Toyota Dealer Half-Assed Repair Advice

Hey Team,

I recently purchased a pre-owned 2018 Tacoma with 6,000 miles - got a great deal, and I am overall happy with the truck. I noticed that the adhesive on the wheel opening molding on the front driver's side wheel was separating slightly, and on closer inspection saw that two of the screws underneath were also missing. This is a factory installed part. The dealer said that they would take care of it for me. I drove back (75 miles) after getting assurance that it would be a quick fix. When I arrived, they looked at it and told me that I would have to come back after they ordered the part, which was strike 1. They said that they wanted to "do it right". Rather than driving down and back again, I said I would leave the truck for them to fix, and requested a rental car, which they obliged. A week passed, and they let me know the part had arrived and it was ready to pick up. I arrived and found that they had simply put super glue or some other glue into the separated area, leaving residue on the molding and body paint, and replaced the missing screws with christmas tree clips, one of which pulled right out and had rust on it (obviously just a clip they had laying around). I raised the issue with the dealership that I had left my truck for a week with the expectation it would be "done right" and was now receiving a truck that looked shittier and had not actually been repaired. They told me that was all they could do, but that I should wait 10-15,000 miles and come back to see if it would be covered under warranty. I am obviously pissed off and wondering what you all would suggest. I am considering having my insurance company go after the dealership for the replacement cost of the now glued-up molding. Alternatively, I could bring it to a nearby dealership and try to get it covered under warranty. Thoughts? Thanks!

 

Pictures or it didn't happen.

No really. I have no idea what part you are referring to. A picture showing the problem would be nice.

 

Good point - so here are the pictures. I am talking about the wheel opening molding (fender flare) as seen fully on the first picture. The middle three pictures show the loose adhesive, and one of the missing screws. The last picture is of how I got it back from the "repair" done by the dealership. You can see that the original adhesive is still loose and uneven, and you can see where the super glue or whatever they used is smeared on the piece itself. There is actually some scratching where they tried to use some kind of abrasive to remove the glue spill.

 

Buy a new flare from Toyota. They are around $100. Buy some 1/8" 3m auto adhesive tape. Replace it yourself. Less headache and it will be done right. It's easier and faster than fighting with the losers at the stealership. You can get the tape on Amazon, eBay, etc.

 

F that. It's covered under warranty. Is there another Toyota dealership near you?

 

Obviously you should be going to the closer dealership and never return there again.....

Going through your Insurance company??????????

 

Small stuff like this isn't worth going to the dealer. All the time you spent messing with them you can just fix it yourself. Small price to pay

 

I’m all for doing things myself but I don’t understand responses like this. A warranty is there to fix issues, ANY issues so why would you spend your own money when you’ve already spent a ton of money on a new vehicle.

 

Probably because letting the dealership fix it made it worse?

 

I'll splurge on the 2 $ fix than wasting my time trying to explain it to a dealer who doesn't care

 

Even though its a used vehicle, its still covered under the factory bumper to bumper warranty because its not over the 3yr/36k miles. You don't have to take it to the dealership you bought it from, you can take it to any Toyota dealership.