Utterly Peeved Off!!!!

[Spudz27]

Not ford related but as some of you may know I complained about issues with my Camry, which Toyota just fobbed me off with wear and tear. So as I am in perth at the moment I thought even though I have done 5k since I bought it I would take it to the people who have serviced my mothers and siblings cars for 10years with never a drama. The guy would charge me $200 for complete Tune and service (Auto masters Maddington), so the guy rings me at lunch the call went like this.

Me: "Hows it going"
Him: "yeah the car is good but there are a few things"
Me" oooookkk
Him: Your trans oil is like sludge, same as power steering fluid, your brake fluid needs flushing, your pads are 95-97% worn and your discs are beginning to warp.
Me: "WTF I got the car 2 1/2 months ago and have done 5000km if that"
Him: "yeah I know and I hate to be the **** who had to ring"

I am fuming I paid 16k for the car from a Toyota dealership, and although I know the fluid is bad but would be fobbed off, letting the car leave with **** brakes is just plain dangerous.

So after putting aside $200 for the tune and service, I now paying $185 for pads and machining, $66 for brake fluid flush and $275 for trans flush and service. The trans is expensive as he flushes it 3 times and puts all 10-12litres of oil back in.

Should I take the safety report and the receipts for all work to the Dealership who sold me the car?

[Antwon]

Have you tried taking it to a different Toyota dealer?

[cs123]

The only complaint you could possibly have is with the brakes. They may have been right on the limit of acceptable wear when it was passed.

The oil etc is on your head, you could have insisted on a service before purchase but it's not a safety item.

[Spudz27]

Originally Posted by Antwon

Have you tried taking it to a different Toyota dealer?

That would be hard as there is only 1 where I live and I am not in perth often. I am wasting a stupid $900 warranty by using this guy, but as I found the warranty means jack **** anyway. Toyota acknowleged there was something amiss but said they would not check it as it wasn't affecting drive ability.

My theory is they knew the condition and said "hey he will get 10k out of it so we will sting him with ridiculous costs then"

[ltd]

The brakes you can claim on as the vehicle has to be roadworthy, check with your local mtia or similar (depending on state) to find out what your rights are.

[mrbaxr6t]

this is some stellar after sales warranty work right there!

I know a guy that argued that he was sold a car with unroadworthy brakes, he had them by the short and curlies and as he bought the car from a dealership with a LMCT copping a guilty on selling an unroadworthy car would have shut them down, they caved and fixed it.

[prydey]

i fail to see what your gripe is about. you bought a 2nd hand vehicle and you're upset that its not new?

when you bought the car, the brakes (rotors) were obviously fine otherwise surely you would've noted some 'shudder'. the mechanic you have just been to states they are 'beginning' to warp. not the toyota dealers problem.

5000km ago the pads may have been at an acceptable level for sale. they are a wear and tear, mainenance item. again - not the original dealers problem unless they were below limit.

condition of fluid is also not a dealer's problem. these are also subject to wear and tear and are maintenance items.

your dealer warranty wouldn't cover these things anyway. just pay the money knowing the guy has been looking after the family for years and should do the right thing by you.

[Windsor220]

I think you get 3 months after purchase for safety items like brakes so you shoud be able to argue the point. The other stuff they will make you pay for.

[phillyc]

People think it's only Ford dealers who are crap. Toyota dealers are from your experience proving crap AND expensive.

Sorry to hear about the poor dealership and ownership experience. After reading one of your posts after trading the Falcon in on a Camry and you said how much you hated driving it, didn't think you would get any happier.

[Windsor220]

Originally Posted by prydey

5000km ago the pads may have been at an acceptable level for sale. they are a wear and tear, mainenance item. again - not the original dealers problem unless they were below limit.

If what the mechanic said was right, 95% would mean about 1mm left on the pads. Even 5000km ago they would of been at replacement stage. Unless he was driving around like Allan Moffat.

[Spudz27]

Yeah I am not impressed and as such I will never reccommend this particular dealer. I am not going to bother arguing with them about it, the guy I went to said not to bother. I will just never use them again and come to perth to see this particular mechanic everytime I need to. He was great, gave me a discount on everything. $189 for the pads and discs, normally $259, $200 for complete major service, instead of $250. He also said to clean the crap out of the auto trans, he had to flush 31litres of fluid through it, even then he said next time I am in perth he will flush it for free ust to rid it of the stuff that will eventually be cleaned out of solanoids etc.

[ebxr8240]

Oh What A Feeling !!!

[TURBOTAXI]

Call me a sceptic, but I cant see a mechanic, throwing away 31L of trans fluid.\
Sorry to hear you had a bad run with the car. It kinda sux when you spend your hard earned and get a dog.

[Spudz27]

Originally Posted by TURBOTAXI

Call me a sceptic, but I cant see a mechanic, throwing away 31L of trans fluid.\
Sorry to hear you had a bad run with the car. It kinda sux when you spend your hard earned and get a dog.

No really he does. He is excellent. They put the car on a machine under pressure and they pump trans fluid through till it is pink. Usually it takes 12-15litres, mine was so bad it took 31, but he charged me no extra. Also can people shed light as to why my right front sounds like metal on metal after new pads. It is worse when turning left and goes away when putting brakes on. They said it is the pads setting in, as they could find nothing scraping, but said if it was there tomorrow they will put a different set of pads in free. I thought maybe someone could have another idea.

[silvergsvan]

Originally Posted by EDfutura25

Yeah I am not impressed and as such I will never reccommend this particular dealer. I am not going to bother arguing with them about it, the guy I went to said not to bother. I will just never use them again and come to perth to see this particular mechanic everytime I need to. He was great, gave me a discount on everything. $189 for the pads and discs, normally $259, $200 for complete major service, instead of $250. He also said to clean the crap out of the auto trans, he had to flush 31litres of fluid through it, even then he said next time I am in perth he will flush it for free ust to rid it of the stuff that will eventually be cleaned out of solanoids etc.

Don't give up so easily. Push them and push them (be nice ALWAYS, but firm). They don't give away money but they don't want to be badly thought of, either. I, like you, wuld expect that all these items would be dealt with at a francise dealer (different for shonky motors on High St, of course). Are you a member of the WA equivalent of the RACV? Go through them. Ring Toyota customer relations, see what happens. At the end of the process, you won't be worse off than you are now. They only win when you give up.

I always get a full mechanial inpection on any car I buy and independant of the dealer. The only time I didn't, a pristine car with 40,000km has a broken shocker and a leaking diff, cost plenty to put right and could have been avoided if I had obeyed my own golden rule.

Best of luck.

[Swamp Rat]

i have a similar prob with my BA,had it 18 months,already spent 5500 to fix transmission,throttle sensor,brake lines,radiator,diff bushes,paid more to fix it than what ive paid off it,and now we find out the suspension is stuffed(struts and sway bars).was meant to have new suspension when we bought it.only driven kids to school and back,always been on decent roads and never driven hard... never thought BA's had so many probs or i just got a dud and was skunked

[Smoke Pursuit]

This is why getting an independant inspection done on the car before you buy it is a must. dealer or private sale...

They would have picked up all of that!

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by EDfutura25

Him: Your trans oil is like sludge, same as power steering fluid, your brake fluid needs flushing, your pads are 95-97% worn and your discs are beginning to warp.
Me: "WTF I got the car 2 1/2 months ago and have done 5000km if that"
..................Snip........

I am fuming I paid 16k for the car from a Toyota dealership,

Two questions come to mind....

Did you check the car or get it checked BEFORE you handed over your hard earned?

I believe that here in NSW dealers have to give a minimum 3 month warranty on cars under 10 years old. (thats a dealer warranty, not one of those 'aftermarket' jobbies)
Does the same apply where you are?.

[aussiblue]

http://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/Consum...%29_warra.html

Used vehicle (statutory) warranties
A 'statutory warranty' applies only to vehicles bought from a licensed motor vehicle dealer.

The Motor Vehicle Dealers Act requires licensed dealers to fix certain defects in used motor vehicles they have sold.

The statutory warranty also applies only to motor vehicles that have a purchase price of $4000 or more and motor cycles that cost $3500 or more, together with limits on age and the number of kilometres travelled at the time of sale.

The following table outlines the statutory warranty provisions:

Age of Car Kilometres travelled at time of sale Warranty Entitlement
Not more than 10 years Not more than 150,000 3 months or 5,000 km (whichever happens first)
Between 10 - 12 years Between 150,000 and 180,000 1 month or 1,500 km (whichever happens first)
More than 12 years More than 180,000 No warranty


Age of Motor Cycle Kilometres travelled at time of sale Warranty Entitlement
Not more than 8 years Not more than 80,000 3 months or 5,000 km (whichever happens first)
More than 8 years More than 80,000 No warranty


What is not covered
A statutory warranty does not cover:

routine services
tune-ups
batteries
tyres (however, tyres must be roadworthy at the time of sale)
accessories
defects that arise from an accident or misuse of the vehicle.
This page was last updated on Friday, 19 September 2008.

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All contents copyright © Government of Western Australia

I think that all you had done is routine servicing. Every time I've bought a used car I expected to have to do such major servicing work to get it up to scratch and usually soon after buy new tyres.

[aussiblue]

http://www.slp.wa.gov.au/legislation..._homepage.html
Motor Vehicles Dealers Act 1973

34B. Defects for which dealer responsible
(1) The dealer is responsible under section 34 for any defect that renders, or is likely to render, the vehicle unroadworthy or unserviceable, but is not responsible for a defect —
(a) that comes within section 35(2);
(b) arising from or incidental to any accidental damage to the vehicle that occurred after the sale;
(c) arising from misuse or negligence on the part of a driver of the vehicle that occurred after the sale; or
(d) occurring in the tyres, battery or any prescribed accessory to the vehicle.
(2) Subsection (1) applies to a defect whether or not it existed at the time of the sale.

[zaneabel]

Originally Posted by bfiipursuit

This is why getting an independant inspection done on the car before you buy it is a must. dealer or private sale...

They would have picked up all of that!

We recommend this to all our customers that are looking to purchase a used vehicle. No matter how reputable the dealer.

Funny though, some choose to save the $120-$180 and opt to buy the car without a pre-purchase inspection. And then have a big whinge session when they get the vehicle serviced for the 1st time and there is $500 plus required for maintenance work.

Remember people, cars are a man made object that will require maintenance bought brand new or not...

[aussiblue]

I guess that bit about "whether or not it existed at the time of the sale" means you might have been able to get the brake repair costs covered -if you can establish that they are so bad as to render the vehicle unroadworthy. As was noted if had been an RAC member you could have had them check the brakes before they were repaired and certify if they considered they made the car unroadworthy or not.

[Spudz27]

Cheers for the replies. I have learnt the hard way, never will I buy a car without an inspection unless it has 0 on the clock. I will be writing to Toyota's customer service division, not going to ask to be paid back but just let them know the dealer acknowleged issues but refused to investigate, and now I am finding there were issues.

Now I just have a grinding from the front wheels. The pads that were put in are 2mm thicker than toyota pads and are currently touching the discs. Well from what I gather. The noise goes away when the brakes are applied. I had it back and a new set of pads in and all other stuff inspected to look for anything that was amiss, but nothing was found and even with the new pads it is doing the same thing.

[Swamp Rat]

u and me both mate..