New Toyota Camry owner, dissapointed

[kitacamry]

Originally Posted by WolfPackST

Hello,

This isn't a flame thread by any means - but I am seeking advice on what to do next.

So I call the Toyota dealership this morning (there is a 12 month comprehensive warranty).
If I am sweating over nothing, then please let me now - but I this is definitely not expected, and Im nervous anyways considering this is our first purchase.

Any help, advice or suggestions would be appreciated.

-J

I need to add this...a car is MORE THAN A MAJOR appliance...you should expect the dealer to treat it as if your life depends on it...because it does.

You have a warranty that may be good at Toyo dealers everywhere and you should make sure you find one that will respect you as more than a buyer of their merchandise.

I believe the owner of my car NEVER WENT TO THE DEALER HE BOUGHT THE CAR FROM TO HAVE ANY WORK DONE ON IT....at least there's no Toyo record of him ever doing so...WHY? Likely from mistrust of dealers...crazy to my mind...

Show no fear of the dealer when you visit...show empathy for maintaining THEIR product...show that you can be a reference to other prospective buyers if they treat YOU right...

You'll want to own this nice piece of technology for years down the road (I always like this metaphor for car ownership...only a hair above a pun)...and the dealer should have as much pride in you as you have in the car...it can be as what was once said in another time in another world...the beginning of a beautiful friendship...

...best wishes to you, your wife, and your child to come...happy holidays...

[WolfPackST]

Thanks again for the replies!

We dropped the car off after work last night. They set us up with a 2012 Camry for a rental car.

I gave them the list of issues I've noticed. I could tell they were irritated with me, but at the end of the day they took the car into service - and they are even going to respray the front bumper to fix it. We'll see how it goes after I pick the vehicle up on Thursday evening.

On a side note, it's amazing how much quieter, smoother and lexus-like the new generation of Camry is (2012). Our rental car is dramatically smoother than the 2010. They must have revamped the car substantially.

Im kind of kicking myself knowing we spent around $17k for our 2010 with 20k miles, and I know we could have gotten a 2012 Sport for $20k with less miles. They payment difference probably wouldn't have been much difference. But hey, thats the nature of being human - always wanting more! Im just grateful for the car we got (assuming everything gets corrected). I can always trade the car in for a newer model a year or two from now

[heartdisease]

I never worry about trade in as I tend to drive the wheels off of my cars. That said these Camry's hold their value incredibly well at least according to the web and any adds I have seen for used ones. You should be able to do just fine at that. I test drove a 2012 TCH and it was as quiet as any car I have been in. I don't really care for the new styling though. I really like the 6 gen best out of the recent Camry's.

[WolfPackST]

Originally Posted by heartdisease

I never worry about trade in as I tend to drive the wheels off of my cars. That said these Camry's hold their value incredibly well at least according to the web and any adds I have seen for used ones. You should be able to do just fine at that. I test drove a 2012 TCH and it was as quiet as any car I have been in. I don't really care for the new styling though. I really like the 6 gen best out of the recent Camry's.

I actually prefer the styling of our 2010 over the new ones (especially since ours is Black!) but I do like the quietness and smoothness of the new ones.

I am going to get the car back on Wed. night. Im going to clay and wax it on Thursday morning and will post pics!

Glad to be a part of this new community!

[heartdisease]

Love to see pics and how the spray job turns out.

[Snomax]

Originally Posted by WolfPackST

I actually prefer the styling of our 2010 over the new ones (especially since ours is Black!) but I do like the quietness and smoothness of the new ones.

I am going to get the car back on Wed. night. Im going to clay and wax it on Thursday morning and will post pics!

Glad to be a part of this new community!

And what brand of wax are we using Sir?

[ocdjg]

Its nice to see that everything seems to be working out in your favor. I hope this is a lessoned learned though. Never, ever buy a car at night! You never know what the history of the car and really all you got to protect yourself is your own two eyes.

[WolfPackST]

Originally Posted by Snomax

And what brand of wax are we using Sir?

I am going to give the car a quick wash. While it is wet I will start the clay process. After it is clayed I will hand wax it with zaino, and wipe it with microfibers. Invisible glass spray on all the windows too!

[WolfPackST]

Originally Posted by ocdjg

Its nice to see that everything seems to be working out in your favor. I hope this is a lessoned learned though. Never, ever buy a car at night! You never know what the history of the car and really all you got to protect yourself is your own two eyes.

Fair enough! Lesson learned. Im only 27 so glad to learn this lesson now.

To be old and wise we must first be young and stupid lol

On a side note, here is my to-do list:

- HID retrofit
- Tint
- TRD intake?
- Black Rims/Wheels
- Interior LED's (dome, glovebox, etc)
- Some sort of navigation/bluetooth to replace the radio console. iPad mini interface? Not sure, have some research to do. Definitely want hands free phone but I don't want to compromise the quality of the interior. I will only do this if I can keep a factory feel and look.

[heartdisease]

Alpine has a new line of head units very slick. Actually all the major brands have had a recent revamp. Alpine has the "perfect fit" line that is cool check it out.

[WolfPackST]

Originally Posted by heartdisease

Alpine has a new line of head units very slick. Actually all the major brands have had a recent revamp. Alpine has the "perfect fit" line that is cool check it out.

Ok cool. Thanks for the intel.

Quick question for anybody that knows.

I know I have alot of reading to do about HID retrofits, but about how much $$$ can I expect to spend for a quality setup? I guess I need to decide if the budget is right before moving forward.

Thanks,
-J

[kitacamry]

While you're waiting for HID check to make sure the beams are aimed correctly...my used Cam came with the left a bit higher than the right...lowering the left a bit lower than the right gave me much more intense lighting immediately in front of the car...big improvement.

[heartdisease]

Originally Posted by WolfPackST

Ok cool. Thanks for the intel.

Quick question for anybody that knows.

I know I have alot of reading to do about HID retrofits, but about how much $$$ can I expect to spend for a quality setup? I guess I need to decide if the budget is right before moving forward.

Thanks,
-J

Do a few searches they have lots of good threads on it on here. I don't know a lot about it except the cheaper e-bay ones are prone to failure from what I have seen on here.

[hardtopte72]

If you take your time and scour HIDplanet.com for sale section for deals you can do the whole job for around 350-400

Ballasts (Denso or Matsushita)-80-110 bucks
4300K D2S bulbs- 20-90 bucks depending on new/used and type
Relay harness-30 bucks for H11
OEM Ballast to 9006 pigtails-15 bucks
Projectors-80-150 bucks.
Clear lens-varies if you even want them.

I did mine as follows.
Denso Ballasts-95 shipped
TRS H11 Relay Harness-30 shipped
TRS TSX-R clear lenses (value)-40 shipped
MDX D2S HID projectors and Morimoto 4300K 3Five bulbs-180 shipped
Denso to 9006 pigtails-15 shipped
Rubber Butyl Sealant (waste didnt need)-15 shipped

375 total since I did it myself. Everyone I emailed to do work wanted at least 700 bucks for just a swap.

From what everyone says you need newer RX350 projectors to be near bolt in (like MDX was for me).

If you need something custom (like FX-R, LS460, S2000, TL) projectors you will need custom work which is more time and around the same money (but you may get better projector prices).

[arabianobsession]

If you want to go with black rims, be careful which ones you get so they don't look like steelies from a distance. Not a pretty look I would recommend kind of a two-tone look with silver and black. There's a few good looking ones on Tire Rack.