Problem with 03 Tundra - Help a friend out - deal wants 3500 because of.....

[Alan Peters]

Truck is under warrenty and is his baby. Never takes off road and usually a good all around truck like my ST. However at 29K miles, he noticed the smell of fuel on sunday. He took it in and the dealer claimed a hairline crack in the fuel tank which we both looked at pretty good and noticed nothing. So the tank was replaced monday night. Tuesday morning again the small of fuel. However the engine oil is watered down and smells like turpentine/thinner. So he took it right back and showed the master mechanic the problem and this afternoon, coolent was leaking into the number 1, 2, 3, 6, and 8 cyl, and had multiple fuel line leaks. THe truck never ran well from the start. They also found a missing clamp on a PS hose that was leaking slowly. Toyota dealer is not covering this under warrenty and is est. 3500 for repairs.



This is a shocker to me. Not honoring their warrenty. They claim the truck was abused and can prove it by "scoping" the engine. They claim its been modified, which it has not. The loose/cracked fuel lines are caused by "trailing/off-roading" which is pretty lame to blame unless it was poor build quality. He wants a second opinion so he had to pay the dealer 600 for a diagnosis fee, which is BS IMO.



I thought Ford dealers were pretty bad, but the local Toyota dealers are by far the worst. I called my Ford serive advisor and explained the problem. They can maybe fix the truck but want to take a look at it first.



Any opinions and the problem/resolution? I just got home from looking at it and the coolent level is ok but he's loosing fuel quickly, but no puddles on the ground.

 

[Travis Munday]

Take it to a different dealer. No reason why they should be screwing around you're friend like that.



If a new dealer doesn't help, take the fight higher then the service techs and managers. Get the owner involved, get regional managers involved, get the president of Toyota North America involved if you have to.



You can't tell if a truck was abused just by a scope...the best you could see is carbon build-up on the valves, which shouldn't be an issue at low miles, or scoring on the cylinder walls, which if the oil has been changed at least even three times during those 29K miles, shouldn't be a problem either. The dealer is jerking him around. A scope can clue you in to certian conditions, but only a teardown can verify any abuse or misuse.



Sounds like the truck was built on a Friday before holiday.

 

[Tom Schindler]

Sounds like he has a cracked block. Fuel is getting into the oil during compression.



I don't know what else to tell you without looking at it. Sounds like he needs to try a new dealer. Don't let them push him around. He spent his money in good faith that he was going to get a good vehicle. It is unfortunate that he is having problems.



I hope he gets the problem resolved soon.



Please keep us updated.





Tom

 

[Conrad AlbertoJr]

Taking it to the next higher level is the best thing to do. By "scoping" they probably meant borescoping, which if the maintenance was done as it should have been, would not show anything wrong with the engine. They're probably just trying to scare him into believeing their crap.

 

[Deleted deleted]

Not sure I understand why a dealer would pull this. I mean they get paid directly from Toyota for any warranty-related claim, so they will get paid for the work on the truck.



I'd agree with the advice above and try a different dealer, then if necessary escalate it to Toyota North America HQ.

 

[Tom Schindler]

Darin,



One thing I could think of is maybe Toyota, I am not just saying Toyota does it...maybe all do, has a "finders fee". Maybe they get a nice chunk of change from the auto maker to find cars that were "abused, neglected, etc."



I could never understand why a dealer is always so quick to deny coverage or void a warranty. They are getting paid for the work, so why care? There has to be some reason.





Tom

 

[Fudged Undies]

Warranty work does not pay as well as work a customer has to pay for. The mechanics may not know this but rest assured management does. I don't recall the exact percentages I was given but I think warrany work only pays 70-80% of what they would have get paid if they were charging a customer. Perhaps for a bit better explanation, when our dpfe sensors weren't under extended warrany they were running about $80 from the dealer. Shortly after they were under extended, price dropped to around $30. May just be a coincindence, but I doubt it.

 

[Gavin Allan]

Toyota has an arbitration process that is free to the customer. The decision of the arbitrator is binding on the manufacturer, but not on the customer.



Take it to arbitration. I know-- I am an arbitrator!

 

[Alan Peters]

Thanks for all the sugestions. He's going to try a lexus dealer about 10 miles down the road. All the records the dealer has ie oil changes, warrenty work, etc. Thats what he's afraid of, a cracked block. The truck would probably be totaled, which he can't afford now. Other neighbors next door final were able to get a resolution for both their Toyota Minivan and car for the failing engines sludge. I just hate to see the process, plus taking them to work and letting them borrow the ST.

 

[Deleted deleted]

Note to self: don't move near Big Al. His presence places a negative aura on all Toyota products :0

 

[Tom Schindler]

I hope he gets everything resolved.



All automakers have problems. Whenever you mass produce something, some will have problems. People usually only complain when they have problems. I hate to see anybody have problems with a vehicle they buy.



Honestly, I will bet money the block is cracked.





Tom

 

[Tom Schindler]

Any updates?





Tom