New Owner - Toyota Or Dealer Problems?

[right-on]

Just bought a new T-Spirit D4D and found the following problems -

1. Ordered in January for guaranteed 1 March delivery. The dealer rang in mid-February to say car was still in Japan and would not be available until sometime in April - at the earliest. If I accepted alternative car (same model, but metallic), they offered free loan-car until alternative available (approx 5th March). This I accepted as they were paying for metallic paint & body-care package (~£500). The car was eventually available on 11th March.

I have to add that the dealer was fair, but slightly economical with the truth when it came to the delivery date.

Is this a common problem with Toyota - or just certain dealers?

2. Attempted to get an after-market tow-bar fitted. Although bars appear to be available, they do not fit the T-Spirit. Apparently, this model is built in Japan and has a deeper rear bumper than the models built in France!

It seems that Toyota have kept this quiet - Toyota dealers are not aware of the problem. The tow-bar manufacturers do not seem to have been made aware of a change to the Yaris until after it happened.

So, I now have to pay £300 (fitted and discounted!) for a Toyota bar - rather than £138 (fitted - no discount).

[SuperRetard]

1) Maybe I don't expect enough from my dealers? This sounds pretty good, you're quids in man!

2) I don't think that's anybody's fault really. I appreciate the price difference between tow-bars, but my experience of aftermarket towbars is pretty poor!! Twisted subframes and punctured diffs spring to mind (not with a FWD car tho').

Just my 2p... ;)

[alanbradley]

Hmmm... I have to admit that I have a pretty good Toyota dealer, but the lead time for my T3 D4-D was about 10 weeks because I wanted black and diesel and had jumped from 5 weeks overnight.

It sounds like they're having to make all of the diesel Yarii in Japan at the moment so I guess mine worked out as 1 week for it to be built, 8 weeks by sea to the UK (about right for ships from Japan/HK/China btw) and a week to get it to me. I don't think that's bad as I know that the car was built for me and hasn't been lingering around on a dockside for months. To be honest, it sounds like your dealer was pretty fair about the whole thing.

Please tell me that the towbar isn't for towing a caravan! I would always go for the genuine thing with that sort of accessory anyhow...

Record mpg so far is 62.2, can you beat that yet? :D

A

[Blue84]

I've just got a Petrol 1.0L T3 Yaris which took just over a week to get to the showroom from when I ordered it but the DVLA had computer problems which delayed the registration so I didnt get the car for two weeks after ordering but that wasn't Toyotas fault.

[right-on]

Black Metallic Diesel is what I got - story was that this was already in the UK but still took nearly two weeks to get it to the dealer.

The towbar is for a small trailer - although my father used to tow a lightweight caravan behind a 1 litre Fiat Uno - I'm glad I wasn't ever behind him

Too early to tell what the mpg is going to be, but have done nearly 400 miles so far and the gauge still reads half full (or half empty?). I managed 74mpg with my last car - a 1.9ltr Fiat Punto JTD.

[Demonic Angel]

I never had probs with my dealer either - ordered the car on the Sunday and got it a week after on the Sunday - no hassle or problems (apart from a bit of a mix-up with my debit card details!!)

Who was your dealer? Maybe if you shed some light on who it was people will come forward? I always heard bad things about Listers Toyota, but the Listers dealership I went to were lovely - very professional and I got loads of freebies! :D

[SpankysEcho]

My Toyota dealer tried to rip me off, Caught em out though!

Took a red 3 dr Echo for a test drive, The dealer and I gave it a right thrashing, He told me it was a demo and was going on sale in a couple of weeks anyway so don't be afraid to Rev it and try it out, Every one else had anyway!

I go back to the dealership and said I would think about it, Rang him back a couple of hours later and said that I'd take one in red, No worries he said there is one on the back lot,

Took the missus in that night to show her the car I was going to buy and the colour I had chosen, The demo car had gone off the lot, Now I thought the dealer had taken it home for the night or lent to a perspective customer.

A couple of days later I go to pick up my new car, When I get there I ask where the Demo model went, "Sold" he tells me proudly, Got full price for it to he claims considering it was thrashed!!

So he sends me over to check my car out while finishing off the paper work, I go and check out to the car and notice stone chips, the front tyres are badly worn on the edges and

it has 3000 km on the clock. and worst of all a mechanic I know at the dealership bumps into me and says "Pity the poor :censor: who just bought this, Payed full price and got a badly thrashed car!"

AS I said to him I just bought it!!!! :ffs:

Stormed into the sales managers office and said to them what a pack of ripoff :censor: 's they were and how dare they sell me a demo at full :censor: price!!!!

Salesman get's his butt kicked! New car ordered, And I'm invited to watch the car being driven off the truck, Detailed and then I drive it out of the dealer with just 3 KM's on the clock and $500 credit with the dealership for spare parts.

[Toady]

Yeah i got an ex demo on the wed,. picked it up on the sat. Not really a problem for me that its ex demo cause its going in a few months

mat

[knightrider]

listers toyots used to be good to me til it went in for a warranty job and the ripped my handbrake gaitor off to remove it, lost the grub screw for the handle so its now loose, gave me a courtesy car with rubbish inside (i dont mind it being dirty but when inside is llike a skip!) my car neva gets dirty its always clean so y shud i expect to get in a car that looks like it belongs to a farmer mud all inside the lot?

the bloke who i used to deal with at listers has left and he was a top bloke discount on parts friendly service, they need 2 learn to look after customers not only prospective buyers, they seem 2 4get about u once uve got ur new car,

just my 2p worth