How to handle dealer issue

Hey Everyone. I will try to make this short, but unfortunately it is a little long and convoluted. I ordered a 16 tacoma trd or dclb on May 5. Signed a contract and left a $1000 deposit. The contract said expected delivery date was june 30 and the absolute latest it would be delivered before contract and deposit are null and void is july 12. Dealer told me they usually ship a couple of weeks earlier than expected. Early june I stop into the dealer and ask the manager if there was news on the truck. He said there still was no vin or sign it have been built but said he expects it will be built asap and arrive on or by june 30th. Also says he will keep me posted. A week later after hearing nothing, I call manager to ask for vin so I can start shopping insurance. He says there still isn't one and that he will try to look around at other dealerships to see if anyone has the same truck. I don't hear anything again, so I call back to talk to manager mid june and he says truck will definitely be here by the 12th (latest date from contract). Says he will talk to inventory manager and call me back asap to see if they can acquire this truck from another dealer. I don't hear anything again for three days. I finally get a hold of the actual saleswoman I spoke with originally when I ordered truck. She says they might be trading with another dealer and will get back to me. Gets back to me and says no traded but truck will be built on june 30 and ship sometime in July. Finally on July 5, I get a vin number and actual proof the truck has been built. I talk to saleswoman and delivery will be sometime between july 15 and july 21 (after the date in the contract).

I live/work 3 hrs from the dealer and had rearranged my schedule multiple times in order to be present and pickup the truck. I even pushed back a work trip to july 13th assuming that the truck would at least be there by then because of what manager told me. This also meant I had to renew the registration and insurance on my current car as they expired early july ($350), as well as use that car (very unreliable) for multiple trips, including this next work trip on the 13th. I explained how inconvenient and costly this process has been for me and how poorly the manager treated me. I asked if they would compensate me in any way. The saleswoman talked to manger and called me back saying he offered to tint the front windows (apparently rear come tinted already). First, I don't have any desire to have tinted windows (i don't think). I told the saleswoman I wasn't interested in the tint and would like to be compensated with something else like oil changes or straight up drop in sale price.

My question for you all....Any idea on a monetary scale how much the tinted windows are worth and is it valuable to tint front windows? What would you ask for compensation-wise given this scenario? Should I use this to leverage them manually checking my AT fluid and u bolts/joints? I called other localish dealers and nobody had the truck/color combo I wanted nor the price I am getting here, so leaving this dealer isnt a great option. Thanks in advance for the help!

 

Take invoice to another dealer and see what they can do. If you find a dealer that can match the price or beat it and deliver it faster, then start to negotiate stuff. You will come out farther ahead if you have the luxury of cancelling the purchase.

 

Depending where your at tinted windows could be as cheap as $40-50 and as much as $100 for the front drivers and passanger. If you don't want it I'm sure they will do something else for you. Maybe ask them about some type of accessory to be thrown in. Something like mudflaps, all weather mats, bugshield, window deflectors/vent visors, something along those lines.

 

Why the truck is due in next week. Why possibly wait longer or settle on something he doesn't want.

 

To see if he can get some free stuff. It doesn't hurt to try.

 

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Well they put you in a shitty situation and it sounds like you don't have a whole lot of dealers to choose from. At least it is still coming within the same month, I know it has been an inconvenience though (it is really hard to find a good dealership). I would just bite the bullet and accept the truck. I don't know what you signed, but in a majority of cases you don't even sign anything when putting a deposit down and you are free to deny the truck and take your money back if you are upset enough.

As for the tinting, I actually had the dealer tint the windows without me knowing (it wasn't negotiated in the price at all). I bought out of state and unfortunately they tinted them to an illegal level for my state, but I gotta say, it has been really nice. I've never had front tint on the darker side but it really keeps the truck cooler, and I find myself needing to wear sunglasses a lot less. I like it. As for the monetary value, the $ amount on the window sticker was $299. So actual monetary value maybe $200 ballpark?

And yes, use it to leverage manual checking of the transmission and u-bolts. Apart from that, I wouldn't expect massive discounts for a week or two late. Keep calm, smile, be nice, request politely, make them feel bad but not hostile, and they will do what they can to take care of you and make sure your truck is 100% perfect. Too hostile, and they will probably try to just push the truck out the door with you to get you off their backs.

 

That sucks, but to be honest it's not the dealer's problem that your registration is up on your other vehicle - they have nothing to do with that. So I wouldn't expect anything on that end. It's also not their fault that Toyota hasn't built your truck yet.

If tinted windows mean nothing to you, have them toss in all-weather floor mats and door sills...Tint around here goes for around $80 for both front windows, $200 for all the windows.

Your other option is to ask for your deposit back and find a new dealer.

 

Why would you do that if they haven't called and said 'it's here'? I mean that's a 6 hour commitment, right? As you've learned, there is a big difference in 'it will be' and 'it is'.

Don't negotiate for any services like oil changes from a dealer 3 hours away. You can pay double locally and be ahead.

Cash (unlikely) or some other accessories that strike your fancy are your better considerations IMHO, assuming the vehicle arrives before the contract date.

I'd leave them alone until the contract expires. Call them the next day and tell them the contract is void, you want your deposit back, as you'll take your business elsewhere. There will be a lot of hoopala wailing and gnashing of teeth, and new promises, but it is your chance, and a great one, to get the price lowered. Significantly. They don't want to lose the sale. Seize it.

Hopefully you have a closer dealer that you can use for your Toyota Care and warranty work?

 

As popular as the Tacoma is, my guess is the dealer will tell the OP to take the original deal with no extras, or go pound sand. There will always be someone else to purchase the truck.

 

I've noticed this forum is full of a lot of assumptions.

 

Looks like you had a long ride to get your Taco. I would ask them for a parts and service gift certificate for a couple hundred bucks for you to use for whatever you want. My dealer gave me $100 parts and service voucher to use towards a tonneau cover that wasn't on my truck at time of delivery! Instead I got the OEM All weather floor mats for under $39 out the door after the voucher and 10% discount and got me a OEM tonneau cover from a fellow TW member! Saved a lot of $$$!

 

Just note that tinting the windows will probably add 2 days to your delivery time. They probably have a local tinter do the work, so think pickup/return time in there somewhere. I feel your pain, though. I just bought a Mustang and it took almost 3 weeks and 6 total dealership visits to get what I wanted. Be patient. You'll have your truck a long time and you'll quickly forget the pains it took to get it!

 

Thanks for all the replies so far. I certainly like the idea of a parts and service gift certificate. My general feeling is that of tomwil in that tacomas fly off the lot here and I don't have much bargain power. In fact, originally I was a little scared that since the contract expired they would just sell the truck to someone else for more money. Not sure if that is me just being a weak buyer or the reality of the situation. When I first went to the lot, they really did nothing to try and sell me on the one tacoma they had left and the lady said demand was through the roof which is evidenced by the hundreds of 2016 tacomas in town. I know most dealers would say this regardless, but I think it's not too far from the truth. Thats why I've taken the route of "cautious" threatening if you will. I've been polite, but blunt about the situation. Bottom line, the manager treated me like crap and never returned calls, so that and the late delivery are what I'm working with. I'll see what they come back with after rejecting the tinted windows and requesting future service work instead.

As far as the why would I have changed my schedule around before actually getting a call that it was delivered... I live very part time in the town with dealership, and work out in the field 3 hrs away where I live a majority of the time. I didn't drive down each time it was supposed to be delivered, but rearranged work schedule ahead of time so I'd be free to. I also need a couple extra days in town to clean out and sell my current car, so scheduling ahead of time in terms of work was necessary. Most recently, I figured worse case it would be here by the 12th which was the latest contract date and what the manager claimed would happen. This is where I got most royally fuked in terms of work. Sorry for all the bitchin and again I appreciate all the input from you guys, especially the tinted window info.

 

If you like the original deal, stick with it. Otherwise have them refund the deposit. As for your schedule, seems like email or telephone would be a more convenient choice.

 

Note to self:
Don’t ever, never, ever put money down at any stealership for any vehicle you haven’t seen or driven.
Front window tinting rocks! Get it done, it helps keep you cooler and protects your interior, you and or any accessories you might leave in it.
Don’t bother with the transmission ATF lvl check, It’s a sealed transmission meant to keep it that way. The can tell with the scan tool if it needs any, but it won’t. They want to keep it sealed so it now becomes their total responsibility if anything goes wrong. But if you mess with, its your baby, why would you want that?
The U-joints come adequately lubricated, albeit not to full capacity. No biggie, you can’t use any more grease than is between needle bearings and joint shaft anyway. Translation= it’s all much a do about nothing.
Moreover, you don’t really want their ‘regular’ grease in there anyway if you live in a hot climate, or will be traveling for extended hrs of driving.
Go to a private shop and PAY to have them put high temp (red) U-joint grease to get real worth while protection, but this should only apply to 4X4’s as 2WD are non serviceable. Best thing to do is…DIY
As for the U-bolts, do the same if you want to be sure it gets done.
Remember, there’s no guarantee they’ll do what you ask anyway, or that it will be done properly.
And they’re not getting paid for doing the ‘extra’ work that you ask.
Hope that helps
Cheers!

 

lolo! I checked mine at 5k when I serviced my truck and purged them only to put high temp grease for extended driving. They had the required amount in there. The u-joint channel were probably empty as I had to pump the old grease out, but the needle bearings can’t use the grease that’s in the channels.
Evidently you never have installed new OEM u-joints.
You can’t put too much grease on them as the needle bearings will fall and might loose them to the floor.
Take it from me, there’s only a thin layer you can put there, the rest won’t fit, and they come with that layer of protection, else we'd be changing a whole lot of U-joints on Toyotas.
Hope that helps
Cheers!

 

...^^^... Do you have a brand and a spec number on the special high temp grease that you used ?? ...... Thanks

PS ... I always worked on "pre-maintence-schedule" on changing and "over-specing" fluids & lubricants.

 

Bruh......please.

For u-joints WITHOUT zerk fittings you need to PACK the cups with grease before installing them. If you just leave the tiny amount of grease that the u-joint manufacturer left in there, you just severely reduced the lifespan of your u-joints. The amount of grease the manufacturer puts in there is ONLY to hold the needle bearings in place. If there was no grease, they would fall over during installation. For u-joints with zerk fittings, you install with the manufacturer grease level and then purge with grease after install. End of story.

Every single manufacturer recommends the same thing and they will absolutely void your warranty on u-joints if you don't add EXTRA grease compared to the amount they have put in there to hold the needle bearings in place. Spicer, moog, whatever, they all say the same thing.