What would you do?

[wakt600RR]

A lot has happened in the last 8 days regarding my 4Runner, so I'll do my best to summarize:

A month ago, I took my 2004 T4R to my local Toyota service station/dealership where they informed me I needed a new AC evaporator and that the work involved removal of the dash. The work took 4 days and cost over $4k before I got my T4R back. When I got it back, the stock radio would no longer receive any music stations, and I assumed it was because the mechanic may have forgotten to replug the antenna cable back into the radio. No biggie since I planned to replace the radio with an aftermarket one a week later. Turns out the new radio still could not receive any music stations, but rather than take it back, I decided to install my own aftermarket antenna and be done with it.

Over the next 3 weeks, I started hearing a water/trickling sound from behind the glove box area. By the 3rd week, I noticed water only on the passenger side floorboard and took it back to the same service station. I took it in on Monday, and 2 days later they finally told me there was a crack in the evaporator pan, and that they would need to take the pan to an "automotive shop" to a plastic welder. (What?!) The service rep also mentioned it was possible that their mechanic may have caused this and if so, they were working out a way so that I would not be charged for anything. Another 2 days pass (it's now Friday) and the service rep informs me the welder missed a few areas, and so they need to send it back to get it corrected. When I asked how much longer it would take, the service rep said they were really busy and that it may not be until the following Monday before they could finish it. He also promised to call me on Monday to let me know when it was finally done.

So here I am...Monday evening (1 week in), no 4Runner and no call from the service rep. By the way, during the entire ordeal, I've had to initiate almost every call to the service station for an update despite repeated promises they would call me, only to not receive the call as expected. I've been nothing but patient and polite to the service rep and kept my frustration to myself. I would have expected much better customer service from what I thought to be a reputable Toyota service station/dealership.

Am I being too impatient and should I just keep waiting? The entire situation and how they've handled it just seems atypical to me. What should I do? What would you do?

 

[S p a r k y]

Call Toyota customer service and tell them all this! They will call the dealer, you will be taken care of quickly.

 

[Brian3676]

Did they provide you with a rental?

 

[wakt600RR]

Did they provide you with a rental?

Yes they did, so that part was good

 

[ray k]

It seems like there are some dealerships that are really good and some that are really bad. You would think Toyota would have more control over things to protect their name.

 

[Beaumont67]

A lot has happened in the last 8 days regarding my 4Runner, so I'll do my best to summarize:

A month ago, I took my 2004 T4R to my local Toyota service station/dealership where they informed me I needed a new AC evaporator and that the work involved removal of the dash. The work took 4 days and cost over $4k before I got my T4R back.............

$4k ^^ Exactly why I NEVER use $ealerships / looks to me like you got charged at least 2x, what the complete job entails & still problematic.

Similar overall work done:
This spring my AC was not working & the my 2000 4Runner v6 plus the fan control black box/flapper control was cracked.
My dash was completely stripped down & new AC evaporator installed plus related problems fixed (heater/AC controls).
- Industry standard (software) book value was 10.5 hours labor (Gen3), for R&R job
- garage owner friend, charged me $1,000 total (incl. parts & labor) / my vehicle was pickup ready, before the end of day2
Cost wise - this AC Evap. replacement job is 90% labor (due to dash tear-down) & 10% parts.
- his labor rate is 40% less than the Dealerships / plus I get parts at owners wholesale cost

We even added a heater core replacement (with new), at this time / 3 major components all updated, within the scope of the dash work.
- more cost effective, to do it all only once

^^ Pays to research for the very best of the owner/operator independent, smaller garages...and build up a knowledge based relationship (is Key).
- to get work done on time & at fair market value ($$), or better

 

[Brian3676]

Yes they did, so that part was good

If you have a rental I would not worry so much about it, that is good of them to cover that with no fight.

The fight I would be taking on is the plastic welding. Plastic welding is a true art in its self, and unless you have optimum conditions it usually not more than a bandaid. I should clarify, it can he done, in the right way, and be a great hold that will last forever, but I am not sure this is the situation for that.

You paid 4K for the EVAP job, 90% of that was labor and all profit on there end. I would be pushing for a brand new OEM Toyota part. Screw the down time if you have a rental, this is where you should be fighting them.

 

[Anonymous4Runner]

I noticed you live in VA - if you don't mind my asking, which dealership did you go to? I would ask to speak with the service director and share your experience with the individual. Inform them you are not happy with your service experience, even if you were given a rental to make up for the inconvenience. You also plan to share your experience with Toyota corporate and considering adding a review to their Yelp page where it is a negative review based on how they treated you thus far.

 

[dasx86]

This may just cause you more aggravation, but I had my AC evaporator replaced at West Herr Toyota, in a suburb of Buffalo, NY, a few months ago for ~$1700.... I considered that a ton of money, but the job was done and done right.

This was a dealership job? You ought to be raising hell for 4 grand.........


Edit: also, they had to work around my crazy aftermarket radio setup. I didn't hear boo from the shop about it, and they handled that without issue as well...

 

[Beaumont67]

This may just cause you more aggravation, but I had my AC evaporator replaced at West Herr Toyota, in a suburb of Buffalo, NY, a few months ago for ~$1700.... I considered that a ton of money, but the job was done and done right.

This was a dealership job? You ought to be raising hell for 4 grand.........


Edit: also, they had to work around my crazy aftermarket radio setup. I didn't hear boo from the shop about it, and they handled that without issue as well...

^^ Agree +1.

Car dealership ripoff: Hidden-camera investigation
- Car dealership hidden-camera investigation reveals how service centres upsell you on unnecessary work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBpMe36GoW0

opcorn: ^^ One way or the other, all Dealerships are NOT to be Trusted...its all about the $$ !!

 

[wakt600RR]

$4k ^^ Exactly why I NEVER use $ealerships / looks to me like you got charged at least 2x, what the complete job entails & still problematic.

^^ Pays to research for the very best of the owner/operator independent, smaller garages...and build up a knowledge based relationship (is Key).
- to get work done on time & at fair market value ($$), or better

You're right. I need to break out of my mindset that only the dealership can get the job done "right", do more research, and look at other garages in the area.

 

[wakt600RR]

I noticed you live in VA - if you don't mind my asking, which dealership did you go to? I would ask to speak with the service director and share your experience with the individual. Inform them you are not happy with your service experience, even if you were given a rental to make up for the inconvenience. You also plan to share your experience with Toyota corporate and considering adding a review to their Yelp page where it is a negative review based on how they treated you thus far.

This was with Ourisman Toyota in Chantilly. I'll take your advice and share my experience with Toyota corporate. I'm sure Ourisman has a lot of loyal and happy customers, unfortunately this was not a positive experience for me.

 

[Anonymous4Runner]

This was with Ourisman Toyota in Chantilly. I'll take your advice and share my experience with Toyota corporate. I'm sure Ourisman has a lot of loyal and happy customers, unfortunately this was not a positive experience for me.

At least you did not go to the same dealership where I also had a bad experience. Sorry to hear about that nonetheless. I went to Priority Toyota Springfield with first few visits going well with no issues whatsoever. My last visit with them was a terrible experience, terrible enough for me to never come back ever again.


This is my next shop I plan to visit when my 4Runner has an issue & I think you should consider this one. It's a non-dealership so I'm going to give it a shot as I've used dealerships for service on my 4Runners in the past. Some other member mentioned this shop in a different thread

https://www.yelp.com/biz/japanese-auto-city-alexandria?sort_by=date_desc

Added bonus: there's a great kabob place nearby named Ravi's kabobs so you can always uber while they're working on the 4Runner. At least that is what I plan to do during my 1st visit


Good luck with your situation. Give 'em hell.


https://www.yelp.com/biz/ourisman-chantilly-toyota-scion-chantilly-2?osq=Toyota

Looks like they care about their image on social media. I would consider posting a review

 

[Beaumont67]

You're right. I need to break out of my mindset that only the dealership can get the job done "right", do more research, and look at other garages in the area.

Well said ^^ Look for an owner/operator garage with 1 or 2 licensed mechanics / no franchise place.
- one that allows you in the bay area, to periodically inspect progress
- and make decisions, when they need to be made

Head mechanic told me, 90% of the job is pulling the entire dash out & replace, to change the broken black plastic heater control box (stuck flap)...so lets also add the AC Evap. & Heater Core, which was excellent advice.
Extra new parts - now good for another +15 years, and should eliminate extensive dash labor, 2x's.

My honest garage owner came recommended, and we now treat each other like family.
- once he was cutting grass, I took over driving his rider for an hour
- so he could return to the daily grind / I'm retired & didn't mind
- one night I run his Oxy/Acet. heating torches, helping him & his brother install a mini van muffler & tail pile (after hours) that needed a pre-bent angle
Very few people build up these relationships, but it sure has its privileges...my repair costs fall into the 40% zone & done right the first time
- he looks up parts for me, and shows me his costs / no markup for me

Few years ago, owner was looking for a mint 2008 FJ, for me / instead found my 2000 4Runner SR5 at a Lexus/Toyota dealership.
When he was building his shop, couldn't find a Master Electrician for the final 460V hookup / so I contacted by nephew, with commercial license & saved him $1,700 (under budget) and maintained his construction time line.

A few months ago, he let me use a spare hoist for an hour...no charge / so I could fix a rattling heat shield, on wife's v6-RAV4.
- I did a $20 coffee & donut run afterwards, for all the staff...the mechanic on the floor, was more than pleased

Now we are always trading off, small favors & share a good laugh.

 

[TheDurk]

I missed this thread when it first landed. I have some news for people. I am looking at an EVAP replacement next spring and I am doing my homework as I might yet do it this fall. Here is the news:

NO NEED TO PULL THE DASH TO DO EVAP ON OUR TRUCKS!!!!!!

I have threads from people who have done it:

I also took out the evaporator. It’s fairly easy.

1. Disconnect the liquid line and the discharge line under the hood on the passenger firewall. WARNING: The liquid line has a special connector. I found it was easy to remove with a very small jewelers screw driver when pushing down the tabs from the top.
2. Just remove the glove box, the horizontal support for the glove box (4 bolts)
3. Take out the top of the glove box and disconnect the wiring that is attached to the top.
4. Remove the plastic air vent tube running horizontally behind the glove box (Just pops out – no screws)
5. Disconnect the wiring to the cooling unit (box holding the evaporator)
6. Tuck the cooling unit harnesses out of the way.
7. Remove 4 bolts holding the cooling unit onto the body.
8. Pull the unit down a little and pull out. (Be careful here because as you pull the unit out, the evaporator drain and grommet in the firewall will probably fall out and land under the truck)
9. The cooling unit box has three clips on the side (they pop off) and then 3 screws holding it together.
10. Remove the clips and screws.
11. The unit comes apart revealing the evaporator core and expansion valve. (The evaporator box was really nasty and the evaporator was on its last leg. I cleaned the box with a vacuum and then washed it in the dishwasher and it looks like new)

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/174982-diy-complete-ac-replacement-2000-toyota-4runner-limited.html

That's not the only one. I haven't done it, but I'm pretty sure of it.

So the next question is, did these dealers know this, and pull the dash just to balloon the labor charge? Or did they "let's not and say we did" and charge for work they didn't do? Or did they pull the dash just for stupid?

None of those answers look good for the dealers involved. Glad my truck never saw a dealer except for warranty work.

 

[gtfour43]

I missed this thread when it first landed. I have some news for people. I am looking at an EVAP replacement next spring and I am doing my homework as I might yet do it this fall. Here is the news:

NO NEED TO PULL THE DASH TO DO EVAP ON OUR TRUCKS!!!!!!

I have threads from people who have done it:



http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/174982-diy-complete-ac-replacement-2000-toyota-4runner-limited.html

That's not the only one. I haven't done it, but I'm pretty sure of it.

So the next question is, did these dealers know this, and pull the dash just to balloon the labor charge? Or did they "let's not and say we did" and charge for work they didn't do? Or did they pull the dash just for stupid?

None of those answers look good for the dealers involved. Glad my truck never saw a dealer except for warranty work.

You are in the wrong section my friend. This is the 4th gen section. The dash needs to come off.

 

[TheDurk]

You are in the wrong section my friend. This is the 4th gen section. The dash needs to come off.

My bad. Somebody linked to it from the 3rd Gen forum and I got suckered. I never would have stepped foot in here by my own volition. I'll go back where I belong. Glad I have a 3rd Gen. Regards to all.

That explains why I hadn't seen it earlier.