6G Celicas Forums

Okey, I'm so angry I wanna A) go out and just punch someone in the face or B) sit down and cry a bit for myself at the moment.

This is the story:
When I bought the car I got 3 months insurance on everything, and 12 months insurance on some engine work that happened just days before I bought it (but some other shop did it, not the dealer who owned the car).

I buy the car and drive home. Day 1, I notice oil dripping below the engine. Call dealer and complain. Dealer tells me to "find out what is leaking". How the hell can I find out that? So I just leave it like that for like 1 month. To see if it goes away (maybe they spilled some oil when changing it the last time or something). I'm checking oil every day and washing the car several times. After more than 1 month, still dripping. I get time at my local Toyota dealer and they locate the problem. One gasket somewhere behind the transmission/clutch/flywheel. Pricetag on locating problem: 50$

I call the dealer (I didn't buy the car at my local dealer) and explains the problem. Okey, he tells me to deliver the car to the shop he used when fixing up the car before he sold it to me. I say no way I'm driving all the way over there and leave my car for 2-3 days while they fix it (he wasn't using a Toyota dealer). Okey, he agrees to pay me 560$ and then I can fix the problem where I want. I have to pay whatever comes on top of those 560$.. I get pissed, but no chance.

I go back to my local Toyota dealer, and they want 1 000$ for the job. Good lord! My expenses this far: 490$ (+ of course the 560$ that I didn't have to pay). For something that should have been fixed in the first place.

I also decide to get a small service done since the car is already in the shop. Another 600$ for that one. Total for me so far: 1 090$

They find out when looking at the car that there are more problems. My clutch is all worn out and should have been replaced a LONG TIME ago. 150$ for a new clutch. Total expenses for me: 1 240$

They also notice something wrong with my cams and the T-belt they want another 200$ to fix it. Those two problems came because the shop that the dealer who sold the car was using didn't know **** about Toyotas and they did something wrong when putting things together. In other words, they broke the car, but it still ran good, so why fix it?

Total so far: 1 440$ for me.

Included in the small service I was talking about was a new driver light relay. Because my car came from Germany the driving lights don't come on when you start the car. This is normal in Norway because you must drive with the lights on even when it's bright outside. I tell them that I want this behavior on my car too. He answers "ok, we can do that.. We only have to change this relay in your car". ANOTHER 200$.

Total so far for me to pay: 1 640$.

The point in all this is what happens when they are done with the car. One thing is that all this cost me a ****load of money, but that's ok. As long as everything works now. But it doesn't!!

I come to pickup my car. Notice a dent and some paint scratches. I contact them to complain, and they tell me that there is no way they could have done that. Somebody must have broken into my cars gas tank to steal gas and made the scratches and the dent (the gas hatch is dented and scratches on and around it). Ok, but that happened while the car was at the dealer for repairs.. And the tank was all empty when I got the car back, while it was not empty when I delivered it too them. So somebody have broken into and taken my gas while the car was at the dealer. The dealer have NO responsibility and I have to pay for them to fix it. At this time I start to get pissed.

Then one day after when going home from work I notice that I no longer have the ability to change my lights from driving to park, without actually stopping the engine. Also, my dashboard lights are always on. I go back to complain, and they tell me that this is supposed to be like that (well, it wasn't before they started f*ing with the car).

Other problems that have showed up after I got the car back from repairs:

- Problems putting the car into gear (only from N to 1st, or from any other gear and into 1st. All other gears are fine). This is a manual gearbox of course.
- My E-brake is loose and I have to pull it really hard and long before it actually holds the car. This was not a problem at all before they started "fixing" my car.


Now I have to start arguing with my local dealer to try and get them to fix some of these things again (they broke them, so I should get them fixed for free in a perfect world). End of story is probably that I get really angry and yells at them, and never come back. Then pay another 1 000$ or so for someone else to fix my car. Now that's what you get for going to the brand name repair shops and paying extra for someone that know Toyotas to fix your car.

That sux dude. What's the name of the dealer? I know it's hit or miss with dealerships... I got screwed at Cobb County Toyota, but Marietta Toyota where I'm at has been great. Usually pay around $17 for an oil change, and they've gone ahead and fixed things w/out question when I have problems that they worked on recently at no extra cost...the way it should be. They're more out of my way to get to, but the quality of work and the customer service more than make up for it.

Hope it works out for ya man...

i really hate to say this.... but the problem seems to be that you chose to deal with another dealer and not the place who sold and warrentied the car. if you just took it back to the original dealer, then he would have to fix the problems under the warrety contract no matter what the cost.

Since I live in Norway, I guess it's no reason to post dealers name It's the only Toyota dealer in my town.

And as a response to Lagos, it would have costed me about the same as this if I had traveled to were I got the car (the place I bought it from didn't have their own workshop either, so all repairs was at some other shop in that town, and none of them were Toyota dealers). So I really don't think it would have been better for me to travel to another city and have some random shop do the job and then have the third part (dealer where I got the car) to pay for the job. Because he won't pay for my traveling anyway.

I was just unlucky I guess. It might seem as they are gonna fix my lights atleast, and the E-brake. The dent is not their responsibility by law (screw them) so that's nothing I can do anything about. I'm going there today after work to see if they fix the lights and E-brake for free. Then I'm gonna be happy.

WOW!!!!! men you must be ready to kill someone! i know that i would..... sorry for your bad luck and for the #@$#@#$$ people that you went to do busines with. i hope everything goes ok from now on!

Pick up a Celica repair manual the next time you step foot at the dealer. The only mechanics i trust are ones that work for free. hehehe. And i dont trust ppl at dealerships. You cant trust some of them cuz i know them personally. they have told me stories of how they would take a car for spin after they work on the cars. Hell, they even drive the brand new cars like crazy. I would never bring my celica to the dealership unless im picking up some parts. Doubt they'ed know what to do anyways.

Well.. I don't really trust them anymore, that train have left the station with that last experience. I'm probably going to my neighboor city next time and try out their Toyota dealer And make sure to tell them that before going ^^

We'll see, maybe Maikl can get me a 99 JDM Celica GT or GT-4 from cyprus later this year. I'm selling my Celica on a seconds notice to get any of those cars that's for sure.

Btw, doesn't Doggy live in Cyprus too? *checking profile*

I don't trust any mechanic or anyone with my car. If they can't repair it while I sit there watching them then I do it myself. I saw the Toyota dealer here do a donut in an MR2 in the parking lot before taking it into the shop to work on. Another shop in town I saw the mechanic pull a Firebird out of the garage, try to do a donut in the back parking lot and put it against a curb messing up the bumper and wheel.

As for that matter I don't trust valet parkers either, but oh well.

why DIDNT u go to the original dealer? i thought those kinda warranties goes through the dealers that sold u the car. dont mean to sound like an a** but that wasnt too smart...unless u had other reasons.

Because as already said before.. The original dealer wasn't a Toyota dealer and the place was way off in another city. So it would have costed me tons of money just to travel there and back.