Are all Toyota dealers this rubbish?

Anonymous · December 4, 2003, 15:00

No, they were replaced and it WAS the strut tops that was replaced. So, advise on people........ s:)

s:)

GSB · December 4, 2003, 15:07

Pop your bonnet, and remove the black plastic liner. (c'mon, it only takes a minute and you've always wondered what was under there...)

Get someone to turn the steering from lock to lock and then put your ear to the top of the struts, if it sounds like a coffee grinder/cement mixer, then your strut top bearings probably weren't lubricated properly. If the noise isn't coming from there you have a slightly different problem...

Anonymous · December 4, 2003, 15:10

Ok, will try that, but it definately sounds like the same sound that was there when the tops were replaced back in April. But always worth a check and if it sounds like the sounds described here, I am fairly sure it was the strut tops........

But good advice all the same. Will have to do the weekend now though.....

Also, I forgot to mention the clunking sound on full lock when coming of my car park. The same as it did before the strut tops were replaced. Even without listening to it, the evidence is building that it is them that are to blame again. Hence my original question, do you think MrT would replace them after only 8 months, even though my warranty has expired in those 8 months sinse? I think they should...... s:)

s:)

Anonymous · December 4, 2003, 15:15

as a lowly workshop monkey that has worked on this product for many years i have obviously been referring to the wrong place for my technical advice and should have come to you guys or the guy in the pub or my mate next door for some help. s:D

s:D

GSB · December 4, 2003, 15:15

I beleive, although I might be wrong, that any work carried out by your dealer has a seperate 12 month warranty.

Anonymous · December 4, 2003, 15:21

Thats what I thought GSB. Thats EXACTLY what I wanted to gear from someone. Thank you GSB. Nice one! Right, I am off to phone Mr T......

Cheers geezer!

s:D

s:D

Anonymous · December 4, 2003, 15:26

Quote from: "big dave"as a lowly workshop monkey that has worked on this product for many years i have obviously been referring to the wrong place for my technical advice and should have come to you guys or the guy in the pub or my mate next door for some help. s:D s:D

Roughly what I said earlier.

So how come we never get you when we take our car to be sorted with a problem like this, but instead get someone who's never heard of the problem, and can't hear the rattle you're on about etc. etc. ?

Good to have you here BTW.

Anonymous · December 4, 2003, 15:27

err i think he was being sarcastic....? s:? :? s:?

Slacey · December 4, 2003, 15:29

Quote from: "krisclarkuk"err i think he was being sarcastic....? s:? :? s:?

Certainly how I saw it.... so who do you work for then, big dave? s:lol: :lol: s:lol:

Anonymous · December 4, 2003, 15:39

Could be the dealer in question as he said they had come onto the site...

paul russell · December 4, 2003, 15:41

That's what I was wondering. Are you located in Hampshire by any chance, Big Dave?

Slacey · December 4, 2003, 15:42

Quote from: "krisclarkuk"Could be the dealer in question as he said they had come onto the site...

Again, what I figured... just wondering if he'll admit it s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

GSB · December 4, 2003, 16:18

Unlikely he'll admit it, probabley better not to, lest the all powerful, yet ball-bustingly frustrating overlord that is Toyota (GB) Ltd. get to hear of it. Cant have the staff fraternising with the customers etc...

Anyway, Dave, if you have something to bring to the debate then by all means feel welcome. You've seen how we as customers can be somewhat frustrated by some service managers dazzling ignorance of the painfully obvious, so it would be nice to hear the views of one of the guys who actually has to work on the cars.

Judging by your quote earlier ("lowly workshop monkey"), I do hope you havent read all this the wrong way. As enthusiastic owners who take extraordinary care of our cars, we feel its only right that the people to whom we are forced (by the warranty) to entrust the maintenance and repair of our cars should treat them along similar lines. Whilst some Gems in the Toyota main dealer network have been found, the sad fact is that for only 350 members, we have an awful lot of experience of the laziness, ignorance, and downright incompetance on the part of some of the technicians entrusted to work on our cars.

You however, are the first that we know of to wander in this direction so your input, good or bad, is decidedly welcome...

markiii · December 4, 2003, 19:40

Ref strut mounts.

Having had mine off to install the sportivo, and Comer's, Phil Dye's, Steve J's e.t.c to fit lowering springs, it's amazing just how much grit and crap can accumulate in the top of the strut mount. This is what causes the early stages of the noise and starts the bearing failure.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to pop the fron t plastic liner and blow the cr*p out with some compressed air evrey so often as a precaution. The best way is to remove the strut, but obviously that's a bit like overkill.

Ref Tramlining

The potenza RE040 is horrible in thsi regard, to anyone who has this tyre I can't recomend enough you try something else when they wear out.

MRMike · December 4, 2003, 20:24

I don't understand why Toyota fits the RE040. It was originally designed specifically for the R34 GTR VSPEC which requires very thin side walls in order to maximise it's HICAS rear steering, amongst other things. I can't understand how this was selected for a light, RWD roadster?? Maybe they are in fact different versions? i digress...

Anonymous · December 4, 2003, 22:12

i think i shall add to this little discussion.
the dealer by me is crap.i wont name then until my warranty runs out but i had exactly the same problem with the knocking.
i took it in after reading a couple of posts and told them that i thought the top strut mounts were faulty as its a common faulty amongst us owners.i was told that there is no know problem so they will check it.to cut a very long and boring story short, 4 trips to the dealer later and after being told there was nothing wrong,then having the suspension modification changed
then being told it was fixed,to complaining again that it hadnt to 'yes youve guessed it' having the top strut mounts replaced as that is the fault.
then just this week they had the cheek to tell me that the seat belt wear was also not a common fault and it was the first case they had come across.
the only problem with the car is the dealers and there failure to admit when there is a problem in my case,but its nice to know there are good dealers about.

markiii · December 4, 2003, 22:15

Quote from: "Mikeharper2"I don't understand why Toyota fits the RE040. It was originally designed specifically for the R34 GTR VSPEC which requires very thin side walls in order to maximise it's HICAS rear steering, amongst other things. I can't understand how this was selected for a light, RWD roadster?? Maybe they are in fact different versions? i digress...

If yo think the re040 has thin sidewall don't ever try the Goodyear venturas s:cry: :cry: s:cry: horrible.

I always thought the re040 had quite a stiff sidewall, and as such in the oem sizes there wasn't a huge choice when the roadster came out.

Anonymous · December 5, 2003, 10:35

Its ok my dealer is crap as well, what makes it worse is that ym best mate started work there 6 months ago as well.

They almost refused to sort the "ears" problem out with my hood.

They refuse to even look at my rusted discs/hubs.

The other dealer near me refused me a test drive, stating i am too young to be seriously considering an MR2 - lol proved him wrong.

So i am kinda buggered.

MRMike · December 5, 2003, 12:14

I hate that Bigun...how old are you by the way? One of my local dealers refused me one as well..I think that is the worst thing a salesman can do. IT's not up to them to decide if you can afford one or not. Maybe if you were looking at a 360, Pagani or something then yeah. I remember going to a honda garage and they couldn't have been better let me have a go in S2000 and CTR for the day!

Culvers in Macclesfield I could highly reccomend as a dealer, they have been great with me there, fixing paint problems as soon as i got the car, and lending me a Yaris Tsport for 2 weeks whilst being fixed. Nice guys, real sort of small garage (dare i say family) atmosphere.

Tem · December 5, 2003, 12:36

Quote from: "bigun007"The other dealer near me refused me a test drive, stating i am too young to be seriously considering an MR2

If you're serious about it and a salesman does that, give him £5 (or whatever you use to tip "servants" over there) and tell him to go get a salesman for you. Guaranteed to work! (at least it did here twice)

heathstimpson · December 5, 2003, 13:02

Quote from: "Tem"
Quote from: "bigun007"The other dealer near me refused me a test drive, stating i am too young to be seriously considering an MR2

If you're serious about it and a salesman does that, give him £5 (or whatever you use to tip "servants" over there) and tell him to go get a salesman for you. Guaranteed to work! (at least it did here twice)

Nice one Tem. I used to buy brand new sports cars at a young age and got the same crap. They used to say you can have a test drive after you've ordered it. How sensible is that? I just made sure I never used them again and several manufacturers have lost out big time over the years from their salesmen up their own asses... I have bought loads of new cars s:lol: :lol: s:lol:

MRMike · December 5, 2003, 13:07

s:lol: :lol: s:lol: thats tremendous TEM I liked annoying Mr "your too young" by going to his dealership a few weeks back..parked right outside the window.. walked in and started looking at a celica 190 with the GF in tow. The "YTY" as he will be known came over and said can i help sir, and i said " I'm just looking thanks My wifes BMW Z3 needs replacing and we need more space and a roof, but i'm just showing my wife as this is the closest garage, i would never buy from here" My gf just looked at me s:shock: :shock: s:shock: "oh and why is that Sir?" Well i said a salesman was very rude to me blah blah.. "well i can't appologise enough..it is our intent not to judge..blah blah." " so i said well to be honest it was you.. thanks anyways bye for now. HE didn't say a word. s:twisted: :twisted: s:twisted: My GF hit me with her bag when we walked out..still makes me laugh.. s:lol: :lol: s:lol:

Anonymous · December 5, 2003, 16:59

I am 20, was 19 when got the car though mate.

Tem - i just went to another dealer and me and a mate BOTH bought one from there.

Went back, told the other dealer, thought he was going to cry lol.

Anonymous · December 5, 2003, 17:03

I phoned the dealership up and asked if they had a car there to test-drive, before I went. Granted I wasn't in my teens, but my kid sister was, and they let her take it for a spin too.

markiii · December 5, 2003, 17:06

your dad has far too much money s:(

s:(