Do they really want to sell Leafs?

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jdunmyer

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 23, 2013
Messages
108
Location
Lower SE Michigan
I just had a strange experience with a Nissan dealer, not the one I bought from:

Was passing by on the way to a car show that I was entering with the Leaf and wanted a bit of a charge. Had called a couple of days earlier to verify that their charge station was operational and was assured that it was. Upon arrival, I found it wasn't operational and a sales person who wandered out acted like I was trying to steal something. "We don't leave that 'On' for just anybody to use!" was her words. I told her that my dealer, about 20 miles away, made theirs available 24/7. The sales lady that I spoke to earlier on the phone happened by and got things straightened out, I got my charge and a cup of coffee while waiting.

These 2 sales ladies couldn't remember the last time a Leaf was available in their dealership! "Linda" couldn't understand, as they're in a college town, filled with left-wing tree huggers, just the kind that buys Leafs. Their Toyota store, just down the road, used to be #1 in the area for selling Priuses; those usually go to the same demographics. I'm told that another college town, 60 miles away, has a dealer that sells 3-4 Leafs/month.

I guess the question is in the subject line: do they really WANT to sell Leafs? I ocassionally check stock of 3 local dealers, including the one in question, and they often are completely out of Leafs.

FWIW: the local chapter of the Electric Auto Association had a special area at the car show. There were several home-brew vehicles, a Tesla Model 'S', a Tesla Roadster, and a 1917 Milburn Electric that looked like new. And of course, my Leaf. (I didn't win anything, but it was fun chatting with folks)
 
the short answer is that it varies, some dealerships are far better at selling LEAFS than others.
you do realize that dealerships are franchisees of the manufacturer and some dealers are better at customer relations than others
 
I do realize that dealers are franchises, but they ARE guided by the manufacturer.

This dealer's brother used to have the VW dealership that's local to me in Monroe, MI. Back in 1980, I wanted a Rabbit Diesel, so visited them, checkbook in pocket. If you were around in those years, you remember the gas crunch and how VW Diesels were hard to get. The sales guy blew me off with, "every one we get in is sold, we have nothing to test drive, etc." Telling him that I didn't need a test drive had no effect.

The next day I visited a VW dealer in Toledo. Got the same story about everything being sold when it came in, but the salesman did ask if I needed a car "today". When I told him that I could wait, he informed me that as the Rabbit was being built in Pennsylvania, we could order exactly what I wanted and have it in 8 weeks. The price was what was on the sticker, there was no "dealing". To make a long story short, I bought 3 cars from that guy.

The dealers' attitude is understandable; I read that thread "confessions of a Leaf salesman" and believe it. It's just disappointing.
 
To most Nissan dealers the leaf is an annoyance. They are interested in activities that make them money; providing charging facilities for a bunch of random people who have already bought doesn't fall in that category.
 
LTLFTcomposite said:
To most Nissan dealers the leaf is an annoyance. They are interested in activities that make them money; providing charging facilities for a bunch of random people who have already bought doesn't fall in that category.

Agreed. As well as no follow-on maintenance or service. So although the dealer probably does not lose money, they don't make any after the sale either.
 
bbrowncods said:
LTLFTcomposite said:
To most Nissan dealers the leaf is an annoyance. They are interested in activities that make them money; providing charging facilities for a bunch of random people who have already bought doesn't fall in that category.

Agreed. As well as no follow-on maintenance or service. So although the dealer probably does not lose money, they don't make any after the sale either.

That is true but I will not purchase anything including another vehicle from a dealer that doesn't cater to LEAFs. If they make it a hassle or just plain won't allow charging I won't shop there and I certainly won't recommend to anyone. It is about supporting and being proud of a product you sell. If you aren't then there are plenty of other dealers in the area.
 
MikeinDenver said:
bbrowncods said:
Agreed. As well as no follow-on maintenance or service. So although the dealer probably does not lose money, they don't make any after the sale either.

That is true but I will not purchase anything including another vehicle from a dealer that doesn't cater to LEAFs. If they make it a hassle or just plain won't allow charging I won't shop there and I certainly won't recommend to anyone. It is about supporting and being proud of a product you sell. If you aren't then there are plenty of other dealers in the area.

+1. I think one good indicator is presence of a (hassle-free) QC.

We're a picky bunch. :lol:
 
This is perhaps the biggest problem with the dealership model in general, and it is even a bigger problem when it comes to EVs. I am not saying that individual dealership ownership model is bad, just the current implementation. Car manufactures should enforce certain minimum standards on dealers, such as providing charging stations, training programs for dealers to ensure that they are at least somewhat familiar with EVs, etc. I would imagine that some state laws are designed to protect dealers from Nissan being able to ensure that these standards are met.
 
What I don't understand is why Nissan doesn't have a free (for Leaf's) QC that's open 24x7 at every Nissan dealer. Of the 6 dealers in a 40 mile range from my house, one has their QC available 24x7, 4 have it available only during business hours, and 1 doesn't have a QC at all.

Last night I needed to run to Lowe's to pick up some hardware (for a typical house project that started easy and then took all weekend). I had 24 miles of GOM range and it is 10 miles to Lowe's; 21 miles round trip part of it at 50MPH. I took it very easy at under 45MPH and got home with 7 miles left. But, the Lowe's is across the street from Westborough Nissan. They have a QC, but I couldn't use it as it was 7PM on a Sunday. Had I been able to spend 10 minutes on the QC, I'd have done the trip without ever wondering about range.

And my wife would never have taken the car on such a trip with so little range left, simply because she is anxious about being stranded. She won't generally take it anywhere if it's not at at least 90% charge to start.

Nissan needs a "No Charge to Charge Your Leaf with Us" program, nationwide. [US centric view, I know]
 
For the time being, I'd be satisfied with just an L2 connection at the dealer that's available 24/7. It is at my dealer, in fact they have 2, L2 stations, but one isn't working. I was shocked that the one at the "away" dealer wasn't operational and worse yet, got an attitude from the saleslady.

FWIW: This pic: http://www.oldengine.org/members/jdunmyer/personal/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; is a few years old, but it's still what I look and dress like on a daily basis. Oh, add a ball cap of some sort. Not too impressive, I'll admit, and doesn't give a clue as to the shape of my checkbook. I suspect this is what leads to the sales peoples' lack of interest.
 
Would you want a level 2 for emergencies or regular charging? L2 is way to slow to wait around for.

jdunmyer said:
For the time being, I'd be satisfied with just an L2 connection at the dealer that's available 24/7. It is at my dealer, in fact they have 2, L2 stations, but one isn't working. I was shocked that the one at the "away" dealer wasn't operational and worse yet, got an attitude from the saleslady.

FWIW: This pic: http://www.oldengine.org/members/jdunmyer/personal/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; is a few years old, but it's still what I look and dress like on a daily basis. Oh, add a ball cap of some sort. Not too impressive, I'll admit, and doesn't give a clue as to the shape of my checkbook. I suspect this is what leads to the sales peoples' lack of interest.
 
Most car sale people have become smarter than that... Theses days they know that dress does not necessarily mean anything.. A producer friend of mine always dresses in old jeans and a nondescript t or polo shirt... He is worth about 500 million. He wanted one of the turbo convertible Bentleys a while back and walked in dressed just like that. I went with him, dressed no better. He got great service. Oh by the way, we drove up in his old beater Volvo...

jdunmyer said:
Not too impressive, I'll admit, and doesn't give a clue as to the shape of my checkbook. I suspect this is what leads to the sales peoples' lack of interest.
 
TomT said:
Most car sale people have become smarter than that... Theses days they know that dress does not necessarily mean anything.. A producer friend of mine always dresses in old jeans and a nondescript t or polo shirt... He is worth about 500 million. He wanted one of the turbo convertible Bentleys a while back and walked in dressed just like that. I went with him, dressed no better. He got great service.
I think a salesman in a Bentley dealership is a bit more discerning than say one in a Nissan dealership.
out there in the wild, where movie producers run free, what would be perceived as being eccentric in KS isn't really unusual.
 
People experienced in sales will tell you you can't tell by appearances who has money or not. Millionaire next door kind of thing. Makes sense if you think about it, the guy wearing cheap clothes has money because he didn't fritter it away, the one with the bling already spent it and when you pull his credit you find he's playing fake it till you make it.
 
Kieranmullen said:
[quote
Would you want a level 2 for emergencies or regular charging? L2 is way to slow to wait around for.
[/quote]

A DCQC at the dealerships would be ideal, but here in the Leaf Desert of NW Ohio/SE Michigan, a working L2 is certainly better than nothing and should be required by Nissan. With the relatively small battery in our cars, even a half hour on L2 will give us a significant boost. And when they sell only 6-10 Leafs per year, it might be hard for them to justify a DCQC setup. Yeah, yeah, I know: chicken and egg conundrum.
 
jdunmyer said:
Kieranmullen said:
[quote
Would you want a level 2 for emergencies or regular charging? L2 is way to slow to wait around for.

A DCQC at the dealerships would be ideal, but here in the Leaf Desert of NW Ohio/SE Michigan, a working L2 is certainly better than nothing and should be required by Nissan. With the relatively small battery in our cars, even a half hour on L2 will give us a significant boost. And when they sell only 6-10 Leafs per year, it might be hard for them to justify a DCQC setup. Yeah, yeah, I know: chicken and egg conundrum.[/quote]
FWIW: they put the qc out there not only for the local sales efforts but for all of the sales efforts, if people think that they can expand the range by using the growing number of L3 chargers out there it benefits not only the local dealership but the brand as a whole
 
apvbguy said:
FWIW: they put the qc out there not only for the local sales efforts but for all of the sales efforts, if people think that they can expand the range by using the growing number of L3 chargers out there it benefits not only the local dealership but the brand as a whole

Exactly. I just finished a 120 mile round trip, sort of an emergency cash infusion situation. Left around 1:00 P.M., arrived home @ 4:00 P.M. Plugshare shows several DCQC's along the route, that had I had a Leaf, would have not only made that trip possible, but only added at most an hour. Sometimes I need to take a few bulky items with me on this same route, but the lack of QC totally ruled out a RAV4 for me, so I have to keep my low-mileage pickup for the big stuff. I actually went by the Toyota display at last years EarthDay EV gathering and let them know that for a lot of us, it's "No QC, No Sale"...
 
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