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If you're willing to let Toyota set the standard for you, that would be fine, but don't expect people who have engine noise problem and other problems to be quiet. Thank you.
Hey, Mr. Moderator: How about creating a forum for Sequoia owners or lurkers who don't want to hear anything negative about the Sequoia?
On the ticking... This engine is not new, at least not its first year. Where they have used the engine before (Tundra) has anyone driven this engine 100K miles with the ticking and had any mechanical engine problems?
I find it very interesting listening to everyone and their proposed modifications and/or additions to the vehicle. While I may never do any of them, I may run across one that "looks like a keeper".
They now tell me the best I can hope for is for the dealer to be allocated what I order in their next allocation. However, they still may not be allocated my car in their next allocation. That means best case scenario it would arrive in about another 6 weeks (if I'm lucky) for a total time from order to delivery of 13 weeks. HELP!!!
Is there anything I can do. I called the 800 Go Toyota number who referred me to customer service which was not helpful. They just sent an em-ail back to the dealer. I told them since I was spending $40K on a car I would prefer not to have another one from another dealer which has been driven (which I don't feel is unreasonable) but even if I was will to accept this they say they can't find a white Limited with oak leather.
I don't know what else to do other than sit around waiting and hope something might be delivered in 6-8 more weeks. Any advice from anyone?
There are several ways to skin this cat, and several ways to make certain you get the right car but your dealer needs to hear you use the right verbiage to get them to react the way you need.
Ret
shweggy : My friend has a 2000 Tahoe and it's been basically trouble free. I think GM makers some decent trucks also.
I guess in the end I will just keep the pressure on my dealer and hope for the best. I generally like my Sequoia, but the clicking (or ticking) must be fixed one way or another.
Here is the link:
/direct/view/.eeca1cf
Does shifting into L1 and shifting back keep the diff locked until one goes in transmission neutral. That is what I observed, but I was on my gravel driveway and did not drive it anywhere. It also looked like shifting quickly through neutral kept it locked in reverse. thanks.
Hey, has anyone on this board taken their Sequoia offroad and used 4WD Low yet?
As to the odd characters, that was a cut and paste error that I missed. It is my understanding that the differential is only locked when in "L" and unlocks when you up-shift. I could be wrong about that and if I am. please let me know.
I do have one question for you about this. Could you describe for me what you believe you gain by having the center differential locked. I've given this a fair amount of thought, and can't really think of a time that there is any advantage to this if you are stuck with the low gear range on the transfer case. I can see why you would want to lock in in the high range if you are in sand, but can't think of an advantage in low.
I agree, if you are in deep sand, your wheels could dig in in 4WD low, and you don't have the additional advantage of speed to get you through the rough spots. I would not use it under that scenario.
For *most* owners, the Seq is anything but a well-built, high quality vehicle. It performs its function flawlessly, and what it lacks in luxury features, it more than makes up for in grit and style. It turns heads and unique in its own way. Years from now, you will be glad you bought one and not another Expy or Tahoe. Yes, you pay a little more, but whoever said a good thing is cheap ?
gpm: methinks you have allowed the 'ticking noise' to take control of you. You are obsessed with this noise. Get a hold of yourself. Drive the vehicle and stop this incessant updates on mileage-versus-noise... I have 8,000 miles, and I can tell you I have never even bothered tring to find a ticking noise. I guess I have a lot more to do than allow other's problem to bother me that much.
dan165: The Seq must have cost a pretty penny, eh ? especially with the weaker Can$. Shelling out Can$60 big ones on a first year vehicle must be a lot to stomach. And God forbid that vehicle should ever be anything but flawless and perfect ! Wake up, man. It is a car, and imperfect, like you and I. I don't recall the value we have yet placed on the shmuck and imperfect human beings who put these vehicles together !!! Wanna place one ?
Now off my soap box and back to my rocking chair... Enjoy the long weekend everyone.. and Glad to be back to good 'ol US of A after a long trip to Europe. Man, it is nice to have the Seq to drive again. It is a "flawless" vehicle afterall... well, almost :-)
oac - I'm not expecting perfection, but I do expect a $50K+ CDN truck to drive with out engine clicking. Please don't smugly tell me to "wake up"! You are not in my shoes so you don't know what it's like. While I do appreciate that there are problems with everything (especially first year vehicles), I don't like the fact that there is no fix and no one seems to know anything.
I have an appointment with the owner of the Toyota dealership next week so we will see what comes of it.
In a fit of fury I shouted expletives (most unladylike) and told them to keep it. I don't want it anymore. And threw in for good measure that they should try not to hit anything when they drive it back on to their lot to sell again! Then I drove off into the sunset in the loaner Avalon they gave me a week earlier. Here's my question to you folks....
Am I unjustified in expecting them to replace my car? If you think so, then what compensation would you suggest I deserve? I am concerned that the paint on 1/3 of the car as well a the moulding are always going to be a potential problem for us. Yes, I'm bitter and I think I have a right to be. I bought the car on 12/31 at only 500 under msrp and as you all know, it's not a small investment. I expected my car to be detailed and looking like new. Not scratched, painted, smashed, painted, and glued back together....and still dirty!!!
Talk me down from the ledge and NEVER, EVER, USE CONCORD TOYOTA OR M2 COLLISSION IN CONCORD, CA!!!
Rose
Your approach probably with anger was not rational at the time but IMO talk to the customer service manager at Concord Toyota and give them a few options that you feel are reasonable they should do to keep your trust and business. Giving them an ultimatum just creates a difficult situation worse, especially for the one who bought the product. (Which is you unfortunately in this case)
I would give the dealer an option to replace with a new one from his lot or order one and offer to pay the difference in value had yours been in perfect condition. Meaning use the Kelley Blue Book value or Edmunds TMV for not so new Seq. with similar options of your truck and what the one on their lot is worth, using the Edmunds TMV, once that price is settled, the two of you can split the difference. For example if yours is worth $38k and on their lot new one is worth $42K you pay $2k to get another new Seq. and he pays 2K or whatever his cost maybe to him. You end up paying little but you get a new truck and if they do this then you are not without a Seq. This is just one option. Hope it makes sense, it works out for you.
You can get the dealer to make it as good as it can get, but unfortunately it will never be new. He/the body shop (or another body shop) can order and replace the rubber seal around the wheel well trim. He can take care of the overspray etc. Maybe you can get the dealer to give you some incentive to 'not take him to court' although a court would only order that the vehicle be 'made like new' which the dealer should and likely will do his best to do anyways. Maybe the dealer will give you something like lifetime free oil changes or such. On the other hand if their service department performs by setting cans on hood, that is likely not the place you want to go for service.
Climbing down from my soap box now.
Rose
I bought my Sequoia from Walnut Creek Toyota. I was treated like a king. I get Lexus
service and I bought a Toyota. When I bring in one of my two Toyota's a '99 Avalon ,or my Sequoia in for servicing , they can't do enough for me. I would recommend you try Walnut
Creek Toyota. Good Luck
I agree with you regarding getting the body shop and a dealer to split the difference but that may be a extremely a hard sell since, they are in bed with them and they wouold consider it as one at that moment. Again its a suggestion only. You are in direct contact with them, and deal with them through their management and follow up with a letter with the conversation then send a copy of the letter to the Toyota service district office. If the local office does not respond send a copy of the letter to company HQ in Torrance. Take it one step at a time and give them opportunity to respond. BTW: Send all letters via either a FedEx or similar to keep a track of who is getting the copies.
One more thing as one of the other messages stated you can try the whole court thing but more likely the courts will only ask to make it 'like new' which the dealer can and would probably do, than you have no leverage with them and you will have 'like new' at best. Best is to document and give the customer relations departments at the dealership and factory a opportunity.
Good Luck.
thanks and I hope each of you had a safe and enjoyable memorial day weekend.
On the gas tank issue - I didn't mean to imply that there are 4 - 5 gallons AFTER the light comes on. I'm pretty sure this is not the case. I meant that when filling up, the pump will click off when there are only ~22 gallons in the tank. If you continue to fill a little at a time you can get close to 26 gallons in but then I think you might be messing with the evaporator system, as someone pointed out to me a while back. At these prices you don't want to put in 26 galloons at a time anyway. Just top it off at 20 gallons and enjoy the ride.
I honestly don't know what they can do at this point. They wont give you a new truck. They can't undo the damage to the future value. Your best bet is to raise enough of a stink to get some form of compensation. Get a 100K mile warranty or something like that.
I would check out the following sites:
www.yakima.com
www.thule.com
Then, check out some online retailers like:
http://www.ageebike.com/Opening.htm - These guys provide free shipping and give you 20% credit to some accessories.
www.excelsports.com - pretty good prices on some racks
If I find others I will post them.
Hope this helps. Good Luck
Hope this helps!
Drew
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The bike rack tilts away from the vehicle--very nice. It also has a kryptonite type lock that locks the rack to the hitch, and a second krytonite lock that locks the bikes to the bike rack (both locks use the same key). Very easy to use. The Monte has a spare tire off the back, and I needed the extended base plate (it was only six dollars extra--doubt you would need it with a Seq. but you might want to make sure).
Total cost was $315.00 (including the 2 bike extension--holds a total of four bikes).
I took it to my local dealer service center, and after a long conversation, and a demo-ride with my service advisor, I left it there for them to fix. From the story I heard, their trim guy looked at it for about twenty minutes, and proclaimed he hadn't a clue as to its origin. The dealer subsequently farmed the job out to a professional trim shop, who promptly fixed it, or so we thought.
The same popping noise re-appeared in early May, so I immediately took my Sequoia back to the dealer, who in turn, immediately sent it back to the outside-trim shop. The same trim shop worked for two days on it, and couldn't get rid of the popping noise. Come to find out later that they told the dealer on this second trip that they really didn't know what they did to fix the pop the first time. The acknowledged to the dealer on this visit that they couldn't fix it.
The dealer then sublet the job to an independent BODY SHOP. The body shop apparently went down the path of the trim-shop and thought that the pop could be coming from a joint where the firewall, door pillar, and fender wall meet. They stated that they observed a weld-seam that didn't appear "right", as compared to the surrounding area, so they reformed it slightly.
The body shop manager, the service advisor and his manager test drove my Sequoia, and pronounced it fixed. After I picked it up, I got no more than ten miles from the shop when that familiar sound started up again. I immediately went back to the dealer with the problem and demanded that something be done. It was too late in the day, and my loaner had already been sent back to the car rental place.
The next time I was able to take time off, my roommate and I went to the dealer's service department - they called in the manager of the offsite body shop, and the service manager, and we all discussed the problem. It was at this point that I went riding around with JUST the body shop manager to test for the noise. There was an advantage to this because the body shop is not at all affiliated with the dealer. During that ride, I got the "straight poop".
The facts at this point as related to me by the body shop manager are that they have no idea where the noise is coming from, and have no idea how to fix it. The next step would be to remove the dash and examine construction, but that's not such a great solution either, because the body shop manager told me that they couldn't drive it without a dash installed. Jeez, the moment they remove that dash, it'll NEVER go back together as well as the factory - it'll be "rattle-hell".
So here we are. The dealer can't fix it - the body shop sounds like he doesn't want to go anywhere near it, and that's when I decided to call Toyota in on this one. My fear is that Toyota will minimize the noise as nature-of-the-beast bs, and tell me that there's really nothing severely wrong. My point is that the noise is distracting, irritating, and I will not accept it happening in a $45,000.00 vehicle.
I wanted to come here for some advice first. Has any Sequoia owner experienced this type of noise, and if so, what did you do to fix it, and any other sage advice. Thanks
-Steve
And if they don't come through, you should inform that you will be looking on their lot for a new car and you're a kinda clumsy walker and that you may accidently bump into and scratch a couple of their Landcuisers and such. But hey...since they take the position that a repaint doesn't harm the value, they they shouldn't mind you walking the lot when they're closed on Sundays.
I love this group discussion format. User/Owners get together to discuss issues/problems with their vehicles, hob-knob, and otherwise enjoy the online company of comrades who share a common thread - in this case, vehicle ownership. I plan on joining an online group that formed for the vehicle we just purchased. Good luck to all.
-Steve
It is very possible that what you are hearing is the TRACS system in operation. If a wheel looses its grip on the road, the ABS system will activate on the one wheel that needs it. When this happens, you will not feel much of anything but will hear a loud popping or clicking noise. This is very normal and indicates that you don't have a problem.
This noise will not happen on every bump. It will happen if you are heavy on the throttle when you hit one.
This is just a theory. There may actually be something wrong with your vehicle. I've never seen a Sequoia that will activate the TRACS system that often, but if you live in an area with very rough roads and you are a natural born lead foot, I can see this happening. Your description of the location and type of sound are what lead me to this theory.
Good luck.