Tacoma Engine Toast - help w/concerns

Also, where are you at statewise. That has a lot to do with used car/lemon laws.

 

this story made me go check EVERYTHING on my truck just now..

 

I think dealership sold you a bad truck

1. its kind of weird that your gauges didn't moved while the engine was melting into a single piece of metal
2. Its strange also that the dealership didn't offer you some kind of warranty, almost as if they knew the truck had issues
3. You are no mechanic, you trust the gauges, if the gauges are malfunctioning, then its not your fault...

at least that is my opinion....

 

i wouldn't do that, if you want to build a case, i would do that in front of a toyota representative, and another witness, just so you can prove that indeed the gauge is wrong...

 

If you have to pay outta your pocket start looking for a wrecked truck with the same engine you have might be alot cheaper than dealer + shop supplies

 

might be alittle late as he has put 3000 trouble free miles on it before it fried as the green antifreze may have been part of the problem too I had the head gasket go in my 2.7L 4runner because the antifreze I put in it was not compatible

 

the dealership/toyota cannot void the warranty on your engine because of the lift. Aftermarket parts/accessories can only void warranty on a particular piece of the car IF AND ONLY IF they can prove that the aftermarket part was undoubtedly the cause of the malfunction/break.

As many others have suggested, call an attorney and see whats up. Dont stop at one attorney, call like 10 of them. There will be lawyers out there who dont feel like taking your case out of laziness, find one that will

 

thats a good idea. i rebuilt a 2001 honda civic a few months back cause the engine was TOAST. i ended up getting ahold of some random Japanese company that sold slightly used engines shipped direct to my house. Picked it up for a good $400 or so.. of course i did all the work myself and saved a TON.. but still.. if you could get ahold of an engine/tranny, you'd save a TON having someone else install it.

With today's economy, you might be able to find some shade-tree mechanic down on his luck that would do it for a few hundred bucks!

 

i say ice pick your radiator and make your insurance cover it ...

 

The antifreeze all leaked out while I drove 800 miles across the states - leaving me with an overheated, fried engine.

The truck is in Missoula, MT. I'll be towing it down to Salt Lake City, soon.

The truck doesn't start, the engine is fried - sensor won't register, will it?

Also, will the sensor register if it's not in liquid? Will it show normal temp?

 

maybe someone has the manual nearby and can tell you that....

 

"i say ice pick your radiator and make your insurance cover it ..."

How does that work?

oh, yea, fraud. Let's dive into fraud, why don't we just catch it on fire, too? ;-)

 

say a rock poked a hole in it and get it covered haha it would work im sure but i didnt say to do it

 

I would look into this further. I think that the factory warranty should be valid. How are you suppose to know that the hose was loose? How do I know that the hose attached to my gas tank is on properly? And if that falls of and my truck lights on fire, thats my fault? Hell no! Anyways, that sucks man, good luck with everything.

 

Have you tried looking to see if there are any engine codes stored in the computer?

I think it's Autozone who will read engine codes for free.... maybe there's something stored in the computer in terms of data/faulty sensors.

But yeah, the gauge on your dash should've worked and should've been IN THE RED long before the engine actually fried. Not sure about coolant level sensor....but damn... If our windshield washers have fluid level sensors, then EVERYTHING that has fluid should have a 'low' sensor.

Sorry to hear about the truck. I'd be PISSED and ready to kick someones ass at that dealership.

 

what happen to all those commercial saying all used toyota are certified and whatnot..?!? sorry to hear about the truck..

 

Damn I would have sold you my 09' with Icons, tires, and wheels for that price. Mine is mint as well. Anybody out there who wants to pay this much for a used truck PM me before you let a dealer rape you.
Sorry to hear man, I would definately talk to the GM of the dealership and see what you can work out. If you can't get anywhere then you may have to get an attorney, but that will run you several thousand for something that may be hard to beat.

 

Yeah I think these guys at the dealership are yanking your chain a little bit. It also kinda sounds like they are trying to cover up their mistake with that clamp, and I'm not sure why they expect you to know that the hose clamp was missing? Your not a Toyota Technician, how should you know It's missing, sounds like a whole lot of BS to me. Granted I'm sure you could see the clamp was missing, I'm just saying.

And the truck should still be under warranty with the lift, maybe I'm wrong but the lift should not matter.

But...I hope everything works out for ya and I hope you get back on the road soon, the only thing I could suggest is to get a good lawyer. Or do your research and take them to small claims court.

 

The Manuf. warranty is in place, however, since it had a lift they did not give it a Toyota Used Car Certification, which would have covered this incident.

Two dealerships have stated it's my fault. Since it wasn't certified as a used car by toyota, they say they didn't touch the clamp/hose.. Now they want to find out history to see if a quicklube did anything, so the blame can be off of them and on to another company I'd have to sue to get anything out of....

To me, if the dealership is concerned about reputation at all, they'd work to remedy this situation. I've left a voicemail and will follow-up in the morning to let them know exactly how upset I am.

Can't even sleep, I'm worried about this so much, stressin' to the max. You know how freaky it was with a truck losing power than suddenly, while cruising down a freeway in BFE Montana, the truck just kills over? Freaky, then a 2 mile walk in the dark to get cell reception - thought an animal was going to jump out and eat me, or a truck run me over on the side of the freeway.

Now I'm stuck at home. Hrmph. I wonder if I can get a 2nd car with my recent loan on this truck.

I'll look into lawyers if things don't go well, Tomorrow. My 1st truck payment isn't even due yet.

BTW, Lemon Laws in Utah only apply to new vehicles (not used) that have been to a shop at least 3 times, our out of service at least 30 days, for the same reason without repair.

 

Ahhhh.. Sneaky dealership! They snuck in a Landcar Service Agreement / Contract for $1600.00. This is 48mo/70000mi. I'll ring them in the morning and see if that route may work.