Junior Member
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Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Boston
Posts: 3
Real Name: Rene E
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Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Boston
Posts: 3
Real Name: Rene E
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On Friday January 5th I brought my Toyota 4Runner V8 2005 to the Toyota dealer in West Roxbury MA. The issue was a leak in what I thought was a clamp that connected the power steering line to a hose (see picture) After the mechanics reviewed my car the assessment was that the transmission cooler lines need to be replaced. I want to point out that those lines are under the car, and not in front where I saw the leak. They said that the car would be ready mid-day on Saturday January 6th. On Saturday after receiving a call from the dealer I went to pick up my car at 1:30pm. The total cost for the repair was $473.39 The repair included the replacement of transmission cooler lines, 2 bolts, 4 clips, Automatic Transmission fluid, and labor.
After receiving the car, I immediately opened the hood and realized that fluid was still coming out of the connection shown in the pictures. I decided to go home and take a closer look. At my house I was able to remove the skid plate under the car and I examined the work that was done by the dealer. Everything looked fine except that one of the 4 clips that I was charged for was not new (see pictures). After completing my own assessment at home, I went directly back to the dealer to investigate further why the repair was not done properly. When I arrived, I talked to a different service consultant and explained the situation. I told him that I couldn’t leave the car with the mechanics at that time, but I would like to make sure a note was made in my file that acknowledged the situation. The guy refused to make the note in my file, and said that in order to do that I have to leave the car with them, and because they were closing in an hour no one could see the problem until Monday. I told the guy that I would come back on Monday morning.
On Sunday I had to drive to work, and at this point the leak was getting worse. At the end of the day, when I was returning home, the car was making a really bad noise when I turned the steering wheel, and at that point I realized that the power steering fluid was gone, and the leak on the connection of the power steering lines was still there.
On Monday January 8th I went back to the dealer and explained to them what had happed since I received the car on Saturday, using print outs of pictures. The service consultant told me that they would look at the situation and find a solution. After almost three hours, they said that they realized the mechanics had made a mistake and they would fix the power steering lines and they would also replaced the clamp on one the transmission cooler lines that I had already paid for which was never replaced in the first place. This guy said that they would cover the labor, but I had to pay for the parts. I thought it was a good deal and I approved the work. The total cost was 478.86, this included lines, bolts washer and fluid.
The car was ready for pick up on Tuesday morning, and I drove the car to work, and at the end of the day I returned home. On Wednesday January 11th, I decided to open the hood of the car to check things out, and to my surprise the transmission cooler that is in front of the car was leaking.
Looking at picture from Friday January 5th, you can see that the transmission cooler did not have any leak at that time, and that the leak began after the last work done on Monday January 8th by the dealer.
There are several concerns with the service that I have received from this dealer. First of all, the first diagnosis was wrong, the problem I went in for was not fixed, and I was charged for a repair that was not really needed; furthermore, the mechanics did not replace all the clips for the transmission lines that I was charged for. After coming back for a second time the power steering lines were fixed but a new leak was created in the transmission cooler.
Now I understand why folks call them stealership!!
I ordered new transmission cooler, hoses and clamps and I will do the work myself this time.
Last edited by Rene E; 01-12-2018 at 06:20 PM.
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