Dealer installed temporary security system?

UPDATE:

The Dealer responded to my email with an agreement to remove the alarm and restore the wiring to its original condition. They'll even give me a loaner car while it's being done.

While I'm not happy about the screw holes drilled into the dash, realistically it's something I'm not likely to regularly notice. Assuming they do restore everything else (I'll be sure to take plenty of photos to compare a before and after and ask for a record describing what was done), I'll be satisfied with the outcome. I was expecting them to tell me to pound sand, so a quick agreement with a loaner to boot is a pleasant surprise.

 

Glad they agreed so quickly. I have to wonder what they are going to do about the wiring. Kinda hard to un-splice a wire unless they are replacing a harness.

 

Seems like the best possible outcome.

 

Soldering and shrink wrap

 

Is the piece that has been drilled an easily replaceable kick panel?

 

Only if they let the guy who does oil changes do it.

 

I'd have included a new dash as part of the restoration, then negotiated down from there. The holes aren't easily visible, but you could probably have wrung something out of them.

 

I walked around the CarMax lot in San Diego while I was Tacoma shopping and saw about half of the tacos on their lot had these little LEDs poking up from under the dash (or actually drilled into a switch blank). At first I thought they were old rental cars or something, I was honestly shocked at how many had the same kind of hack-job alarm wiring. It's ridiculous that dealers get away with mutilating the cars they sell - the shit-adhesive stickers are bad enough...

 

Make sure to get the reason for the repair and their gaurantee in writing.

 

Service guys are on it!

 

@tstack22 don't be surprised if/when you see the "check electrical system" warning even when the dealer removes the alarm system.

My truck displays that message almost ever time I have the ignition on for more than 30 seconds without starting the truck. I think if there's a certain draw on the battery without the truck running it'll display. I have dash cameras and other accessories that're wired directly to the battery so I imagine my voltage drops quicker than most.

 

I purposely avoided a local dealer that does this. They do this to every vehicle they have.

 

Found this article that describes the dealer practice of adding these.

https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2016/08/never-buy-car-alarm-dealership/

Makes me doubt the part about the recent vehicle thefts from their lot.

 

I learned a long time ago, during a short stint working for a stereo shop, that dealers subbed alarm installation out. They paid $.X.X and pretty much doubled whatever that was. The installations weren't as good as the ones that the shops did for their own customers either.

One of the first things I did when I bought my 2019 was take it to a shop I've done business with since they opened in the early 1990s. I got a much better system for a lot less money than if I had bought it through the dealer.

 

Thats normal because the truck thinks the engine is running and the volts are low. i have a 16 and always see that when its not on(running) I have push to start....

 

This is fucking insane dude. Infuriates me. I’m a dealer employee and I’d never pull this shit. Wow I’m fucking mad holy shit this pissed me off. Unacceptable shit. I’d be driving it right back and demanding it to be fixed to my satisfaction

edit: just read threw and saw they fixed it for the most part. Still really ticked me off.

 

Most dealers outsource any non-OEM work. See that truck with big tires and $3000 spacer lift in the showroom? Usually outsourced to a 4WheelParts. As you expect, dealers make more from these add-ons (and the extended warranty) than from the vehicle sale itself.

 

When I was shopping for my tacoma. The dealerships like to install it them to increase their markup. I've seen them ask 500-1k for having stuff like that added. Its ridiculous that someone would pay for a dealership to screw up their wiring by installing a crappy alarm like that.