Mantrade and NMPI making up for their bad reputation?

Mantrade probably has the worse aftersales support in all Nissan and non-Nissan dealers around the Philippines. Never did they resolve any problems I had with my grand Livina. And for my latest experience. their most recent repair they did to my Livina resulted to a very disappointing and tiring experience. My livina was stalled in the middle of SLEX because my gas guage/indicator did not gave out the correct gas reading. In other words I ran out of gas while my the gas indicator indicated more than one fourth fuel level.

History of the defective gas indicator goes way back 2nd week of November when I complained to Mantrade Service Department regarding my gas indicator not lighting up when it has a low fuel level. Rafael Cachuela, one of the service advisor told me to comeback in another week because the fuel float will be replaced. Come next week the fuel float was replaced. Drove around the whole day and night to test if the gas indicator will light up on low level. No luck and still doesnt light up, so the next day I informed Rafael that it still does not work. He scheduled for another day to check on the float and wiring and at the end of the day he said it is ok now and it will light up surely.

Being confident that mantrade solved the problem, yesterday I went a trip going to tagaytay. After I passed alabang exit is where I was already in distress. Car suddenly stalled and wont start. I immediately thought no fuel was going in the combustion. AAP assisted me to prevent from being towed. They provided me 5 liters of gasoline but charged me 700 pesos for the 5 liters and service.

Today I called up my sales advisor and the head of Service Dept Jun Tupil. I was furiously relaying my story to them and all they have to say was... "Ser dalin mo na lang dito para ma assess ng supertintendent." I told them to reimburse the expenses that resulted from their incompetence, and again "Ser yun superintendent na lang mag aasses. malamang ibawas na lang sa next PMS nyo".

I told them our group "Livina Owners of the Phils (LOOP)" will be raising up this issue with NMPI but sadly their response was "Mas ok yan ser para malaman din nila yun. Mandate lang naman samin lahat ng binebenta namin at mga diperensiya". Since I was in a rush, I told them I will comeback tomorrow.

Now that is what you call Aftersales support from Nissan Mantrade. I am so pissed off with my car I have regretted buying this already. Sana nag Honda (Honda Makati) or Toyota (Toyota Alabang/Makati) na lang ako. I never experienced this with their aftersales, and they have way better service than mantrade.

@Badtoy:

Sir, the way I see it, this episode with Nissan Mantrade is symptomatic of a dealership outselling its after-sales service capacity. Meaning, they have sold more units than they can effectively service. I can sense by Mr. Tupil's statement that they are more comfortable receiving instructions from NMPI rather than collaborating with the manufacturer. What I understand is that the car manufacturer's solutions to customer complaints is dependent, to a large extent, on the technical reports sent by dealerships. "Mas ok yan ser para malaman din nila yun. Mandate lang naman samin lahat ng binebenta namin at mga diperensiya" leaves much to be desired if customer satisfaction is considered. Parang pro-forma service na lang kasi ang labas niyan.

Try mo na lang muna ang ibang dealerships Sir. You might find peace of mind there.

Sir, nag PM ako sa yo. I hope it helps.

Thanks so much sir. Malaking tulong itong information nabigay mo sakin. I will communicate NMPI tomorrow after I visit mantrade again.

Too bad they have too much confidence in themselves thnking that they are the oldest local Nissan dealer. I guess this is what makes them invulnerable or think they are with these types of customer complaints.

I soooo much regret getting this car now especially Mantrade saying "Marami talaga kaming problema jan sa Livina ser". I should have known this before I bought the car.

steel pulse wrote:@Badtoy:

Sir, the way I see it, this episode with Nissan Mantrade is symptomatic of a dealership outselling its after-sales service capacity. Meaning, they have sold more units than they can effectively service. I can sense by Mr. Tupil's statement that they are more comfortable receiving instructions from NMPI rather than collaborating with the manufacturer. What I understand is that the car manufacturer's solutions to customer complaints is dependent, to a large extent, on the technical reports sent by dealerships. "Mas ok yan ser para malaman din nila yun. Mandate lang naman samin lahat ng binebenta namin at mga diperensiya" leaves much to be desired if customer satisfaction is considered. Parang pro-forma service na lang kasi ang labas niyan.

Try mo na lang muna ang ibang dealerships Sir. You might find peace of mind there.

Sir, nag PM ako sa yo. I hope it helps.

Hi guys, i share your sentiments sa mga casa na or SA na mahirap kausap. Matagal ko na gusto mag post dito about my best friends experience with mantrade casa. Kating kati na ako ipost dito yung experience nya kaso di ko pa napapaalam sa kanya eh. anyway, just to give us a warning, di talaga maayos gumawa daw yang casa na yan (mantrade), about 2 or 3 years ago, nagpa pms sya dyan, nissan exalta kotse nya. then after nya pick up syempre uwi na sya. and nung medyo malapit na sya sa bahay nila on the way home, napansin nya pahina na ng pahina yung breaks nya, eventually wala na syang break. good thing nasa subdivision na sya. fortunately meron gas station malapit, so tinigil muna nya dun at pina check.

findings nung gas boy, "ay sir eh walang takip yung reservoir ng break fluid ayun nakapatong lang sa tabi, ayan natapon lahat siguro sa byahe nyo at tuyo na". so nag fill up lang sya ng break fluid and its ok na ulit.

there are many other complains he have, di ko na alam kung anong actions ginawa nya, pero sabi nya na resolve na naman yung issue nya na yun at that time din. So ingat lang talaga tayo sa mantrade casa. right now nadala na siguro sya sa casa, sa labas na lang or sa gas stations sya lagi nag papa maintain ng kotse. I do not mean to bad mouth please, just a warning to us all.

@ Sir Badtoy, nasa likod mo kami... Lets just ask Atty how LOOP can help.. (kasi dpa tayo registered or not officially recognized or something like that---parang wala pa tayong personality, am i right?)


btw, does the Sec. "drafts" the memo or "types" the memo...?

at Sir, wag ka naman bumitaw agad! aayos din ang takbo ni GL mo...

@badtoy:

Sir, I agree with dbanker. Ok naman ang GL, save for a few miscues. It's your dealership that sucks. If I'm not mistaken Mantrade used to sell Ford until about late 70s or early 80s. Balik na lang kaya sila doon?

I hate comparing dealerships but would I continue with my GL upgrades kung lousy ang service ng casa ko? I think NMPI should know that there are GL owners who think they bought a lemon because the dealership after-sales service sucks way too much. Then, NMPI can address this issue with their dealerships.

@dbanker:

Sir, I think hindi naman issue kung na incorporate na ang LOOP or not. We can always send NMPI our group's manifesto on Sir Badtoy's complaint (which I think is primarily the lousy casa service; secondary lang yung faulty fuel gauge. Kasi kung efficient ang service, you won't have to worry about the faulty gauge in the first place).

badtoy wrote:
Now that is what you call Aftersales support from Nissan Mantrade. I am so pissed off with my car I have regretted buying this already. Sana nag Honda (Honda Makati) or Toyota (Toyota Alabang/Makati) na lang ako. I never experienced this with their aftersales, and they have way better service than mantrade.

Sir, wag mong sisihin si GL walang kinalaman un sa nangyari sa iyo.. ang naging prob mo ung Service Attendant o ung CASA (Mantrade).

Try mo na lang muna ang ibang dealerships Sir as recommended by Steel Pulse.

@ real_renz - tama ka sir, me and my Livina had our good times and bad times. Parang mag asawa ang relationship. There are times na masaya ka and there are times na sinusumpa mo bakit mo pa sya nakilala. Though mantrade admitted that the grand Livina was indeed a problematic vehicle in their line up.

@ dbanker, steelpulse and all - I just came from Mnatrade this morning and left the car for their so called further assessment. Inulit ko na naman lahat ng complaints ko. That darned fuel indicator, creaking noise under the car which they have not resolved until now. And, the most recent is the high pitch screeching sound when stepping on the brakes coming from a fast approach. Mr. Jun Tupil, the manager for parts and services dept of Mantrade, immediately suggested to reface the rotor. I said do not reface, I want a replacement rotor.

He promise me they will resolve everything today after lunch except for the brake screeching sound which parts will still be ordered. He has even given me assurance that he will reimburse the expense I incurred from the service AAP has charged me in SLEX. He was very apologetic and sympathetic on the way he talked, though I do not need his or Mantrade's apology or sympathy. What I need is a good performing car that is virtually problem free for the cost of 908 thousand pesos and not a problem that is worth a little less than a million pesos.

I will still push through with my complaint letter to NMPI regarding this incident I had with Mantrade and my Grand Livina.

@badtoy,

nice to hear na "kahit papaano" eh aayusin ulit ng mantrade yung GL mo. it is just an isolated case beacuse of your dealer, i don't think na ang issue is the Livina itself eh di dapat lahat tayo hindi natatapos ang problema. i also don't think that it is right for Mantrade to say that the Livina is a problematic car, nilaglag nila ang sarili nilang product. what they should have done is to further study the complaints of customers and try to look for solutions themselves and not rely solely on NMPI.

since madami na ang nagka-problema sa Mantrade for PMS, repairs and after sales support i guess medyo iwas na tayo sa kanila. like what i suggested before, mas maganda siguro kung meron na tayong common dealer na alam natin na maganda ang service. downside is mapapalayo ang iba. lets compare our dealers na din para alam natin kung sino ang maganda.

update... Dec 12 2010 Three strikes for today!

Strike One! - Mr. Jun Tupil promised he will call me afterlunch to update me if my Livina is ready for pickup, but come 330PM still no call. I decided to call him and right away he says "Ser tapus na ready for pickup na". Hmmm I thought I rememebered that he was the one to update me and not me to call him to ask what happened.

Strike Two! - He updated me that the fuel float has been replaced again and the replaced part was to be sent to NMPI for assessment. He said they will fill up some fuel when I called. Never did I know I was going to be charged 500 pesos for fuel which I dont know how many liters they put. It just says in the satement 500 pesos for fuel. Well, that didnt really matter because my concern was really the gas guage. They guaranteed it is already fixed. I left mantrade going to Makati then Fort until the gas needle goes to the first line before the E mark. No joy, still no low level indicator lighting up. What are these guys really doing wth my car and they cant fix this simple problem???

Strike Three! - They cant find the creaking sound under the car but they did find the screeching sound when applying the brake to stop the car. I was happy to hear that there was nothing wrong with the rotor. However their assessment was brakes was due for adjustments and cleaning. What was that again??? Brake adjustments and cleaning for a 6 month old car!!! My god, my corolla and vitara didnt even need cleaning after mopre than 10 years of owning it, but a six month old car requires that service. Sad part was it was supposed to be chargeable however they know i was already freakingly disappointed they decided to have that service for free. If I wasnt angry they would be charging me.

naku sama talaga ng aftersales service ng nissan. dami pang ibang horror stories akong nababasa. kaya i wouldnt be surprised that some owners opt to have their cars serviced at "trusted" autoshops or talyers... not just for breakfix but even for regular PMS.


OT: imho, toyota and honda has the best service. masama rin daw service ng mitsu.

eggy_reyes wrote:naku sama talaga ng aftersales service ng nissan. dami pang ibang horror stories akong nababasa. kaya i wouldnt be surprised that some owners opt to have their cars serviced at "trusted" autoshops or talyers... not just for breakfix but even for regular PMS.


OT: imho, toyota and honda has the best service. masama rin daw service ng mitsu.

Sir observation ko lang, Nissan Iloilo has way much better service than Toyota Iloilo. Cheaper nga lang sa Toyota. But talking about customer service and satisfaction alone, my vote is for Nissan Iloilo.

to the hell with mantrade and their incompetent employees!!! I will post also my concerns in tsikot goonsquad for a wider audience to warn people against this dealer.

I will not post anything in Tsikot at the moment since NMPI has recieved my letter of complaint and they have invited me for a meeting together with representatives and managers from both NMPI and Mantrade.

The meeting is temporarily scheduled on Jan 6 2011 at 2PM. Venue is in Mantrade office in Pasong Tamo, Makati. If anyone would like to join as observer or even provide statements in behalf also of the club, you are very much welcome to come with me. Presence of LOOP club would provide good exposure too with NMPI.

badtoy wrote:I will not post anything in Tsikot at the moment since NMPI has recieved my letter of complaint and they have invited me for a meeting together with representatives and managers from both NMPI and Mantrade.

The meeting is temporarily scheduled on Jan 6 2011 at 2PM. Venue is in Mantrade office in Pasong Tamo, Makati. If anyone would like to join as observer or even provide statements in behalf also of the club, you are very much welcome to come with me. Presence of LOOP club would provide good exposure too with NMPI.

i suggest that our officers together with our legal consultant (dranyem) to attend the meeting to support badtoy and to show our LOOP is in existence.

badtoy wrote:I will not post anything in Tsikot at the moment since NMPI has recieved my letter of complaint and they have invited me for a meeting together with representatives and managers from both NMPI and Mantrade.

The meeting is temporarily scheduled on Jan 6 2011 at 2PM. Venue is in Mantrade office in Pasong Tamo, Makati. If anyone would like to join as observer or even provide statements in behalf also of the club, you are very much welcome to come with me. Presence of LOOP club would provide good exposure too with NMPI.

sir musta? sino nakasama mo?

Any update on this? what happened in the meeting?

texted sir Mike yesterday and natuloy daw ang meeting and meron pa sila ulit meeting next week. mostly technical persons ang dumating daw from NMPI. lets just wait for his post na lang po. also, wala din pala nakasama na other member or officer si sir mike. sana sa next meeting eh free din ako sa schedule para maka-sama.

When I arrived Mantrade yesterday (Jan 6) it was quite uncomfortable. They moved in to a new location, just beside their old location and the area was very small. Construction works was all over the place and parking was a major problem. Anyway that's besides the point why I went there.

When I got there I was received by Paeng Cachuela my usual service adviser and Matel who was in charge of customer service. They called the guys from NMPI and surprisingly I thought Nissan would bring in someone who would be of concern with Mantrade's aftersales services however they sent in some technical persons instead. The meeting was attended by Matel, Nestor who was the shop superintendent, and two NMPI technical representatives. I perceived that the NMPI guys were just concerned of the care problems rather than how mantrade serves their customers so I went on with what is wrong with my Livina.

After relaying all my complaints with the car, I went on commenting about Mantrade's services. I didnt get any reaction from the NMPI guys. Even the fact that I mentioned that our group of Livina enthusiast did not interest them. Probably they were just tech people and they dont have any concerns with dealer sales and services and marketing.

Mantrade and NMPI reps asked me if I can leave the car that day. I did not comply because I do not have any car to use for that day since I was already on my way to the office. Mantrade has given me a lot of hassles already leaving the car to their shop then commute to and from the office. They cant offer me a loaner car for the day and just asked when would be the best schedule for me to leave the car to the shop for further assessment and if possible they may take the car to NMPI. I said I'll just bring the car Tuesday next week but if they are gonna bring the car to NMPI make sure I get a loaner car.

In my assessment, based on how NMPI handled the situation, NMPI was just concerned of the car quality and not with the dealers aftersales service. I think NMPI just did not meddle with the bad aftersales issue and just let Mantrade handle it. Here are a few bad points I gathered from discussing these with them.

1. Mantrade did not say anything in defense to my comment against their slogan "after we sell we serve". Looks like they are admitting they do have bad service.
2. Mantrade lost my warranty booklet. After two weeks of looking for it they just said they cant find it. They are indeed negligent on every aspect. geez
3. I cant see any sympathy from them for all the hassles I have been through owning the car especially mentioning to them over and over that I was stalled in SLEX

I will be back in Mantrade on Tuesday Jan 11 to meet again with NMPI. Hopefully they bring in someone who may be of concern with dealer aftersales service.

Jan 11 8AM I was already in the dealer shop. Upon my entry in the still under construction showroom and service reception area I saw Nestor the shop superintendent and Matel the customer service representative of Mantrade and they immediately approached me however no sign of any NMPI representative. We had a recap of what was agreed upon from our previous discussion. I will leave the car for a day and they will check the squeaking underchassis, squealing brakes and intermittent low level fuel indicator. If these are still unresolvable within the day they will send the car to NMPI plant in sta rosa and they will provide me a loaner car. They will update me in the afternoon, and so here are the updates as of 2PM.

1. They are truly guaranteeing that the low level fuel indicator is lighting up. Happy to hear that!

2. The squealing brakes were remedied by cleaning the front brake rotors and calipers. They even cleaned the rear drum brakes. That's swell. Hopefully this remedy solves the irritating squealing sound.

3. The squeaking sound under the car is very audible already however they cant pin point where it is coming from. Despite tightening bolts on the exhaust it is still audible. They suspect it is near the shifter. At that point they already informed NMPI about the complaint and have them manage the resolution. In short they'll take it back to their sta rosa plant for inspection and resolution.

4. NMPI provided me a loaner car. Its a 2007 Sentra. It is a very dirty car and looks very much used and abused, but that doesnt really matter. I am appreciative of this gesture Mantrade and NMPI did. I appreciated it more because the car they lent me has an automatic transmission.

Though they provided me a loaner car, I still dont have peace of mind yet. My car is still not in my garage and is spending a night or more kilometers away from me hoping when it comes back everything is resolved. Feeling ko tuloy parang anak ko na nag overnight sa bahay ng classmate nya.

nice to know na me action na ang mantrade. sana maayos na yung Livina niyo sir...

keep us posted

OT: sana yung bagong sentra ang binigay para na test drive mo na din, hehehe

@badtoy:

It's nice that you got a loaner car.
It's sad that you have to raise hell before they lend you the car. He he he...

Update from NMPI today Jan 13:

The car is not with me yet however Mantrade has called me up for updates of the repair.

under chassis squeaking noise (parang nagchichismisang daga) was caused by a faulty catalytic converter. They replaced it already. I havent really asked why was it the cause of the squeaking.

Gauge panel may be replaced due to the low level fuel indicator intermittently not lighting up.

badtoy wrote:Update from NMPI today Jan 13:

The car is not with me yet however Mantrade has called me up for updates of the repair.

under chassis squeaking noise (parang nagchichismisang daga) was caused by a faulty catalytic converter. They replaced it already. I havent really asked why was it the cause of the squeaking.

Gauge panel may be replaced due to the low level fuel indicator intermittently not lighting up.

Sir ano ung catalytic converter?? now ko lang narinig ito ah..

Papalitan ung fuel gauge o ung buong panel??

real_renz wrote:

badtoy wrote:Update from NMPI today Jan 13:

The car is not with me yet however Mantrade has called me up for updates of the repair.

under chassis squeaking noise (parang nagchichismisang daga) was caused by a faulty catalytic converter. They replaced it already. I havent really asked why was it the cause of the squeaking.

Gauge panel may be replaced due to the low level fuel indicator intermittently not lighting up.

Sir ano ung catalytic converter?? now ko lang narinig ito ah..

Papalitan ung fuel gauge o ung buong panel??

it's part of the exhaust system usually located in the middle of the car. right between the headers and the muffler. it's basically for better or "greener" emissions but with no performance gain on the car. how it works... i dont know. similar to the muffler, if installation is bad it may cause some unwanted noise like squeaks or rattles as this vibrates all the time. That's why the exhaust system is usually installed with rubber brackets basically to absorb the vibration or movement and not cause noise.

sir badtoy yung GL ko may squeaking below the seat din pero after some personal and experimental tests, i found out that the squeaking sound is really caused by the seat itself. baka nabibigatan sakin