Dealer Mishap

It's not about getting free money, it's about knowing your options. Suing is perfectly acceptable in this instance. He brought his truck in to make sure it was safe, and get some regular maintenance done. The dealer said it was safe and sent him on his merry way. They were wrong, in fact they (probably) made it LESS safe. Even though no one was harmed this time, if there were no repercussions they would have no reason to pay more attention the NEXT time.

Talking to a lawyer is never bad advice.

 

I'm at my dealership right now reading this as my truck is in for the toyota care 5k garb....If my wheel falls off on the way home I will be demanding a set of trd Baja wheels on their dime ON TOP of patching the front end up for the hassle, danger, and embarrassment, they've caused me. Give me friggin break!!

 

Sue for Pain & Suffering. If your wife didn't rip you a new one when this happened, just wait she will one day. Because somehow it will ALL be your fault.

 

To be honest, I don't feel safe in that truck anymore. What 10k down the road my wife is driving the truck with baby in and the spring snaps in half, or the axle breaks?? She can barely drive a vehicle period, add something dangerous and the results could be catastrophic. With that said. She's wanting a corolla, and although I really like my truck, we do need a family vehicle, so I might trade it in before it even gets out of the shop.

 

This guys on point all great information!

 

Like bamatoy said... call insurance.

If you were in an accident (which you were) who would you call? I think you should treat it the same way. Have an adjustor take a look at the damage. Then you could take it to a shop and have them evaluate and look into the damage thoroughly at which point if they find more damage then you could let your insurance know so they can cover the newly found damage.

Also, you may want to contact the insurance company of the dealership. If someone were to rear end you, you would call your insurance but, their insurance pays for the damage since it was their fault. I would call the dealership and ask for their insurance company info. Im sure they dont want a claim on their record.

 

If you do go through insurance, they may report an accident to Carfax. If so, make sure you are reimbursed for any diminished value to the truck.
Good luck with this headache.

 

^ This. On top of that, I would have the dealer give you a platinum Toyota warranty.

 

Bama nailed it perfectly! Get it inspected by your insurance company and then get them to list any issues and take it back to the dealership and have them pay for the repairs.but don't sue the dealership since you and your family are all okay. If you were injured then I would be during but if no one is injured please keep it out of the justice system.

 

A corolla? How about a highlander, but find a new dealership. Good Luck!

Jay

 

Another line of thought... if they were to get sued over this maybe they'd think twice about doing it right next time. Granted no one was hurt (hopefully your pregnant wife is ok) but it could have been alot worse. This is a real safety issue... just replacing the damaged parts is the very least they should do... they need to be held responsible for their actions. Should someone have die before a lawsuit is in order?

 

What the hell is a lawyer going to do for him in that situation???

If a customer wants to have the work reinspected by another party, the customwer will pay for it. The dealer is under no obligation to pay for that nonsense.

Savedone, I've got a suspicion you're no stranger to filing court complaints.

 

Looks like my rim won't be in until Thursday. Looks like another 2 days of driving a damn Prius.

 

The way I see it, a lawyer is gonna help protect me and make sure my vehicle gets fixed to my satisfaction. I'm not worried about compensation, that's the least of my worries. My main thing is, I want it back, and I want it to be safe, I am def taking it to a third party to have it inspected to my standards, for the simple fact that he dealer has already proved they can't be trusted to work on my vehicle. And I found out today, it wasn't just a service tech working on my truck, it was a SPECIALIST, that's even worse.

This whole situation bothers me. I was getting my truck serviced, so I could make a run down to our family farm, 4 hours, where my grandma was snowed in and hadn't been out in a week and is running out of supplies. I specifically asked for a rental truck to replace the truck they ruined, I mean that makes sense to me, truck for truck, but nope a Prius, if my grandma can't get out in her 2wd truck, a damn Prius ain't even getting close. I'm still befuddled on what to do.

 

Bologna. There isn't a Toyota Dealer in the world that has a " Specialist " rotating fucking tires and changing oil.

I feel for your loss, but that being said they are fixing the truck, and the little tire flunky that did your oil change and rotation is probably out of a job.

There are three rules to live by whenever anyone works on your truck / car.

If you had followed these rules there would not have been an issue to begin with.

Rule # 1. Always inspect the work before you leave the dealers lot.

Rule # 2. Always inspect the work before you leave the dealers lot.

Rule # 3. Always inspect the work before you leave the dealers lot.

 

Devin, looks like everyone is giving you great information and advice in regards to your incident. A couple of things that you might want to consider: First, if you call your insurance company they will ask you for an accident report from the local authorities. If you cannot provide one, I don't think that they will accept your claim. Second, if you are going to take it to a third party for inspection I personally think that they should pay for it since they lost your trust and proven that they are incompetent, but I would speak to the GM/Owner and request that they fit the bill for that inspection. Lastly, I heard that your wife is pregnant (congrats, by the way!) and you have a single cab truck that will barely fit the car seat, baby bag, wife's purse, etc. I myself would start with requesting that they pay you top dollar for your truck since you don't feel safe in it anymore and trade it for a double cab, SUV, or that corolla that the wife likes. Glad to hear that you and your family are safe, but sorry to hear about your troubles. Just my $0.02, Aloha!

 

BTW, if you want to negotiate a trade you must do it before you accept the repairs done to the vehicle by the dealer. Which ever route you chose, good luck bro, Aloha!

 

First I would say calm down so you can think clearly about what you really need to do. There has been a lot of suggestions, some good and some bad, but you need to do what fits you. One thing for sure this is a real learning experience for you and many here on the BB should they get into a similar situation.

Set down and make a list of what you expect and what you can live with. Actually write it out. Do not be unreasonable, but neither be soft. Just try and examine in your mind what you feel is the right thing to do to make you whole again.

You mentioned the Prius. Yes I agree if you requested a truck and they had one they should have put you in a truck. For future reference you could have turned down the car and rented your own someplace else, and gave them the bill as you had a legitimate need for a truck , but that is past now. Just forget about it and don't let it fuel your mind with confusion. Just deal with the now and possible future.

About an attorney. Do that as last resort if they do not take care of things as they should. Again be reasonable. Attorney's are leaches and they will get a large part of any settlement, 33-1/3 percent plus expenses, and it takes a long time. In this case probably a year or two.

Forget about a trade for now until you get this issue settled. No need to add more to this than already is. After all is settled you can make a better decision about a trade if you still want to go that route.

After they fix the vehicle it should be checked out by another certified mechanic that day or a soon as possible and the dealer pay the costs. Drive it from the dealership to another Mechanic, preferably another dealer. Do not tell them your story except that it was wrecked, a wheel came off and fixed and you want it checked out for safety reasons. You do not need to tell them who worked on it and probably should not. I would think it would be in the 100 to 200 dollar range. Like I said just calm down and get you thoughts in order as to what should be done. You can ask to talk to the owner if you want, but be ready to stick to what you decide and be reasonable. I will lift you in prayer about this.

 

No disrespect to Gerald as he has given you great advice along with his prayers, but I would say that the trade (given you have two days to think about it since your new rim wont be in until then) would still be a great idea. You have some leverage since the damage is not yet repaired. As soon as you sign for your truck with the new parts and repair, the dealer can now say that he has fulfilled his duty in compensating you for damages. Telling him that you no longer want the truck because you feel that it is unsafe and that you do not trust that the repairs will suffice (having the uncertainty that this incident may cause you trouble further down the road) should work in your favor right now since they have not fixed your issue. Like I said before, either way you chose, Good luck and Aloha!

 

You need to involve the owner. When I worked at a dealership, issues that crossed his desk were better handled than those taken care of by our service manager. The owner should understand all ramifications including bad press and should resolve things to your satisfaction. We had instances where people were traded out of their cars and such with discounts, great deals, etc. not to say that the owner was a nice guy, but for the most part, he did the right thing by the customers. Not all of them are the same. That owner may be a tool, but you need to go to the top. Be respectful, polite, but firm. People that scream, freak out, wear a siren hat, etc... Don't do very well. I might even ask for a meeting with the GM and the owner at the same time. Especially since your next road goes through the sales department as a trade in and purchase. Best of luck. Btw, if you threaten to sue, then negotiations cease and then it's lawyer vs lawyer until resolution a year or so down the road.