toyota tacoma nightmare

hello I am new to this forum. I am a female, 62 years young, 4'11" . My husband and I have always had a toyota car and toyota tacoma. But i lost my best friend about seven months ago. he was talking about buying a tacoma about two weeks before he died and I decided last june to buy my brothers 2017 toyota tacoma TRD with a short bed with 21600 miles on it. since i bought it i have only driven it about 500 miles. it ran great until last week after stopping at a red light when it turned green i put my foot on the gas paddle the check engine lights came on and the truck would barely move. i was lucky there was a parking lot so i pulled into it and called a friend of mine (Hank) who came and had the thing you can scan to tell your what the codes are and he said to me your number 2 and 5 cylinders are misfiring. so a friend of his towed it to Hanks house and my friend suggested that on monday i have it towed to a dealer so they could fix it. seeing that my brother bought it at the toyota dealer in my town that is where i brought it to get fix and also i thought it was still under warranty (my bad).
then the real nightmare began. first they called and said it was a bad ignition coil and they replaced it and the truck was running fine.. ten minutes later they called back and said they found a small mouse nest near the wiring harness and they wanted to check it out and all the wiring to make sure there were no problems with the wiring. five hours later they called back and said the wiring harness and all wiring were good. then they called to tell me the mechanic was going home and would continue to work on it in the morning. but i said wait i thought you put a now ignition coil on it and it was running great. she said it was but the code came back on. so after waiting and not hearing from them the next day i took a ride to find out what's wrong with my truck and she said he is working on it and told me to look through the window. I did one better and walked out to talk to him. i asked him what's going on with the truck he said hate to give you bad news but it looks like the valve is bad. he said just for the parts it would be about 7000.00 dollars. i told him there is no way a valve on a toyota tacoma with only 22400 miles on it would have a bad valve and i was going to call toyota corp in texas (because i was told it was no longer under warranty. I left and the next day i am told that all 6 fuel injectors were bad and needed to be replaced and also the fuel tank should be emptied and cleaned out along with the fuel lines for a cost of about 6200.00 dollars? WTF! i had it towed to a garage that four other friends suggested. first i had to pay the 1030.00 to the dealer for changing 6 spark plugs ( I know the spark plugs that were in it last up to 100000 miles) and some gaskets. the garage i had it towed to called me after four hours and said your fuel pump failed. he called a friend of his at another toyota repair shop and gave him the VIN number and was told that it would be replaced for free. but I had to have it done at a toyota service department do it. there was no way I was going back to the first place. so i had it towed yet again to the toyota dealer few towns away. the garage that found out it was a failed fuel pump charge me 250.00. i aske dhim if I had been dum and had the work done like the 1st place suggest would my truck have been fixed. he said no the fuel injectors are fine its your fuel pump that is bad. man i think that the first place ai brought it to thought now here is a small dum female and we are going to get some money out of her. wrong, i will be calling toyota in texas and try to get most of the 1030.00 back and also the towing fees i have had to pay. wish me luck everybody. one more thing i was told if the 1st place i took it to had typed in my VIN number they would have seen that there was a recall on the fuel pump. neither my brother nor I ever received a notice. I am thankful that its getting replaced and the truck will again run great again. but i am also very aggravated that the first place didn't seem to have a clue on what was wrong with my practically brand new truck. just wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience?

 

Welcome sorry that happened to you.

That's a form of fraud and it's illegal. Unfortunately it's hard to prove. I'd contact local news and local DA and ask what's needed to prove your case.

 

How shady. Unfortunately it's hit and miss with auto repairs be it a dealership or private shop. The fuel pump was a known issue and part of a recall for sure. Too bad they overlooked the obvious. It's good that you were not complacent and pushed for answers. Hopefully you can find a trusted shop that you can rely on for any further repairs. You always have to remain vigilant with vehicle repairs. This forum can be a good reference for any other issues you may face. Good luck with your truck and hopefully it was just the fuel pump. Oh and one concern for you is the traces of rodent activity and the lack of use with the truck. You may want to really pay attention to that. You may want to look at rodent deterrents to protect your truck moving forward.

 

Don't ever take your truck to a dealership!

 

Unreal. I’m sorry

 

Sorry to hear this.

1 of 2 things happened here.

1. Extreme case of worker incompetence
2. You were being taken advantage of.

I’d have copies of the diagnosis from the other shop ready to submit if needed.
I won’t get my hopes up on being reimbursed for the tow. You might get some of the labor charges taken care of.
Being calm and nice will promise get you a long ways too.

 

First off..I am sorry for your loss.

Its the old taking advantage of the unsuspecting female who they assume, based on heavily favored odds, is mechanically challenged and probably doesn't so much as know where to ad washer fluid. My now wife was duped by her dealership when we where first dating and my 74 year old single mother is required to call me before having any work done on her vehicle that isn't an oil change. Hopefully you get some compensation and if I may...maybe have a male family member or acquaintance accompany you next time you take your truck in for service.

 

I am male 6'1" & 57 years old. Been a mechanic most of my life & I call that BS.

I've worked on numerous vehicle brands.

Might just be cheaper to buy a new Honda Civic. Very reliable & good looking.

Good luck

 

TnShooter had the right approach.

Don't get mad - Game ON!

List what occurred with dates and costs and document it all then contact the dealer owner or general manager and discuss it with them calmly.
Show them the other dealers fix and ask why as a dealer they did not run the VIN and simply fix it.
If no help state that you will be sending the state attorney general a letter on fraud that occurred at the dealership and contacting Toyota and requesting the zone rep (oversees problems at a group of dealers) and also claiming fraud occurred. DO NOT send any letters or post negative local comments until you talk to the dealer as that is your leverage - if you send the letters first that dealer has no way to "fit" the mess easily.
Embarrass them. Every step must be documented and registered letters are required. You can ask the second dealer to talk to the other for resolution help but they may not want to get involved.
Small claims court is another option. It could take several weeks so if you do not want the hassle stop now. Lesson learned.

I have had problems over the years with a jeep dealer and RV dealer/manufacturer and that approach works but must be you must play the game as they will try and piss you off (yes even more) to get you to stop payment which never do as they turn it around legally on you.

Good luck and it should never have happened but sadly does.

 

Stealerships , I mean dealerships are the scum of the earth. Those customer services reps are there to try to squeeze every dime they can out of you. They have meetings every morning and are given quotas to meet and are told what they need to be pushing. While I was in training I quit because I wouldn't do it. Ford was having transmission failures on the Focus and Fiestas and we were being told to tell customers the transmissions had to meet a certain parameter for replacement. If the car was near the end of its warranty they would pass on fixing it and then customer was stuck with the repair bill even though the transmissions were slipping now. I was warning customers to not let them get away with this. My favorite was having to tell customers that their lug nuts may have swollen and may have to be replaced if they are. Everyone who fell for that were charged for new lug nuts during tire rotations. The lube guys would use the same socket taking your old ones off and putting the new ones on. I also liked having to sell parts not needed for repairs and then seeing them thrown in the trash.
The mechanics fixed your car but pitched out what wasn't needed and you were being charged for that. I only lasted a few weeks doing this and had seen enough. I quit 3 years ago. Its only gotten worse.
The service and parts departments are no different. I worked in parts, and the service department as well at several dealerships over the years. Everything is geared to making money which is understandable but it crosses a line when you take advantage of customers. They call that customer service. They love it when someone comes in with stupid tattooed on their forehead and will dig into your pocket all they can. I will not take my cars to them after the warranty expires.
Their service isn't any better than Joes Garage down the street. The experienced senior mechanics get the money jobs and most of the time you will get grease monkeys just starting out working on your car just like down the street. Ask around and try to find a local mechanic who is honest and knows what they are doing. They are out there. Most will be booked up with work though after other people have found them as well. My nephew is one and he works out of a out building he built at home. He recently had to add 2 mechanics because he is being overwhelmed with work. Good for him and for being honest.

 

Quite often it is not malicious, it is incompetent mechanics, service advisors, and leadership.

I am very lucky in that I don't care if people like me or hate me. I was a mechanic, then a service advisor.

Our country is falling apart. Honor is rare, competence is rare, ethics are rare.

You have to find good people. They exist. If you allow dipwads, and crooks to color your view of humans it will harm you.

That said, take them to court.

 

Welcome to TW!

 

thank you for everyone that replied. as i stated i did find a good automotive repair place and after checking this and that he is the one that found the problem with the fuel pump. One thing i forgot to mention is that after the mechanic said it was the valve and i replied that for a part like that to go on a almost new toyota tacoma that i would call toyota USA. he said well good luck and i will put the truck back together and park it outside and we will not be responsible for it and that catalytic converters do get stolen??? but then they did not put it outside instead they kept checking for the problem and called me and said the six fuel injectors were bad and gave me a quote for replacing them and also advised that they should empty the gas tank etc for possible fuel contamination? so they never even took a sample of the fuel???? when they called me and and asked if i might have put diesel in the gas tank and i said there is no way I put diesel in the fuel tank. i knew then that the mechanic either did not have a clue of what he was doing or trying to have me pay for unnecessary work done. i only brought it to the dealer because i thought it was under warranty. had i known it was not then i would have never had it towed to the dealer. if I had known about Ron's Automotive repair in unionville ct I would have had it towed to him. it took him only 5 hours to find that the fuel pump failed. cost me 400.00. Toyota cost me 1030.00 and they wanted a lot more from me. i will be will be nice when i call Toyota USA in texas to see if i can get some of my money back. the only tow charge i want to be reimbursed is the one AAA would not pay for to have it towed to Ron's garage. they said they do not move a vehicle twice. but then again when i found out i needed to have it towed again to a different toyota repair shop, ron told me to tell them that where the truck was being repaired found the problem but they could not do the repair because toyota has to do it. i told AAA that and and they paid for that tow.
My problem with the first place i brought the truck to is that they thought i was stupid and agree with anything they said was wrong with it and just pay and pay. A friend who use to wrok in the parts department at the toyota that i first brought it to me said the mechanic has worked there for 35 years and was not a dummy. i say if her was not a dum them he was trying his best to rip me off. why change the spark plugs that were good for 100000 miles. as for the wiring they did check the harness and all the wires that ran everywhere and said they were good. but i told the dealer that is replacing the fuel pump to please make sure the harness and wires are good. i was told from the first ripoff toyota repair center that if the wiring harness was chewed through that insurance would pay for it to be replaced. do not know if that is true. nothing else they told me was true. again thanks to all who answered my post
linda

 

Uh, yes the swollen lug nut routine. You walk into the dealership and you’re nothin’ but a pastrami sandwich to these people

 

Comprehensive insurance on your auto policy pays for animal/rodent damage among other things if you have it on your policy (not required) minus the deductible.

 

So did your brother sell you a lemon?

 

Did you authorize that 1030$ in work done at the first place??

They should have had to notify you and get your consent before doing that - most states have some sort of law saying the shop has to tell you what it is gonna cost and get your permission first.

Assuming your state has such a law and if they didn't notify you - you have ample room to demand that charge back and they have zero defense.

A few tips going forward:

• Always ask what the diagnostic fee is
• Ask if you have them do the repairs, will they waive the diagnostic fee
• When dealing with getting an estimate for repairs and giving consent - try to do this by email or text so you have a paper trail
• Look at the law where you are on this subject
• I also always ask for them to save the old parts so I can verify that X was done and inspect them for uneven wear, etc ..

As a female I have had a few places try 'n bullshit me, I don't take too kindly to it but I also know enough to put them in their place ASAP.
For the time being I have a shop I trust, that is straight with me - good people (mechanics) are hard to find.

Most often, people are incompetent vs malicious

Sorry you had to deal with all of this..
Now you see why some of us call it the stealership

 

Hi everybody well i had the truck towed to a garage that a lot of people i know and people they know recommended. as i stated after about five hours he found that the fuel pump failed and call a friend of his that works at hoffman's toyota so he called him and the guy looked up my VIN number and said the fuel pump was covered. so i had it towed to them because they have to put the new one in. But first i called to make my appointment and was asked why i was bring in my truck and told her due to the fuel pump failing and she asked for the year, model and VIN number and put me on hold and came back on and set up the appointment. then i just wanted make sure it was going to be covered so i called back later and talked to a guy and asked him to check to make sure and he said if she booked your appointment then it is covered but i will check if it will make you feel better. he too ask the year make and model and also for the VIN number. after putting me on hold for a minute he too said it was covered. today (monday morning i received a call from a guy named corey and he ask why my truck was there and what i was getting done on it and I told him the fuel pump failed and he said ITS NOT COVERED?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
I told how ron 9the guy who owns the garage it was last at said it was the fuel pump and called and was told it was covered, and also that the girl who set up the appointment said it was covered and also another person i talked to said it was covered and he said that they were all wrong. I think at that moment my head came off my shoulders. i managed to stay calm and said i would be calling toyota USA in texas and we ended the call. so i did call toyota USA and talked to a girl who put me on hold after i told her about stephen's toyota, another garage found the fuel pump failed and how i made a appointment after three different people looked up my VIN number said the fuel pump is covered and now this guy corey says it not. she came back on the phone and said the truck was not eligible and still remaining calm i told her no matter what is its on the recall list or not a toyota truck with only 22433 miles on it should have the fuel pump fail. she kindly told me that maybe they could lower the amount that i would have to pay. now my head is spinning around and if i could have reached through the phone and grabbed her neck i would have broken it. two later i call corey back and ask what is going on with me truck and he said we are diagnosing it and got started late and i guess at that point i said to him maybe you are not understanding me. i paid 1030.00 to stephen rip-off toyota for them to tell me it was five different things and the six fuel injectors were bad and the fuel MIGHT BE CONTAMINATED with a price tag of 6020.00 and i had the truck towed to a good honest garage and they said its the fuel pump. i told him about the email i had gotten on sunday confirming my appointment and it had my VIN number on the email as well as the make and model and it said on the email: repair services: recall 2 amd then fuel pump recall. at that point he said hay if its the fuel pump i will replace it at no cost to you. its no shirt off my back, i will get the money back from toyota corp. this is the same person who called me in the morning telling me the fuel pump is not covered so far i have not had a stroke because trust me my blood was boiling. i said listen if you think you are going to run up another bill like the last place did you are mistaking. he said he would call me tomorrow . I told him if i had known when i called to make a appointment that the fuel pump was not covered i WOULD HAVE NEVER BROUGHT TO THIER PLACE. i would have had the garage that found the problem fix it. i think my saving that email that was sent to me will help me and i will not go down without a fight. they think because i am a female i am stupid and they can take advantage of that fact. i will not wait for his call i will call him in the morning and ask if they checked the fuel pump and if they are going to replace it for nothing at no cost to me. I will not let these scum bags get away with this crap. bunch of crooks. even if i have to call news stations or get a lawyer they will pay for this nightmare. i will also call toyota USA in texas and tell her the same thing. i will never ever buy another toyota and once this freaking truck is fixed i am selling it. nothing but ripoffs that sell them and the repair department is even worst. thanks for letting me vent. if anyone who reads this has anything else they think i should do i would appreciate it .
Linda

 

Good grief that’s a long post, Sorry to hear your troubles.

 

Use an independent shop that has a solid rep for honesty and move on with your life.

Apply the technique of paragraphs when you write.

Best wishes for a successful resolution