Dealership Scams

Yes, very good point. No doubt there are some excellent Toyota people and dealerships out there.

Saying that maybe we should start a new thread opposite to this one mentioning who these people are (first name only), what they did and their dealerships. Unfortunately I like some others tend to focus on the negatives rather than the positives.

 

https://www.tundras.com/threads/the-confessions-rants-thoughts-of-a-dealer-tech-blog.162077/

 

Subscribed!!!!

 

Same..!

 

Just went to the dealership to get the Pre-collision and the Towing Brake codes fixed as the battery died and I had to jump start the truck. They charged me $185 for the diagnostic but refused to even start on the codes until I returned the head unit back to the stock condition. Only mod that was connected was the front camera and the amp for the audio. So today I have to pull the head unit out again and disconnect the front camera, and take it back in. The battery was from Toyota and its a 84 month, and the voltage was 12.4. They said the battery was fine.

 

Fun fact about the batteries. We can’t warranty them without getting a failed code from the big battery tester Toyota requires us to have.

I have had that damn battery tester pass (aka wanted to recharge it and not fail it) a fuckinf 9v battery at 1cca for a 710 cca draw test.

as for the radio shit.. that’s bull

 

Not sure what dealer you're dealing with, but you may want to snatch up the dealership's Service Manager and GM when you drop the truck back off and remind them of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act of 1975, which is federal law that governs consumer product warranties and more specifically addresses these exact scenarios...

• Dealer's Burden of Proof: Under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, a manufacturer or dealer cannot simply void your entire warranty or deny a claim because you've installed an aftermarket part or modified your vehicle.
• The Dealer Must Prove Causation: To deny a warranty claim, the dealer or manufacturer must demonstrate that your specific modification directly caused or contributed to the failure of the covered part.
• Warranty Still Applies to Unrelated Parts: If a modification only affects one system (e.g., suspension), the warranty on unrelated systems (e.g., engine) must still be honored.
• Example: If you install an aftermarket stereo and later have a transmission issue, the dealership cannot deny the transmission warranty simply because of the stereo modification; they would need to prove that the stereo caused the transmission failure.

 

The People who worked for the federal government enforcing laws like this have been mostly fired or are sitting at home collecting full pay for no work. Also it's been decades since they fought for us. So you have to hire a lawyer and take on the millionaires that own these dealerships, like a good little peasant we all would have unhooked the amp and camera. I have been treated this way by dealers for a long time. No reason to kick this guy when he's down.

I watched a guy get refused a $4500 warranty claim because he had a construction work vest in his back seat. Dealership Said commerical use voids all warranty. He was an equipment operator so he drove to work parked got out and put his vest on and got on his machine. He tried getting lawyers to help they told him he'll end up spending more going that route and to just find a independent shop and pay for the work himself.

 

Are you saying it is your belief that my comment was intended to 'kick' @Nickatnight while he's down??

 

Not a Toyota dealership, but nonetheless I think this is a legitimate example:

Used to own a 2013 F150. That particular year was plagued with rear sliding defroster glass that would just sort of not work...and the LRU (lowest replaceable unit) was the whole back glass. I'd paid the extra $1400 for a 100K warranty, and knew the back glass was under warranty.

Took it to the dealership, where I was told, and I quote, "Well, the defroster is under warranty...but it's permanently mounted to the back glass which is NOT under warranty, so you'll have to pay out of pocket."



The actual issue? The part # of the HEATED back glass was literally the same part # as the unheated back glass....but with an H at the end. Dumb@$$ forgot to put the H on the end.

 

He already had done the work. Of unhooking his "amp and camera" so dealer would work on it. The dealer already won there's nothing he can do about it.

Maybe we should all review bomb that dealer on Google how their breaking the law?

 

Point being... I wasn't 'kicking the dude' or trying to tell him he was a dumba$$ for doing what he did. I was giving him a tool for his toolbox...

However, if YOU choose to be a lay-down and allow yourself to get pushed around by a business, then that's on you! Don't blame politics, the state you live in, the dealership that's trying to screw you, or your personal lack of resources for any of that.

These tactics are used by dealerships because WE as customers allow them to leverage us, and WE continue to do business with them inspite of their policies and practices. Some of that falls on our shoulders if we allow it to happen. However, if you dig your heels a little bit and stand up for yourself, you may find that you get taken advantage of far less... In other words, next time you experience something of this nature, maybe try to unwedge the panties from between your legs and let someone know that what they are doing is wrong and you refuse to conduct business with an establishment that maintains those practices.

The service advisor is just doing what he was taught and trained to do. So, by politely telling him/her... yeah, 'that's not right I'm going to need to speak with the Service Manager first', you'll establish your position quickly. Once you get the Service Manager in front of you, simply say something to the effect of, "I'm pretty sure your boss or GM is going to want to be present for this conversation"... It sets a tone!!!

I'm not saying to be a loud, boisterious ass to anyone, but if you politely ask to speak to them in a private setting and simply put them on notice, it may go a long way. Something as simple as, "I was told (this)_ _ _ _ and I just want to confirm with you that's your position in handling a case like mine"... wait for a response, because most of the time problem is resolved at this point. However, if they stand by the policies, then expand a little on your position... and use something similar to the following:

"What you doing is not legal, and you may want to familiarize yourself w/the Magnusoon-Moss Warrant Act".

"I'll be taking my business elsewhere, and I can assure you that while I'm waiting for my car to be serviced I'll be spending my time drafting a letter to the State Attorney General's office and the BBB to make them aware of your practices".

"Any time I have left over will be spent sharing my experience here and your policies and practices with as many people as I can reach".

etc, etc...

I completely understand that securing legal representation and actually taking on a legal fight is costly and generally not worth the time or money it takes to do so in these circumstances. However, it costs nothing to NOT be a victim, and it certainly costs nothing to file complaints with the state's Attorney General, BBB, etc.

 

Yes your right if everyone did all these things it would help some. My toolbox has regular tools in it. I just do it myself mostly. Then on to my trusted independent mechanics if I ever have a major breakdown.

Anyways you are more educated than I. Im sure the guy knows all of your advice. Im sure he was pissed the dealer was breaking a law, but he probably got bigger things he can actually change and do in his life. Sometimes we just give up the fight when the system is bought out and rigged by rich. Its an exhausting battle, many people are just trying to get to the end of the day.

I wish when a dealer breaks a law a investigation happens. I wish the violation of the Magnusoon-Moss Warrant Act was a minimum $ 100,000 fine. Up to around a years worth of that business profit for most violations. That the Federal government sends a powerfull person to that dealer to investigate on all behalf of all consumers. Then your advice would work. They would be scared of breaking the law. This shouldn't bea political issue 95% of people would want this. Its the other 5% who profit and make money this way and buy and pay for their politicians. Its more likely 98% vs 2%



Anyways I want to hear more dealership scams. Our back and forth it keeping this thread near the top. Maybe some really screwed or funny stories are coming.

 

This is good. Well played....

 

I called my local dealer for a plug change, as I was ta 100k, the lady on the phone asked if I had a diagnostic report to validate my service request. I asked, "seriously", she said yes, I chuckled and said you keep reaffirming my desire to stay the heck away !

 

They wanted like $180 to give you a quote to change your spark plugs? Or was it free?

 

That...makes no sense.

I'm not saying your story makes no sense. Rather, I'm saying that dealerships are well known for pushing stupid crap on customers...and then when we actually WANT them to do something, suddenly they want a 'valid' reason and some dumb report to do it?

 

If a guy says he’s going to fix something, he’s going to fix it, there’s no need to bother him every 6months about it.

 

Excellent..! My wife doesn’t ’t know it yet, but “incoming…!”

 

Ooo I see a T-Shirt coming....

Nevermind. Hundreds of T-Shirts available for sale.

 

Diagnostic fee of 169 dollars

 

I was told by a friend of mine who was a service writer long ago, they were covering themselves in case there was an underlying issue, they change the plugs, then I say something wrong, what did they do?

 

Lol I've never heard of a dealer afraid to call a customer and tell them there problems with their car and it cost this much to fix it.