Dealer's had my truck for 5 months - any ideas??

Hey y'all, back in August some rodent chewed through a bunch of wires under the hood of my 2008 CM while I was on vacation, leaving it inoperable and in need of a new wiring harness. Thankfully I have comprehensive coverage so I had it towed to the nearest Toyota dealership (in DFW) for the work to be done under Toyota warranty.

Well, the wiring harness has been back-ordered for five months, so while the dealer has my insurance payout, I still don't have my truck. It's just been sitting there on their repair lot. I call them every two weeks for an update, it's almost a joke by this point and the parts guys know me by name.

My question is - have any of y'all had success with any kind of concession from a dealer when they are taking so long, or do I just chalk this up to supply chain issues and deal with it? Insurance covered a loaner car for a month, but since then I've been borrowing friends cars, ubering, using my wife's car, and in general trying to make it work. It's been a pain and I can't believe it's taken this long.

I've thought about pressuring the dealer for a loaner from their fleet, seeing if they can influence the manufacturer to get the part prioritized higher, asking the dealer if they'd cover my deductible for me...anything.

Think I've got a shot, or am I barking up the wrong tree here?

 

I don’t think your gripe is with the dealer actually. I would take it to Toyota corporate and raise some hell. It very well may be supply chain issue but they should be much more accommodating in my opinion. Good luck - that sucks

 

I'd ask for some temporary wiring, basically a patch job to get it rolling. If declined maybe do my own patching. Plan B, buy a used beater to drive for a year and sell it when done. Buy it right and you really can't lose much because you save mileages costs on the truck including fuel consumption. You would maybe be out insurance and TTL a few bucks. The problem is now, mice could be getting all in the truck and eating even more. I would also be demanding the HVAC vents are all pulled out and sanitized, because unless it was screened off, they also likely got in there.

 

There is a thread on the forum about a member who almost died from mice in his vents. Dude got very sick! Search it up. Title is something like my truck and the rodents that nearly killed me.

 

Do you have photos of the damage?

Other users have had similar damage and just fixed it. Some work with a soldering iron and heat shrink would put you hack on the road.

 

Thank you for the thoughts and suggestion! I don't have pictures handy, but the damage was definitely more extensive than I felt comfortable taking a shot at - just about every spark plug as well as lot of other wires under the hood plugging into various sensors, including plenty that I frankly don't know what they do. I'm decent with household wiring but not vehicular.

I may explore the temporary patch angle at the dealer, if they can try to cobble it together while we wait on the permanent fix.

Good point on the HVAC vents; I will need to look at that. I have the airbox screened off after squirrels filled my airbox with acorns last year.

I also called Corporate this AM and reported the case. They told me they have a team specifically focused on part fulfillment issues, so I'm hoping that helps get some traction.

I appreciate all the input!

 

What is the part number? Engine wiring harness 82111-0C680?

 

Can you pull one from a wreck at pick and pull?

 

Not to make you feel better, my neighbor's new to him 2017 Tundra was in the dealership for 11 months due to a leaking rear cam, he got it back yesterday and told me he had a new rear differential installed?!
Either he's smoking something or just too happy to get it back.

 

Can you pull one out of your neighbor's truck while he is watching the Super Bowl?

 

It's 82121-0C240. A quick online search would tell me that multiple dealers have this available, but the parts guys at my dealer assure me that's not the case, as they can see the inventory system orders across other dealerships. I've spot-checked them by calling those places that appear to have it online, only to find out in every case that while it's showing available online, it's actually back-ordered with no available date.

I've thought about doing the salvage harness route, but I'm leery of that approach since the dealer said they could install it, but wouldn't guarantee the work (ie. wouldn't promise me that it would run afterwards). If I want them to warranty it, I'll need the new OEM part. That's what's got me feeling stuck.

@iantung do you know if your buddy managed to get the dealer to provide a loaner? Was it under warranty? (Mine is not a warranty issue obv)

 

That was my first thought too.

But - not likely as

a-that’s a ton of work for someone to pull and then hope nothing broke (keep in mind the guy pulling it is likely an ex con making $11 an hour as a general laborer).

b. How many broken down Tundras have you seen in a salvage yard ? I’ve seriously seen junk bring as much as undamaged used - just because the sellers are salvage dealers who ship to Africa and other foreign countries who desperately need the parts and trucks.

Unfortunately - your best and likely only option is wait on Toyota or see if the shop can send out the old harness to be repaired. There are services who do the repair - how good they are is a big question. I’ve talked with service on similar repairs and was told flatly no - we don’t install that crap.

From the shop perspective - you’ve got 10-15 hours installing a harness. Last thing you want is to put it in and then something either not work or fail a week later. Then you wind up chasing your tail trying to trouble shoot and wanna guess how much the company supplying that “rebuilt” harness will pay you. Yep / not a damn cent. No one wants to risk working for free - even if it means making a customer wait.

 

Head to the impound auction and buy a temporary ride, put a for sale sign on it the next day. Drive it until you can profit $500-$800. Repeat and use the profits to cover your costs of going to the auctions, insurance and TTL for your beaters, and any minor repairs or maintenance to keep them going. Basically you get free or cheap temporary transportation. Keep in mind some states limit how many times you can repeat, so you may need an assistant or two.

 

To be fair to Toyota, it's a 15 year old harness. Not something you would expect to be on the shelf in a warehouse at this point. If they ever get it done, it will be after they source all the connectors and wiring. Then do what is essentially a custom build. personally, I would be suprised if it ever shows up. Hope it does, but I would choose my path on the basis that I would never see it come in.

 

So I see that part number replaced 8121-0C100. You could check around for that part number although a long shot. Ebay does have a selection of wiring harnesses-link to one that may work for you follows. I do understand, however, why the dealership would not take any responsibility with a used part. If you went that route, you likely would be better at an independent shop, maybe somebody that can do a repair on the harness if it isn't too bad. Even if you find a seller with some kind of warranty on a used part, they aren't going to cover the labor to reinstall.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/155364784757

 

PM you.

 

Have you tried calling one of the dealers in Canada? Our part warehouses sometimes have stock USA doesn’t.

Call High River Toyota and ask them. If it turns out they can get one, I can pick it up and ship it south if you pay the shipping. Remember their prices are in CAD ($100 CAD is about $75 USD).

Edit - Cochrane Toyota lists it online here: https://www.toyotaonlinepartsdepot.com/p/51856921/82121-0C240.html

$2278.00 CAD / 1707.00 USD. Not sure if that is a good price or not. I would call them to check availability.

 

Thank you for that suggest! I gave them a call. Unfortunately no dice - Canada is back-ordered too. I think I'm back to the waiting game.

 

Sorry about your plight. I guess the next question is, have you killed all the rodents within a half mile radius?

 

If the dealer has your truck, they SHOULD be giving you and paying for a loaner.
My dealer had my 2014 for 8 months waiting on cat parts.
They gave me one of their loaner 2021 Tacomas.
My insurance paid for the first month, then Toyota covered the other 7 months.

Not only that, but when my 2005 air pump disintegrated in 2012, this dealer gave me a loaner for 2 weeks and I didn't even buy that truck from them..

Good luck..

 

As others have said, Toyota may never make any more of those harnesses. Seems to me that if you do not have an availability date from Toyota, you should extract yourself from that Dealership and get the insurance money back. If they think Toyota will eventually have it available, use that as leverage to get your loaner.

If they won't do the loaner, then I recommend the following. I assume the insurance company cut a check in both your name and the Dealership, you signed it and gave it to them to start the process (which, by the way, consists of them telling you it's not available which easily could have been determined before they cashed the insurance check). The Dealership will likely say they cannot refund you the money because it came from the insurance company. Contact the insurance company, explain the situation and tell them the truck has not been repaired and you want the Dealership to refund the money, either to them or you. Get them to help you with the Dealership. Then find a reputable independent shop that can either repair your old harness or install a used one. Have the insurance company cover that cost. If you go the used harness route, you may have to let the shop source it so that they would agree to make it right if there is an issue. The shop will charge a premium for the used harness but they need to be able to cover the potential removal & reinstall if they provide some type of guarantee.

FYI, These folks restore wiring harnesses and you might look at this website for context. I have never worked with them and I don't think it would be the best solution for you - seems to me that this is more of a classic car play where good condition used parts are not readily available plus your damage may not be extensive.
https://wiringharnessrestoration.com/?page_id=2

 

You can source your used wire harness through car-part.com, which is linked to salvage yards all over the country. What you want to do is to plug your harness part number into the dealer website and click the tab that shows the different models and years that used it. Then go go car-part.com and plug in those years to see who has what you need. When you get your harness, your shop can install it and you can move on with your life and the balance of the insurance money.

 

If I was doing it myself and there was a lot of damage, this is the route I would go. I'm not sure the OP wants to do it themselves. Plus, you need to be ready for some damage on the part....broken electrical connectors/clips, bent pins, etc. Very easy to do when you are disconnecting electrical components, especially when they have a few years on them and/or it's cold.

 

I worked at an Automotive Electric shop, we repaired many wiring harness for rodent damage. Customer would come in asking about replacing the harness, after checking it out, we were able to fix instead of replace. Check with a local shop, one that specializes in Elec.

 

Thanks for all that input and advice! When I pressed the dealer on timing, the parts manager told me that he thought he had 2/6 as a relatively firm ETA. Of course I'll believe it when i see it...

If 2/6 slips, I do plan to follow up on the harness repair route with an alternate shop, and pursue getting the $$ back from the dealer. Insurance paid the dealer directly, not me, so I'll need to let them know about the situation and see how they want to pursue.