WARNING: Cambridge Toyota BRUTAL SERVICE
 

Well...after 2 months consisting of over 20 trips to the same dealer, it is time to write all of you with my (awful) experience.

I wanted to give a quick warning to any potential Toyota/Scion owners looking to buy/service/etc. in the KW region in the near future...DONT GO TO CAMBRIDGE TOYOTA

I have heard nothing but good things from Guelph Toyota/Scion so I would recommend there instead.

Here's why:
I purchased the vehicle at the end of June (this year) and was pleasantly surprised how good the sales people (corey & nancy) were to deal with. They allowed me an infinite # of test drives while paper work was being completed or I was waiting and they were very knowledgable/enthusiastic with everything involved in the sale. However, the second I signed on the dotted line...this ended.

Before I received my vehicle
- they delivered it late
- non of the upgrades I purchased were done
- they promised it on a later date, then lost licensing = another delay
- this delay caused me to rent a vehicle, which they did not compensate for (nor offer me a loaner)
- when I finally received my vehicle only half the upgrades were done (they totally forgot about remote starter and LEDs)
- they didnt know how the remote starter even worked (I had to teach them!)
- with 10+ wasted trips out to cambridge and a needless rental car paid for by me, they offered a free oil change???

It gets worse...
When I brought the car in for service I had a few concerns
1. Crickets
2. Window rub/seal
3. My exhaust that they installed was crooked
4. Wanted auto lights set @ 30 secs

Brought it into the service department and dealt with RANDY (awful) and service manager (rude/very unhelpful)
To sum up how this appointment went:
- Was told they didnt hear crickets so they wouldnt do anything or help me further (they said "just cuz you hear it on the internet doesn't make it true")
- When I told the service mgr. that Corey (the Sales Mgr.) said it was a common issue and that a quick fuel pump swap would fix it - the service mgr. replied "Oh ok can you just show me where Corey's mechanical degree is hanging in his office?" :thumbdown:
- At this point, I walked away saying they had terrible service and that they have a lot to work on...The other service guy walks up to me and says "Here is your bill.....for NOTHING" and walks away

At this point, I've had enough and tell them Im taking my car elsewhere to deal with real professionals and they said great see ya later.

The service TECH walks up to me (guy who was working on my car) and says "WOW! Write a letter to the owner after that attitude! That's unacceptable" ...So I did. The response I got was "From now on I will make sure that doesn't happen"...Great? What makes me want to come back?

I want to hear from you guys about your experiences elsewhere because I plan on installing a lot of stuff on this car, and a lot will be TRD which is usually easiest to get from the dealer. All I know is there is absolutely NO reason to go to Cambridge Toyota for any of your car needs.

Holy crap that's terrible...

My dealership has terrible wait times (double whatever they quote you) but at least they're all "Yes sir, please sir, thank you sir"

DIY.

I deal with Burlington Toyota scion and awesome group to deal with maybe give them a go too?

I know right? Like word of mouth is everything these days and they were ridiculous...they were not happy when I told them I would start this thread on this forum haha

So far I have done everything myself but I'm not sure I want to do things like rims/tires or stuff in the engine bay...I'm pretty new to modding and don't wanna f*ck anything up!

Thanks for the recommendation! I'm out that way sometimes so maybe I'll stop in if its convenient

@CamScion

Take your complain to Scion Canada https://www.scion.ca/scion/en/secure/contact-us

This is all and good but any mom and pop shop should be able to mount tires and wheels I think. Unless you have $4000 wheels I don't think you would ever need to go in a specialize shop for this.

If majority of your parts will be TRD it is literally bolt on stuff I see no reason for a shop to do it but even so I would stay away from the dealership altogether most managers are trained to squeeze every penny from you. Sorry for your terrible experience.

Wow that's terrible!!! Lets us know how Guelph Scion treats you

Will do

Yeah you're probably right no matter what I buy I always check for DIYs yourself but if it requires tampering with wiring that's where I'll probably go pro (but not dealership)...I was contemplating the TRD wheels that's why I was saying maybe dealer but that's not for a while anyway and I'd only go back to Cambridge for them if they offered a nice discount on them.
Thanks for the help!

At least they didn't scratch the shit out of your car like mine on delivery, even when I asked not to wash it. I keep telling everyone to not go there.
Anyone considering buying FR-S or any car from them, do not go there, seriously.
I went to Heffner for last two oil changes and will keep going there for service. My dad also got his Lexus there and both of our experience has been great.

Unreal...I don't get how they manage to get any customers given how many dealerships are in the vicinity...How can you not just eat your margins when you f*ck up on one of your customers services? Scratch my car? Here's a free buff, polish and some credit for upgrades....not that hard

I've visited Cambridge Scion/Toyota back in July and had a chance to chat with Corey. It was a slow evening so we just talked about the FR-S, Toyota and cars in general for an hour or so. I purchased from a different dealership as I just wanted to get an FR-S with nothing added and didn't expect to have a special purchasing experience as I wanted to really squeeze the dealer to get me a good price.

Cambridge is a good dealership if you buy one of their cars that are on the lot with all accessories already installed. IMHO if I bought a car and wanted a dealership to install accessories for me, I would just give them all the time they need to get the work done right. I'm sorry to hear that your out of pocket for car rentals but just take this as an expensive learning experience that things usually don't go to plan. The most you can do is just be prepared for things to take longer than expected whether that means keeping an older car longer or working in the cost of a rental to your purchasing cost.

As for the fuel pump issue, don't run fuel with ethanol. In Ontario the only gas with no ethanol is Shell 91 V-power. I ran Petro Canada Ultra 94 for a month and had crickets sometimes. It would come and go from day to day or tank to tank and sometimes it would come and go during the same drive. If the service tech can't replicate the issue they won't be able to charge the job as warranty work. There is a chance your car didn't chirp during their test. Since I've switched to Shell 91 the crickets have gone away. I have heard from other owners on this forum and read in magazine long term tests that the crickets come back even after fuel pump replacements. Most gas stations have shared fuel fillers so the first few litres of gas you get will probably be low octane stuff with ethanol in it so you still might get crickets.

If you plan on having more accessories installed on your car, take it to a speed shop to have the work done. If you need to have Toyota/TRD accessories to keep your warranty then just have patience, dealerships are slow and expensive.

I hope you have better luck at another dealership and enjoy your car for the rest of the summer.

Appreciate the feedback...I have tried shell V Power but the crickets are so intermittent that it's hard to tell what's making them happen...I'm also not 100% convinced it is the fuel pump (could be a squeaky belt too) as I do hear it from the engine bay. Regardless - I will be video taping as proof as they said that is also acceptable.

As I do more and more installs myself (just took apart both of my doors and console for the JDM handles/knee pads -> See journal) I realize that I have a little more skill than I thought as I have had no troubles up to now so maybe I'll take everyone's advice and just do it all myself!
:eyebulge:

I have nothing but positive feedback about Guelph Scion in every single one of my encounters with them they exceededly without fail go above and beyond! Not only the best purchasing experience I've ever had but their commitment to continue that experience after the sale! At this point I can't see me going to any other dealer in the future

I've heard similar things and plan on moving all of my future business to that exact dealership.

It's just too bad dealers like Cambridge don't recognize how much we all look into this stuff and research our cars...Seems like only the salespeople care about what you say

Thanks for the recommendation!

It's not just ethanol content, and even the "fixed" pump still has crickets from time to time.

I've had multiple tanks of Shell 91 that chirped, and multiple tanks of Petro 94 that didn't. I find the colour of my shirt has as much influence on if it chirps or not as the fuel.

Yeah I read ALLLLL the forum threads on the cricket issue and found there is absolutely no common solution or reason for the issue. Some fix the fuel pump, gone, comes back...Others fix it and its gone forever...Some never hear it in the first place, others right away. So for this reason I am just video taping when I hear it and then taking it to Guelph Scion...If they say I don't have them either then I better be getting a new belt or whatever is causing this noise!

*Not to mention, I didn't spend 35k to HAVE to go and use a specific fuel from a specific vendor? That's just dumb...I can just imagine what people would say... "Oh I can't fuel here or else my car will sound like sh*t"

The chirp ALWAYS occurs with a tank of Petrocan Ultra 94 for me and NEVER occurs with Shell V Power 91 (zero ethanol). I have owned my car since April '12 and have around 22K on the odometer.

Sure sounds to me like the fuel pump makes the noise with ethanol content fuel. That said its a shame the manufacturer didnt account for ethanol fuel in North America. Maybe they did, but fell short on expectations. I am am thinking this because the fuel pump has an insulated shroud over it that is probably supposed to be a form of noise suppression.

I just decide whether I want quieter with slightly better mileage, or slightly peppier performance then buy the corresponding fuel.

This car is course in certain aspects starting with the engine itself. I read that on one of the very first Canadian reviews on this car. So, does it make or break your enjoyment? I personally like the Subaru quirkyness of my Scion!

Ok so I finally got a chance to video the stupid noise I'm experiencing...Is it a belt or the fuel pump?? I just want it fixed haha it's the only thing that's pissing me off about the car, well that and the window seal rub

Keep in mind that this is by far not the worst it gets...hard to tell what makes it worse but sometimes it sounds really chirpy

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gPnUttbniU&feature=c4-overview&list=UUJz9RrwFKS5w5BxfezfXGQQ"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gPnUttbniU&feature=c4-overview&list=UUJz9RrwFKS5w5BxfezfXGQQ[/ame]

Going in for my first oil change probably this week....Think I might just skip out on my "free" oil change that Cambridge offered as a "sorry" for screwing up so much and just head straight to Guelph Scion....I really don't have any patience left to deal with any problems and I've heard nothing but good things about Guelph (Not to mention the manager @ guelph has personally contacted me through this forum and has asked me to inform when I am coming in for additional service) -> This is all I ask for, nothing more! :thanks:

Tizz22
 

Hey Guys ( Tizz22)

I read through all the posts and totally understand that you were frustrated with your FRS purchase, and I will personally take 100% of the blame. I should have never tried to get your car all ready for you in such a tight time frame, so again my apologies.

I think that I tried to rectify all the hiccups that happened with the delay in some of the custom stuff we ordered for you, sometimes I am at the mercy of our suppliers and unfortunately they failed to deliver when promised, though again that's my problem so I will assume ALL the blame.

I did offer you a huge discount in lieu of the issues and I thought I was being fair and I told you that I would try to help with any issues you had, unfortunately the night you came in I was not working, agreed that things didn't go smooth for you, that's why I followed up as soon as I heard what happened.

I know that you had the noise issue ( crickets), and through some investigation on my end there are only a few cars that are effected by this , apparently that is detected by VIN number. Though I know they failed to tell you that when you were in that night, so I understand why you were ticked.

I have always tried to keep an open door policy here and tell ALL our customers if you let "me " know I will do what I can to help, keep in mind I cant authorize parts to be changed under Warranty if Head Office doesn't approve that , thus the case with the Fuel Pump.

I am truly sorry that we didn't meet your expectations, but I do actually care that you have good service here, though nothing goes perfect 100% of the time.

I am sorry that we let you down.

Corey Preece
Cambridge Scion

Appreciate it Corey. However, the blame is far from 100% yours! I was most disappointed with the attitude of the Toyota service staff, which is separate from you guys so as much as I can say you rectified the issues with the sale of the car, the fact remains that any further service I get will be going through them and not you.

On a separate note, I visited Guelph Scion for my first oil change and was blown away by the level of service in there. The manager personally reached out and PMd me on this forum and said to text him anytime if I need to come in to the shop and had the service manager follow up later. I pulled in and in 10 minutes they had my fuel pump ordered as he heard the noise immediately and didn't even have to ask. They also took a look a few little things I had questions about and were very helpful in trying some settings out. Needless to say I will have no problem returning to this dealership for further service. The free car washes on the weekend will certainly help as well.
Thanks Jamie! :happy0180:

Sounds like the issues at your dealership go much deeper than slow shipping from suppliers or confusion about warranty coverage. The rudeness and hostility from your service department is more than just a bad day, it's clear there is a general lack of respect from top to bottom in that department.

My service department didn't hear the crickets either, but they took my word for it and ordered the part. They certainly didn't make sarcastic comments towards me. And so far I haven't spent a dime at their dealership; I bought elsewhere and my services are still free for another 50000 km. and I still get top notch service.

For a company (Toyota) trying to rebuild its image, and another (Scion) trying to build brand loyalty, your dealership is falling way short of acceptable, forget "good" service.

I've passed this story on to two friends in the Tri-City area who are shopping for new vehicles. Two families you'll never have a chance to sell a car to because of the poor attitude coming from your service department.

These are my thoughts exactly. I took it into Guelph Scion after all this sh*t happened and within 1 minute, new fuel pump ordered...No attitude, no assumptions, just people working with eachother to get the most out of the vehicles they offer. I could not believe my ears when I was talking to the those guys but was even more surprised when I wasn't offered any type of compensation...The GM said he would "personally take care of my needs" from now on but in mind that is far from sufficient.

What if I hadn't bought the car yet and had this run-in with their service department? I can GUARANTEE they would be offering me discount after discount in order to get me to buy the vehicle ffrom them - but because I had already made the purchase, the best they could do was "from now on...":bs:

Yet Guelph Scion chooses to take the HIT and give me a free oil change that Cambridge Scion caused, so in the end they lose a tiny bit of profit, but gain my services forever...Seems like a no brainer to me?? I mean I had to RENT a crappy vehicle for an entire weekend because of delays they caused me and they didn't even consider paying for it? Ridiculous. They forgot to install aftermarket parts that I paid for and had to drive it back out to Cambridge 3 times for no reason. No compensation. Then I still show them loyalty and ask them to take a look at a few issues (THAT EVERYONE IS HAVING THAT OWNS AN FR-S) and they give me nothing but attitude and basically tell me nothing is wrong with it....Are you kidding me?

This was why I started this thread, to not only warn potential buyers/owners in the area of the terrible service I received but also as a wake-up call for Cambridge Toyota (yes, they have seen this) to fix their issues and deal with them. The sooner horrible dealerships like this address their issues, the sooner ALL dealerships rid themselves of the rep that "dealers are the last place you want to service a vehicle"

.

Sounds like your experience at Guelph Scion was amazing, I need to find a good service area to do my fuel pump as well in the GTA area since Shell V still gives me crickets. Have not visited the dealership once after buying the car, done everything that I can at home :o

I hope you contact Toyota Canada and report this. Absolutely ridiculous! :paddle:

Honestly, people need to speak up about their dealerships both positive and negative. I'm still trying to find one on the gta that doesn't think I drive a corolla S(looking at you Brimell Toyota) for warranty work.

What is stopping you do your own oil change? Avoiding these headaches is the exact reason I started doing my own maintenance.

Probably due to the possibility of the damn warranty claim, and before you bring up the Magnuson-Moss Act, you have to understand that a lot of dealers will try their best to deny a warranty claim because for warranty work, the factory usually only reimburse them with 1/3 of what they normally charge for labour. That warranty coverage is usually done under a bean counting insurance company.

Sometimes I wonder why the hell I even bothered buying extended warranty.

What exactly is going to fail that can be blamed on oil? All the engine problems I've seen are rare and not related to lubrication. Please, don't live in fear. They want you to know nothing and feel you have to go in for service.

Well for starters I don't have a garage I can do it in....changing your oil in -25 degree canadian winters would be a little ridiculous haha

If things change on that front then I will definitely look into doing it myself

What is meant by your "corolla S" statement?

Are you saying they service your car the same as they would a corolla S and try to convince you it's the same thing...?

You know the assistant chief engineer of the 86 is actually the dude in charge of the Corolla chassis design. lol!

Their service department call me back about a complain, I asked them about chirping on my frs, they said all "corolla s my2013 does this with the muffler". Made me lol.

Did you say okay prove it!

I was laughing so hard for 5 minutes that the tech and his "decades" of experience hung up on me before I could talk.