well yesterday morning i woke up super early and headed out to infiniti of oakland to drop off my car for an oil change and for the compression rod problem i've been experiencing for a few thousand miles. all in all, i have to say i had a great experience. they have a nice waiting area with newspapers, magazines, comfortable chairs and coffee/tea/snacks. my service adviser was a pretty young guy and very chill. i explained to him what my issues were prior to coming in and he remembered everything when we met, which was impressive to me b/c that was NEVER the case when i dealt with frontier.

the service adviser took his time, explained everything clearly to me and hooked me up with a loaner. i indicated that if there was a problem reproducing the groaning/creaking sound from the front suspension to call me because i could reproduce it almost at will. i took off, expecting to get my car back early next week. overall, the process was relaxed and unrushed, very much unlike frontier.

in the afternoon, i get a voicemail indicating my car is ready to be picked up... i immediately jumped to the conclusion that they had ignored the compression rod problem, but upon listening to the entire message i discovered they replaced the rods! i was very impressed that the parts were in stock, and they were able to turn my car around within a matter of hours. frontier certainly would have held on to it for days, giving me run around excuses, if they had even decided to remedy the problem.

i headed over to the dealership to pick up my car and met up with the service adviser. prior to arriving i called to clarify some details in the message and indicated that i would like to see the car up on a lift since the tech noticed that "the compression rod on the right side bangs up on the strut". i was curious about this problem. i arrived and with no questions asked and no hassle, they got my car up on the lift and the service adviser got a tech to come over and chat with me about the issue.

basically, the tech noticed some impression marks from the compression rod on the strut. he said they were very very minor, probably caused by going over some sudden bump very hard (which has happened in my car a couple of times unfortunately). it turns out that the 1/2-1" difference in spring height between the Z and G springs actually does make a difference with this problem, since the lower arm of the strut gets thin where the compression rod would normally move to during a sudden bump. on Z springs, the rod ends up bumping into the fat part of the strut. again, this appeared to have only occurred once or twice in 12k+ miles of driving, and is likely due to a sudden drop/bump while driving.

what i particularly enjoyed is the tech and service adviser telling me how after they pulled my car into the service bay, all the techs and advisers walked over to check it out while i get no love on this board b/c my car looks very similar to stock, the guys there thought it was super clean with the drop/tint and they loved the hks exhaust. the tech was pretty straight with me about the drop and said i really didn't have anything to worry about. i did my best to clarify that in the future if there are problems with the strut from the banging compression rod, then it's my responsibility. however, since others have experienced the compression rods squeaking in spite of having them replaced, that would still be covered under warranty if i had to come back in with that problem. they agreed this was the case and with that, infiniti of oakland completely won me over.

i highly recommend anyone in the east bay to take their car there for servicing and if you are interested in making a purchase go there as well. business appeared slow and we, the g community, need a mod-friendly dealership BADLY imo. i'm not saying they will overlook everything but they handled my situation very reasonably.

 

not to jack the thread but, if I have coilovers that means I don't have to replace the compression rods right?

 

if you get a squeaking/groaning sound going into driveways or over speedbumps, then you need to get the rods replaced. the spring/strut combo is irrelevant.

 

which service advisor did you work with?
I'm having some squeaking and popping sounds in the rear which I haven't been able to fix and some rattles in the front.
Frontier refused to touch the dash because they said I had an aftermarket stereo...obviously they won't touch the suspension either.

 

I bought my car from the Oakland dealership... Had to order the car.. Everything went smooth.. Even got the car 30 days before they said it would be there... They communicated with me the entire process.... It it wasn't over an hour away I would have them do the service on my car.

 

my experiencewith oakland infiniti was "excellent" as i took it in for a constant brake squeeking...it's almost at metal to metal not quite but my brembos need to be replaced soon..."jesse" service advisor...he took his time, went over my options, suggested if i can order cross drilled rotors elsewhere, they'll be more than happy to install them...noticed my ac was making noises and discovered it is an ac compressor warranty problem...heck i bumped into an old friend at oakland infiniti who was picking up her FX.

great experience, willing to work with you, and discounting...!!!

great job...peninsula and serramonte lost my business...!!!

 

Earlier this year I dropped by to check out this dealership. It was pretty big being next to the highway. Talking to a sales person, he mentioned that they've been only opened for about a year. I don't know if that was true, but if so, I'm sure they are working to build up a good reputation and some of you folks are are disappointed with alternatives on the Peninsula and South Bay seem to have some positive experience so far.

If there are more happy about this dealership drop a few comments.

 

Infiniti of Oakland is THE place to go. I have had nothing but excellent service there. Jesse was great and helped my car out a lot. I definitely recommend everyone take their cars there.

And yes, they have been there about a year. They are very new and IMO, they are doing a great job building a relationship with their customers.

 

WOW, this is good news. I'm taking mine in today...glad they'll be taking good care of my baby. lucky im workin with jesse too...sounds like a good guy.

ill see if they'll look into the compression rods too as i'm creakin alot.

 

i'll bet they drool over your car with the VRT work done... gluck and post back!

 

I take mine there too. Hendrick's is really great. I bought mine in the Hendrick's in Pleasanton, but I take it to the Oakland Hendrick's dealer all the time now.

 

going to see Jesse at 5pm...GREAT EXPERIENCE...!!!

bought my rotors and pads from tirerack...I will never go back to Peninsula or Serramonte...those guys SUCK and never discount or try and help you...Ever since they replaced my pads....they squeeeked the whole time...Jesse told me it's properly because they didn't bleed the brakes or coat it properly...

bobby =)

 

Anyone has any BAD experience with Oakland?

 

I have yet to hear one bad thing from members on here about them.

 

well my car is down there now. oil change and some suspension work (replacing lower arm). might of hit a curb or potholes on 580 but the stock lower arm is messed up.

took me back behind the shop to show me whats wrong. mentioned the compression rods and theyre replacing it under warranty even with all the suspension mods (ie custom coilover and arms by VRT) they realize that it didnt effect the rods. any other dealer woulda said cos i got a stillen catback it killed my compression rods!:0

have to say...theyre going out of there way to get business. jesse and the mechanics i met were big fans of mods and the guys are aware of the forums. gonna give jesse a ride after the car is all done

this'll be the place i take my car for maintenance!!