2003 Frame Replacement Denial

Man, I get it. Just saying at this point it's a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. I assume the dealer did the hammer test Toyota said to do and if you come back a few days later obviously have gone nuts I don't think it's gonna change Toyota's position. You will have definitely compromised it either way.

 

If he could actually find a spot on the frame itself that’s perforated, it may change Toyota’s stance. Right now they’ve denied it cause their dealer couldn’t find any holes.

 

That's what I mean, assuming they did what Toyota says to do, which is hit certain locations a specific number of times with a hammer. So it may still be solid in those spots they use as criteria. That's why I say it would be good to be sure it will actually do so first. If you do it a year out from the end of warranty it will probably rust though for sure if it doesn't perforate. It's not a general rusty frame replacement, it has to show a minimum size perforation in specific spots.

 

The 2nd Gens are covered under a class-action settlement that gives them no wiggle room at all, but with a 1st Gen frame a lot of it is negotiable. Some of what they replace beyond the frame itself is determined on a case-by-case basis. Crawl under your truck and see for yourself what really looks bad before they try to sell you a bunch of stuff. And make sure you don't pay labor charges. The dealer got $12,986 from Toyota for my frame job, and I willingly put a couple thousand more in parts into it while the labor was free, but I wasn't gonna let them squeeze me for more than I absolutely needed or wanted.

Yes, by "HQ" I meant the 800 number. They answered the phone, I explained I had a frame issue, and they assigned me a case worker from the Frame Team. He gave me his direct number, but I never had to call because he always told me he would call me at a certain time with an update and then called at or before that time. He was definitely not my buddy, and not a cheerleader for me, and never made any promises until it was a done deal, but he was very professional and made it happen in the end. Also, once the case worker got involved, the dealer service guy started ducking me, too. I can understand them not wanting to disclose anything during their "investigation" in case you're the litigating type. Once it was approved, everyone was all smiles again.

I'm sure that regional offices don't routinely take customer calls, but my service writer gave me the contact info because they really, really wanted to do the frame. And then they didn't take my calls.

 

damn... didnt think it was that much money...

 

Yeah that's a pretty good looking frame. Take a wire brush and a little black rustoleum and it'll look great again.

 

Probably why Toyota preferred to buy them back.

 

Mine was $12,986.

They let me look at the paperwork but didn't let me keep a copy. They get paid for two techs for a week, even though most dealerships have it down to two techs for two days. Also, it looked like Toyota pays the dealer list, or something close, for the parts. It's no wonder why the dealers are so gung-ho to do these.

 

The photos I posted earlier in the thread were from the pictures the dealership service tech took. So I climbed under my truck myself this morning to try to find the worse parts. At first i was starting to agree with some of you on this thread that maybe it's not that bad after all. Most of the parts that are bad are connected to the main frame or not part of the frame at all. So i was settling to brush the shit out of it, have it recoated, replace the components that are rusted through and call it good.

But... the last photo I snapped was this...

 

now that's a hole! how the hell did they not take a picture of that?!?!

 

GO back and fight it. They suck at taking photos if they missed all that

 

Here are a few of the photos i took this morning of the worst parts of the frame. The big hole in the frame was up near the front passenger side wheel near where the cross section is rusted through. It was really flaky and I started picking it back with my fingernail and revealed the hole crumbling through.

 

How does the Toyota Service team normally do frame inspections? Don't they tap at the frame and try to see if they can puncture it? Or is it just a visual inspection? I just don't see how they missed such a significant hole that all I needed to do was scrape back with my fingernail to uncover.

 

Pretty sure you said in the first post that the only place the dealer checked was at the rear, near the spare tire area, no? Maybe that's all they actually looked at since that was the area in question, anyway.

I'd take it back to the dealer, have them document the perforation you found up front, and have them resend the pics to Toyota. If it's as bad as it looks, let the dealer go to bat for you.

 

^x2 dont get yourself get run over

 

I too have a on going claim against Toyota for not honoring their parts and service. Mine just happens to be with the rear springs and not a frame.

 

100p pictures 1&2 should get you a new frame. Don't let them rope you into paying for brake lines etc. Toyota covers that shit.

 

I wasnt able to get ahold of the service advisor at the dealership that Ive been working with, nor the agent handling my case at the customer experience center. So I left them voice messages and sent over copies of the photos I took. I'm hoping to hear something back by Monday. I'll let you all know what happens. Thanks for everyones advice.

The dealership guys have been nice to me, but a damn pain in the ass with follow through and now that I see what a half ass job they did inspecting and documenting the frame I'm annoyed. I think I'm gonna take my truck to a different dealership for the reinspection and look into getting the replacement done there if I have a better experience with them.

eerrrh! They had my truck for over 30 hours for the original inspection and spare tire carrier replacement which was supposed to take a few hours. They got back up the day I took it in and after I had been waiting there for hours asked if I could leave it with them overnight and they could finish up "first thing" in the morning. I called 6 damn times the next day starting at 9am to try to find out when my truck would be done. The service advisor never was available to speak with me, and not a single person could give me any update. Then I got a call at 5:30pm saying my truck was ready but they never even replaced the spare tire carrier. If they had my truck that damn long you figure they would have had the time for a thorough inspection. Then I hear they didnt even take photos and document it right so I had to bring my truck back to them again. And every time someone says they'll leave a note to have the service manager or advisor call me back they almost never do. I have to harrass them with 5 or 6 phone calls to get anyone on the phone. Then they're all sweet and nonchalant, and of course so am I cause I want them to do the work so I dont want to bitch at them. I can't even imagine how its gonna be once they have my truck in their shop for weeks if they did the replacement. thats my rant on Toyota of Portland. Im bringing my truck somewhere else.

 

I'd definitely take it to another dealership, this one is not customer oriented.

 

Does the dealership have experience replacing frames? It does not sound like it. Dealers that are experienced in frame replacements would have found that damage. This warranty work is a profit center for them, and they wouldn't let a truck in that condition get away.

I would find another dealer ready to do the job. No excuse for missing such an obvious perforation in one of the most common locations.