Dealer refused to check my trans fluid

When I asked my dealer to check the trans fluid during the 10K service they said they would charge me $90 but if they found the trans fluid low then there would be no charge.

 

Tranny fluid could be low and reduce the life of the transmission down the road beyond the warranty.

 

@smitty99

I read your post on my phone from school . . . Haha, yep, you're never too old to go back to school.

You are 100% correct in what you stated in your post. I got rid of my '16 because it was a . . . POS! and Toyota couldn't have treated the truck or my issue with any less concern or disdain. That is the reason I will never purchase another Toyota vehicle.

I didn't search to see what correspondence(s) I posted previously, but I have included the last letters I received, in regard to my '16 taco POS issue, with this post. I believe I also had a telephone conversation with a special assistant to the Attorney General, and if I recall the Attorney General's Office would not pursue Toyota's blatant (disregard/failure to follow their own ToyotaCare Service Plan) because I no longer owned the vehicle. It was inferred if there were enough complaints the issue might be re-addressed in the future. I was assured some "action" was being taken, but since mere civilians aren't privy to legal corrective actions in a non-legal setting, then I wasn't apprised of what that action was or would be.

I think it is overtly obvious, especially when you read Toyota's response letter, that they are in violation of their own ToyotaCare Service Plan. Regardless of their "opinion" that the transmission fluid is not subject to being checked because the transmission is a "sealed unit." Their ToyotaCare Service Plan does not specify this little caveat. I think any person that has passed a BAR exam without cheating could chew up Toyota's argument and spit it out.

I guarantee If I still owned that POS there would have already been legal action enacted for Toyota's intentional deception at complying with their own "Maintenance and Care" warranty service, especially since it is easily provable Toyota has knowledge of too low levels of AT fluid in their Tacoma "sealed unit" transmissions.

Regardless of what Toyota thinks, in my humble opinion, any dealer refusing to check ATF, at the Toyota recommended maintenance schedule, is in breach of contract. I would think it would be very simple to prove, but that's just me.

 

Holy shit, this just got real.

 

Was your main complaint with the 2016 Tacoma the transmission? I'm just curious what qualifies as a POS in your opinion. I'm also curious how the 2016 Jeep Cherokee is doing for you in comparison?

 

I seriously doubt any suit against TM will have any kind of merit.
Because If it did, then they may be required to also crack open all the wheel bearing to check for lube eh??
I don't think so, it ain't happening, ppl don't obsess on lube in the wheel bearing being low even though without them you're not going anywhere at best. At worst your wheels will fall off.

But nobody seems cares about those poor little things that do such an important job, other than me.

When was the last time anyone checked to see if they where properly lubricated?
They could be dry or low too...Just saying

Cheers!

 

One thing we know is that Toyota has screwed a lot of people with there "Normal" Bullshit as a remedy to settle their lack of concern for the buyer of these trucks with known issues....

 

This is basically what I was told via the dealer I purchased my truck through. Went to another and they are going to check it manually during my next service.

 

Car dealerships add very little value to the process of actually purchasing a car or truck, in some cases they slow down what should be a simple transaction.The entire business model of dealerships is very outdated and adds unnecessary significant cost to the final purchase price.

I bought a $400 chainsaw from a "Dealer".They assembled the saw,made sure it had oil,filled it with fuel,lubed and adjusted the chain , started and tuned up the saw.

Toyota dealerships are failing their customers and charging for services not received by delivering these trucks with low fluids.

 

Bingo and most of their staff are completely clueless about their product.

 

I'll post a response when I get home from school.

 

I have resigned to the fact that I am paying a $430 "document fee" so they make up for the profit they aren't getting from me. The dealer I am buying from basically refused to work with my bank and refuses to handle the DMV transaction after telling me the would take care of it (all the forms and documents were signed already). Now, a day before I was supposed to pick up the truck I had to have a check from my bank overnighted to me. I also have to drive 2 hours to the dealer, then an hour back to a DMV location that is open on Saturday, and another hour back to the dealer to put a TEMPORARY registration on the truck, drive 2 hours home in the truck, get a VIN verification done within 10 days, drag my ass back to the DMV and get the actual registration.

So yeah. Zero value add to my transaction that should have been very simple. Toyota corporate will be getting a letter from me after I finally take delivery.

 

By chance, does your SR not have a tow package/trans cooler?

I'm willing to bet this is the case. The one without the trans cooler was filled perfectly and the one with it is low because the fluid level wasn't adjusted to account for the additional cooler.

 

If you want to buy a new bicycle, you can go to a local bike store or a big-box retailer, or even order one online. If you want to buy a new car, you have to go through a dealership that has been approved by the state. The dealers behave like monopolies, using their government privilege to raise prices and hurt both consumers and manufacturers.

New dealerships require state approval and direct sales from manufacturers to consumers are prohibited under the current system. Removing the car dealerships powerful monopoly on vehicle sales would save Americans thousands on a new vehicle purchase and eliminate the waste, fraud and abuse that is inherent with the current system..

 

If you just ask them to check the trans fluid, I can see why they would decline or want to charge for it. But if you give them actual symptoms of it being under filled, sluggish start, slips, ect, in addition to referencing the TSB you likely will get far less pushback about it.

 

I got the "we don't check it until 120,000 miles when we flush it you are good to go no need to check it". I haven't had time to figure out the crazy ass procedure to check it yet. only complaint about the entire truck is the transmission.

 

JUST GIVE US A DIPSTICK

 

Of course there no Mass Tranny Failures yet... It's a NEW design....!!
You "may" be one of the first guys to replace the tranny with your own $... Cuz it'll fall apart AFTER the warranty....!!
Have it checked or do it yourself.... if you don't ... then it's YOUR problem man..!!

 

Right on man..!! You are right.. the monopoly is a licence to print $$$$..
Down with Monopolies... (except the game, of course)...!!

 

Well here’s the thing, I have as much chance of failure on my transmission as my wheels or the
propeller shaft falling off because they were low on lube from the factory, but I don’t see anyone cracking them open to make sure they are properly lubed why is that? NVM lol!

At one time, most all model wheel bearing were serviceable, until the fwd came along and now no one worries about that and yet, they require lube also. We simply sit back and leave it alone and they get us around just fine tyvm.

At some point in time, when the new\next generation of drivers take sover from us die-hard like me who grew up checking the oil lvl on the transmission on Saturdays, there will be no more cries of foul play.
But I’m already there, and so are Mercedes drivers, some of who don’t even have fill plugs on the newer models to even add ATF so no worries, why stress?

Que sera sera!



Cheers!