Marshall70

Wouldn't it be cheaper for the dealer just to buy this vehicle back?

dcg9381

[QUOTE=Marshall70;982434]Thanks for all of the advice. Mediation paperwork came Saturday so I will document the situation as they have asked. And if it comes to getting a lawyer, I will. I have a couple of specific questions for you guys, hope you can help.

1) The dealer is claiming there all diagnostic tests are saying the engine is fine and there is no damage. How do I counter this?

A "diagnostic" doesn't include engine tear down or inspection.
The only way to know if there is engine damage - or more likely - significantly increased wear is to take the engine apart and inspect all the bearings, the engine components that turn on those bearings as well as cylinder wear. It can't be done without a tear down.


2) Is it fair to ask the dealer to buy this vehicle back? I averaged the asking prices of all 2004 4runner sports on cars.com and gave them that price.

Probably not, but that's up to them. They owe you a real "diagnostic" or a new motor - if they want to offer another car instead, that's up to them.



3) Is my toyota warrantly void as a result of this mistake? The extended warranty would not cover anything as a result of this, just wondering if my original warranty is now void.

Call Toyota corporate... I'd escalate to them anyway.

Bob_98SR5

marshall,

at this point, if you are considering an attorney and getting one, i would not write anymore than you have already have done so here. anyone, including the dealer, can read this and use anything you wrote as supporting evidence against you. words can easily be twisted against you. not saying naything you've written so far can be, but i am sure you are not green behind the ears enough to know that the opposing attorney can easily do that.

Marshall70

Thanks for the advice, everything I have said has been honest and truthful, but I understand what you are saying.

farmerj

Couple things.

Everything here is "discoverable" evidence for them. And can be used against you.

You are driving the vehicle. It obviously has not been resolved to YOUR satisfaction. Stop driving it, and the least, if nothing else, take it back to the dealer and park it. That way they cannot put the blame on something that happened "after the fact".

By all means, Don't talk about this on the internet. At least, not until this is resolved. Not saying you are not being truthful, Just resolve it BEFORE you share what happens.

Marshall70

I'm not driving the vehicle, it is parked on the dealers lot. Thanks for your help.

shiftless89

You might also delete this post untill its resloved, then update us

Strap22

Then it looks like he is hiding something if this ever came up. He hasn't said anything wrong so far. He has stated the facts and asked for some advice. I wouldn't do anything that could be turned to look like I was hiding something. IMHO ......Mike you may be right but I get a bad feeling about playing hide the weenie.

shiftless89

hey now, lets leave our personal lives out of it! J/K. I only sugested it as a stop-gap to stop an inadvertant (sp) statement that could be made in the future. Like you I don't feel he has said anything wrong at all. But we all know how legaleagles interpret things (just ask my ex-wife ).
Or instead of deleting this, just wait untill mediation is over and let us know how it comes out, before posting any more about it. Being like you Phil, from the industry , I too cringe at this kind of situation and can only hope the outcome is fair to both parties involved.
later
Mike

Strap22

It is sad that it happened and I too hope it works out for him.

maxpower_hd

I would wait for the mediation and then if you're not satisfied with the outcome, simply don't agree to it and then get a lawyer. I'm sure this is not the first time this has happened to Toyota and I'm sure they don't want to lose a long time customer.

As far as talking about it here, how the hell would any lawyer, or Toyota, be able to find these threads in the 1st place and trace them back to the originator? I could see if it were some sort of Federal case and his computer was siezed or something but other than that, there is no way the mediators for Toyota or their lawyers can trace this back to him unless he tells them about it and where it is. It's not like these forums are directly linked to the Toyota mediators computers with his full name and address attached.

Strap22

You would be surprised what Toyota monitors. We just went thru a mess with Google because Toyota monitored our site thought we were a third party vendor and not a licensed Dealer. People send stuff to them all the time and they have to investigate it.

snap-on

Id settle for a new crate motor, not a rebuild, not an orient express, a brand new 0 mile crate motor.

there would be no other "sytems" affected by low oil problem.

addtionaly the warentee that is currently on the veihical should extend to the new motor.

Strap22

Toyota does not sell complete engines. You have to buy it seperately and assemble it. It would still carry the remainer of the factory warranty.

maxpower_hd

Even if they monitor it, how would they know who this one individual is? This forum doesn't even have my name and address.

Bob_98SR5

maxpower,

if you had a very unique issue with a dealership and you described in finite detail on the forum, dont you think they could figure out that it was you?

way before you came here, we had a member who was very descriptive in terms of her problem with a toyota dealership. they read the entire thread and the later, they ended their internet sales with us. so yes, they do read and take action.

bob

snap-on

and just exactly how many "didnt put the oil back in, i want you to buy back my truck.... turned over to medation cases" do you think toyota has going on!

bamachem

how often do you think a dealer leaves the drain plug out of a 2004 4Runner, then the owner drives off only to have it shut off 1/4-mile down the road. not only that, but he's had it for 22-months, purchased from the same dealer that did the botched oil change, and it has 25k miles.

that's enough circumstatial evidence to narrow it down to one person with 99%+ predictibility.

that wouldn't be too hard to track down thru the dealership records...

bruizer

Actually gentlemen...these vehicles can run down the road for two miles and still have no damage to them, say's my local Toyota service manager...he's my brother in-law...what can I say? Document the mistake and drive the vehicle.:cry:

Strap22

You are correct they don't have your name. That is why in my first post I said it was a good idea not to mention the Dealership until this was over. But if they did find the post and you were asked if this is your post what would you do? That is the point. Why set yourself up to have to defend any comments. You are entitled to have an opinion and to discuss it so I would not worry about that. The only thing I would caution you on is any type of bashing of the Dealership until this has been resolved. I am not an Attorney and won't pretend to know what could happen. I am a Vendor and Member on this forum and have worked in the Dealership enviroment for many years and have seen things like this happen. I have also seen people that deserved a better judgment than they received just because of what they said or how they acted. I wish you luck in this and I would stick to your request.