new frustrated owner....

I am the proud new owner of a 2012 Tacoma SR5 Access Cab 4X4. Only one dealer in this area was willing to find me one with a 4cyl. and a 5 speed manual. first mod which will be an Access Tonneau cover, which i'm in the process of buying right now.



now comes my issue. The truck came from Ohio, which is required to have a front license plate. so they drilled the holes in it. so when I picked up the truck (I had not seen it until the day I came to pick it up) they had there stupid dealer advertising plate on it. which of course I removed and found that the holes must have been drilled by a blind guy. they weren't drilled straight and one was higher then the other. they agreed to fill and repaint them but they did an absolutely terrible job at it. so now i'm arguing with Toyota to get a whole new front bumper. as you can see. there's no way I can live with this on a brand new Truck with 450 miles on it.

 

Welcome to TW!
That is a horrible job they did. Hope they make it right for you.
Nice looking Taco though!

 

That would drive me crazy! Its a lot of money to spend and not be pleased. I hope it works out good for you.

 

sorry for your headache - we are used to this out in CA

most dealerships will plaster the front plate on before it even hits the lot so there is no choice. Unless you were marketed photos of the truck and front bumper without any plate or holes, or they specifically mentioned there were no pre-drilled front holes, I would say this is your bad and not Toyota or the dealer.

one of those things you get to deal with when paying for the vehicle before actually taking delivery...

 

Good luck sorting out this mess OP.

 

You have a good excuse to get an aftermarket bumper! I have AVID off road skid bumper on my Taco and I absolutely love it!

 

Hey, that truck looks familiar. Nice truck man, don't let people flaming ya get you down, I'd want my brand spankin new truck to be fixed too. just keep in mind that you're fighting an uphill battle that you'll most likely lose. Good luck though, good to see another black 2012 access cab, wasn't my favorite color, or lack thereof, but I like it nonetheless. Welcome

 

Just put two level holes about a 1/4" up from those and reinstall license plate. Bam. Level license plate, no visible holes, no problem. This isn't rocket science.




Oh, and welcome.

 

That might look kinda dumb if they're too high and the plate is just dangling partially over the lower grill though, not rocket science but you can't blame the dude for wanting it done right

 

1/4"....



My plate is slightly crooked and the truck has not fallen apart yet as a result. Knock on wood.

 

Not sure about the 2012 but on my 11 I had a guy hit me in a parking lot which required a new bumper cover and while the truck was in the shop I switched from va to tn registration so I didn't have to have front and rear plates. Got the truck back and even with a brand new bumper cover there are 2 dimples where you are supposed to drill. I thought the dealer screwed me so I checked and they all come with the dimples. Don't notice them unless you look for it but still annoys me.

 

my 12 has little dimples too, not that noticeable on silver though. he will have swirl marks after the first wash... black is the worst color for someone who claims to be this anal.

 

Burn, i would b pisssed as fuk if they did that, i would go to back to the dealer and throw a fit and wouldnt leave till i was happy...


i dunno about pinstripes tho, i got a bunch of custom racing stripes on my mine. . lol

 

Welcome from GA.

And mine has the dimples too. I know it sucks but its not that much different from mine, but being black makes it stand out more unfortunately.

 

I hope the dealer makes it right by you. This doesn't sound as much like a corporate issue though.

 

I'm sorry your dealership is being so difficult.. I hate ya even brought it home or did paperwork ... you have every right to be irritated bro! you just bought something new to you.. its the principle of the thing they should make it right.. if not I would def as for a mark down on the price or fun accessories.

 

+1, I was thinking that too.

Nonetheless though, you buy a brand new vehicle, you expect it to be perfect. It would definitely bug me.

Good luck OP, hope Toyota makes it right for you.

 

I take it you live in a state other than Ohio, and you don't need or want a front plate at all, leaving you with the holes.

You say it bugs you that the holes are "off center." But once you remove the plate, the holes that have been drilled in a plastic bumper cover are always kinda ratty and I'm guessing what really bugs you is that they're there at ALL.

One thing to be always aware of is that dealers are absolutely terrible at "attention to detail." Cars are a commodity to them, and they move a bunch of 'em.

You've already taken posession of the truck, so you're fighting an uphill battle at this point. The best time to handle this would have been before you took delivery. What were you expecting to find when you removed that front license plate bracket??

The best resolution you might be able to work is to trade the dealer this truck back for a brand new one they order that they don't put a license plate bracket on.

Remove-repaint-reinstall bumper cover is a relatively expensive body shop proposition - it's about five hundred bucks in time and materials. Naturally they don't want to eat that for a couple tiny holes that are on literally *every* other car and truck they sell. Maybe you can work a deal where they do that for you at half-cost or something. Show 'em it's important enough to you for you to have some skin in the game - and that you acknowledge it would have been easier for all involved if you had started off up front ordering up a vehicle with no front plate as part of the dealer-prep-and-delivery instructions.

 

Oh, and yeah, if you're gonna be maximal uptight about the paint finish and try and keep a "show car finish" well - always tell the dealer not to wash it; that you do it yourself.

For myself, I'm satisfied to have a clean-shiny-black truck. A few swirls and sierra-pin-stripes are just part of the package.

 

Bogus they should do that for you go talk to a manager at the dealership you bought it and scream at him till he pees and then youll get your bumper