Because automakers aren't in the business of supporting privateer drivers who have differing opinions on track prep and level of talent? Both parties share responsibility. The first is that the automaker should build the vehicle for the purpose intended and second the owner should be aware of their responsibility to prep the vehicle accordingly and not destroy the car. Even professional drivers have a responsibility to not break the vehicle in their quest to finish first.
Toyota balking at engine warranty for RTV in oil pickup on GR86
- Thread starter TiGeo
- Start date
The thing with these failures is it can be inspected and the cause of failure diagnosed as excessive sealant used during manufacturing causing a blocked pick up pipe. So it has nothing to do with track usage.
Toyota needs to wake up and do the right thing.
Toyota needs to wake up and do the right thing.
Toyota has had RTV application issues for years. The Tundra cam tower leak is related to how the RTV is applied. This has been around for decades now and I’ve seen it happen as early as 10k miles. To my knowledge they’ve made zero changes to how the RTV is applied and they choose to just deal with it on the repair side.
Depending on the actual wording of the warranty and the types of events attended Toyota could be within their rights to deny warranty, however that does not mean they must, and assuming the facts presented with respect to the excess RTV are correct they need to step up and do the right thing.
I don't disagree in many cases however in this case, this is 100% a manufacturer defect/nothing on the driver w/r to prep etc. The driver has no responsibility here for a manufacturer defect that could have just as easily manifested itself driving to Wawa for a hoagie. It was an auto cross....
The issue here is the misleading advertising - its ****ty any way you cut it....to offer a track pass with purchase and market you car as a track-ready machine without a huge bit saying "BUT WILL IMPACT YOUR WARRANTY IF YOU DO IT". To stalk his social media for shots of it on the "track"...it was an auto cross for God's sake is crappy. He'd have no issue dealing with this in court with a compentent lawyer. The tech inspector didn't even look at to see the issue....just a big "no".
Straight from the booklets Toyota provides that no one reads. (and available online)
But this is not a "damage or failure resulting directly from: misuse - for example, racing or overloading"
This is a manufacturing defect.
If the guy had dropped a valve or threw a rod due to oil starvation caused by severe g forces that would be a separate issue entirely.
Apparently it's a manufacturing defect, until you drive the car on a track and then it becomes your own fault.
Doesn't matter, racing still prevents warranty claims from being approved.
It may be a manufacturing defect, that has been exacerbated by racing.
If there was no racing involved, and there is a documentation that it is a frequent occurrence, then Toyota would issue something on their own to fix it.
Also, there are computers in the car that record information, that Toyota may review that would indicate some sort of abuse from racing.
It's scummy behavior from Toyota, and there's no arguing to the contrary.
This could've happened on US-129 at or below the speed limit.
That's not what the manual says.
And exacerbated how?
True yet I would think a good case can be made that because Toyota gave track passes to these buyers they were in fact giving a temporary exemption to that section of the warranty. Otherwise it would be a form of entrapment.
I mean, look at this.
Inexcusable.
Yes of course, but again....they hand you a pass for a track day to use your track-ready car. It's crappy and this is a known issue, not an abuse issue. Porsche isn't doing this to their owners and neither is Chevy to the Corvette owners...but then again neither would blow up in an auto cross b/c of putting the engine together wrong. We all understand how warranties work and understand that every one says the same thing. Common sense and customer service should prevail. They'll eat it. The amount of internet beating isnt' going to be worth it.
Prove the failure rate with those engines for people not racing, and just enjoying their cars in their daily life.
If a customer comes in with the exact same problem, and there is no evidence via online, or internally in the car's computer memory, of situations that resemble racing,... toyota (and Subaru) will likely approve the warranty repair.
How much RTV should we use? All of it...all of the RTV..hahaha
You can drive a car to work and beat it up, or you can drive a car fast and not beat it up.
I guarantee you there are cars that suffer more from a simple morning commute than my car does from a "sporting drive" in the surrounding hills. Things like revving them when they're cold, slipping the clutch, jerking the drivetrain, hitting pot holes, or my favorite - popping it into "drive" to stop the car when backing up.
Scott
I get the manufacturer has to draw a line and have this statement - makes perfect sense. Life isn't black/white, they should cover this based on the evidence/data presented. He wasn't abusing the car. There are examples of this issue on non-tracked cars per the internets but of course that's internets...I'm quite sure Subaru who makes the motor knows about this....Motortrend/Road+Track are running this story...
