Repair Process on This OEM Defect

[alrashwa]

Tanuki, have you been able to speak directly with Toyota, or are you still speaking with Scion? I've had trouble trying to go above Scion in my phone calls. I really wish I could talk to someone with Toyota.

[Tanuki]

Originally Posted by alrashwa

Tanuki, have you been able to speak directly with Toyota, or are you still speaking with Scion? I've had trouble trying to go above Scion in my phone calls. I really wish I could talk to someone with Toyota.

I am pretty sure the scion office and toyota are the same as far as the hierarchy goes.

Toyota (scion) called me an hour or so ago. They told me that their decision/ my options are in the mail and that I should see them in the next few days. I asked for a general idea of what my options would be and they told me Vehicle Replacement, or Vehicle Repair, but that all of the details were in the letter and to go ahead and call them once I get it and make a decision.

Great news!

[|-Goku-|]

Nice! Thats good to hear.

Vehicle Replacement FTW!!!

[Tanuki]

I will probably Get the letter tomorrow. I am very interested to see what the details are.

[Texas BRZ]

Hope this all comes to a positive resolution for both you and Toyota.

I've been through similar situations within my past ownership of new vehicles, and it can be a stressful and uncomfortable experience... I'm sure you've had enough of this already.

All the best to you, Tanuki... And I hope that they will manage to keep you as a happy client from the past, present, and future.

[Tanuki]

Thank you. I just want to stay a fan. It's kind of like how if you love a music group, you never want to meet them, because you never know of they'll let you down. I personally never wanted to get this close to Toyota because I knew it would either turn me on them or bring me closer, I would rather keep my distance haha

[Tanuki]

Alright decision time. I received the letter today from Toyota's regional office in Denver, Colorado.
I really don't have time to unpack the scanner right now, so I will just type up the options they gave me:

Option 1-

• Vehicle Replacement
• Will NOT replace/refund clear bra (which is funny because if I had bought it from them they would have replaced it)
• Requires that I sign a statement to attest to the fact that the vehicle was not previously damaged or repaired.
• I get a comparable version of the car/ options. I could wait up to 120 days to receive the replacement.
• Toyota won't charge me for mileage on the faulty vehicle, but they don't tell me if I will have a car or not while I wait as long as 120 days.

Option 2-

• I keep the car
• Toyota will fix the damaged area through their shop (it does not detail which of the two repair options I could do)
• Toyota will give me a Toyota extracare Platinum 7yr/ 100,000 mile warranty with a $0 deductible.
• Toyota will give me $500 Toyota giftcard (not sure what I would even spend that on?)

The letter says that I have 30 days to make a decision and get things rolling. I am still leaning towards vehicle replacement, but I don't know some of the details such as what I will be driving for potentially 4 months while I wait for a car?

[Those Meddling Kids]

I would push for replacement, a monetary award and the warranty on a new vehicle. Or I would push for a buy back without replacement. You never know what else might have been missed on this car.

[alrashwa]

The only way in hell I would go with option 2 is if they somehow did the repair and gave you a written notice that it would not be recorded with the car's VIN, if that is even possible. That way, it gets fixed right, the carfax stays clean, and you reap the benefits of that extended warranty. Gift card- I'd use for the upcoming fog lights or other addons.

Otherwise definitely replacement.

[michaelahess]

If the repair is under a set amount it won't show on carfax. My celi was t-boned and the repair was $6500 but my state has a minimum of 7k on reporting, so it didn't get reported.

It can be very hard to determine if a car has been in an accident if the repairs are done properly. For normal people at least!

[baldolera]

Originally Posted by Tanuki

Alright decision time. I received the letter today from Toyota's regional office in Denver, Colorado.
I really don't have time to unpack the scanner right now, so I will just type up the options they gave me:

Option 1-

• Vehicle Replacement
• Will NOT replace/refund clear bra (which is funny because if I had bought it from them they would have replaced it)
• Requires that I sign a statement to attest to the fact that the vehicle was not previously damaged or repaired.
• I get a comparable version of the car/ options. I could wait up to 120 days to receive the replacement.
• Toyota won't charge me for mileage on the faulty vehicle, but they don't tell me if I will have a car or not while I wait as long as 120 days.

Option 2-

• I keep the car
• Toyota will fix the damaged area through their shop (it does not detail which of the two repair options I could do)
• Toyota will give me a Toyota extracare Platinum 7yr/ 100,000 mile warranty with a $0 deductible.
• Toyota will give me $500 Toyota giftcard (not sure what I would even spend that on?)

The letter says that I have 30 days to make a decision and get things rolling. I am still leaning towards vehicle replacement, but I don't know some of the details such as what I will be driving for potentially 4 months while I wait for a car?

That's not right. The damage was entirely their fault, and it somehow got passed to the consumer. Now look at all the hassle you have to go through! If I were you, I would demand for a new car with the exact same options, along with a complementary loaner car for the period of time between surrendering your current car and taking delivery of a new car. It wasn't your fault that you didn't spot this kind of defect because these things don't usually pass QC and you would expect a brand new car to be pretty much perfect. This is also the reason why I would demand not only the new car but whatever you had on your car that couldn't be transferred from the old car (tints, clear bra, etc.) be added to your new car for free. Last but not least a form of compensation (gas card, free maintenance, etc.) be given to you for having to deal with the hassle of taking the time from your daily life to go back and forth to deal with the situation which wastes your time, effort, and money (taking time off work and fuel costs for travel).

[Tanuki]

Exactly. It is because of me and my diligence that anything is even happening. The fact that a car with that defect is even in my garage, is proof that Toyota wants to do the bare minimum. I will scan the letter in tomorrow, but you can definitely see that the way it is written puts a lot of weight on the non replacement option. I am planning to call in about this because where this is regional, the options can still be escalated. At a bare minimum, replace the bra with the car. How is purchasing the bra from a more experienced and higher regarded professional any different than purchasing through them? Why should that be refundable if they did the work, but no one else? If they'd gotten back to me in a timely manner, the bra wouldn't have even been installed.

[jadewbj]

This will never show on carfax, carfax is actually a joke. Prior to my FR-S I have purchased all my vehicles through a company that sources cars at auctions for your and then does the "delivery prep".

The first time I asked about carfax he laughed. He said that the only way anything gets reported to carfax is if there is an insurance claim made. Meaning that if a car was banged up horribly and the owner opted to pay out of pocket for the repair it would never show on carfax. It happens more often than you think.

A car with a clean carfax could have been beat to crap in an accident.

They use a digital paint meter to gauge the thickness of the paint to see if an area has been repainted. From there then then inspect the seems, welds, bolts etc to see if anything is off or has been replaced.

Option 2 does not sound like enough of an "incentive" to me to keep the car. With this getting by what else may have gotten by?

I would tell them you want a new car, with your options and the $500 card for your trouble.

The only way I would keep the car is if they give you the warranty, $2500 card (with no expiration) to use for options as they come out (fogs, armrest, TRD parts etc).

[Texas BRZ]

I'd go for Option 1, as you are leaning towards as well... With the following revisions:

-- Placing your new car order on URGENT / EXPEDITE combined with a reasonable loaner car for the time gap until it arrives.

-- Clear Bra replacement / reimbursement is honestly up in the air since that is technically aftermarket and was not done through them (as you mentioned), and that's something you may have to decide on pursuing, but I would still. *** However, you can opt for them to do the same installs via the contracted company they normally use, therefore they will only pay out on their cost for it.

-- $500 Toyota gift card for your time, energy, and inconvenience.

This is just to be fair with the manufacturer, and to not take advantage of them... They need to understand that.

All the very best to you, Tanuki.