End of the line with Toyota...

Alright.. This is a vent / advice request.. In October, while having my truck inspected for PA inspection, I was told about my frame by an independent mechanic that I'd trust with my life. Well fast forward to last week, and I have a new frame coming in 3-5 months. Well, for a while, my truck hasn't shifted into reverse all that smoothly. I can do it in my sleep, but anyone else needs a little coaching (6 speed manual). Upon picking up my truck, before I left, I noticed a comment on the dealer printout about how sloppy and bad my manual transmission is, and they specifically said they cannot find reverse. Well when I go to leave, when I put the shifter into first, it's like the shifter pops out of position, and throws towards the dash / steering wheel. I push it back into place, and carefully shift my way home. I regret ever leaving with the truck, but I wanted to talk to my mechanic first (first mistake). So I called the service manager on my way home when I realized how bad it really was, explained that noone told me they had issues with my transmission, that they said they couldnt' get it into reverse on the paper, but never told me that, and now it shifts absolutely terribly. I completely understand there was probably a developing problem, but it seemed like it was pushed over the top. My suspicion is that someone wasn't able to get the truck into reverse, and they were jamming it, and bent something. So the service manager set up an appointment for the following morning for them to take a look at it, and was very nice on the phone. Needless to say, after dropping it off, I get a call that they won't even look at it for less than $100. Do they not remember that I'm almost certain the problem was made worse in their hands? I understand nothing with the frame inspection would have caused it, but simply forcing gears would. I've had the typical grinding into 3rd gear lately, so I'm sure the synchros are going. My mechanic (that has driven my truck before and after) is pretty sure something with the shifting forks got bent but forcing it into gear. My truck has over 190K on it, so I'm about to dump it, and the way the dealership has treated me they may have lost me as a customer. Any suggestions on where to go from here? I can't justify replacing the clutch / transmission / etc with that high of miles, although the truck is running very strong with that exception.

Also, any idea what kind of costs I may be looking at for those repairs? (NOT at the dealer, as I will never step foot there again except for my frame replacement)

 

Call corporate and complain about that dealer. Tell them you dropped the truck off, they messed up the transmission possibly. That would be step 1 imo.

 

Exactly this.

No more discussion in this thread needed, let's not explode it into a freaking 10-pager of everyone saying "Oh yeah damn I hate dealers! This is the first time anyone has ever posted something like this before, guys!"

 

I have no idea of the repair costs and I'm sorry you have had such a bad experience. My thought it that this is the dealers fault - not Toyota's or the trucks. I love my truck too much to dump it, I would look into how much the fix would be. Your mechanic friend seems to know all about your predicament, I would ask him directly, "I got screwed. What can you do for me?". Does he not work on transmissions? If something was just bent it may be a smaller fix such as a replacement piece, and if the synchros were going anyway maybe you can kill two birds with one stone.

Bottom line: What is your repair cost?

 

Very difficult to prove the dealer did any damage considering you already were having issues to begin with. Also, the title is misleading as this really isn't a slam towards Toyota as a corporation as it is an issue with a dealer.

Unfortunately, it is your word against theirs in this situation. Time to move on.

 

If it was me, I'd take it to a notable transmission guy and have him fix it. 190k is not that many miles and plus your getting a new frame. Still got a lot of life left in it. Keep it.

 

I intend on contacting corporate just to let them know the situation. I feel bad complaining because I know that there was a problem developing, I just feel as though it was sent over the top. The frustrating part is I had been planning on buying a new truck this year, and with all of this coming up I don't know what to think as far as trade in and yadda yadda. I'm not going to say what dealer I took it to, that doesn't matter. I also think it would be crazy to tear apart the transmission to fix a bent shifting fork and not take care of the clutch (original @192k) and synchros issues, but that's some serious coin on this truck. I was just curious if / what people have experienced cost-wise on those types of repairs should I go that route. I put 2500 into my truck last year in repairs / tires, so to keep shelling out big repairs is definitely getting old.

 

x2

 

Are you considering selling it and buying a new truck? Because $2500 in maintenance is a fraction of new car cost. If the truck is still full of life, minus the transmission, that's a repair that makes sense even if it's costly.

 

The tranny is done and you're buying a new truck, anyway. Say goodbye to the truck.

 

That's what I'm trying to decide.. I'm trying to get an idea on costs to make an educated not emotional decision haha

 

If you sold it now, you'd lose money because the trans needs work.
If you fixed it and then sold it, maybe you'd get your money back for the work order, maybe not.
If you bought a new truck because a transmission replacement was too expensive, then that makes no sense. If the truck is mechanically sound otherwise, and the engine is still strong, then a new transmission is less than a year of new truck payments.

Always cheaper to repair than replace.

 

when they replaced the frame you take to take the shifter out i bet they didnt install it right

 

he didnt get a frame replacement yet

 

What's kbb/edmunds value on it? Push pull or drag sale, they're offering 3500 here.

 

x2
May we know why you're buying a new truck?

 

My mechanic strongly suggested me replacing the vehicle and that carries a lot of weight with me.. I use my truck hard, and the wear and tear parts he's replaced on it in the last year are adding up.. I'm at 3 grand in repairs in the past year, and while yes a transmission would be cheaper than a years payments, who knows what else will need done on top of that. My thoughts on a new vehicle are to avoid keeping to dump money into it and trade it while I can.. I had a dealer estimate a trade of 6k on it today knowing the issues it has. I hsvent had a car payment in years and the idea of it definitely is not appealing.. When I say new, though, I'm talking used

 

Alright so you admit that the transmission had a problem to start with but feel that it was exaggerated by the dealer even though you did not warn them or give them the coaching you mentioned that is needed to make it work. The problem here is that by what you say it sounds like it was already about 75 percent a problem and they may have pushed it to a 85 or 90 percent, but you expect them to pay 100 percent for the fix.

You are getting a new frame so I suggest that you find a junk yard transmission and have them replace this one with it when they do the frame and if there is any labor cost you pay it or you change it yourself before the frame change.

Reverse this. What if you had been using one of their used vehicles as a loaner and it had a bad transmission like yours but it still worked. While driving it, and it got worse. Do you really think you should pay to replace the transmission with a new one!? Come on! You are expecting way more than you are entitled too. Based on what you have described this is your responsibility, not theirs. So as I said my opinion is you need to foot the bill and even offer them an apology for accusing them for being responsible.

 

I wasn't asking for a free fix, but the service manager told me they would take a look to see what happened.. They wouldn't even look at it after I dropped it off.. Let me rephrase.. Reverse has been tricky.. I never experienced anything remotely similar to what I am now..

 

Cut your losses and get a new truck.