol:

 

[rgsdesign]

Picked up our pollen LEAF on Friday and I couldn't find any evidence. I ordered the protection package so maybe they needed to make sure it was very clean before applying the film.