The Saga Continues... - POLL

i have both skid plate and air dam.....i tried to get under and see but could not slip past....plus, it was really tight....may have to take both off, but I did not see anything from the top looking down......meaning i saw no oil on any parts below pull but i guess i have to be looking up

 

Well?? @Zoop

 

I've been trout fishing in Missouri for the last week, but the updates are:

• Re-sealed the timing chain cover.
• Replaced a leaking water pump.
• Replaced the radiator (bonked during TCC work).
• Replaced the carrier bearing (howling diff)
• Replaced both rear wheel bearings (brake shudder)

Toyota Corp has put the brake shudder in "we are aware but we do not have a T-SB for the MT/Offroad config yet, once it is available, we will let you know, 2 existing TSB's don't conform to my configuration).
Dealer offered to trade-in, which would cost me $12,000 more, which I will be letting them know I decline in a day or so.

They are going to have the truck back in for, and have confirmed they will fix:

• Chirping fuel pump.
• Bed pinch weld rust body work.
• Glass (ext warranty)
• Wheel Damage (ext warranty)
• Felt in steering wheel cover
• Felt in passenger a-pillar
• Review electrical issue

The electrical gremlin seems like it may be tied to the brake booster potentially, it buzzes (under/around brake pedal/firewall) and the center console screen brightens and the headlights dim for a few seconds. I was able to get a decent video of the console screen/sound and I'll be making a headlight video tonight. I'll be working with the Service Manager to have them look into that and see if they can track it down, and I also have to get them to add the howling diff/carrier bearing replacement to the documentation as they left it off the invoice.

Truck from purchase to date has had replaced/added/fixed:

• Leaf springs (diff howl fix #1)
• Body mount dampeners (diff howl fix #1)
• Carrier bearing (diff how fix #2)
• Rear wheel bearings (brake shudder)
• HVAC motor/cage (recall)
• Timing chain cover seal
• Water pump
• Radiator
• High pressure fuel pump
• Bed body work for assembly issue
• Hood re-glued
• Bed pinch weld rust handled at body shop

P.S. Bennett Springs, Missouri is a beautiful place to fish! Took home our limit of rainbows, ran into a Copperhead and a Cottonmouth snake, weather was great, BBQ was great, terrain was awesome in the rental minivan lol

P.P.S. I have also politely asked the dealer to talk with their regional rep to ask to extend the ext. warranty I purchased (7yr/75k) to either 8yr/125K or 10yr/125k

 

The saga continues, more updates to come in the future...

 

Some videos of the electrical gremlin in the meantime, whenever you see the dash flash, the headlights/HVAC blower also dim/lose power:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puqKpb1meHo&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzNbYrg9bLU&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsuZahQ3uiU&feature=youtu.be

 

Here’s one of the electrical problem from tonight:

https://youtu.be/lYLdXsclKf8

And a bonus invoice of attempting and concluding the brake shudder fix, only put hours down for the timing cover, not the radiator, or water pump, and didn’t document the diff howl and carrier bearing replacement (2nd attempt) they found and were troubleshooting (I also have the invoice from a separate day I brought the truck in before this visit to assess the truck where they verify it as a “shudder”):



*ironically I don’t have a garage either, I park on the street...

 

They are losing their minds at this point

 

I opened a case with Toyota, they should be calling me back today about at least extending my warranty at this point.

 

They put no hours on the first job line because tech made a mistake and thought a tsb applied to your car that didnt. So shop had to eat all the parts which is why the price is "internal" and not warranty and the technician got to work for free that day

 

Interesting part is that it was no mistake, they spent a month trying different things to troubleshoot and summarized it as a tech "mistake", ending in "no fix currently/operating as normal". I had several calls with the service advisor discussing them wanting to try replacing the wheel bearings to pinpoint it, which they had to get green-lit with the regional office to install.

Also of note, prior visit where it was verified was described as a "shudder" (it really grew to washboard-esque shudder by that time), was then summarized as "slight vibration". They also marked no time for replacing the leaking water pump they found and replaced while fixing the timing chain cover seals (though time marking is a mute point for me). Stinks of excuses at this point.

 

I wouldnt be too mad the dealer has opened up their wallets to try to help a customer. It isnt easy when there is no manufacturer supported fix. Luckily I work for a company far more lenient than Toyota when it comes to that stuff.

I went through it all on my clutch pedal. Toyota told me they cant fix it and not to come back for clutch pedal noises. Frustrating being a service writer myself and knowing what they are up against

 

Well put, yeah I try to keep it in perspective and not let my frustration get the better of me when I deal with them.

 

Zoop,

I have the same vehicle you have, also in manual, also San Antonio manufactured, also with many of the same problems. The difference between you and me is that your dealer and field rep is actually getting repairs done. I can barely get anything done; I keep bringing it in complaining about the problems, and the service manager outright told me that the service writers all roll their eyes when they see me. 3 days ago, before the service manager finally got Toyota to do the TSB for the creaking clutch, one of his advisers raised his voice over the phone, threatened me, and said he had "wasted enough time on my truck", and I had 24 hours to bring back the courtesy car or else. He did all that because I had the nerve to ask him if he had the tech go over all the issues I described and the things I wanted repaired.

Just ignore the rude people on here and get your truck fixed. Don't give up and don't feel bad about demanding service. Guilting you is part of the program to make you go away and not bug the dealer. If your dealer doesn't do that, you're lucky. They know these trucks are mostly trash and Toyota doesn't want to fix anything, so Corporate tells the dealers to lie to the customers and tell them "operating as designed". I am constantly amazed at how people will sue Apple over a $50 keyboard and that is OK, but then turn around and act offended because you want a $40,000 vehicle to function properly.

 

I went through it all on my clutch pedal. Toyota told me they cant fix it and not to come back for clutch pedal noises. Frustrating being a service writer myself and knowing what they are up against

There is a TSB out for pretty much all 3rd gen clutch pedals, 2017 and earlier. It is covered. They started with the 2nd gen pedals and kept adding more years. The parts themselves are around $500 (just the stupid molded plastic pedal is 200 smackers).

 

Sorry to hear about your hassle! They’ve been alright, blew me off to since I bought it, but it’s warrantied so I will continue to return, regardless of how they feel about it. For $40k, I expect more from the service department as well as product quality. I’ve hit the end of my patience at this point, I’ll continue to be polite but I’ll be back in and keep mentioning things. At least now they’re willing to look at videos and photos I’ve taken of various issues finally.

I can’t help but have a Blues Brothers quote keep coming to mind:

“If you say no, Elwood and I will come here for breakfast, lunch, and dinner... every day of the week...”

 

Looks like I’ll have to call them back Monday as they have not called me back. When I called Wednesday, service rep had to talk with her super, they had too coordinate with the warranty dept and we’re going to follow up about extending my warranty to 10yr/125k

 

Remember one thing about the dealer. They have A LOT of discretion in how stuff gets handled, especially at the service manager level. Toyota does NOT want to have to personally approve every little thing. If the service manager pushes enough, it will generally be done. It's unfortunate that we've gotten to the point where we basically need to tell service to fix our trucks so that we'll finally stop bothering them. What I've found is that my service manager is simply annoyed at having to put out any effort on behalf of his customers. He prefers to sit in his office and watch for new dealership reviews coming in.

 

Threads like this piss me off. Maybe my next vehicle will be a Ford instead of Toyota.










Wait, dammit. Going through this with Ford right now... Maybe I should get a Toyota next. Wait. Dammit......

Good luck.