Frame. Help

Just picked up a 2006 cre cab sr5 4.7 4x4. 117k on it. Went and looked at it. Ran and drove great. Used car dealer undercoated the frame, but I had them put it on a lift so I could at least see it. Had some rust but didn’t see any rot so bought the truck. Next day brought it home and randomly decided to take a hammer to the frame to check it again. Sure enough the hammer went right through the mid section of the frame. After another hour of hammering the undercoating off in some spots I found more rot. Frame is shot and I’m screwed. As far as I know Toyota will not cover this even though I’m in CT and truck is from MA. I’m mechanical inclined to an extent. I do my own brakes, oil, exhaust, small repairs. Do I get this frame welded where there’s rot or buy a used frame and attempt to do it myself. I have access to a lift. Anyone change the frame themselves here?

 

Take it back to the dealer and get your money back, CT gives you at least 30 days if there's an issue.

 

As far as I know if the vehicle is over 7 years old and I bought it “as-is” then I don’t have that option. Anyone know more about this? I’ll return it immediately but it was purchased as is from a certified CT dealer

 

Yeah, your bad. But there are consumer protections in place. A dealership can't sell you a car that's unable to be safely driven, even if sold "as-is". Just because someone legally makes you sign something doesn't mean it's fact. As an employer, I can make you sign a contract as that says you won't discuss salary with other people, but discussing salary is protected by federal law.

May wanna read this is you haven't already: https://www.tundras.com/threads/so-you-wanna-buy-just-bought-a-1st-gen-tundra-eh.115928/

That dealership probably undercoated it so they could resell it, and they knew goddamn well what they were selling you.

 

Do you believe the dealer failed to disclose an issue with the vehicle, made deceptive statements about the vehicle’s condition?

 

I’ll be calling them tomorrow. I already know how the first convo will go,”there’s nothing we can do”. I guess I need to find out if I have any real fuel against them. We shall see. Iv had Toyotas and am aware of the frame issues, I just didn’t look the frame over as good as I should have.

 

I did ask about the frame over the phone, he said it was solid and that they don’t sell vehicles with rot.

 

Salespeople will tell you anything to sell something. It's like the fable about the frog and the scorpion. It's in their nature to sell, and will often tell you anything to make it happen, even if it's not fully true.

Were you not smart enough to test that theory with a hammer, you'd have been the fool. Take it back. If they refuse to take it back, let them know you'll be contacting your state's Consumer Protection Division. Here's the website for the DCP in your state: https://portal.ct.gov/dcp

 

What kind of work space and time do u have to put this truck under the knife? Any access to a lift or heavy equipment?

 

Looks like that only applies if you paid under $3k.

https://portal.ct.gov/AG/Consumer-Issues/Auto-Issues/Buying-a-Used-Car

 

And that's what I'm saying. I doubt the dealer even knows the law, they just tweak it to apply the way they want it to.

@Ryu51890, you really should return the car for a full refund. If they try to give you a cent less, let them know you'll be taking legal action, unless you think the amount they refuse to return is worth avoiding the legal hassle.

 

What shifty said is absolutely true. Those agreements protect the seller from frivolous complaints inherent in used vehicles. But not for safety issues of this nature. I’m not sure of the laws in other states, but here in PA, I know you can purchase a vehicle at the auction, even with an as-is contract, but if rot is found on the frame, the seller is forced to purchase the vehicle back. Frame issues are serious, with human life on the line. Laws are not kind to someone who passes junk like that on another person, even though “buyer beware” is the common legal etiquette.

 

Update, dealer agreed to buy vehicle back full price. He was actually very cool and apologetic about it. There are still some honest used car dealers out there! Now I just need another truck lol

 

Wow, sounds like it went well. How'd you approach it with them?

*Now you know what to look for this time around

 

I called, said there’s peices of frame on my driveway and that the frame is crumbling. Made it sounds bad. They said bring it in. We put it on a lift and I showed them with a hammer that the frame is not safe. The owner agreed right away and apologized. He offered me $2500 to keep the truck or a full buyback. I decided to just walk away from the truck. It went much better than I expected

 

That's a good dealer. Glad to hear it went better than expected and you didn't have to pull any cards.

This is really a thread for folks to learn from. Know your rights! But better yet, bring a hammer