car issues unresolved

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Yep, the local to me Chevrolet dealer refused to fix a steering wheel squeak in my Cruze. The steering wheel squeaked for any little movement while on-center. They said they heard it, but couldn't do anything to fix it. Turns out there was a TSB issued about the squeak that involved some major work for little warranty reimbursement if the initial fix didn't work. They didn't even try the initial fix, just refused to touch it. Then they wondered why I gave them a mixed review, since the other two blindingly obvious issues were handled well. Verdict: good for 5 minute fixes that flag for 15 minutes, and good luck if a larger issue arose. BTW, the initial fix of spraying lubricant on it worked in my case. Others have needed the whole steering rack replaced.

We also went to a far-away Honda dealer instead of the one much closer since the closer one had ignored a very loud rattle, while the further-away one diagnosed it quickly and worked with us very well getting it (and a later recall issue) resolved.
 
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
How many folks here have had a new car with issues that the dealership either could not or would not resolve?

I have experienced this dismay a few times and it seems to me that mfgrs would gain a lot of respect if they would place a bit of priority on the new car owner with a minor issue in the stealership.


The manufacturers don't give two shakes about the end user of their products. As long as the dealerships keep buying from the manufacturers, the final customer can pound sand.

I'm the last person on Earth that would ever want more government regulations, but it seems like there should be a lemon law that applies to dealer service departments like there is for manufacturers. After x number of tries to fix a problem, the dealer's service dept has to eat the cost of the vehicle and then try to recoup it from said manufacturer. Maybe then they would be more willing to be helpful instead of hiding behind the "unable to reproduce" excuse.
 
I am very fortunate in that both my BMW and Mazda dealers have always provided first-rate service. Here's just one example: in July I bought a CPO 328i for my wife; after I brought it home I noticed that one of the rear A/C ducts in the center console was broken. I called my service adviser and asked him if he thought it could be covered under warranty. His reply? "No problem; I'll go ahead and order the parts. That way we can install it when you bring the car in for its next regular service."

That said, I have also had the misfortune of having to deal with service departments that constantly looked for ways to dodge resposibility for properly servicing my cars.
 
Originally Posted By: threeputtpar

The manufacturers don't give two shakes about the end user of their products. As long as the dealerships keep buying from the manufacturers, the final customer can pound sand.

That's the most non-sensical thing I've read all day. Of course the manufacturer cares about their customers. How do you expect the dealers to order more cars from the manufacturer if the "end users" are not buying their products any more? No one buying vehicles = dealers not ordering any more. And if the manufacturer develops a reputation for building unreliable junk, they'll eventually go bankrupt *cough GM* *cough Chrysler*. Yeah, that's just what every manufacturer wants.
smirk.gif
 
Volkswagen dealerships for me were the worst about getting things fixed and "unable to reproduce" - surprised I was never blacklisted at one particular dealership (Bert Smith Volkswagen/BMW/Porsche). That place dreaded when I made service appointments, after they screwed me around so many times I purposely made their lives [censored].

The worst part of my Volkswagens was I looked like a complainer because the cars fell apart rapidly from day one and I had the nerve to take advantage of the warranty to get things repaired. I wish I still had my paperwork from my Volkswagens, if I remember correctly I had just under 20 warranty repairs on my '06 Jetta and I want to say around 10 warranty repairs on my '03 Golf. Their horrendous dealer network did not help matters.
 
Never ever.

I honestly have never owned a car new or used that had any serious issues in or out of warranty. I drive cars typically into the 150k-200k range.

Owned:
Honda x2
VW x2
Jeep x1
Acura x1
Subaru x3
 
Originally Posted By: rjundi
Never ever.

I honestly have never owned a car new or used that had any serious issues in or out of warranty. I drive cars typically into the 150k-200k range.

Owned:
Honda x2
VW x2
Jeep x1
Acura x1
Subaru x3


This has been my experience as well with a number of cars over the years.
I pity those who buy a new car and then go through he-double hockey sticks trying to get the dealer and the manufacturer to make the POS right.
I know I'd be pretty unhappy and would tell everyone I knew never to consider the brand again.
Really bad new vehicles seem pretty rare, but they do exist.
This is the reason that various states enacted lemon laws.
 
Excellent points all.

I just wondered, as it seems to me that the stealerships could actually FIX many of the problems but are too worried about it costing them money.

Short sighted IMO. In my biz EVERY CLIENT gets a phone call about their happiness with our work. If they have ANY concerns I usually go out personally and take care of them. There have been times when a client is simply unreasonable, and in that case they get a quick and full refund!

No unhappy clients here.
 
Originally Posted By: NHHEMI

That was it. I had enough. I should have gone Lemon Law on them but just wanted out of that turd on wheels ASAP


Judging from some of your other posts in other threads I seriously would bet that you are NOT telling BOTH sides of the story.

You strike me as a difficult person to
deal with.

I'm not saying that the vehicle was trouble free of course, but due to the fact that you weren't satisfied with the overall purchase it made any issues a bigger deal than they would have been otherwise.

The fact that the dealer AND the Toyota District Rep seemed to disengage you, and that you never attempted to visit another dealer for a second opinion, even with a bit of an extra trip involved tells me that you had buyers remorse, and it wasn't because the truck was a lemon or didn't perform to your personal expectations.
 
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Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
In my biz EVERY CLIENT gets a phone call about their happiness with our work.


That is exactly what my BMW dealer does- then BMW NA follows up with an online survey. And the phone inquiry never mentions the NA survey.
 
Nope but only have bought 1 new vehicle. Only bought Fords typically around 30k and 3 years of age. The Ranger I bought brand new. Typically 1 issue per vehicle and no issues with any dealer. I do tend to stick with proven reliable models, although from a few friends experiences that doesn't tend to make a difference. Didn't know the blacklist existed!
 
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
How many folks here have had a new car with issues that the dealership either could not or would not resolve?

I have experienced this dismay a few times and it seems to me that mfgrs would gain a lot of respect if they would place a bit of priority on the new car owner with a minor issue in the stealership.

One of my own issues was with a 1995 GMC Vandura 3500 van for my biz. Its front brakes were gone at 6k miles! The stealer said "it's overloaded". I said it was not, have you weighed it? Of course it was well within the GVWR as it was built by a GM Authorized Upfitter that really knows their stuff. After some irate phone traffic the stealership agreed to replace the brakes as they should have.

Then the "blacklisted" me in the computerized dealer network as a complainer, and I had difficulty getting it serviced at all! It took a lawyer and some time but eventually all issues were resolved and my blacklisting was removed.

I wonder how many other clients were in with a small issue that was enlarged by very poor service?


I deal with it more on equipment than anything. The trick is to push and never back down, but know how to hold back when needed to avoid the "blacklist". I've been publicly complaining about the issues and lack of support/caring from the OEM about one of our tractors that is always broken for over 2 years now. It continues to break and there are just some design flaws from my point of view. I try to communicate with their reps when i can but it always went nowhere either due to politics or maybe they didn't care.

However, finally after all of that time, the brand manager just contacted me and wants to talk. This would be the guy who overseas that entire brand for the company.

Sometimes you loose, other times patience and making sure you act professional can go a long ways.
 
Originally Posted By: MCompact
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
In my biz EVERY CLIENT gets a phone call about their happiness with our work.


That is exactly what my BMW dealer does- then BMW NA follows up with an online survey. And the phone inquiry never mentions the NA survey.


It takes a bit of spunk to call someone up and literally ask for a complaint!

It shows courage and conviction and confidence in your work. Companies that do it have loyal clients who don't mind a price premium if the service and warranty are there to protect them.

Well worth a two minute QA call!
 
Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
Originally Posted By: NHHEMI

That was it. I had enough. I should have gone Lemon Law on them but just wanted out of that turd on wheels ASAP


Judging from some of your other posts in other threads I seriously would bet that you are NOT telling BOTH sides of the story.

You strike me as a difficult person to
deal with.

I'm not saying that the vehicle was trouble free of course, but due to the fact that you weren't satisfied with the overall purchase it made any issues a bigger deal than they would have been otherwise.

The fact that the dealer AND the Toyota District Rep seemed to disengage you, and that you never attempted to visit another dealer for a second opinion, even with a bit of an extra trip involved tells me that you had buyers remorse, and it wasn't because the truck was a lemon or didn't perform to your personal expectations.





I am only responding to this as I was tipped off as to what you posted. You are on ignore so I wouldn't have known otherwise. I see you can not be an adult and just let things drop after our disagreement over how you handled the situation with your neighbor and their dog. You will now follow me into other threads and try and start a fight. And yet you talk of my character. Wow are you a piece of work.
crackmeup2.gif


I. - For the record I stated I went to the other local dealer who would also do nothing. You can never get anything straight. There are excatly 2 Toyota dealers local to me and both are useless. The next closest, as I said, is an hour away one way. That is too far to be going on a regular basis as I needed to with that god awful vehicle.

Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
I know this was long and qualifies as a rant but I wanted people to understand just how bad things were and I got ZERO assistance from the dealer( or the other local dealer - next closest was an hour+ away; one way ).


II. - judging by my other posts I am difficult to deal with huh? What posts would those be? The ones in your dog thread where I pointed out how unstable you are and thus not someone I would want armed in my neighborhood or do you mean all the countless posts where I say how good the dealer I use is and how I go there for most everything that is done to my vehicle because they treat their customers right. Maybe you mean all those posts where I jump in and defend dealerships on the whole and say they aren't all crooks and incompetant so if you do get a bad one look elsewhere?

III. - I wasn't satisfied with the overall purchase because the vehicle was a lemon. I was satisfied with it until it started to fall apart under me within a month of owning it. All those problems in just 7 months of ownership but you say I am making it a bigger deal than it was. Yeah, right. Hmm, that sounds a lot like a story I heard about a guy who wanted to bring a gun on his walks because a neighbor's dog barked at him as he walked past their house. You must have heard about that fellow haven't you? The one who wanted to turn a stupid neighbor dispute into armed conflict?

IV. - You are right, the dealer did basically ignore me as did the area rep and even Toyota itself. That is why I will never again buy a Toyota. It is because they don't give a darn. They are too arrogant due to the public perception of their products which makes them think they can get away with it. They were given every chance by me, in a reasonable manner, to fix these issues. At least to TRY and they failed miserably. Had they at least tried I wouldn't have got so disgusted but they wouldn't even try. My MOPARS are not flawless and have had problems. The difference is the dealer I use for MOPAR vehicles does their job.

Had nothing to do with the way I tried to handle it however. Unlike you I try and handle things the right way, the 1st time, so that I do get results. The threats and anger and all of that comes as a last resort not my go to method as it seems with you. Remember as well that on day three of ownership I found the 1st strip of peeling paint and the dealer made ME buy touchup paint. DAY THREE! How difficult could I have been on the very 1st visit to the dealer with a problem? Doesn't that show what kind of dealer it was? Even if I was livid( which I was not - yet )it would have been justified with paint issues on a brand new vehicle like that.

I never spoke once with the area rep so he wasn't ignoring me because of anything I said to him. He wouldn't call me back( left voice mail messages that he needed to come to the dealer to see the paint problems )nor would he call the dealer back either( they claimed )as I already stated. Hard to justify calling me the problem there bucko when I never even spoke to him. Even when speaking to Toyota HQ and getting a major run around and blow off I always said Ma'am/Sir, thank you and please, etc... Yelling, hollering, and threats have their place and time but they are generally best used as your last resort. When all civiilized avenues have been explored then you do what you have to do. None of the angry stuff came from me until right at the end( about month 6 of ownership ).

So you can try and spout off about it all you want to try and make me look bad and get your childish revenge against me but you are as wrong here as you were in your dog/gun thread. If you want to know how difficult I am to deal with as a customer I would be glad to give you the name of the local Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep dealer my family has dealt with since the late 60's or the Marina I have dealt with since the early 90's and you can ask them.

Now, grow up and be an adult and stop trying to provoke an incident. I already told you I was putting you on ignore and wouldn't post in your thread anymore. Don't go looking for trouble by starting it with me elsewhere. Unbelievable. How old are you? 12?
 
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Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Originally Posted By: MCompact
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
In my biz EVERY CLIENT gets a phone call about their happiness with our work.


That is exactly what my BMW dealer does- then BMW NA follows up with an online survey. And the phone inquiry never mentions the NA survey.


It takes a bit of spunk to call someone up and literally ask for a complaint!

It shows courage and conviction and confidence in your work. Companies that do it have loyal clients who don't mind a price premium if the service and warranty are there to protect them.

Well worth a two minute QA call!


The dealer I use( Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep )calls after every service appointment to see if everything was fixed and/or done to your satisfaction. They want to know if you are happy with your visit or not and if not how can they make it right. Excellent dealer.
 
Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Originally Posted By: MCompact
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
In my biz EVERY CLIENT gets a phone call about their happiness with our work.


That is exactly what my BMW dealer does- then BMW NA follows up with an online survey. And the phone inquiry never mentions the NA survey.


It takes a bit of spunk to call someone up and literally ask for a complaint!

It shows courage and conviction and confidence in your work. Companies that do it have loyal clients who don't mind a price premium if the service and warranty are there to protect them.

Well worth a two minute QA call!


The dealer I use( Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep )calls after every service appointment to see if everything was fixed and/or done to your satisfaction. They want to know if you are happy with your visit or not and if not how can they make it right. Excellent dealer.


Yup, our Ford dealer does too, and so does the BMW dealer I just dealt with.
 
Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
..............



Whew....another long winded um...post, that is a bit exhausting to weed though.

I certainly will admit when I am wrong, You did make a small mention of the second dealer offering you no help but it was buried within a huge rant and no details were given.

NHHEMI I can tell from the demeanor in your posts that when you don't get your way you tend to lose a bit of control and get upset, understandable when you spend good money on a vehicle, but it won't get the problems addressed.

There must be more to this story because there is no way that Toyota Corporate, the Toyota district service rep, and two dealers ignored your legit issues and refused to correct the problems.

I can only see this IF the customer was difficult or impossible to communicate with.

Did you ever send Toyota Motor USA a certified return receipt letter formally letting them know about the issues and the lack of resolution?
When you attempted to contact the Toyota District Service Rep did you first call corporate and open a case file?
 
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Originally Posted By: threeputtpar
it seems like there should be a lemon law that applies to dealer service departments like there is for manufacturers.


You could say that about any type of repair issue, like home improvement as well, but in actual practice it will never happen. You can't legislate good quality workmanship.
 
I've only had such issues with the domestic stealerships. And in fact, Honda is known for doing free out-of-warranty work from time to time. This is one of many reasons I am very leary about buying domestic cars.
 
How can you tell he looses his cool, he seems to have his facts straight, Also I know someone who owned an older Tacoma, I believe an 06 who had all kinds of issues with the steering, brakes, rust, and poor gas mileage who had similiar story, got run around from dealer while under warranty, basically ignored and Toyota Rep and Corp were useless.

Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
..............



Whew....another long winded um...post, that is a bit exhausting to weed though.

I certainly will admit when I am wrong, You did make a small mention of the second dealer offering you no help but it was buried within a huge rant and no details were given.

NHHEMI I can tell from the demeanor in your posts that when you don't get your way you tend to lose a bit of control and get upset, understandable when you spend good money on a vehicle, but it won't get the problems addressed.

There must be more to this story because there is no way that Toyota Corporate, the Toyota district service rep, and two dealers ignored your legit issues and refused to correct the problems.

I can only see this IF the customer was difficult or impossible to communicate with.

Did you ever send Toyota Motor USA a certified return receipt letter formally letting them know about the issues and the lack of resolution?
When you attempted to contact the Toyota District Service Rep did you first call corporate and open a case file?
 
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