TCU Upgrade

SIM ID?  We don't need no stinking SIM...

On Thursday, July 28, Missoula Nissan Hyundai performed the TCU upgrade to my 2011 Leaf.  The cost was $199.

Unfortunately the new TCU doesn't work!  According to Nissan technical support, the TCU is missing critical information such as the SIM ID.  Anyone who's used a cellphone knows that, without a valid SIM, the phone won't work.  Technical support said that this information was supposed to be entered at the time of installation, suggesting the technician may have missed it.

I contacted Missoula Nissan Hyundai, and the service department assures me that it did everything per the instructions, so the error must be elsewhere.  I don't care too much where the error is, I just want a working TCU or my $199 back!

I'm frequently asked, "Isn't there a Nissan dealership here in town?  Why aren't you using it?" so allow me to answer that question.

Nissan dealerships don't all work on Nissan Leafs...due to the independent nature of dealerships they can simply choose to opt out, leaving Leaf owners in a lurch with no service center (another reason to end the dealership racket and instead support direct sales ala Tesla).  So even though I have a Nissan dealership in my town (Robert Allen Nissan), I have to go 118 miles away over a mountain pass to get service in Missoula.  Guess who pays to transport the Leaf?  I'll give you a hint: it wasn't the dealership!

Adding insult to injury, Nissan wants me to return the Leaf to Missoula so the dealership and Nissan can correct their error.  Missoula Nissan Hyundai offered no assistance nor did it take any responsibility, but to Nissan's credit it has offered to reimburse transportation expenses.  Being a savvy consumer, I asked Nissan to put that promise in writing.

"Ah, sorry sir, we're incapable of doing that."

Well-played, Nissan!  Now after I pay a second time to transport the Leaf you can deny having made any promises!  I can hear it now...

"Reimbursement?  No you must have talked to the wrong person, we can't do that.  Let me transfer you, and by 'transfer' I mean 'hang up'.  Have a nice day!"

So for the record, I did talk to someone named Jeffrey Cruise on Friday, July 28, and received a case number,  27880601.  During the conversation Mr. Cruise was explicit: if I pay to tow my Leaf to Missoula and back, Nissan will reimburse me.  I called back today, July 31, and spoke to a different customer service rep who confirmed that Mr. Cruise made the promise to reimburse the entirety of the round-trip transportation costs between Helena and Missoula.  I asked if I had to use a particular transportation company and the rep said no.  Mr. Cruise recommended Nissan Roadside Assistance-- they quoted me $476 one-way, so about $1k for the round trip.

If Nissan makes good on its promise, they will have paid $1,000 because of their own internal error-- ouch.  I remember a woodworker once telling me, "I'm a lazy man, I take my time and do the job right the first time."  That wisdom seems to have been missed here.  As I already mentioned, it's an excellent reason to allow car makers to simply own their own stores.  It boggles my mind that Nissan is willing to spend a grand because my local dealership, Robert Allen Nissan, is unwilling to service the Nissan Leaf.  What a waste of money, fuel, and time.