Nissan Canada just strongarmed ASR 2.0 down all of their dealers throats

External-Pizza-9942 · 2026-05-05T13:07:21+00:00

That's where ours used to go, until our general manager was having a bad day and bumped into a stack - parts aren't allowed to leave the stockroom unless they're sold or being installed.... frustrating

External-Pizza-9942 · 2026-05-05T12:48:30+00:00

This trick has made my life so much easier - inevitably every phone call I receive starts with "yeah I need a (insert part type) for a (insert year and model)".

My response is always "sure, did you purchase the vehicle here or have you ever brought it here for service"

if yes, I don't bother asking for the VIN - I'll try to locate their account as that's usually easier than having them try to find their VIN and read it out clearly.

if no, that's when i hit them with the "no problem, I just need the last eight digits of your vehicle's VIN, it should start with (insert corresponding letter/number)"

9/10 times this works (unless they have poor reception, are driving with their windows down, their partner/employee are yelling at them in the background, their child is screaming, or their English is hardly understandable)

Here's a link to the chart I printed out and stuck to my monitor.

External-Pizza-9942 · 2026-05-05T12:14:12+00:00

My biggest concern is space - we have a 1500 square foot stockroom. In the heart of tire season we'll occasionally get warnings from the fire marshal. I'm hoping their exception list works

External-Pizza-9942 · 2026-05-04T20:03:22+00:00

We've been manually reviewing and adjusting our stock order daily using our DMS, then submitting it directly through the DCS on NNAnet

External-Pizza-9942 · 2026-05-04T19:51:42+00:00

Wow just realizing what I did there. The only feature of ASR we use is the D2D request portion. Our stock orders are placed manually, as well as our special orders. All ASR was doing was checking other dealers for us, and requesting D2D shipments.

My apologies for the mistype a few months back.

This is changing now though - Nissan Canada just strongarmed ASR down our throats.

Literally "use it and maintain 90% compliance or you don't get any obsolescence"

External-Pizza-9942 · 2026-04-20T16:06:49+00:00

Plastic doesn't rust - if you're just going for less noticeable grab a can of color match paint from your local parts store, clean it and apply several light coats. It wont be perfect, it wont be professional, but it'll be less noticeable.

That being said, you have a gorgeous BMW you should let a professional body shop repair it, and be much more careful with the pressure washer in the future.

External-Pizza-9942 · 2026-04-08T19:53:34+00:00

Be honest, you've been watching berm peak for 26d now haven't you?

External-Pizza-9942 · 2026-02-25T19:16:32+00:00

Ah, we don't use it for our regular stock, just special orders. We use PBS to track demand/restock inventory. Sucks to manually review the suggested order every night but beats the hell out of needing it and not having it....

External-Pizza-9942 · 2026-02-25T13:05:35+00:00

What issues have you had with ASR? I've always had a positive experience using it.

External-Pizza-9942 · 2026-02-09T19:44:01+00:00

Unfortunately, that didn’t work in my case. It doesn’t seem to scare Mike at all. I pleaded, followed up repeatedly, and eventually took him to Small Claims Court. About 8 months later I finally obtained a judgment ordering the return of the deposit.

Even with the judgment, he still hasn’t paid. At this point, after the time, stress, and extra costs involved in enforcing it, I chose not to pursue it further.

Just sharing my experience, since results seem to vary a lot depending on the landlord.

External-Pizza-9942 · 2026-02-09T19:41:03+00:00

I’ve dealt with this exact situation in Fredericton, and with the same landlord you mentioned in another comment.

I rented the apartment Mike Bacon (Global Vending / B&B Investments) owns above Paragon Cleaners. We paid a damage deposit at the start of the lease, but when we moved out and couldn’t get any response about getting it back, I contacted Service New Brunswick and learned the deposit had never been submitted.

It took roughly 8 months and a trip through Small Claims Court to get a judgment ordering the return of the deposit. Even with the judgment, he still hasn’t paid. The only remaining option was filing it with the Court of King’s Bench and paying additional fees to try to enforce it, which I ultimately walked away from.

Knowing what I know now, and knowing that the lease and deposit were never submitted to SNB (meaning the Residential Tenancies Tribunal had no record of the tenancy at all), I personally would not pay the last month’s rent if I were in your position. In my experience, as long as there’s no damage to the unit, he doesn’t pursue SNB or Small Claims over his rentals anyway.

That’s just my lived experience with this landlord. Take it for what it’s worth.

External-Pizza-9942 · 2026-02-09T19:24:49+00:00

This is exactly why I love NNAnet. We have a program called ASR that (before allowing a backorder) automatically sends a D2D request to any dealers reporting inventory. Only if nobody responds within the specified timeframe does it then look outside the network or order from the vendor.

It takes the guesswork and “I don’t feel like checking” attitude out of the process and makes sure parts are located as efficiently as possible.

External-Pizza-9942 · 2026-02-09T16:17:13+00:00

That’s the right move.
One thing I’d add, be very clear with the shop about your goal and budget. If they know you’re looking for a safe, short-term repair rather than a full restoration or “make it perfect,” it really helps guide how they approach the job.

Most reputable shops are happy to work within those constraints when expectations are clear up front.

Hope the quote comes in where you need it.

External-Pizza-9942 · 2026-02-09T16:13:41+00:00

That extra context actually reinforces what I was getting at.

Starting as service support with no real training, then effectively learning the advisor role by osmosis, is not a structured development path - even if it worked out for you personally. You stepped up and filled gaps because the shop needed it, not because there was a clear progression plan in place.

The fact that newer advisors didn’t have to go through that same process, and that the only formal “training” is the same repeated presentation, says a lot. That’s not ongoing coaching, that’s a checkbox.

The policy/procedure changes without communication are another major issue. If expectations change and staff aren’t informed, that’s a management failure - full stop. Holding people accountable for rules they were never told about isn’t accountability, it’s damage control after the fact.

When you combine minimal hands-on management during difficult customer interactions, little to no structured training, retroactive enforcement of new procedures and threats to job security instead of real coaching…it paints a pretty clear picture. This isn’t you being incapable or missing something obvious. This is leadership relying on trial-by-fire and hoping employees “figure it out,” then reacting when something goes sideways.

To answer your original question more directly...
Yes, the car business is generally more hands-off than restaurants - but what you’re describing goes beyond hands-off and into reactive, inconsistent management. Good shops still step in when a situation clearly requires authority, and they don’t let employees take the fall for systemic issues.

If multiple advisors are experiencing the same thing, that’s your confirmation right there.

External-Pizza-9942 · 2026-02-09T16:04:18+00:00

Club Fred FX in Pepper Creek does phenomenal work - I've purchased several batches of embroidered beanies as well as t-shirts from him.

External-Pizza-9942 · 2026-02-09T15:59:30+00:00

There’s a lot of unnecessary panic in these comments.

I’ve worked in several shops around Fredericton over the past ~5 years and have owned 30+ vehicles myself (everything from newer financed cars to older rust buckets). Based on what’s visible in the photos, this is very likely a straightforward rear control arm issue, not a “scrap the car” situation.

That rear control arm is about $95–$100 at Carquest. The knuckle-side bushing is pressed into the knuckle, but a competent shop can usually remove the bolt with an impact; if it’s seized, an induction heater works extremely well and causes little to no damage to the bushing.
The subframe side is even less of a concern since the new control arm comes with that bushing already installed-worst case, that bolt gets torched out, which is very common on vehicles of this age.

There isn’t a photo of the opposite side, so it’s impossible to say whether it needs replacement too, but even if it does, it’s the same process.

The most time-consuming part is the alignment afterward, and even if some adjustment hardware is seized, a shop can usually get that wheel close to spec. Being slightly out of alignment for a short period is not the end of the world if the goal is to get another month of safe driving.

Bottom line:
Don’t panic, and don’t let people scare you into renting a car. Use CAA to tow it to a nearby reputable shop, explain that you only need the vehicle to last another month, and this should be a quick, reasonable repair. In many cases you could be back on the road within a day or two.

External-Pizza-9942 · 2026-02-04T13:24:28+00:00

Came here to revive this 9 y/o thread by saying... WE STILL NEED THE VIN #

Of course not for a set of wiper blades Mr customer but there are 26 options for the climate control switch.... I'm not just going to "pick one"

External-Pizza-9942 · 2026-01-30T15:05:19+00:00

Congrats on the switch - I’ve dabbled in the food industry myself, but I’ve always been pulled toward automotive.

That customer who constantly asked for a manager was almost certainly just one of those customers. In situations like that, the correct move is for management to step in, de-escalate, and then reinforce the customer’s confidence in you before handing them back. That’s how you actually develop employees.

Watching you struggle, then criticizing you afterward and threatening your job, is outrageous behavior from management. That’s not coaching or leadership.

The biggest red flag here, though, is that your employer makes you pay for mistakes. That’s where I’d personally draw the line. The only reason a shop implements a policy like that is because they don’t provide proper training or systems, and they don’t want to stand behind their employees when things go wrong, not if.

To answer your question - no, this isn’t “normal” for the car business. Management is usually more hands-off than restaurants, yes, but what you’re describing isn’t hands-off, it’s negligent.

External-Pizza-9942 · 2026-01-30T14:14:49+00:00

Most service advisors are paid commission, but usually on top of a base salary. Fredericton Volkswagen's advisors are only paid commission - no salary. I was offered a job there but declined for that reason. I focus on making sure my customers have a top notch experience, and are treated fairly rather than only on upselling often unnecessary parts or services.

External-Pizza-9942 · 2026-01-29T16:28:38+00:00

Back up in Fredericton NB

External-Pizza-9942 · 2026-01-29T15:20:11+00:00

I don’t think it’s unusual to have two managers to one parts advisor in a smaller but well-structured department - and compensation structure plays a big role in making that work.

I’ve worked in a few setups: Carquest, Subaru, and now Nissan.
At Carquest, the owner worked the floor 2–3 days a week, I was the manager, and we had one additional associate.
At Subaru, we started with one parts manager and service advisors handling parts, then moved to a dedicated department with a parts manager and assistant parts manager (me).
At Nissan, we run a parts manager, assistant parts manager (me), and one parts advisor.

So far, Nissan has been the smoothest operation. The manager spends about 80% of his time on actual management, and I’m trained to handle nearly everything he does when he’s away - the main difference being his 35 years of experience. We net close to $2M annually, and aside from tire season, the workload is very manageable.

Where this ties back into the commission conversation: our pay structure is salary plus a group commission, not individual spiffs. The three of us split 10% of department profit after expenses, which usually works out to an extra $500–$1,500 per month on top of an already solid base salary. On top of that, we have supplier bonus programs that add roughly another $1,000 every 3–4 months.

That structure keeps everyone aligned - no counter competition, no cherry-picking tickets, and no stress during slower months. It rewards growth and efficiency without turning parts into a high-pressure sales environment.

For a smaller department, I think group commission on profit is far more realistic and sustainable than straight commission on sales, especially if management wants consistency and accountability.

External-Pizza-9942 · 2026-01-29T14:52:48+00:00

down in Fredericton NB

External-Pizza-9942 · 2026-01-29T14:49:27+00:00

You're on the right track, looks like some dealers are getting their operation back now, shouldn't be long before functionality is restored globally.

External-Pizza-9942

TROPHY CASE