Dealer Dis-Service Horror Stories

burdawg

Well, good luck. I really think it goes back to the contract that you signed and what the wording specifically is about what they were going to install, if any.

bdr127

It is an aftermarket, but we were promised the exact one that toyota installs and that is why I am so upset. They gave us the brochure showing the toyota navigation system, but this is one called "Eclipse"

Thanks for the new details.... Like I said in my previous post, take it back and ask them to make good on what they promised. If the salesperson/manager won't make it right, then speak with the general manager.

lgjava

It doesn't really matter if there was a contract or if it was
in writing. If you didn't get what you were promised you can always file a complaint. How about starting with the FTC? Did they by chance take or use your social security number? File a complaint.

burdawg

Actually it does, and of course you can file complaints, but if you can make a case with the general manger then you may get some quicker satisfaction. My feeling is that what the dealer installed is much lower in cost than the factory system, hence their willingness to throw it in.
You could make the point that since they gave you a brochure for the Toyota factory system that it implied that is what you expected to get.
Years ago I bought a Nissan truck and wanted the factory style side molding put on like on a higher model. When that wasn't what I got, I complained to no avail. One of my neighbors is an attorney so I had him look at the contract. He pointed out that the contract only said to install body side molding, and I should have insisted on the wording being more specific as to what was to be installed, and to pursue any claim would probably cost more than it's worth.

lgjava

contracts mean something? That must be why I'm driving around in a $31,800 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER V6 AWD that's gray in front and silver in back, and that has a misaligned driver's side door! No I'm very sorry, but contracts are quite meaningless. Monotone, didn't it say monotone somewhere in my contract? that's funny!

jb_turner

Those mistakes were pretty obvious...You should have looked over your vehicle before you purchased it.

lgjava

kinda hard when it has a thick coat of wax on it! Or when a dealer presents it with the door, front, back, hatchback, hood, all open. Or when it's presented under a tree in the shade on a cloudy day with leaves all over it? Kinda obvious with a thick coat of wax. hmmm.....

burdawg

Interesting. Every Highlander I have ever seen has very good fit & finish.

target2

the salesman and the sales manager both said they would have the exact one installed that toyota uses. Since it was not one installed into the SUV originally, that is why we kept asking if it is the same. I received a call from one of the sales managers today, but have not had a chance to talk with him yet since he left a message on my voicemail. Hopefully, my call to toyota will help me get this resolved, but since this dealership is so large here in florida, I'm sure they are going to take the side of the dealer. I read on one of the forums that someone had a friend write a letter in Japanese to the President of Toyota. I may just have to resort to that!

target2

I think they took our social security numbers. Everything was recorded once we went into the Finance office to complete the transaction. I don't remember if we asked again about the navigation system or not. If I don't get any results, I will definitely contact the FTC and anyone else to at least avoid someone else being taken advantage of like I was. This owner advertises on our local station, so I plan on telling them that I will go to this TV station because they had a dept. that loves to investigate these types of things.

lgjava

You know, maybe the installation of the nav system required
the removal of the 6 disk player? Maybe not, but you never
know. Does the nav system work okay? Cd players don't cost too much to install, and the jbl sytem while nice is easily replaced? Good luck anyway target 2!

jb_turner

I dont think Toyota will do anything about the dealer because the dealer is not owned by Toyota.. they may direct you to contact the dealer. Did you accept the car after they installed the nav? if you did there is nothing you can do about it.

target2

No, the nav system was installed AFTER we took delivery. But, I got a call from the sales manager yesterday and he told me they will replace my suv with another one that has the toyota installed nav. I was really surprised that they would agree to this, but this was after I called Toyota several days before this and explained the situation to them. Apparently, they had something to do with this because I talked with the same sales manager 2 weeks ago and he would not do anything about the problem. His only response was that they could install a 6 disc player under the seat, which I did not want. I only wanted what was promised to me. Nothing makes me madder than someone trying to pull a fast one on me just to make a sale.

lgjava

geez target2 nice work there! I'd hate to see what you'd do
if you got my Toyota-brand-new-certified-doggie-poo paint job! (rofl!) You definitely were persistent. good luck with your new Highlander.
Paul

target2

I would definitely be going directly to toyota for that! Did you try toyota direct instead of the dealer? You might want to give it a try. They helped me and yours is a lot worse.

lgjava

Yeah thanks target2, I'll probably give toyota a call soon.
they sound like they really helped you out.

target2

good luck with your problem lgiava. I hope toyota can help you too.

lagenomai

Since I discovered the Hyundai Tiburon on Edmunds.com, I found it fitting to post about my trials and tribulations here. I purchased a 2006 V6 GT from Flemington Hyundai at the end of January 2006 (on a Saturday). So far the car seems pretty nice, but I should have purchased it elsewhere. During the price negotiation process, I requested that a remote start be installed. They told me the cost for this was somewhere around $500, which I negotiated down to $350 since I had previously purchased a remote start elsewhere that I was happy with for that price in December of 2004. I told them I would not pick up the car until the remote start had been installed, which they were not happy about since they couldn't tell me when it would be installed. Finally they agreed and on Monday I received a call letting me know that my car should be ready on Tuesday night. I called on Tuesday confirming that I can come get the car, everything was all set. Upon arriving, one of the salesmen took me out to demonstrate the remote start, which was not working. They told me to come back tomorrow and it would be working. On Wednesday night I went to pick it up and the remote start was actually working, but the system was a real POS. There were 2 remotes...one remote consisted of only a button, which was to start the car. Once it was started, the car could only be unlocked by the key and not by the 2nd remote - the Hyundai issued one that comes with the car. This was also true for the previous system I had purchased - when started the Ford issued remote could not unlock the car, however the Viper remote (with the button to start the car) also had lock and unlock buttons. I spoke to one of the managers (it seems as though everyone there is a manager) about some concerns I had regarding financing and to see if there was another remote that had unlock and lock buttons. It was at that time he told me that there was, but that was an upgraded remote start...when discussing remote starts, I was never told that there were 2 options. He offered to upgrade the remote start for no extra charge (as well as took care of some of the financing concerns I was having), which I thought was extremely nice and was ready to put aside my aggravations with Flemington Hyundai. So I finally took the car home with the agreement that I would schedule an appointment to have the remote start upgraded. The first chance I had to really inspect the car in daylight was on Thursday when I arrived home from work (I had a rental car until Friday so I figured I might as well use that). It was then that I notice a huge chip in the paint, right down to the body of the car. I called up Flemington Hyundai to let them know about this, as they had mentioned that I should call ASAP if I noticed any marks on the car. Apparently their paint people are only in on Mondays, which is kind of inconvenient, but as it turned out, someone in my household had Monday, 2/20, off and I would be able to take their car to work. So I scheduled the remote start installation and the chip to be fixed for 2/20. It's a good thing that the new remote starter was scheduled to be installed because during that time the originally installed remote starter decided to stop working...like I said, POS. On Friday, 2/17, the helpful manager confirmed that we were all set for Monday and the service staff was aware of what needed to be done. So I drop the car off on Sunday, 2/19, ready to have all of the crap behind me...in the meantime my car was dented by another car door so when I dropped it off I requested 3 things on the form: 1)Fix the paint chip 2)Upgrade the remote start 3)Provide an estimate to fix the dent. At 3:30 on Monday someone from my household received a call from Flemington Hyundai...which I don't recall the recap of, but basically it became very clear that what I needed to be done was not done...and after explaining what needed to be done the service person said he would call back. At 4:30 he called back saying the car was good to go and provided the estimate for the dent. Super. Went to pick the car up, the remote start was installed and seems to be working so far, however the paint chip was not fixed. Someone applied touch up paint in a half-a$$ed manner...it looks VERY sloppy and is certainly not fixed. Well, I think that was the final straw for both me and the helpful manager, who now has turned rude. He said that everything was supposed to be coordinated and he doesn't know why this happened and that he is frustrated and then asked "what do you want me to do?" which I didn't take as "how can I make this better" but the tone was more like, "Oh well, I've helped you enough, what more do you want from me". So I said forget it just give me the keys. He went inside and sent out the receptionist with the keys and that was that. A couple of things: I'm advising everyone to avoid Flemington Hyundai when purchasing a car. I was very grateful to the manager and felt he was really nice and helpful, but that seems to have changed and it's certainly not worth all of the hassle. I would much rather have picked the car up that initial Tuesday night with everything in proper order and been done and not have had to voyage back to the dealership serveral more times. Sure, the paint chip incident was probably an isolated case, but the staff seems extremely incompetent (shouldn't they have noticed the paint chip when they were prepping the car for delivery...the salesman made it a point to say how he would make sure it was nice and shiney for when I came to pick it up...it wasn't by the way, it was dirty and had several finger print smudges), there is clearly no communication, and they do not have their lies coordinated - you get a different story from everybody you speak to. So, while so far I'm enjoying the new Tiburon and so far would recommend it to anyone looking for a decent car at a decent price, I DO NOT recommend purchasing it in Flemington. Now, I'm wondering if it's possible to actually get this paint chip fixed somewhere else, as I intend to also get the dent fixed...and if this other place fixes the chip for me, do I have any right to send the bill (for the paint chip only, obviously) to Flemington Hyundai? Obviously their staff is not capable of doing it correctly (my 5 year old cousin could have done a better job, I do not exaggerate) and I'm certainly not trusting them with the job of fixing the dent. Anyhow, sorry this has been so long winded...advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

1racefan

Do you have another Hyundai dealer close to you that you can have warranty work done at?

If it were me, I think I would ask to have the remote starter removed, and to get your $350 back. I have heard that the best place to get aftermarket starters and alarms installed is at electronics shops that specialize in the actual brand you are buying. I think a lot of times, the dealers understand the factory system, but not the aftermarket ones since they may not see many of them. If you really want one of these, go to an electronics shop and get an all inclusive, alarm/starter/door lock deal with one single remote - and have them install it.

Then, I would just go to one of those places that does paintless dent removal to have the door ding removed. A lot of those places also do air brush touch ups, so they could do the chip while you are there. You would have to pay for the chip to be fixed, but it may be worth it to have them fix it, and save yourself the hassle of dealing with that dealer any further.

lagenomai

I do have another Hyundai dealership nearby that is a little more difficult to get to, but it would be worth it not to deal with Flemington anymore.

The remote starter I purchased was part of an optional package that Hyundai offered with the car - it included pin striping, free oil changes for 12,000 miles or 12 months, and some other things that were worthless to me. I only wanted to remote start. They should not offer the remote start as part of a package if they do not know what they are doing as far as installation goes. So far everything seems to be working with the new upgraded remote start (alarm/starter/lock & unlock) they installed on 2/20, of course it was a little over a week before the original one died...so we'll see. If I have anymore problems with that I will probably have them remove it, reimburse me, and take it to the place that installed the remote start on my Mustang (may she rest in peace) which was the alarm/starter/lock and unlock (for $350...). I was hesitant to do that this time because Ford told me it would void the car's warranty, which was no big deal at the time since it was near expiration anyway, but I figured if Hyundai installed it I shouldn't have problems with the warranty. I think Flemington Hyundai tried to pull a fast one...I think the $500 remote start was probably the one I have now (the upgraded one) and when I told them I would pay $350 for it, they probably agreed knowing that they would just install a cheap starter instead and make a profit. But I do have to say, they remedied that problem.

I am definitely going some place else to fix the door dent as Flemington Hyundai has proven itself incompetent. I was just wondering if I was to get the chip fixed if I could submit the bill for that to Flemington Hyundai...I want it fixed, not just touched up. I don't feel I should have to pay for that, and getting it back to the dealer is a real inconvenience since it has to be on a Monday. I leave for work at 6am, I am not able to drop it off before work and take a loaner. I also work a 2nd job which makes getting to the dealership before it closes pretty difficult. The whole point of scheduling repairs for 2/20 was because my 2nd job was closed due to the holiday and, due to the holiday, I was able to use someone else's car to get to the 1st job. I certainly don't want the hassle of dealing with that dealership any further, but I feel they should have to pay for their faults.

Thank you for your response, 1racefan. I will have to do some research on places that do paintless dent removal.

isellhondas

You learned to use paragraphs!

Your first post was almost impossible to read.

I don't like aftermarket alarms or remote starters. They just never seem to work properly especially after they get a few years old.

Hopefully you can get all of these problems behind you and start enjoying your new car!

needhelp15

Can anyone advise if it's possible the dealership damaged my new vehicle? I recently leased a 2006 Mercury Mountaineer from Bright Bay Lincoln Mercury in Bay Shore Long Island. For almost 2 months they and corporate headquarters have refused to acknowledge that someone scratched the paint when using a wheel to prep the vehicle. They keep telling me that black is a hard color to keep, and it's not that bad. This is a brand new vehicle and it's got gray highlights. Corporate headquarters refuses to return a call, never a supervisor available. I have been waiting almost 3 weeks for a regional director to call me to schedule an appointment so he can see my damaged vehicle. The manager at the dealer keeps insisting that it's not bad but the six auto body shops I showed it to all agree that it looks horrible. One told me it would take 3 days to repair and over $700. And he still would rather not do the work. Not worth it to him.
After getting jerked off by Ford Corporate Headquarters for the last 2 months can anyone give me other options?

bdr127

Why did you take delivery if the paint was messed up?

lgjava

take some pics of the car and put them up on the owner's forum. It's easier to see stuff that way.

needhelp15

My wife picked vehicle up at night. When I saw it under the sun the next day it was horrible. After they tried buffing it again the dealer told me it looks better, after the next 2 times it just can't seem to be fixed. I'll try to get a few pictures up but they are hard to see.

burdawg

Black has got to be the worst color to maintain. I've had only one black vehicle and decided never again. I wonder if the dealer had it buffed for some reason prior to you picking it up and they got too aggressive with the buffing compound?
Swirl mark remover may help, but it will just be worse if someone does it who isn't experienced.
When it's washed only natural chamois should be used for drying, and if that's not available 100% cotton towels. Polyester blend towels are will cause fine scratches. If you use a car wash, it's a tossup.

lgjava

It might be better to photograph a car with a black paint job at night with a flash. That is if you want to bring out the gray swirls. Black cars do get a dull finish though, for whatever reason.

Manufacturers do kind of ignore you though don't they? My paint looks like the entire cast from March of the Penguins used it for a poo pit stop, and even calling the manufacturer
gets no help. In fact I sent a bunch of faxes to TOYOTA and I
didn't get a reply.

needhelp15

My 16 year old will have to help me with the pictures. Any ideas on who I can speak to or notify since Customer Relations are useless?

penske314

Hello all:

I posted this also on the Honda Civic Prices Paid and Buying Experience before I found this message thread, it sounds like this might be a good fit for it!!

I just bought a brand new 06 Civic. When I took
the car home I noticed a slight warping on the right
side panel where bumper meets the body.

I contacted the dealer and sent him photos the
next morning. He called and said he checked his
computer records and didn't find any indication of a possible lot damage/repairs.

I replied, in writing, acknowledging his not finding
any repair records prior to sale and that we were worried
about safety features working properly and would
always like to be informed of possible prior damage/repairs.

The next morning, I got a call, that he had checked
again -- this time with the "service" department and
had INDEED found that there was lot repair/damage
and he was going to find out more about when at work.

So at the end, we were sold a NEW car, that was damaged
and repaired prior to sale and we were not disclosed this info until later. I would NEVER have bought this car had I known about this possibility.

What are my rights as a consumer here? Can this be
sufficient grounds for demanding an exchange (I only
had the car for 2 days). The evidence is there, and acknowledged by the dealer. I know Honda is very meticulous about dealers delivering cars in good shape. Would I be better off going through Honda and not the dealer? We are at a loss as to what to do now. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

isellhondas

The reason that body shop doesn't want the job is because he thinks you may be overally critical of the job he does.

I can't see your car but I can tell you that black cars shoe EVERYTHING. I try to talk my customers out of them for that reason.

lgjava

geeze Penske314 I have to hand it to you with the paperwork stuff. After a couple months the wax wore off my car to reveal different color panels, but I just couldn't believe it!

On the other hand in just 2 days?? you got swinging away, taking pictures and sending in written statements! Wow. You did a great job. I don't think with your smart way of doing things you need ANY help! I certainly wish I'd got everything in writing from the very first. Then I wouldn't be riding around after almost 3 years in a TOYOTA that's gray in front and silver in back.

Just keep complaining and sending in written complaints.

div2

After three years with a black car, I decided never again. As one of my OCD concours friends puts it,"Black shows every sin you've ever committed." In any event, I'd keep in mind that it's a leased Mercury SUV; it's not like the dealer screwed up a Porsche GT3 you just bought outright...

lgjava

How many panels are affected on the car? Is it just like the side of the car or the roof, front, and back? The number of panels affected would determine what really needs to be done.

Crap, I'd hate to make lease payments and look at a crummy paint job! Is there anything else wrong with the car?
How does it drive?

Mr_Shiftright

In many states, the dealer doesn't have to tell you about any damage he may have repaired on a new car prior to selling it to you IF...IF...the damage is below a certain amount. In California I think it's $499, which of course means an amazing number of bills the dealer gets from body shops are for $499.

So check your state laws on this. You'll have to find out how much damage was done and what it cost to fix I think, to go further with this.

bolivar

I think there is a Federal law about the limit of repairs that can be done on a new vehicle. Above this limit, a 'secondary' 'window sticker' detailing the repairs must be shown on the vehicle.

Unfortunately, I do not know what this dollar limit is.

needhelp15

Sorry took me so long to reply, it's the whole vehicle except the roof. I just brought it to a body shop that the dealer uses they had it for 3 days. The day I picked it up it looked great but that night under the lights in a parking lot I noticed "slight" swirl marks on the driver side door. I'm going to wait and see if the rest of the vehicle swirls come back if not then I have to decide if I want to just suck it up. I'm trying to be realistic, I know black is unforgivable, and now it seems I'm looking for the problems instead of at the car. The body shop tells me I can never bring it to a car wash. The "assembly line" type of washes will give it swirl marks. Anyone ever hear of this?

corvette

I would only use a touchless automatic car wash. The kind with the mechanical brushes may trap dirt in the brushes and cause swirl marks and fine scratches. If you go to a coin-op, don't use the foaming brush (or use it only on the windows and wheels)--just use the spray soap.

The best option would be to wash it yourself, by hand, using only clean mitts and towels on the finish, or take it to a professional detailer. Even if you do that, you will probably need to use a mildly abrasive wax to remove imperfections when you wax the car.

mlm4

I brought my Chevy truck to the dealership for an oil change today. This is the selling dealer and the place I have to date brought the truck for all service. For the most part they've gotten the job done without any problems.

After it's been in they always send me a survey and sometimes call too, and they have always "recommended" that I give them nothing but "Completely Satisfactory" ratings across the board. They also stick a letter in the truck reminding me how important a completely satisfactory rating is to them (they claim it goes in their personnel records) and if I can't give them a perfect score that I should call first and allow them to "correct" any problems (never mind that some problems cannot be corrected).

The service advisor always walks the customer over to the cashier and explains what was done. Today, for the first time in my experience, he also explained the survey to me. He told me he hoped I would give him a completely satisfactory rating and proceeded to mark the paper accordingly. Then he explained that if I did give such a rating the other check boxes were to be disregarded, followed by rapid sweeping motions of his pen to cross those parts of the page out. He signed the form and then asked me to sign it. I refused. He asked why. I said, "because you filled it out." He explained it was only a sample survey, that I would be given another to take with me and mail back. I asked why should I sign the sample. He said to acknowledge that the survey was explained to me. I said, "I don't get it." He decided not to fight me on it any more.

Because the service advisor tried to sell me about $300 worth of unnecessary service (injector cleaning, differential fluid replacement) and because he tried to charge me for the oil change that was included in a pre-paid maintenance plan (which he apologized for and corrected when I pointed it out), I can't help feeling like they are trying to bamboozle me every time I go in. It's not worth switching dealers over this but being asked to sign the "sample" survey just makes me very suspicious about their integrity. What value is a survey (to me) if it shows nothing but perfect scores all the time? And for what legal reason do they need my signature (if there is no legal reason then the signature is unnecessary). I'm not going to waste my time on surveys any longer. Even though he was annoyed that I wouldn't sign the survey, I'm tired of feeling pressured by these guys to keep giving on top of the business I'm willing to do with them.

lgjava

Well my car's gray in front and silver in back, so I don't know if it's such a great idea on me advising someone else about their paint (lol!)

Even so, a new car shouldn't have any problems with its paint. It's brand new, and the paint's supposed to last a number of years (at least!)
So the very fact you're having problems is a grim sort of outlook for your future.

Car washes are the norm only for older cars, but any factory paint job shouldn't be so bad. And black shouldn't give you all that many problems.

Anyway, the paint won't get better, and I'm very surprised that your dealership hasn't offered anything more than a buff job on a car with almost its total surface affected?? And I don't know but it sounds rather dodgy --at least in this SOLAR SYSTEM--that a dealership would use a buff wheel on a brand new car?!!!

But then again the purpose of a dealership is to dump a car on you, and keep you in that car! So really it isn't all that surprising at that.

You could file a lemon complaint?

suvshopper7

I bought a brand new MDX 2 weeks ago. I got a call from the dealership immediately right after I gave them good ratings on the survey. They told me that they messed up the paperwork and put the wrong vin# on the registration and financing paperwork. I think they knew but waited for me to respond to the phone survey. They now want me to go back to the dealership with the wife to correct their blunder. They claim that they cannot do it via Fedex or at my home.

Does anyone know if signing the paperworks really has to be done at the dealership? How do dealerships claim that they'll deliver the car to your place? What's my recourse to avoid having to drive all the way back to the dealership?

Thanks in advance

bolivar

I may be somewhat paranoid, but I would read the papers very closely.

You might be signing up for a few more dollars a month on a somewhat higher percentage finance plan...

bolivar

Lots of them 'professional detailers' will use a buffer on your paint. Then, if it's a black or other dark color, you are going to have swirls.

If a buffer ever hits a clear-coat paint, you've got swirls. They can just be seen on a black car much easier.

You will never get that clear coat back the way it came out of the factory paint booth. I don't care who works on it. You are talking about a chemical reaction to get that smooth finish from the factory, and the only way to get back to it is to repaint the car. And even then, most body shops do not have the dust free, heat lamp paint booth and a paint man that knows the latest paint mixing and spraying techniques to ever get it back close to what came from the factory.

Get over it. It just a car. After you wash it a few times, dry it off with that 5 year old shammy (sp) or those old towels from the garage, you will have your own hand applied swirls.

suvshopper7

They eventually agreed to bring the paperwork to my house. The figures were identical. Thanks for the advice.

seansarkar

I also posted this in the RX 400h pricing forum but I think more people in the N.VA area need to be aware of the business practice of these guys...

So armed with the numbers provided in post # 136 (of the RX 400h pricing) I go to Rockville Lexus and start negotiating on a lease for the RX 400h w/nav. I tell the Sales Person (based on one of the cars I liked) this is what I am looking for:

MSRP: 49,928
Cap Cost: 45,100
MF: 0.0017
Residual: 59%.
15k miles/yr 36 months

Well he checks with the Gen. Sales Manager and tells me they can do everything except that the Residual will be 57% as that promo expired last month and showed me paperwork from Lexus Financial and tells me that its going to cost me a $1000 more for the lease. Now these are the payments he offered me (supposedly based on the terms mentioned above)...703 /mo with 703 down or 600 something w/4000 down (as I was willing to put down 4000 to lower the payments). I asked him if I could sit w/Gen Sales Manager while he is punching in the numbers so that I could see the details myself..he checks and comes back saying the guy was busy..now this was a Tuesday and I could see all the other Sales People idling away. So, thankfully and good heavens that I did...I tried to get another 500 knocked off the price and when they refused to budge I walked out. BTW, on my way back I called a dealer in VA (coz they are much closer to my house) to check if they could match it based on the #s above and I intentionally did not tell them the monthly payments that Rockville came up with...well they flat out told me to get the car from Rockville. At this point (and I was way too deep into VA) I started thinking that maybe Rockville did offer me the best deal, so I call the sales person at Rockville and offer a $1000 deposit on Visa to hold the car...he gladly agrees on the condition that I come back in 24 hours to complete the deal.

Now imagine my surprise when get back home and I put the numbers on an online lease calculator (making adjustments for the TTL, Acquisition Fees) and realized the monthly payments they offered were way off (close to 100/mo off).

Next Day I call back and explain the issue to the Sales Person..He tells me he can't do anything and cannot explain to me why the #s dont add up as it was the Manager's day off and to check back the next day (i.e., today). Now surpise..surprise..today the Sales Person calls me back (after I left 2 VM messages) saying they can only do the deal with the monthly payments that were mentioned and the reason it doesn't match my calculations is because they used a higher MF...it just left me stunned..after wasting 3 hours w/them 2 days back he comes back to tell me they were not entirely honest. So we end the conversation there...No Deal...but wait its isn't over yet.

So...I get an idea...when dealing w/Sales Person he kept on highlighting that they were giving almost $5000 off. So I call him back and say ok...since the lease didn't work if they would sell me the car for cash at the agreed upon price (i.e., 45,100)..he says that it should not be a problem and will get back to me after checking w/Gen Sales Manager. But just what I had expected..he calls back and tells me that they cant do the price even though 2 days ago that was the price on his worksheet...I could feel the guy feeling bad...but thats that...One thing I have learnt if you want to do a lease do your homework and if possible take a lease calculator with you or use it at the delaership. Incidentally when I had requested access to teh internet they said the lines were down as they were undergoing renovation. I am now going to try and complain about the whole experience to Lexus Corporate and as many Executives as I can get in contact with coz I honestly did not expect this at a Lexus Dealership. Even my Honda dealer is much more honest than these guys!!

proacman

The dealer has corrected the situation and the matter has been closed.

tsgeisel

The service department at the dealership that I bought my car from isn't open on the weekends. How unusual is this?

And, more importantly, how might this affect any warranty work I might want or need in the future?

1racefan

"The service department at the dealership that I bought my car from isn't open on the weekends. How unusual is this?"

Depends on the market you are in. In a very competitive car market, they almost have to be open in order to use convenience of service as a selling point.

"And, more importantly, how might this affect any warranty work I might want or need in the future?"

Not to be a smart [non-permissible content removed], but them not being open on weekends shouldn't affect warranty work at all - other than the fact you won't be getting it done on weekends.

If it is any consolation, most of the dealers that I know that have weekend hours typically only do basic stuff on weekends (brake jobs, oil changes, etc...), and save the warranty and major stuff for the week.

lgjava

It's probably not too important if your dealership isn't open on a Saturday. Saturday's a real busy day anyway; it's better to take your car in on any other day. And then too sometimes on Saturday people you're trying to reach won't be in the dealership. For example, I've been trying to reach the Toyota Customer Service rep at my dealership, and she always appears to be out, and on Friday and Saturday, she's not at the dealership. So much for the weekend!

No, the weekdays are much better for doing things!

glenonoka

I have had one of the worst dealer service experiences at Tri County Toyota in Limerick PA. They never did fix my car. Used 1-2 quarts from the day I bought it. They kept my car for a total of 67 days the first 7 months I owned the car. You can view my website for all the details.
Ugh!!!!
http://mysite.verizon.net/vzenvv0t/myexperiencewithtricountytoyota/

burdawg

The compression check that the GM dealer did tells the story, the rings and/or cylinder walls are worn or damaged, probably by the ceramic deterioration that is re-entering the cylinders during valve overlap (that's something I'm not very familiar with). I assume there's not much oil smoke at idle due to the fact that the crankshaft is turning slow and not splashing much oil on the cylinder walls from the crankpins. Contrary to popular belief you can have a good bit of oil consumption without really noticing it under these conditions.
I've owned Toyotas in the past and have been generally satisfied with them but never found a dealer I cared for. They always seemed to have the attitude that I should be glad I'm lucky enough to have one of their cars......
The compression is 184psi standard? What's the ratio, 9.5 to 1? Do you have to run premium fuel?