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This is the letter I attached in my night drop box slip:
I bought my 2014 FRS with 21 miles on it on black Friday. Since the day I got it, I have had three problems with the car that have not got any better:
1.) The biggest concern of mine is when you first start the car in cold weather. As soon as you start it, with the car idling in neutral, you can hear noise coming from underneath the car. It doesn’t matter where you get down on the ground to listen to the noise, it all pinpoints to the same area. It’s a knocking/rattle noise coming from the transmission. The noise seems to disappear when you push the clutch in. I don’t know if that’s the throw out bearing or something inside the trans but it’s a problem that doesn’t seem to be going away.
2.) When listening to the sound system, there is a rattle/buzzing noise coming from the left front speaker on the dash. I’ve never adjusted the volume higher than 42 before so if a speaker is blown or causing distortion, I have no idea why, but it is very annoying.
3.) I have two paint chips in the front bumper from the installation of the license plate. The two top silver metal screws that were used to secure the license plate to the license plate bracket are too long, causing the ends of the screws to go into the paint on the bumper. I don’t know if painting the bumper is an option or replacing the bumper is, but the paint is cracked in 2 places. Also, the two lower black self-tapping screws were used to mount the license plate bracket into the black plastic grill, now exposing two large holes in my grill. I would like the grill replaced too, without holes drilled into it as I will not be displaying the front license plate.
4.) I would like my first oil change please.
*to hear the speaker rattle clearly, play the song “Rattle.” Its located on my Ipod, under the “Toyota Speaker Testing” Playlist.
Now for their reply:
1.) They did hear the noise and stayed that I was the first customer to come to them with this noise/complaint. They did confirm that it was coming from what sounded like the transmission. They also had 3 FR-S's on the lot that they compared the noise to. ALL 3 brand new FR-S's made the noise (according to the dealer). They stated that this is how the car just sounds. If there is to be a Recall made, they will inform me. At this time, they did not feel comfortable enough to remove my trans for further inspection. I asked if I could listen to the other FR-S's they had on the lot and confirm that they are making the same noise, but when I came to pick up my car they told me I would have to come back when the manager was there to go start up 3 different cars ( I got there 10 mins before they closed at 6:50).
2.) They were aware of the noise/rattle coming from the speakers. They have had several complaints about this and they were told that there is a Recall/Campaign that is in the process of being made for this. They also thought that some of the rattle was coming from the master switch on the door (for the windows/power locks). These cars may exhibit problems from that, but I don't not think that's where my noise is coming from. They will keep me posted when the "fix" is out.
3.) The paint chips. The manager (Bob) personally called me and discussed these 3 issues I had with me. He said that he did see the cracks and he would call them more "Impressions." Despite his choice of vocabulary, I said should a new car come with dents/scratches/impressions? No, your salesman put the license plate on and used screws that were too long and cracked my paint. I paid extra for the white paint, not so the salesman could mark his territory. I said I don't care if you repaint the bumper, or replace the bumper cover, but I want it fixed. He said he would talk to his General Manager and see what he had to say. General Manager agreed with the manager I was speaking with and claimed that it was not that big of a deal. I listened to what Bob had to say to me and I then asked Bob what he was going to do. I have brought in my car for 3 problems, without any resolved to me. Being in a managerial position, I don't want you to come to me with problems, I expect you to come to me with solutions! So far, you have only reinstated my problems back to me. He replied to me saying that if it was his car, he would not worry about it because it would be too hard to match the paint if they repainted it, and if I replaced the bumper it would not match with the rest of the paint on the car. After insisting that some kind of resolution be made, he denied any further resolutions and informed me that I should put my front license plate mounting bracket back on. I asked for his bosses name and number only to be told a name, followed by "hang up and call the front desk because he did not have his number in front of him." Then he hung up on me. Touche Toyota
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