Dealership paint protection film issues.

I have experience with the Toyota customer care center...all they do is call the dealer on your behalf. They have no authority to direct the dealer to do anything...so I doubt you’ll get any satisfaction from them given your dilemma

 

I have the after pictures, but unfortunately I don't have the before pictures. Yea life lessons suck. I wasn't initially going to go with the Toyota paint protection film. I was going to do it by my guy who does the Xpel Ultimate Plus which is better than the Toyota one. However I needed to do a long distance trip, and I wanted the protection for when I'm driving on the interstate especially behind trucks and trailers. The nearest appointment from my installer was 4 weeks after I bought the vehicle which was too late, so I opted to go with the dealership since they would install it right away. I feel to kick myself for that decision

Yea so I realize which is so odd to me. I thought Toyota would take better care of their customers. I know of a case with a guy who bought a BMW 3 series. He has issues with the dealership and he contacted BMW Corporate. He got a new BMW.....

 

I'd just go to the dealer and take pics of a truck on their lot to compare. Clearly the scratches are their fault. I'd be curious enough to ask the guy you're dealing with why none of his other trucks have these scratches.

 

hmm, now is this the oem paint protection film? from the pics and what not, this looks like 3rd party film. the oem film is pre cut to the vehicle and has raised "Toyota" letters on the film which negates the cutting to size issues that 3rd party film installers have.

when I had the PIO film installed on our 2016 Tacoma, it had bubbles in certain areas. had a warranty claim to redo it and the dealer installed the oem film again and I made sure it was the oem film with Toyota logo.

 

This is news to me. No my film did not have the raised Toyota letters. So I think you are right @NoDak. Even though I paid for the Toyota genuine film, I got some crappy 3rd party film installed by a crappy 3rd party installer. @NoDak do you by chance have pics of your film with the Toyota logo? Thanks.

 

The care center people are very polite, understanding and they do follow thru and follow up...all they do is convey your dilemma to the dealer but they can’t force the dealer to do anything...your dealer is denying liability so going thru your insurance or filing suit against the dealer are the options I see. I bought a foreclosed property last year and after the closing the bank never canceled the property management people who were taking care of the house for the bank. Long story short they changed the locks and lock me out of my own property did some work on the inside...I called the police filed a report called the bank they denied all liability...I filed a lawsuit cost was $400 bucks...as soon as they were served their lawyer called me and settled the claim. I got paid and they gave me what I wanted without going to court if I didn’t file suit I’m sure we will still be at it. I can tell you from experience corporations never admit liability even if it’s obvious.

 

Very unfortunate situation.
The learning here it to use your own professionals such as Xpel and others who perform this work all day every day as opposed to a Toyota tech who most likely rarely if ever does it.
If takes a lot of skill to properly apply film. I've seen it done on C7 Corvettes and it's intense work.

 

If I go through insurance, would my insurance premium increase? Also just from your or anyone's experience, do insurance companies handle dealership damage claims?

 

Yup, your premium will probably increase because INS paid to have it repaired and if the cost is over $2500, it'll likely show up on your CarFax as a negative mark.

 

It’s my understanding that premiums only go up if it’s your fault...if it’s a covered claim they will pay, if it’s not a covered claim they will deny...if they do deny just ask them under what provision of your policy are they relying on to deny the claim that way you can review that provision and understand why...some insurance policies are better than others. If they say no it doesn’t go against you. An insurance policy is a contract your just exercising your rights under the contract.

 

In accordance with the Owners Warranty Rights Notification, there are three (3) specific steps you should take prior to litigation. This Toyota booklet came with your new truck purchase accompanyed by all the other similar “owners” books (manual, maintenance, etc.).

Step 1: Contact the Dealership
Step 2: Call the Toyota Customer Experience Center
Step 3: Arbitration by NCDS (some states rights vary)

The NCDS’s decision is binding on Toyota, but not you. If you are dissatisfied with the arbitrator’s decision or Toyota’s compliance, you may pursue any other legal remedies available to you, including small claims court.

 

Thanks a lot. This is great to know. I'll definitely look into it.

 

So just an update. The Customer Relations Manager called me just now. He said he got the claim and discussed it with the Sales Manager, and the Sales Manager would like to sit and speak with me. I pray that this leads to something positive. Thank you all so far for the support. It's much appreciated. I will keep you posted.

 

Interesting...sounds like they wanna swap trucks

 

here is a pic of my oem paint film on my 14 4runner. I can get a pic of the 18 tundra with oem film after work today. I don't have the Tacoma anymore so I cant get a pic of that but I am positive all Toyota oem films have the logo on them. just to add, all films attached to the 4runner have the logo on them. there is 3 parts to the 4runner film protection, front hood, and the 2 front sides of the front fenders.

@TriniPhantom

 

my brother been installing that film for 11 years i had him put on my new tacoma i watched him as he trimed it with a razor blade around my hood i stoped him on the spot as it made cut marks on the hood he said thats how it is done well not on my vehical all dealerships do it the same ps dealer repaired cut marks and i would never have that applied again but they recomend it so i ask does toyota have a paint problem and it turns yellow over time

 

how much does the Toyota stuff cost? like parts/labor? seems like kinda scam for old people
a rock the size of a quarter kicked up by a semi at 70 isn't going to be stoped by a 1mm thick piece film.. bugs and stuff yea. I can see if you had your entire truck wrapped but just the leading edges of the bumper and fenders seems like not enough.

 

That is how it’s done professionally, and also now wrap is applied. But you don’t cut into the paint, a professional will only cut the material and not even touch the clear coat. That’s why it’s so important to use decent shop if they are going to cut it on the car, rather than use the pre-cut sheets. You will always get a better finish when cut on the vehicle, but you need a decent person to do it, precut sheets any moron can install.

 

So just an update. I went to the dealership on Saturday. Spoke to the general sales manager and he didn't want to accept responsibility for the damage. He was willing to refund the cost of the paint protection film plus an extra $200. This would not be enough to fix the scratches. I decided to speak the the General Manager, who was much more understanding and sympathetic. He asked me to bring it back in today to his body shop. I carried it in and they are going to fix it. They will try light sanding/buffing, but if that does not work and cuts in too deeply they will repaint. Full panel repaint, not spot paint or blending. I will also be refunded cost of the film. On top of that they gave me a rental car while my truck is in the shop. I must say that while the staff were horrible people to deal with the general manager was a million times better.

There are a lot of lessons to learn here. First for expertise level installations like paint protection film, don't go with the dealership. They just simply don't have enough experience in installation of it. Go to someone else who has has 10+ years of experience. It's really easy to mess it up. If possible ask who is the dealer's installer and do some research on the installer. Secondly, when the sales manager told me to go have someone else remove it, this should have been a warning sign, as he was trying to pass the blame onto someone else. I should have had the dealer's installer remove it. Thirdly, when the lower level staff aren't budging, it's always worth it to speak to someone higher up. Don't get angry and cuss and fight. Be firm and strong. Go as high up the management as it takes. If that fails, then maybe the best recourse at that time would be legal action. Fourthly, make sure and inspect your vehicle before leaving the dealer. Lastly don't loose hope. This is my first brand new vehicle and also my dream vehicle. Been saving up since college to buy it. I was very stressed and frustrated for the last 2 months dealing with this issue. I really questioned what I did to have to go thru this. But there is a God and as long as you pray and hold strong to your faith, all will work out.

I know I got a lil spiritual there, and many of you may have dealt with stuff like this before so this is nothing new. But I'm a young guy fresh out of college now starting to live life, so these experiences are new to me. I just thought it worthy to share.

 

Thanks @NoDak much appreciated.

I have to disagree here. I've been doing tons of research on this since I've been plagued with this issue. A professional installer will NOT put a blade to the body...too much risk involved. Instead they should have a cutting printer, and software which allows them to design the film template, or load up existing templates and then have the cutting printer cut it. If any cutting has to be done, it should be done between the seams of the panels, not on the body itself, and excess folded into the seams.

The Toyota stuff is overpriced. For the 2018 Tacoma its $485 for the bumper and $395 for the hood and fenders. Note that they do not sell paint protection film for the grill surround. Although it is called Toyota Genuine Film, it is actually a cheaper version of 3M film. For comparison, Prestige Auto Armor will install XPEL Ultimate Plus on the hood, fenders and mirrors for $780. XPEL is the industry leading paint protection film. The film would stop such a rock, it could possibly, but unlikely, dent your hood, but your paint won't be chipped. The worst case I've heard of was a guy with a Raptor who had a rock hit his XPEL film so hard that it peeled/lacerated the film, but the body itself was perfect. The film took most of the force and distributed it. I live in Pennsylvania and on my previous vehicle the rock chipped areas began to slowly rust. I'd rather deal with dent than rust. Hot water + suction + rubber mallet = fixed dent. You can also choose to do partial front protection which covers the bumper, first 24" on the hood and similar area on the fender or you can do full protection, covering all of the hood and all the fenders, or if you have many $$$ do the whole car. You often see people who own Ferraris, Lambos, Tesla's etc doing this.