F$%K the Dealership.....TSB horror stores?

So I stop by the Dealership service dept today and inquire about "my "Harsh ride when loaded with 600lbs" and how the truck is not damping bumps with less than 600lbs in the bed.

They said "they all do this and it's expected when you load it down". I told them I am afraid to tow a boat because I don't think the tongue can handle 400 lbs. They said the truck can carry 1200 lbs but it WILL ride on the stops. Since I was not interested in getting this done I just left. But I was pretty disappointing in a dealership I bought two cars from and always went there first. I did not mention the TSB. I did say I did not think that was right for a truck and will call Toyota about it.

I really wanted to see what kind of service this dealer would offer since my wife is looking to get another Rav 4. I purchased hers and another used car there previously. They didn't have a used Tacoma i wanted.

It is incredible before the sale how they promise the world.....and then
Amazing how these dealerships are acting afterward . Now I was not and likely will not do the spring TSB but dammmm. I would be afraid to buy an extended Service contract for $20 because I would have to go there since the next dealer is 83 miles away.

I think I will wait a few weeks until the weather warms up and call Toyota and go with TSB in hand and see what they do. I really don't want them messing around with the truck under conflicting circumstances though.

What are some of your horror stories with the spring TSBs?

 

None. I'm perfectly happy with it.
I was reading here last night of someone who had it done and now complaining of the ride being rock hard.
It took me 3 times to get my dealer to do it. They weren't bad about it, just saying it was functioning as designed. The last time I showed the service writer the TSB, they checked the VIN, and did the work. I really didn't notice that much of a difference. Mind you, my truck only had 15K miles on it, so maybe between the original springs and the replacements, there wasn't that much of a difference. It does feel firmer in a good way and sits higher in the rear now, but I like it. I feel more confident to load it up now or tow my trailer.
Any problems brought on by the dealer's work would be their responsibility. I would think there would be just as many "horror stories" with people having gone the AAL route, with squeeking springs and vibrations.

 

Thanks. My inquiry was more about dealer response than the actual fix. I really don't need the fix. But it made me very Leary of the service dept. by now they ALL know about this TSB and just snowed me. That part pisses me off because how can I trust them in the future. especially buying another Rav from them...No competition...or at least it's 83- miles away.

 

It's true that competition can change the way a dealership treats a customer. Luckily around here there are 4 Taco dealers within 5 - 25 minutes of driving distance. I did end up buying mine at the closest one to me. They have been very courteous and professional to deal with. I called them this past week about the TSB and they told me to bring it by. They have the new springs on order and will be installed this coming Thursday...no hassles at all.

 

Sorry to hear about your bad experience. Thankfully I can say I've never had such an experience. My dealership is great to work with and always willing to go the extra mile for me. Just today they did another handful of things for warranty work before I expire in March.

 

My dealer did the rear leaf TSB with no troubles, they offered an all wheel drive suv for a couple days for free while they had the truck. It had 12 miles on it. EWverything was perfect when I got it back, they did the steering shaft TSB as well.

 

Nice to hear you guys are getting good service. One of the reasons to buy new is to get great service although that likely isn't always the case. In my case I bought used from another dealer but in reality the service dept doesn't know because they never even looked up the VIN! I did buy the RAV there used and a Spyder a few years ago.

I am reading most are having good luck after calling Toyota. I am going to call the dealership Monday and ask again over the phone this time telling them I did some research and found a TSB for the problem and see what they say then,

 

I told my service manager about the spring TSB, he told me he'd order the parts.

I asked about the tailgate TSB, he said it had to be bent before they can do it. After it was bent I went back and had the tailgate TSB done, and they let me keep the old tailgate which I sold for $80.

 

I took mine by and they said I'd have to bring in the truck with a load. So I did...two big guys stood on the rear bumper and felt it hit the bumps.

He said the truck will ride rougher when they do it I said 'great'.

He said bring it in in a week when they get the parts.

What a horror; what an insulting, degrading, demeaning experience. I had to be polite and anticipate their questions to get something free.

 

I am sending a letter to the GM and dependending on the response I will forward that letter and my own to Toyota as well as call them. It is not so much that I want the TSB but I want them to service my truck in the future without hassles and know I won;t be f%%ked with.

I juswt passed on an offer to buy a Toyota backed Extended warranty from Troy (and I NEVER buy them but this seems rather cheap) for $610 7/75 but if I have to deal with misinformation and problems when I need it, why bother?

Becasue the warranty will not be from the local dealer either......not becasue they are too expoensive but becasuein the south they sell a third party warranty administered by Fidelity which happens to be a company owned by the owners of the Toyota Distributors in the Southeast...Talk about a conflict of interest.

 

I wish I had a few toyo dealers nearby!

 

I didn't need the leaf spring TSB because my truck came stock with 4 leafs , but I had the tranny reflash TSB done no questions asked by my dealer .

 

Tried to get mine done at the dealer where I purchased my truck....I said all the right things: hits the stops with a load, don't feel safe towing, etc. The service rep said bring it in and we'll put an AAL on it - for 600 bucks. I mentioned the TSB and he said he had never heard of it...Stopped by another dealer downtown, said the same things and they had my truck in the next day to get it done

 

I went into my dealer and told them that it sags and bottoms out under loads, I mentioned the TSB and they ordered the new parts that day, no questions asked.

 

Sounds like you got a shit dealer OP , the majority of the posters seem to be able to get it done .

 

The last time I had a problem with our local Dealership (mainly cause the Service Mngr was just a Dick. I posted our discussion on the Forum with the Dealerships name and location. Two days later, they called me and said they would take care of
the problem if I removed the post. I didn't lie or exaggerate, just posted the facts. Perhaps the Manager was having a bad day but he didn't need to take it out on his Customers (the ones who pay his salary). Some Dealerships understand this, others need to be reminded. Thanks goodness for the Power of the Internet.

 

Just mention the TSB or have a copy with you and you should not have a problem but you don't want it done anyways so I don't know what the problem is.

 

I wasn't going to get it done immediately but I am thinking about the future. It will definitely add to the resale value as well having TSBs done whether or not it directly benefits my use today. I may buy a boat a year from now and not be able to get it done. I know I will be transporting 600lbs of rock and my bike and already had 400lbs in the bed. It is one of those things that if the dealer said yeah leave it I would have probably scheduled in a month.

Also I am considering buying one of those really inexpensive Toyota service contracts from up north (because it is not a third party administered warranty like they are here) and I want to make sure I am not going to have a hassle every time I bring it in for something. Sucks when there is only one dealership i town and my sales guy told me I "might have a problem with service because I did not buy one there" That pissed me off as well.

Otherwise i will save my $700 and use an independent mechanic for the small stuff but i still have a ways to go on the drive train warranty.

Maybe I am just being an ass. Dealers can bring that out in people when they screw around. The funny thing is I likely would not have had it done had they said "Yeah drop it off and pick it up next week sometime" instead of trying to make it sound "normal" for a truck to ride on its bump stops with 600LBs.......They certainly don't SELL that positive trait in the front of the house.

My neighbor who was a bay mechanic for 30 years for Chrysler and a few other dealerships told me to show up with the TSB... He said the service writers don't usually know about TSBs and they tend to avoid writing up things up they may not get paid for. So I will give them the benefit of the doubt and show up with the TSB and see what they do. I certainly do not want to drive in with 600lbs in my bed. I would think having a TSB they already know I found an issue.

My neighbor has a new Tacoma and will not let the dealership touch his car. He doesn't think I should either since he claims they make the "new guys" work on lower paid warranty work while the full pay customer jobs go to higher paid mechanics. Amazing.

I think I will rewrite my letter to the GM and include the TSB as an attachment and see where it goes. I will tell him I did not want to argue with the service writers since I did not have the information that is was a widespread issue at the time.

interesting that the dealership is having issues enough to print this
http://sparkstoyota.com/Department-Service.aspx

 

Kingfrog , I'm not trying to start an arguement , but I'm trying to understand why you are going to the trouble of writing the GM etc , if as you have already stated , you are not interested in getting the TSB .

Are you just trying gauge their response to their customers?

 

Yes because I was considering buying the extended service contract from a dealer up north. No point in doing so if the dealers is offering shoddy service practices on real warranty issues. I thought if they gave me no problems with what I believed was a common TSB, I would feel more comfortable having them do work if needed from a Toyota Service Contract service purchased from a non Southern Toyota Distributor.

Toyota is different from every other manufacturer in that they don't have a single national presence. They have regionally owned distributorships that resell the vehicles to the franchised dealers whom they sell franchises to. This places an additional layer of indifference between the consumer and Toyota Corporation.

It seems like muchado about nothing but when one lives in an area where there is only one dealership within 80 miles one has to ensure they will be treated right. If I was back in San Diego or Vegas I would not care as there are many dealerships to do the work. I now have two Toyota vehicles. The RAV was "certified" but I have not needed to take it in for anything.