# Fuck you Dealership, I bought a Toyota, not a "Dealership" Toyota. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 17, 2013, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-dealership-i-bought-a-toyota-not-a-dealership-toyota/671486 "2013-10-17T15:04:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-dealership-i-bought-a-toyota-not-a-dealership-toyota/671486/21 "2013-10-18T00:32:24Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > You really think that will help? Our problems have been with a Ford dealership - technically they’re Canadian, not US American, but still. Plus the problem the OP is having is with an American-run dealership. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-dealership-i-bought-a-toyota-not-a-dealership-toyota/671486/22 "2013-10-18T01:18:13Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Next time buy American. Hilarious. I stopped buying American over similar antics. I bought a Chevy at one dealership for the great deal and had near-identical issues like the OP getting it serviced at the Chevy dealer closest to me for factory warranty issues, complete with snide remarks about how I should have bought from them. The kicker is two-fold. Dealerships make way more money on warranty repairs, parts and service than they do on car sales - none of them should give a damn where you bought your car. The other - if they did care about car sales, they’ve been given a golden opportunity to woo a customer away from another dealership by giving exemplary service to a competitor’s buyer. Instead, as seen here, such antics sour people on the entire brand. Toyota’s office was full of bs as well. For a brand like Smart or Fiat, yeah, they’re desperate to maintain their marginal dealer network and wouldn’t care if the service tech shot you. Toyota and Honda franchises jump when they crack the whip, as the brand office has a lot of power with them and if one dealer is souring the market, he’s easily replaced. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-dealership-i-bought-a-toyota-not-a-dealership-toyota/671486/23 "2013-10-18T02:08:36Z")
Did they actually check the code? They’d know if whatever caused the light to come on originally wasn’t loss of pressure from an unsealed gas cap. You probably didn’t turn it past three clicks. It happens to the best of us. Does sound like shitty service, though. > [@TBG](#): > > Next time buy American. He did. US-market Corollas are built in Missisippi. ---
**Author:** ![AnthonyElite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@AnthonyElite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnthonyElite)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-dealership-i-bought-a-toyota-not-a-dealership-toyota/671486/24 "2013-10-18T03:21:06Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Did they actually check the code? They’d know if whatever caused the light to come on originally wasn’t loss of pressure from an unsealed gas cap. You probably didn’t turn it past three clicks. It happens to the best of us. > > Does sound like shitty service, though. > > He did. US-market Corollas are built in Missisippi. First of all I’d like to say IGNORANCE FOUGHT! (IN THE PIT, NO LESS, the jungle itself and man is still thriving) I will be buying one of those devices to sync to my Android based phone. A lot of technology in cars has made at-home minor repairs impossible, but that is an amazing tool! I know what you’re saying about the clicks, but here is why I’m 99.96 percent certain that wasn’t the cause: I noticed the light was on when I left my girlfriends house. I remarked to her that we leave the car alone 2 days and the Check Engine light goes on - how strange. She remembers saying to check the oil at the gas station. I knew I needed gas because I only had a quarter tank when arriving in girlfriend’s driveway (we were listening to Dresden Files). I fueled up, closed up the cap, and left. The light was still on, as I remember seeing in the morning, a painful reminder that coffee wasn’t for another 20 minutes. Therefore if it were improperly sealed to trigger the light in the first place, I would have been ultra careful to tighten it correctly. And the likelihood of me closing it incorrectly twice in a row after 20k miles of never seeing this light is far too low. Furthermore: I’m a dangler. That’s right, I dangle. Whenever I get gas I dangle the gas cap, it’s what the straps are for, and plus I’d know immediately if I forgot to screw it back on - it’d be dangling. Of course, try explaining this whole lot to a customer care rep and they will start parroting lines back. Anyway, I figure dangling the cap isn’t gonna hurt anything. I have no idea what the actual code might have been for it. I know that after the “forgot the button” mistake I feared it might mess with the timing of the oil change. And I remain suspicious to the fact that the only thing supposedly wrong with my car was a gas cap not on, and yet they took 25 minutes getting me my car back. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-dealership-i-bought-a-toyota-not-a-dealership-toyota/671486/25 "2013-10-18T03:47:27Z")
Curious: You claim to both have bought and leased. Which is it? Not that it really matters, as far as I know. ---
**Author:** ![AnthonyElite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@AnthonyElite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnthonyElite)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-dealership-i-bought-a-toyota-not-a-dealership-toyota/671486/26 "2013-10-18T03:50:28Z")
Lease, I always mean lease. I make payments for something I use, my brain always thinks buy, unless I’m in accountant mode, in which case it’s so specifically lease it is irritating. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-dealership-i-bought-a-toyota-not-a-dealership-toyota/671486/27 "2013-10-18T04:46:32Z")
Dealership service manager here. I don’t understand Their attitude either. I enforce a no bad mouthing rule with my service advisors. It is silly to bad mouth another repair shop, it justs drags you into the mud. I’m perfectly happy to service your car. However with that said if you bought the car with us I have more leeway. For example you bought a new car last week and today you hit a giant pot hole and destroyed a tire. Bought from my dealership? I’ll spring for a tire as an act of good will and charge it against the profit the new car dept made. Bought it somewhere else? Sorry sir but that is from an outside influence and not a matter for warranty. Would you like to purchase a new tire? As far as a diagnostic fee goes, on a car under the base warranty we rarely ask for a fee. An exception would be if we know up front it is isn’t going to be warranty (large hole in oil pan from rock for example) we might. If we do quote a fee we waive it if the repairs are done with us. (Warranty or customer pay) If the car is under an extended warranty (as they are quite often limited no make that very limited warranties) we charge an up front as we don’t know in advance if the failure is from a covered item. Again do the repair with us and the fee is waived. > [@AnthonyElite](#): > > It details that anything that makes the car move forward (bumper to bumper) is covered until the end of my lease. This includes diagnosing issues. However, if the customer is at fault for the issue, and the part isn’t defective, the diagnostic and repairs come out of your pocket. As an example, a head gasket leaking would be their problem, diagnostic and all. My hitting a jersey barrier would by my problem, diagnostic and all. Just a friendly suggestion here, pull your warranty out and read it. Either you are taking giant liberties with what it actually says or you don’t know what it says. It is a regular occurrence where someone comes in and tells me to fix their car that it has a 100,000 mile warranty. The answer is usually: I’m sorry sir the warranty on that part is: (Pick one) 6 months 12 months/ 12,000 miles 36 months / 36,000 miles 60 months / 60,000 miles (Or in the case of extended warranties) That part is not covered. Period. Automotive warranties are a bunch of limited warranties of various durations. If you do go to the dealership and you aren’t sure about the code they pulled ask for a printout of the codes they found. You don’t need to take it with you just look at the date and VIN to make sure it’s you car and note the code. A quick Google will fill in the rest. As far as buying you own code reader goes they are not going to give you the level of information the dealer has. I have also seen them mis identify codes. If the car is under warranty and the code looks like a warranty issue stop there and take it in. Warranty does not cover you worked on it first and fucked it up. (Once had a guy put a battery in backwards. Not a matter for warranty cost him $2500) ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-dealership-i-bought-a-toyota-not-a-dealership-toyota/671486/28 "2013-10-18T05:54:49Z")
> [@Algher](#): > > File a complaint with the State. Copy Toyota. Hit them on Twitter, using Toyota hashtags. Nail them on Yelp. > > Basically, make some noise. Facebook worked for me when I had trouble with a company. Posted on _their_ wall, heard from them the next day. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-dealership-i-bought-a-toyota-not-a-dealership-toyota/671486/29 "2013-10-18T12:42:23Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Next time buy American. [Quote=Really Not All That Bright] He did. US-market Corollas are built in Missisippi. [/QUOTE] Nice try **Really Not all That Bright** but I’ve learned that somebody who says that phrase probably isn’t smart enough to understand you. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-dealership-i-bought-a-toyota-not-a-dealership-toyota/671486/31 "2015-09-30T12:16:47Z")
Reported. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-dealership-i-bought-a-toyota-not-a-dealership-toyota/671486/32 "2015-09-30T13:27:21Z")
nm. ---
**Author:** ![Wednesday\_Evening](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Wednesday\_Evening](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wednesday_Evening)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-dealership-i-bought-a-toyota-not-a-dealership-toyota/671486/33 "2015-09-30T13:28:30Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > Edit: Advance Auto or Autozone will also connect their diagnostic tool and read your engine codes for free. Not if you’re in California. At least that’s what they told me at Autozone when I asked them to read the code from my minivan. I bought a $20 OBD on Amazon that worked with my smartphone. Worked fine. I wanted to get the code checked out in part because I had been getting a weird vibe from our Honda dealership and wanted to know what the problem was BEFORE I took it in. I forget what the actual problem was but I Googled it and it was not unusual and caused by spiders living in some part of the engine. They diagnosed it properly at the dealer but insinuated that they had never heard of it before. Maybe they hadn’t, but I seriously doubt it. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-dealership-i-bought-a-toyota-not-a-dealership-toyota/671486/34 "2015-09-30T13:45:49Z")
Nobody offers it free in California. Something to do with emissions compliance that requires a certification to provide OBD2 scans. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-dealership-i-bought-a-toyota-not-a-dealership-toyota/671486/35 "2015-09-30T15:41:39Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Nobody offers it free in California. Something to do with emissions compliance that requires a certification to provide OBD2 scans. I’ve heard that this was a issue in NY, not that they could not scan the car, but the result of the scan given to the customer was considered a professional diagnosis, which if the customer bought and installed the parts and the repair did not work the provider of the scan could be on the hook for the costs of the parts. It appears they have gotten around it by letting the customer use the scan tool themselves now. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-dealership-i-bought-a-toyota-not-a-dealership-toyota/671486/36 "2015-09-30T17:43:01Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Nobody offers it free in California. Something to do with emissions compliance that requires a certification to provide OBD2 scans. It has to do with if you are making repair recommendations in California you need to be a licensed auto repair dealer (ARD) It’s part of California’s consumer protection laws. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-dealership-i-bought-a-toyota-not-a-dealership-toyota/671486/37 "2015-09-30T17:48:23Z")
**Moderator Note** This thread was revived by a spammer who has since been wished away to the cornfield. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-dealership-i-bought-a-toyota-not-a-dealership-toyota/671486/38 "2015-09-30T18:01:45Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > **Moderator Note** > > This thread was revived by a spammer who has since been wished away to the cornfield. But it’s a _good_ thread! Nothing wrong with this thread, nosiree! ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-dealership-i-bought-a-toyota-not-a-dealership-toyota/671486/39 "2015-09-30T18:26:02Z")
> [@AnthonyElite](#): > > I was thinking of doing that - giving them a bit of negative media. > > … You’d be wasting your time. Toyota is too big to care about one disgruntled customer. It’s a thing with the automakers. Look at GM, they didn’t even care that people died due to a fault in their design. Why the hell do you believe a car manufacturer will care that you lost a hundred bucks? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-dealership-i-bought-a-toyota-not-a-dealership-toyota/671486/40 "2015-09-30T18:44:30Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > You’d be wasting your time. Toyota is too big to care about one disgruntled customer. It’s a thing with the automakers. Look at GM, they didn’t even care that people died due to a fault in their design. Why the hell do you believe a car manufacturer will care that you lost a hundred bucks? Note, this thread was started almost two years ago. ---
**Author:** ![2gigch1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2gigch1/32/3313_2.png) [@2gigch1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2gigch1)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2015, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-dealership-i-bought-a-toyota-not-a-dealership-toyota/671486/41 "2015-10-01T03:48:31Z")
Ah ha ha ha! _Started reading the thread - Oooh, I know I can help! I can write something about a laptop based scanner - oh someone already mentioned it - what the fuck that’s me?_ \>\>looks at date\<\< Grumble grumble [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-dealership-i-bought-a-toyota-not-a-dealership-toyota/671486.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-dealership-i-bought-a-toyota-not-a-dealership-toyota/671486.md?page=3)