[Mike Donofrio]

Just figured I'd post up up here, partly to recant an earlier post and also to update those involved in the LBJ recall regarding getting their alignment done after the recall work is performed.

I actually replaced my LBJs earlier myself on the Tundra as routine service (I have an '00-not recalled) and I did this work without rotating the tie-rod ends, therefore an alignment was not necessary. (Thanks to rlehan for helping me clarify my orginal post-BTW)

My sister's '03 Sequioa was affected by the recall, she called her dealer, asked about the work I told her to ask about the alignment. She's been having really bad tire wear as of late too. I placed a phone call to a very knowledgable friend who's a Toyota tech and found that Toyota lists two job codes for the recall work; one with 1.2 billable hours and one with 2.6 billable hours. The second code covers the alignment. I also found out from the same person that the new LBJ is different and that the alignment should really be done and that all of the recalls he did includes the alignment. As this is not my sister's thing, she asked me to help her out. I conferenced in and hit the mute button and listened to the worst BS ANYONE should ever have to deal with. Since he was talking to a woman, the guy was rude, short and disrespectful. Not only did he lie to her face, but told her about parts that DON'T EXIST on cars and why this was not necessary then HAD HER AGREE TO PAY FOR THE ALIGNMENT. It was all I could do to keep from screaming my head off. Man, was I po'd. I swear to all that is holy if I ever meet this guy face to face I am going to rip his arms and legs off like he was an insect.


A little later, I 'called the dealership on her behalf' and got the typical dealership runaround. The service manager picked up and said that the alignment was not necessary and that my sister would have to PAY to have the alignment done. He was very angry at me for having questioned, even as I was providing him with the appropriate job code. He then yelled at my sister and said "I AM NOT GOING TO DEFRAUD TOYOTA SO THAT YOU CAN GET AN ALIGNMENT!!!" I was pretty stunned, even providing the guy the numerical job code didn't defuse the situation. I quietly thanked him for his time, took his name and said I would be in touch (Turns out the service manager is the dealer's son!!! Same first and last name as the dealership!) Anyhoo...

I called another dealer a little further out from my sister's house (she lives in NJ) and the first service advisor I asked, said "Yep. You HAVE to do the alignment on this vehicle after the work, anything else would be cutting corners to save some time." I schedule the service and then smugly called the first dealership and told the owner's SON that my sister would now be taking her vehicle elsewhere and that he will no longer have ANY of her business (among many, many other very harsh words) MY GOD that felt good! I really enjoyed listening to him squirm--the best part was we were now in the proper roles, I am his customer and he has to listen. Not only that but I armed with intimate knowledge of this front end and knowledge of the recall campaign. Man, did I give it to that SOB for close to 15 minutes! I can't even tell you how satisfied that made me.

Funny thing is, my sister's a millionaire--she could buy 4 Sequioas this year if she wanted them. She bought a Toyota on my urging for the good service history and this dealer has been ATROCIOUS to her. I think she found a good dealership that doesn't treat women like dirt and I really appreciated that. She now has a relationship with a service advisor that KNOWS her brother will get involved and one who KNOWS our trucks, so this will keep him honest. The guy I spoke with was a delight, he also has a Tundra and we bs'd for a while.

Gentlemen, if you ever let any woman (sister, mom, girlfriend, wife, grandma, etc) you love deal with a automobile dealership without you---you have no chivalry.