New T-Spirit Not To Spec!

[JerryW]

Yesterday I collected my new T-Spirit with solar roof and technology pack. Looking over the car this morning I was surprised to find that it has Toyo 215/45 R17 87W tyres instead of the 15" tyres the brochure says it should come with.

I am a bit annoyed about this, since I prefer the improved mpg and cheaper running costs of the 15" tyres. I don't care what they look like, you can't see them while driving anyway...

I will be contacting the dealer, but I am wondering if the specification has been changed since the brochure was printed? Also, if the car as delivered does not meet Type Approval regulations, is that an issue, for me or for Toyota?

Any comments? The car I must say I am very pleased with otherwise

Jerry

[PeteB]

... I am wondering if the specification has been changed since the brochure was printed?...

Hi Jerry

The web site still says this against the T-Spirit today:

"15" 5-spoke alloy wheels with full wheelcaps and locking wheelnuts (with solar roof fitted)"

"17" 5-spoke alloy wheels with locking wheelnuts (without solar roof fitted)"

However, under "Legal Notices" at the bottom of each page, it says:

"Availability and pricing of advertised products and services

All products and services advertised on this website may be withdrawn or altered at any time without notice. Images shown may not be to UK specification. Please check with your official Toyota dealer the availability and specification of Toyota products and services before placing any order for them."

Their catchall "get out of jail free" card, I suppose...

[Grumpy Cabbie]

The 15 inchers use cheaper tyres and give a better ride.

The larger wheels don't, as you're aware.

I'm sure it's just a mistake and the dealers will be more than happy to rectify. Seriously, Toyota customer service is great, or at least my dealers are. A friendly phone call will probably get the ball rolling. Toyota CS are not like Renault or Vauxhall's.

If this had been my car, and knowing Toyota as I now do, I wouldn't be allowing my blood pressure to raise in any way. Maybe argue a free set of mats out of it too ;)

[Parts-King]

It says on the website the following. ALL brochures have E & OE in them, errors and omissions excepted. Sometimes specs have to change at short notice. Take it up with your dealer, they are best placed to help you out

T Spirit

From £25,295

• 17" alloy wheels (or 16" alloy wheels when solar roof option is added)

[barrycoll]

My new 2013 T Spirit with solar roof, also came with 17" wheels Gerry.......I too was surprised when I first saw the car, and the dealer didn't notice anything 'wrong'...

there didn't seem any options for me either, other than to go through with the sale. at the time of delivery....

but unlike you, I rather like the look of the 17" rims, and the difference between ride quality, and road noise, between this car and 15" wheeled mini cabs, seems quite marginal, and if it was a blind-folded test, I would probably get it wrong...

the cars are fully imported I believe, so the spec (other than the 'Packs', that are offered), must be decided during some ancient Tea Ceremony, and maybe after one Geisha too many??

with 17" wheels the car looks purposeful, and when looking back, after parking up always provides a pleasant experience of "Good choice, well done mate"

[IanIanIanIan]

When I bought my gen two many moons ago, the radio did not have the cassette player the brochure said it would but a more modern CD player which I did not want. I pointed it out to the dealer who took up the case. There was talk of a new car but in the end they tore up the dash and fitted the correct radio at a cost of some thousands I believe. I really would not worry, they will see you right for something so simple to rectify.

I pointed out that the brochure was given to me by the dealer and was my information source for the order and thus the contract to supply, any errors were their errors and not mine and their problem to sort.

[PeteB]

[OT} reminds me of a friend in the 1970s who had a Morris Marina as a company car - it wasn't until he'd had it a couple of years and commented to me that he was amazed how quickly the 1.3 accelerated, and I told him he had a 1.8!

He showed me the 1.3 Badge on the boot lid, and said it had been bought, registered and insured as a 1.3!

He then asked how I knew it was a 1.8 - to which I replied it had the front grille of the 1.8, but the main reason I knew was it had the same throaty burble as the MGB roadster that had the same engine! I was a geek as a teenager!

[FROSTYBALLS]

Reminds me when our neighbour bought a new Austin Metro City - 1984. A couple of weeks after they had it, they noticed one evening the front wheel arches lit up when the hazards were turned on. The City supposedly didn't have side repeater flashers as standard - just amber coloured lenses in the wings and blanks on the inside. When they checked inside the wings, the side repeater bulb holders complete with working bulbs were dangling loose. So they removed the blanks, inserted the bulb-holders into the rear of the lenses - and working side repeater flashers

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Good ol' British Leyland.

People who didn't experience their ';quality' control first hand just wouldn't believe had shocking it was. Hmmm why was BL a but of jokes?

[Cyker]

Soooo... do you have to tell insurance? It's not to spec, but most normal people wouldn't even notice such a deviation, so could they get caught out by such a change??

[FROSTYBALLS]

Soooo... do you have to tell insurance? It's not to spec, but most normal people wouldn't even notice such a deviation, so could they get caught out by such a change??

Depends whether cars with the optional solar roof are separately Type Approved, and whether the spec once included 17 inch wheels for cars with the solar roof. As regards informing the insurance, it depends what the latest spec is.

[PeteB]

...17" alloy wheels (or 16" alloy wheels when solar roof option is added)

AH! I thought I'd seen mention of 16" somewhere - funny how different parts of Toyota's web site quote 2 different sizes, and at least two owners received a car with neither of them actually fitted!

[JerryW]

"The 15 inchers use cheaper tyres and give a better ride.

The larger wheels don't, as you're aware.

I'm sure it's just a mistake and the dealers will be more than happy to rectify. Seriously, Toyota customer service is great, or at least my dealers are. A friendly phone call will probably get the ball rolling. Toyota CS are not like Renault or Vauxhall's."

Apparently not: they say it's not a fault, except that the website is wrong. So it seems I am stuck with them

[Grumpy Cabbie]

"The 15 inchers use cheaper tyres and give a better ride.

The larger wheels don't, as you're aware.

I'm sure it's just a mistake and the dealers will be more than happy to rectify. Seriously, Toyota customer service is great, or at least my dealers are. A friendly phone call will probably get the ball rolling. Toyota CS are not like Renault or Vauxhall's."

Apparently not: they say it's not a fault, except that the website is wrong. So it seems I am stuck with them

Name and shame the dealers then.

But equally, if you really really want 15 inch wheels I might consider swapping mine (with almost new A/A rated tyres) depending which wheels you have fitted.

I am surpised by your dealers response. I trust you were calm with them and didn't lose it or become angry? Seriously, my dealers have bent over backwards to help in the past and Toyota have even replaced an expensive part outside of warranty (I am a loyal customer and keep both our cars serviced there).

[FROSTYBALLS]

"The 15 inchers use cheaper tyres and give a better ride.

The larger wheels don't, as you're aware.

I'm sure it's just a mistake and the dealers will be more than happy to rectify. Seriously, Toyota customer service is great, or at least my dealers are. A friendly phone call will probably get the ball rolling. Toyota CS are not like Renault or Vauxhall's."

Apparently not: they say it's not a fault, except that the website is wrong. So it seems I am stuck with them

Under Equipment for the Prius the website today states:

T3 - 15' 5 spoke alloy wheels with full wheel caps and locking wheel nuts

T4 and T-Spirit - 17' 5-spoke alloy wheels with locking wheel nuts.

So looks like the info on the website has changed. Toyota probably have a disclaimer, similar to the one on brochures, somewhere on the site around changes in specs.

Only other avenue you could explore would be to contact Toyota GB directly and politely to see whether there is anything they will be prepared to do under goodwill.

[JerryW]

So it does, F..balls. That is a change from yesterday. However it is still wrong, as under spec/prius/wheels it shows the T-Spirit as having both a repair kit and a spacesaver spare; mine has only a repair kit, another slightly sore point.

The dealer concerned is Charles Clark Toyota, Wolverhampton. I have spoken (politely!) to Toyota GB and they are looking into it.. I will let you know how I get on.

So far as swapping wheels is concerned it is something to consider.. is the rolling diameter the same either way? I wonder if internal measurements of various things might be upset by the change.

[Peter2673]

Hi Jerry.

I changed from a t spirit to a plug in, going from 17 to 15 inch wheels in the process.

The 17's look nicer, but the 15's are better in every other respect. The ride is better, there is less tyre noise, it uses 5% less fuel when I don't plug in (obviously plugging in and charging the Battery makes a whole different comparison), and, sporty drivers wake up to this, the car is faster- it accelerates as though it has had its lead boots taken off, despite being 40 kg heavier. (I know the published figures say otherwise but I'm convinced that manufacturers publish generic rather than wheel specific figures to avoid drawing attention to the fact that customers buying big sporty wheels end up with a slower car)

When buying my original t spirit in 2009 I considered the solar roof and was told that car came with smaller wheels and no spare because bigger wheels and a spare would put the car in to a weight category for which it was not type approved. They may now have type approval, or they may have found a way to make the solar roof gubbins lighter. Either way it isn't your problem. Having purchased the car, if you want to buy a spare wheel and keep it like any other luggage in the car you can. I believe the spare wheel well is a handy place for spare wheel shaped luggage.

the only other consideration is that insurers demand that you tell them if your car is fitted with non standard wheels, so you do need from Toyota confirmation that your wheels are standard if you decide to keep them.

All the best

Pete

[Peter2673]

Btw the rolling diameter and wheel offset are the same, and, unless things have changed recently, all gen3 Priora have the same hubs and brakes so there should be no issue with rake calliper a fouling the smaller wheels.

[Peter2673]

....brake callipers fouling......

[kithmo]

and there should be no difference in acceleration if the wheels are the same rolling diameter ?

[JerryW]

OK, here is an update:

Toyota GB said that all T-Spirits come with 17" wheels so the car was to spec. and I had made a mistake. The girl I spoke to said she had looked in the brochure and there was no mention of 15" wheels. I told her that a - the brochure I had been given when I ordered the car did say 15" wheels with a solar roof; b - their website was still saying that now, and c - the salesperson had said so too. The following day, as noted above, they changed the website! I never did get them to concede they had done anything wrong at all. After further consideration they said that as the car was to spec. it couldn't be changed, so they couldn't offer to fit 15" wheels. Instead they offered me a toyota voucher for £200 which I accepted just to conclude the discussion. I'm not good at complaining.

I intend to use the voucher to buy the spare wheel that it currently has not got. But it has left a sour taste I'm afraid, particularly as mpg so far is dreadful, noticeably worse than the old one was. Maybe it will improve, the car has still only done 500 miles

:

[Grumpy Cabbie]

£200 sounds like a result. If you really wanted you could buy some 15 inchers off eBay for that - with tyres.

Or it'll make up the difference in cost between 15 inche tyres and 17 inch ones over the life of the car. Or pays your first service.

Try getting Renault or Fiat to offer something similar. A cursory glance over their forums is scary indeed.