My letter to Toyota Trying to get some insight

To whom this may concern,My name is Wesley Lineberry and I bought my truck brand new in/around the end of the month of November 2006.* So I've had my 2007 Toyota Tacoma for about eighteen months now.* It's a beautiful great running truck so far except one small problem that I thought Toyota should/would stand behind.* Around 23,000 miles I liked the way these trucks looked with a little tiny lift and some larger tires so I ordered them both.* So my 3" suspension lift came in and I set a date to put it on.* My schedule was busy so not thinking anything about any warranty issues my friend a previous certified mechanic of thirty years agreed to help me do the work.* After jacking the truck up and removing the tires he noticed grease all over the place and finally realized the CV boot had slid off the end of the axle.* He's like after we get this lift put on you need to take it to Toyota and get them to fix it. Well I did so and as soon as I told Gene Reed Toyota what had happened they said, "you put a lift kit on it, unless we installed it you have to pay for the issue."* So this was said without even looking at it and just blaming it on the suspension lift even though it was there before the kit.* So I dropped it off one morning around seven in the morning and a whole work day later it was ready.* Ok I was mad and eventually got over forking out the $230 and loosing a whole days worth of work.* Two months after that I take my truck and have an aftermarket muffler put on.* They come up to me and say do you know your CV boot is leaking.* I go up under it and sure enough whomever tried fixing it at Toyota put a zip tie where a metal tension strap is suppose to go. Their dealership work didn't hold up, just like the original factory sealed CV boot didn't.* I know they sent* it off to get it repacked with greased to another company but, it looks like the certified mechanic that put it back together would have fully inspeted all the work done.* So here I am again no truck for two days and more loss of money even though Toyota is gonna pay for it know.* I think I should be reimbursed for Toyota's original flaw in my $30,000 dollar truck.* Someone pointed out to me in the Toyota forums and my mechanic friend told me about the Magnuson Moss Waranty Act.* I mean If I put on a CAI and I install it properly will they void my waranty if one of my spark plugs is miss firing.* Just an example.* I men that act states a vehicle manufacturer cannot void the waranty of your vehicle due to an aftermarket part unless they can prove that the aftermarket part was the cause or contributed to the failure of the vehicle (15 U.S.C. 2302(C)).Please someone help me out. Thanks for listening and hopefully this letter helps me understand why in this modern day we can't touch our overly expensive vehicles with our own bare hands until the warranty runs out.*

 

If you got the time to comment back then obviously you have the time to read, or oohh that hasn't struck you yet.

 

letter sounds pretty good.......hopefully toyota will listen up!!

 

Hey Line Great letter! Did you send it yet? Best of luck...I think they'll respond to your points favorably. IMO, their first response is always shitty and petty-but if you snarl back they'll back down...especially if you're right! I think you're right here

 

Thanks for the comment. Just trying to make a point that you shouldn't have to take it to the dealership for every little thing. My example my lift kit was pretty simple so I did it with a friend in a couple hours. I do my oil changes because then I know they are done right. Dealerships make mistakes also. Aftermarket parts within reason should be allowed. When I picked it up today there was grease all under the truck. They put the boot back on but didn't bother cleaning it.

 

A zip tie? Wow.

 

I've got like thirty photos and a couple mechanics to back me up.

 

Good luck! Let us know how you make out.

 

Yeah Da Hui he's got a real winner of a dealer there huh?!

 

give 'em hell lineberw!!! we back you 100%!!!!

 

It suprized me myself to see a zip tie. Its kinda my fault that I didn't look the first time to see how they tried to fix it. On the ticket for todays work it says "Appears to be a zip tie around boot." Well it didn't appear to be there was one put there by Toyota a mechanic or the shop they sent it to to have it greased.

 

Lawyer up. Having your lawyer shoot off a quick letter to the stealership does wonders.

 

Good luck. Keep us posted.

 

i seem to remember you posting this issue a while back, asking if you should hold off on the lift before you took it to the dealer for the warranty work. i told you if you put the lift on then took it in they would blame you. if you took the truck in before putting the lift on they would have no choice but to have replaced the part under warranty. personally i would be very surprised if toyota did anything about it.

as for the actual letter, i would make it sound more professional "tiny little lift" is not a technical term and sounds like your trying to downplay your part. don't write how you would talk. saying things like "i mean" makes it sound un-official and un-professional. also, fix the punctuation and spelling errors. its not an email to your buddy its a letter of complaint to a multi billion dollar corporation. Not trying to be a dick, just trying to give you some advice

 

GOOD Advice nd!!!! I'll second that

 

I third--I can help you edit it you like. I'm an English teacher!

 

I had to do this--sorry its just a quick edit, so there may still be mistakes.


To Whom It may Concern,
My name is Wesley Lineberry. I purchased my new 2007 Toyota Tacoma at the end of November 2006, only 18 months ago. It is a beautiful, great-running truck so far except for one small problem that I assumed Toyota should/would stand behind. Around 23,000 miles, I purchased a 3" suspension lift and larger tires. Due to the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, I knew that the addition of a lift and tires would not void my warrenty, and a friend who is a previously-certified mechanic of thirty years agreed to help me install the lift and tires. After jacking the truck up and removing the tires, he noticed grease all over the place and, after searching for the problem, saw that the CV boot had slid off of the end of the axle.* He informed me that after we installed the lift, I should take the truck to a Toyota dealer promptly for service and resolution of the problem. Gene Reed Toyota informed me, without even examining the problem area, that since they had not installed the lift, I must pay for the work to fix the CV boot myself. The problem was not caused by installing the lift as defective part was found before the lift was installed. Their exact words are as follows: "You put a lift kit on it. Unless we installed it, you have to pay for the issue." Again, the dealearship informed me of this without properly examining, or any examination for that matter, the defective parts. Since I needed the truck for transportation and could not wait to have the damage fixed, I dropped the truck off early in the morning around 7:00am, but it took a full day for the work to be completed. This cost me $230.00 in addition to an entire day of work since I had no transportation and was forced to take a personal day. I was quite angry over the treatment that I recieved and the time required to fix the damage. Two months later, I took my truck to a local shop to have an aftermarket muffler installed, and the mechanic approached me to inform me that my CV boot was leaking. The shop showed me the damage personally, and I was appalled and angered by the shoddy workmanship from Gene Reed Toyota. A zip tie was used where a metal tension strap is supposed to go. Their dealership work did not hold up, just as the original factory-sealed CV boot did not. I know they sent the boot out to be repacked with greased to another company, but it seems as if the certified mechanic that put the truck back together would have fully inspected all the work done. So here I am again with no truck for two days and more loss of money and time from work. Even though Toyota will be paying for the second round of work, I believe that I should be reimbursed for Toyota's original flaw in my $30,000 dollar truck. The Magnuson Moss Warranty Act states that a vehicle manufacturer cannot void the waranty of a vehicle due to an aftermarket part unless they can prove that the aftermarket part was the cause or contributed to the failure of the vehicle (15 U.S.C. 2302(C)). Please assist me in this matter as I am most unhappy with the service that I have recieved thus far.


Even if you don't/can't use it, I find it enjoyable to write stuff like this, so I'm not out anything!

 

Ha ha...that's like another $500 for that letter to be sent. Good letter though.