I own an '01 Tundra Access Cab, 4x4, TRD, Limited. I ordered and
bought this truck new at Marietta Toyota in Marietta, GA in April '01.
I got a pretty good deal on the truck and the delivery of the truck
and treatment of me as a customer was second to none.
From the very beginning I noticed the truck had a tendency to pull
right. I brought it back to Marietta Toyota and asked them to look at
it. They said everything was fine mechanically but a tire was low on
pressure. I found that very hard to believe since I knew before I
went in that the tire pressure in every tire (including the spare
)
was perfect. I was a tire technician and service writer for years and
I am really precise about my tires.
The truck continued to pull right so I brought it back for the 6K oil
change. Again they said it was tire pressure. This time I challenged
that by telling them I was religious about tire pressure and had
personally checked it before bringing it in. In fact, I check my
pressure at every other gas fillup. They then tried to blame my
gauge. I showed them my very good tire gauge so they then decided it
was road crown.
AT 18K I took the truck in and told them to align it at my expense.
They came back and said they had to make on very minor changes but the
specs were fully within limits before they even started. At this
point they pointed out the treads on the tires were seperating. I had
them rotate in my spare (big mistake, trust me)
I brought the truck back in a thousand miles later. The tires on the
truck were worn to the point of baldness (less than 2/1000 of usable
tread left) at 19K. At this point I noticed that the alignment
paperwork fromt he previous alignment indicated they had set it to 4x2
specs, not 4x4 specs. Since they told me at that time the truck was
already fully within specs that tells me the truck had ALWAYS been set
wrong. After intense haggling between me and the dealer they agreed
to realign the truck to the proper specs and replace two tires. I
paid for two more myself and they installed a complete set of
Michelins. The alignment guy and the service writer were VERY unhappy
and gave me the impression they thought I was just a chronic
complainer. They didn't say it but they certainly let me know,
particularly through their body language.
I took the truck home and again it pulls right. Consistently. Hard
enough that after a long trip your wrists are sore from holding it in
place. I took it back. On top of that the tires bounce around all
the time. So now it feels like I have a bad alignment and a bad
balance. I examine the wheels and tires and they have used over three
ounces on two tires and on one other tire they have two weights placed
120 degrees apart. I have a balanced a lot of tires in my life and
had never seen a balance like that unless the wheel was warped badly.
Trust me, the wheels were not (and still are not) warped. I took it
back to Marietta Toyota and asked them to check it. This time they
told me they had nobody available to check out the alignment.
I took it to another Toyota dealership and they essentially said I
needed to take this up with Marietta Toyota. I called they Toyota
customer service line and they took my information and told me they
would contact the Customer Satisfaction person at Marietta Toyota and
they would contact me within three business days, but usually within a
day. Three business days came and went which bracketed a three day
weekend due to a holiday (Labor Day)and still I hadn't heard back. I
called the Toyota Cusomer Relations line back (1-800-331-4331) and
they asked me to give Marietta Toyota another day. I waited until the
next day and again called back the Customer Relations line. This time
they told me there was nothing they could do about it. Their not so
helpful message to me was "we can't make them contact you. You will
need to call them directly". Now I'm hot. What good has it done to
deal with Marietta Toyota directly?
I call Marietta Toyota and ask for their Customer Relations Manager
and was told she was out but would contact me shortly. I left my
number and waited five hours. Nothing. I called back and was told
she was in a meeting. I again left my number. After two more hours,
still no reply. Now, I am really mad.
I pick up the phone and call my salesman at Marietta Toyota. This guy
is a prince. He listens to just a fraction of my story and tells me
to stay at my number and he will get someone on it. As we are talking
my incoming line starts ringing and I can tell it is the Customer
Relations Manager from Marietta Toyota. My salesman asks me to ignore
that call and wait. A few minutes later the Fixed Operations Manager
calls me and asks me to come in. I come right over and after a brief
wait, get an opportunity to explain the problem to him and another
man, a service writer.
As I lay the problem out I stand up and start laying paperwork on his
desk. First the receipts and then the alignment records. He
instantly sees what could be the problem. He asked me what it will
take to make it right. I tell him to get the alignment right and I
mean "spot-on right". I also want the tires to be rebalanced. I also
ask them to change the oil at my expense.
Now for some praise. They took my truck and gave me a rental car from
their fleet. A day later I pick up the truck and have driven it for
one week today. The alignment feels right and the tires feel right.
I notice they still take an incredible amount of weight and one wheel
has two weights spaced apart. I chalk this up to what they call a
"force balance".
Now back to my rant. When I picked up my truck they told me I needed
new front brakes. Sure enough, the front pads are worn down
significantly. I am shocked because the truck only has 31K on it. I
opted to take the truck to the local JustBrakes franchise and they are
at this minute putting on new brakes. Why would a truck with 31K need
new brakes. More significantly, why only on one side, the left? Of
course you can't replace only one side and I wouldn't even if you
could.
Now let me give you some details about me. I am a trained and
certified (certifiction no longer current) mechanic with over five
years of experience as both an automotive mechanic specializing in
brakes and suspension and simultaneously selling and installing
literally thousands of sets of tires on passenger cars and light
trucks. I am very concientious about my tires and alignment.
I have owned many Four Wheel Drive trucks. In fact, the last 4x4 I
owned has a little over 80K miles on one set of Michelin LTX tires. I
know how a 4x4 drives, I know HOW to drive a 4x4. I know how to
maintain cars, partiularly tires and suspension components. In short
I can say without false modesty, I know what I am talking about.
This Tundra has been a nightmare of epic proportions. After such a
wonderful purchasing experience, the service has been horrific. Until
I put my foot down I couldn't get anyone's attention. You can forget
using the Toyota Customer Satisfaction number for any assistance.
They work from a script and can not help you if it doesn't fit in the
script.
My advice to anyone no matter what kind of vehicle you own is to pay
attention to the car and save every scrap of paper pertaining to
serviceing. I truly understand the psychology of a Service Writer and
I know that they absolutely hate people self-diagnosing their cars.
From the very beginning of this my observations and diagnoses were
absolutely correct. If they had taken the time to listen in the
beginning this would have been a mere bump in the road. It is now a
nightmare I am going to remember this for a long, long time.
I no longer trust the truck. I look at these tires with significant
wear (cupping) after only 11K miles and I feel cheated out what I paid
for. Not deliberate, "were going to steal your money" cheated, but
neglectfull "get this guy out of here" cheated. I waited a long time
to buy a new vehicle and got exactly what I was looking for in
equipment. My intention was to own this vehicle for ten years, just
like my '93 Camry (also bought new). Now I just don't know. Whenever
I look at those screwed up tires, the weirdly weighted wheels,
whenever I have to correct the steering to keep it straight I'm going
to wonder if there is another problem. Whenever I touch the brakes
and hear any noise I'm going to wonder if there is another problem.
TundraNick
My Tundra Experience
~evenfall~
Linear Mode
