Auto industry full of thieves

[toyorgy]

This is just a rant because i'm really angry and want to vent publicly. I ordered, from a salvage yard, a gold colored tailgate for my 3rd gen 4runner. What I received is a poorly painted over black tailgate with paint already flaking off and to top it off, the wiring harness connectors were cut off.
What can I do? They are in Texas and i'm in Oregon.

I didn't ask for a black tailgate painted gold.


compare the photo of the tailgate they sent me. This is like my original - chrome lettering on gold

This is what I received. It is NOT the same tailgate: gold lettering on a poorly painted gold tailgate

Paint easily peels off with just my fingernail:

Lots of over-spray on glass: This was painted recently.

 

[jason56414]

PayPal or Amex would reverse those charges right off....probably visa too....I'd call and if he gave me no option. ...boom payment reversal

 

[Ghost.]

I would try to resolve it with the salvage yard, if they refuse i wouldnt hesitate to dispute the charge if you paid by visa or some other credit card

 

[toyorgy]

When I found the connectors were cut off, they offered $100. I took the interior panel off to see how difficult it would be to route my old harness into it. That is when I noticed this has been painted over and it's not even the same tailgate as the one pictured in the photo they sent me.

 

[BrianSD_42]

how did you pay?

 

[LittleCaesar]

Did you try Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market for a yard closer to you? If not, try it.

If you can't find anything in OR, then PM fellow member Death Cougar who helps manage a yard in Washington and he may have one or be able to track one down.

As others have asked, how did you pay?

Yards can be shady places, including those who run them. There are a few on the East Coast I take my piece in with me just in case.

 

[slapdappy]

dispute charge via credit card. send them the photos. tell the junkyard if they want it back they can arrange shipping.

 

[HiLife]

Sorry to hear about that the part was from Texas.
It's a little late, but, even I don't trust the yards here. So far I have ordered all my parts from DeathCougar who is in Washington even though the yards have a couple of 4R's half hour away from me.

If you paid by credit card or paypal your best bet is to open a file with those companies. Demand satisfaction!
Good luck to you.

 

[toyorgy]

I paid with VISA.

Their excuse was that the one in the picture they sent me turned out to have rust on the inside and they won't send out rusty or damaged parts. Yeah well, cutting the connectors off should be a huge red flag as well,


They also said they have no history when parts come in and have no clue if a part has been repainted. Duh! isn't the gold over-spray on the window enough of a clue?


The last email I received they upped their refund offer of $175. That comes to a total of $600 shipped for a color-changed, repainted with no prep work - no connectors tailgate. Hardly seems worth it other than I can drive my t4r around during the day and park it like it's locked.

I looked just about everywhere for a replacement. Death Cougar or car-part.com did not have a gold color tailgate. I wanted a quick and easy bolt-on and plug-in part.

Gold is not a popular color or they aren't crashed often enough. Gold was not my choice when I bought it but it's all that was available at the time around here, with only 20k miles.

 

[DeathCougar]

Thank you guys for the great recommendations!

I don't own or manage a wrecking yard, I just part a few out to make some side money and help fellow T4R owners. Mostly the helping, cause I LOVE 3rd gens I did however work at a wrecking yard, which is where a lot of my knowledge came from.

The yard should be offering a FULL refund, and paying for return shipping. They knew full well what they were sending out. Any wrecking yard worth their salt can spot a repaint a mile away, and I bet dollars to dimes they painted it themselves with cheap spray paint. By the time you take that to a body shop, have it stripped, and repainted, you are going to be well north of $1000. They ruined the gate by painting it, not to mention hacking the plugs and painting on the glass, effectively destroying that as well. Never in all the years that I have parted 4Runners would I EVER send something like that to a customer. I would be outraged!

As for the tailgate trim being different, that depends on what you guys talked about. If they didn't tell you what year it was from (sounds like they didn't) then its on them. However, consumers also need to educate themselves on interchange and differences throughout the years. Tailgate panels changed 96-98, 99-00, and 01-02. There are also major differences in wiring and the relay. [MENTION=107625]toyorgy[/MENTION] even if you try to splice the plugs back on to the gate they sent you, it will not work in your 4Runner. They sent you a 96-98 gate, and you have a 2001-2002. Your power window relay is Red, the one they sent you will be blue and have a completely different wiring schematic.

One more thing, regarding the color itself of the gate. You appear to have the "Dorado Gold" color, which should be one of three color codes: 587, KG4, or KG5. Any vehicle with those color codes will be the correct color you appear to be after. The down side to this, is Toyota ONLY made it in 2001-2002 year vehicles. So no matter what, if you want a color specific part, it HAS to be from 2001-2002 vehicles with one of those 3 color codes.

Further info can be found here: Toyota 4Runner Touchup Paint Codes, Image Galleries, Brochure and TV Commercial Archives

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news! But they owe you a refund for sure.

 

[toyorgy]

Funny that they asked me for my vin number to make sure the color was correct. Probably so they can buy the correct color to paint it before they send it.

The interior panel is an incorrect color. It's like a brown-tan color. Mine is a light color tan. I do know that the tailight assembly has changed for 2001-02. I didn't know there were changes made for tailgate wiring.

The harness wires are the same color and the plugs the attach to the tailgate are the same. Of course the plugs that attach under the roof liner are missing!

I'm going to go ahead and quote the last message from them. If this board has a problem, we can delete the quote. NSA probably recorded this quote so it might be ok :noidea:

OK I checked the inventory and we had 2 gold ones with the same color code and they did not sent you the one on the picture because when they took that one off it had rust on the inside and we do not ship any thing that's damaged or with rust and I don't know why you say there is something fraudulent if that was the case we would've taken your money with out us sending you a tailgate the problem here is that we sent you a tailgate with wiring harness cut . We have no history as far as the items being painted when they get to our place .But like I said will give you $175.00 back or just box it the same way you received it and take it to FedEx and as soon as FedEx say it's on it's way back to us we will refund you your money we are a serious company that's why it's good that we started emailing all of what going on so it stays in the file.

My last message so far:

I worry a lot. I've had plenty of car dealers, and the automotive industry in general, that were dishonest with me and others. You do seem to be sincere but since you have no reviews only time will tell. The quick responses speak loudly of course. I think your customers should leave comments or reviews on some of the internet sites being that reputation and integrity are most important for any business.. I will when this issue is resolved.

It seems like your parts guy may not be inspecting inventory closely because it's obvious - paint on the glass and the cut connectors even more obvious that something is amiss and also, most parts dealers grade their used inventory. If you wouldn't send out a rusty tailgate wouldn't a cut harness also put up a red flag?

It's unusual that someone would paint a black tailgate gold being that black is much more popular. Apparently they left out all prep work like sanding the original paint and using primer so the new paint will stick. They didn't even mask off areas properly. My fingernail causes the paint to flake right off. A garden hose would probably remove much of the paint.

The picture you provided looks like a very clean 4runner, even the trailer hitch looks relatively rust free. It just seems unusual that there is rust on the tailgate. I have over 230,000 miles on mine and it rains very often and snows in Portland Oregon and I have very little rust - only where there is no paint from backing into a pole and a tree. I also rarely wash my car since I take it off road every week.

I will have to think about keeping or sending the tailgate back. I know that it will need to be painted properly - like in a paint booth after preparing the base, unlike some outdoor mobile touch-up guy some dealers use. I think you may know how much a proper paint job runs.

For the price I paid, I thought I was getting an "A" grade part. $775.00 should be near flawless if not flawless. This is far from it. I could have gone to somewhere like: 1998 Toyota 4Runner Rear Body Decklid Tailgate Sr5 W Elec Window Wiper Privacy Tint Heated | Used Auto Parts | HollanderParts and had it painted myself but that's not what I had in mind. At $775 minus 175 = $600 is a high price knowing that the paint is failing and the harness needs to be replaced. The fact that it isn't even original factory paint decreases it's value even more - and more when the color has been changed.

There have been 36 messages in this conversation.

 

[DeathCougar]

They are jerking your chain. Likely what happened was they sold the original gate, or damaged it and had a "Uh oh" moment. They got some cheap paint, tossed it on that gate, and viola!

Yards are required to write stock numbers on their parts, AND are required BY LAW to write them on the receipt. Often times you can visit their website and cross-reference their stock number to a picture of the vehicle, and/or google the VIN and find out what the truck looked like when they bought it at the auction. I really really think they are lying, and trying to cover their tracks. I spent 12 years in the wrecking business, and saw all manners of this crap from other wrecking yards.

For sure that gate is from a 96-98 4Runner, making it IMPOSSIBLE the vehicle had the same color code, so that is a 100% LIE on their part. Like you I find it nearly impossible to believe someone took a nice black gate and painted it with crappy gold spray paint BEFORE they got the vehicle. I don't believe the rust story either, I have never seen a part come from Texas that was rusty.

 

[DeathCougar]

Also a $775 gate SHOULD be FLAWLESS. Mint condition, perfect shape. No dents, no cut wires, no over spray, missing emblems, bondo, or spray paint.

When I was in the wrecking yard, selling a $775 gate meant it didn't even have a scratch ANYWHERE in the paint.

 

[toyorgy]

Yeah, I already know they are lying. I just wanted to be careful with my words so there would be less of a chance or excuse for them to get defensive and angry and make it difficult to resolve the problem.

 

[Kmvreter]

OP,
Offer them to send you pictures of the rust on the tailgate they didn't want to send you if it's from a '01-'02 (this makes them prove their point and that they actually have it.) Then you decide if you want it, including the intact wires. They can ship it to you and return the other on their dime if they want it back. I would dispute anything short of this with Visa.

 

[ndcent]

I would not buy from them again.

 

[KidVermicious]

My advice would be to stop messing with this yard. Dispute the charges with Visa so that you aren't out any dough. Let the yard know that you are disputing the charges, and that you'll be happy to ship the gate back on their dime.

Visa is automatically on your side, which forces the yard to prove they sent you the correct part in order for the charges on your card to be valid. As DC already noted, they shipped the wrong part, so they probably won't even bother trying.

There is no upside to you continuing to argue with this yard. They're obviously not interested in making this right by you or they wouldn't have sent a crap part in the first place. Dispute the charge and let Visa go to bat.

 

[toyorgy]

I sent it back. We'll see if my VISA is credited back. I'm still looking for a tailgate. My car has been down a month or so. It was really hard to start the day I picked up that damaged tailgate. I guess I should start it every week or so....

 

[Hepar]

Just read your experience. Really sucks. I hate stuff like this. Why can't people just treat people right?

Hope you get things resolved.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

I've had a lot of mixed feelings about Salvage yards...

We deal with LKQ at the dealership quite a bit and for the most part they have been a great company, but some of the stuff they do sometimes is infuriating as a technician; but from what I understand its common practice in the salvage industry.

You're title is somewhat misleading, not that the Auto industry isn't full of crooks, but you're speaking specifically about the aftermarket salvage industry which is separate from say parts suppliers.