Solved frame knocking...how to make Toyota pay for it??

Hi all,

TL;WR - paid dealership to inspect a 2013 Tacoma I wanted to buy from an individual for cash. They said the could not find anything wrong with the truck. Knocking sound in frame behind cab turns out to be snapped leaf spring (not recent). Obvious problem Toyota should have spotted, and which would have allowed me to bring down the price of the sale. Is there any way I can get Toyota to pay for the replacement since they should have caught it? How can I deal with these jerks?

Longer version...
I bought a used 2013 Tacoma from an individual about two weeks ago. Before the sale, I took it to a dealership (I know, I know but I wanted to know if the frame would qualify for recall) and paid them to inspect the vehicle and assess its overall status.

The service rep said "We cannot find anything wrong with this truck. It's super clean. Not even a leak." I was obviously pleased and paid for the truck on-site.

Almost immediately I heard a "knock" sound that seemed to be coming from just behind the cab, and was definitely something to do with the frame. Specifically, it was happening when there was a little frame flex, even when barely moving.

I took the truck in for state inspection at a nearby independent shop and they instantly noticed the tire wear was "feathered" at the edges and said it needed new shocks/struts. They also showed me the rear brake drums and said the amount of rust did not require immediate replacement but they recommended I do it either now or soon. I went ahead with both the suspension and brake replacements. Bill was somewhere between $1200-1500. I can't remember exactly. But as you can imagine, I was already cursing the dealership. They were also nice enough to take the truck for a test drive in the parking lot to pinpoint the knocking sound. They confirmed they heard it but couldn't figure out where it was coming from after taking a look below.

Meh, maybe it was the old suspension? Nope. Knock was still there.

I combed the forums and some very helpful threads (linked below), which helped me convince the shop to lift the truck for me again and check it out again.

When we did, we quickly saw that a leaf spring was snapped, and not recently. As a result, the forward part of that leaf had moved forward and the end that is curved up into the frame was rubbing against the frame. Knock source identified.

It's not going to be cheap to replace all my leaf springs. It wasn' tcheap to replace the suspension or the rear brakes, either. And ALL of this should have been caught by the dealership in the inspection, which is what I paid them for.

Is there any way for me to get Toyota to pay for the leaf spring replacement as a result of their terrible inspection? I don't think I can get them to cover the shocks/struts and brakes since that is arguably a subjective opinion about when they should be replaced (even though truck has 157K miles and has lived in New England its whole life).

Thanks for any recommendations on how to deal with these jerks.

Thread links with troubleshooting tips for knocks:
(coming soon, when I get home and can access the notes on my laptop)

 

Is their inspection guaranteed in some way? If not, I would guess you are out of luck. I'm surprised you did not hear the noise in your initial test drive.

If it makes you feel better - I think any time you buy a used vehicle with 150k+ miles, you should expect to find SOMETHING wrong in the first year and put another 1000 or so into it to resolve. Almost always the case, regardless of how thoroughly you inspect. Same with buying a house, having the inspection, etc... there's always something you will miss.

 

You might be able to get your inspection free refunded but I doubt having them pay for the repairs is in the cards. I’m having trouble getting them to replace a malfunctioning syncro despite it being covered under warranty. I’m getting a lot of mileage out of the phrase ‘willfully obtuse’ lately. Where in NE are you out of curiosity?

 

How many leaf springs including the overload spring are on your truck?
3 or 4?

If it’s 4, I would not waste my time with the dealer. Just buy better ones and do not go back to that dealer.

 

I believe you can vent your woes on yelp or a Facebook page of some kind.

 

DIY > dealer
Leaf springs aren't a difficult install.

 

'Toyota' won't pay for anything in this situation that I can see.

The dealer *might* give you a refund on the inspection.

If they won't, and you have a local consumer advocate at some place like a TV station, they might be willing to question the dealer about the quality of the work you paid for.

 

How did you pay for the inspection? if it's on your credit card, talk to the dealer. Tell them they clearly did not inspect it, there was a broken leaf spring that anybody would have found. You paid for an inspection, got burned by them not doing it. You are expecting a refund within 5 business days for the inspection, otherwise you will take it up with your credit card company for a chargeback based on the evidence of them not holding up their end of the services paid for.

If you paid in cash, you have nobody in your corner to support you, but you can say the same thing, it's clear that they did not inspect the vehicle, and you are requesting a refund for the cost of the inspection.

Beyond that - you aren't getting anything out of the dealer. You got burned buying a used vehicle, it happens. You could also go back to the seller and explain what you found and see if they're willing to work with you and cover cost of parts or something. Considering new leafs are a couple hundred bucks, they might play ball.

TL DR - If you paid in a credit card, you have some support to get a refund on the inspection, but that's all you really have any chance of being owed.

 

I would be talking to the service manager about a refund, possible discounted parts. Irrespective of the outcome, the dealership would never see me again for any work.

 

Now that you’re a Toyota owner you might try making a complaint to the corporate website if the dealership won’t refund the inspection fee. There is a dealership/customer mediation thingy and Toyota typically does want to keep their customers happy within reason it seems.

 

You missed the broken leaf spring too. Its a used vehicle private party sale. Nobody but yourself is responsible for the purchase. Getting real popular to blame others for problems and expecting compensation.

 

Here’s where you’re off - the dealership is in the business of inspecting vehicles for issues….existing and not, LOL. They are supposedly professionals at this and the OP paid them for a half assed service. He deserves his money back for the inspection + some incentive to not hate them for their negligence.

 

You can possibly try to get the money for your inspection back but they sure as hell ain’t paying for new leaf springs.

 

Human errors happen. A partial to full refund on inspection is justified, anything beyond that is not.

 

LOL

 

I think getting them to pay for the leaf spring replacement would be hard to fight for. It would be best to sit down with the manager to explain the situation and see what can be resolved. Explain how another shop identified it as an obvious issue.

 

im assuming the repairs cost considerably more than the inspection…in what universe would he be due less than a full refund exactly?

 

Sucks. That one word sums up your situation. At the end of the day, I prepare myself for shit like this. This is the very reason I do research about things. I learn so I can catch others mistakes, and God knows, I catch many, all the time. Take this as...well, a moment to learn. Leaf springs are wear items, they should have been checked. How much did you pay the dealer for their fuckery.

 

The one with small print on the paperwork he signed for said inspection.

 

most inspection agreements limit the any refund to the amount charged for the inspection. If he paid $150 for the inspection, but the inspection failed to find an easy to find problem that cost $2000 to fix, the contract limits the amount they have to refund/get sued for to $150.