Lemon FRS in Tampa FL???

[ICEBONEZ]

No, the 5AD kit

[digital_assassin]

Just stick out the install with the dealer where you purchased it, trust me. Learned a lesson with mine. If you take it anywhere other than the installing dealer they will likely wash their hands of any issues. If you do for some reason go somewhere else make sure you will have a warranty with them. Also make sure whoever does the install uses the adhesives in the Five:AD kit only. Anything else can damage the kit, your car, and kill the warranty with Five:AD. Your best bet for bulletproof warranty is stick with the original installing dealer and ultimately Five:AD will work with them to help them get it right if problems persist.

[jadewbj]

I am almost positive that this would not fall under lemon law. Lemon law requires the car to either be dangerous or inoperable for extended periods of times.

This would fall under a regular issue.

[whiteout fr-s]

Originally Posted by ICEBONEZ

I might end up with the first "Lemon" FRS. Here's the back story:

I went to Tampa Bay Toyota/Scion and bought my new Asphalt FRS on 6/29/12. It was on their showroom floor for nearly 2 weeks due to markups for a 5AD body kit that was "required" to purchase the car ($3k). After many people refused to jump on this FRS for either appearance or price or combination of bad sales experience reasons, I went back and made the deal.

The body kit isn't fitting flush all around the skirts and front end so I have taken it in 2 times so far (lemon after 3 typically). I am being VERY critical and somewhat difficult on purpose to a degree due to the nature of the way it was sold. I understand many will say "you didn't have to buy that car" but in reality they aren't super easy to come by in 6MT, color choice and options I wanted. If you buy a new car it should meet or exceed expectations or you should take it back to your dealer for options to rectify.

The dealership has offered to buy the car back if I'm not satisfied with the latest repairs to the body kit, however, I don't want to sell MY CAR! Aside from the body kit, she is an AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL CAR. If they can't get the body kit right, I think they should order another one and see if it was a bad kit or possibly just try to refund the amount of the body kit and end this mess.

Overall, I wanted to share my situation to educate on the potential for the 5AD body kit not fitting right for prospective buyers and also to spread the word that Toyota of Tampa Bay is NOT a place I would recommend to anyone.

What is everyone else's thoughts?

Unfortunately your car would not be the first "lemon". I am already on my second FR-S due to a blown engine on the first one I purchased, it actually blew on the drive home from buying it, first day. Toyota handled this by helping me out with a lower interest rate and some other goodies on a new FR-S but it did take almost a month. If anything, you should be taken care of by toyota, the dealership probably couldn't care less.

[ICEBONEZ]

Sorry to hear about your FR-S.

How did Toyota handle yours?

[Ironsquid]

Originally Posted by boucher

You were required to buy this car?

Tough crowd.

[FirestormFRS]

The body kit isn't fitting flush all around the skirts and front end so I have taken it in 2 times so far (lemon after 3 typically). I am being VERY critical and somewhat difficult on purpose to a degree due to the nature of the way it was sold.

So the kit morphed, warped, or moved somehow after you bought it? I'm betting it was like that the day you bought it but you were enthralled to be getting the car and didn't notice.

It's not a lemon. Lemon laws vary but most specify a safety, the loss of use, or some flaw that devalues the manufactured product. Aftermarket body kits do not fall under any of these.
Good luck to ya but you seem like you're sour about paying for something you really didn't want and are trying to get paid.

[ICEBONEZ]

No, with heat the 3M tape isn't sticking. It was fine for the first week or so (I'm in FL). I'm not looking to get paid, I just want it right. At first I didn't really want the kit but now it's something that's a part of the car and I'm happy. I'm only "sour" that the dealership took an initial stance of making a fast buck and now aren't doing the right thing. After speaking to five axis it was made pretty clear that the kit matches the lines on this car exactly and any body shop or installer that doesn't install it perfectly will see issues (hence why I wanted to wait upfront).

[digital_assassin]

@FirestormFRS - I agree lemon law may not apply here but from my own experience with the dealer installs of this kit on my car I believe @ICEBONEZ issue is genuine. I have one of the first consumer kits in the country and because of this I get the joy of being a guinea pig for the dealers. The kit is beautiful but if not installed correctly it will have issues. I know that my car and a couple others, like icebonez have made it apparent to 5:AD that they need to really get into the fine details with their instructions for the dealers and have since rewrote the instructions as well as created a video to assist the dealers in getting it right. Alot of the process is obvious but things like dealers thinking the adhesion promoter isn't required because it's a new car or taking it upon themselves to use products other than what 5:AD supplies is where the problems will eventually, or in our cases immediately, present themselves. I have chosen to keep the details of my issues to myself because of how 5:AD is handling the situation other than a few photos of when the first issues appeared which can be found in my members journal. Please don't attack a poster on here because they are stating they have a problem when you don't have all the facts.

[FirestormFRS]

That wasn't an attack. That was an opinion. This is an intenet forum for sharing opinions, thoughts, and ideas. Creating a thread "lemon FRS in Tampa" is very much asking for peoples opinion.

Sorry you guys are having problems with poorly dealer installed aftermarket parts. Not a Toyota/Subaru issue though.

[Superhatch]

Pics of bad kit alignment?

[S2kphile]

Another stealership poorly installing an aftermarket kit on a vehicle. I don't know how some dealerships stay in business with their lackadaisical selves.

[Tujin]

Didn't realize we had a bunch of lawyers on this board.

The Florida Lemon Law ABSOLUTELY applies in this case.

The Lemon Law covers defects or conditions that substantially impair the use, value or safety of a new or demonstrator vehicle (these are called "nonconformities"). These defects must be first reported to the manufacturer or its authorized service agent (usually, this is the dealer) during the "Lemon Law Rights Period," which is the first 24 months after the date of delivery of the motor vehicle to the consumer. If the manufacturer fails to conform the vehicle to the warranty after a reasonable number of attempts to repair these defects, the law requires the manufacturer to buy back the defective vehicle and give the consumer a purchase price refund or a replacement vehicle. The law does not cover defects that result from accident, neglect, abuse, modification or alteration by persons other than the manufacturer or its authorized service agent.

[FirestormFRS]

The kit is removable it does not devalue the car. The kit is devalued only.
It also has to go to arbitration before you even get a chance to go to the state AG board. Arbitration isn't normally binding but the AG board takes the arbitration under advisement when rendering a decision.

I wish you all the luck, but given it is not a Toyota/Subaru part I doubt you have a case. My $.02