Just got a certified 2008, questions about what i can do - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

Pamela80 · 06-24-2009, 02:05 PM

I just bought a certified 2008 corolla yesterday. They gave me a copy of the original key. Now, it does not open the trunk and I found out the car had remote entry enabled. Should I be entitled to them ordering me the original keys with remote from toyota? Also, I looked at this car at night and it was raining and I didn't noticed three big cracks in the front grill, is there anything I can do with that as well? Thank you.

JasonA · 06-24-2009, 03:05 PM

Welcome Pamela. I think you made a good choice with your purchase (obviously), and I'm sure you'll enjoy it for years to come.

1) The key. Why doesn't your key open the trunk? It should. What color is the key head? If the key head is black, it's a full function key that should open any lock. If it's a grey key head, that means it's the valet key, and will not open the trunk. The dealership should supply you with a key that will open the trunk.

2) The cracks. Unfortunately, you're out of luck here I think. Two of the tenets of used car shopping are: never shop at night, and never shop in the rain (seriously). Night-time lighting and rain both will hide paint and body work defects, whether they're small scratches or dents, etc. If you shop at night and see one you like, it's best to go back the next day and get a good look at everything. You could have driven into something and cracked the grill. Or your kids could have run their bikes into it. Of course, you've only had it a day and I believe you 100% that they were there when you bought it, but my point is you can't really demonstrate to the dealer that the cracks were there (unless they had a picture of the car on the internet showing the cracks). Either way, cars are typically sold "as-is" and you likely signed an IOU form that says the dealer does not owe you anything. To be sure, all Toyota warranties are in effect, but those warranties don't cover body damage.

I'm very sure you won't be able to get anything out of the dealer for the grill, but you should be able to get a new key from them. They should provide you an operational key. (But again, this is one of those things that probably should have been checked before purchase.) Fortunately, the grill is cheaper than you think. You can often find them used for around 20 bucks plus shipping.

Pamela80 · 06-24-2009, 03:50 PM

Yes I did act in haste. I needed a car and with the situation I was in I was lucky to be looking at the two they showed me. The key I was given is black on top but it says "Ingenuity" not Toyota so I'm assuming that has to be a copy. I'm hoping that it's not the trunk lock. One thing that does bother me though is that the car is supposed to have the remote entry. I'm buying a certified car, not just any used car, why isn't it Toyotas policy to have only the original keys included with the car or have them ordered for the car before it's put up for sale if they don't have them.

What place you would recommend to get a replacement grill? It's the beehive kind. The metal is cracked around it too. What seems to have happened is that the hood was let go too high and when it crashed to close it did the damage. There is a gap where the hood meets the car and the hood is a little more raised than the edges of the car body.

Slaander · 06-25-2009, 07:13 AM

it really sounds like they capture the car from people didn't make their payments. so the original 2 black keys is missing and the key they offer you sounds like is backup key for the financial Dept. and the original key should looks like

JasonA · 06-25-2009, 12:37 PM

Well, "Certified" is a process that a dealer must go through to document the condition of the car and prepare it for sale, if they want to sell it as a "Certified Pre Owned" car. I'm not familiar with every step they go through, but I'm sure it includes a thorough inspection, to include checking the brakes, etc. Fluids and filters are changed (though I don't know if that includes the transmission fluid). After a car is "Certified", it retains the same 3 year/36,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, but the powertrain warranty is bumped out to I think 7 years or 100,000 miles (or something like that). Just because it's "Certified" doesn't necessarily mean that it's in perfect condition (it's still a "used car"), or that absolutely everything that came with the car when it was new is still there. For example, maybe the locks were changed in the past and the door locks don't match the trunk lock. That wouldn't necessarily preclude the car from going through the "Certified" program; I don't think lock matching is a requirement. In other words, a used car is still a used car. "Certified" used cars probably add some value to the shopping experience and peace of mind (I bought my '07 "Certified Pre Owned" also), but it still doesn't guarantee perfection.

The grill can be had very cheaply used. For example, here are a few I found just now:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/03-04...Q5fAccessories

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/06-TO...Q5fAccessories

Pamela80 · 06-26-2009, 06:31 PM

Okay. I went to the service center where I bought this car. The people there were horribly rude (won't bore you with the details). They looked over the car, didn't do a thing about the hood and gave us a copy of the key which will open the trunk but the cut was wrong. I took it to another toyota service center. The people there were a WORLD of difference, so polite and nice to me. The man there told me after looking at the car that the car had been hit in the front, he could tell by the paint job and hood damage, and that its not right the other place didn't tell me or fix this for me when getting the car. He couldn't repair it because i didn't buy the car from them and he would have to charge me for that. I went back to where i bought the car and told them about this. The carfax does not state that the car was in an accident. The repair guy from the other service center said it probably happened in the toyota dealership lot so that would make sense. The dealership guy where i bought the car from only said "if it was in an accident it wouldnt mean that it won't run right", not admitting to anything. He said that I could get the hood fixed but they would not repair the grill, okay. I brought it down to service again and they let me deal with someone else besides the bad seed i got last time. The man said he could see that the paint of the bumper was redone but wouldn't admit to an accident. This guy has us wait for an hour while the car is sitting there, then we see someone take the car, drive it someplace for about a minute and then drive it back, he said he realigned the latch for the hood, the hood itself is still lopsided. These people stuck me with a high interest charge and bumper to bumper in my monthly price because they needed to be safe that the car was in good condition if they took it back, they are not doing the same for me so that if i wanted to sell it that i get what its worth in good condition. I couldn't believe it, these people don't want anything to do with this and dont even want to help. I truly wish I had bought this car from the dealership where the service people were helpful but its too late now. Now do I have legal recourse here? Because I was not told about an accident and carfax does not state the accident and toyota doesn't want to do a thing about this for me. I would expect this from a cars for cash place but not a real dealership, although since ive google my situation i've actually read about others experiences like this in ny as well with places i've heard of.

Adama · 06-26-2009, 08:00 PM

Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc. Customer Assistance Center

gideon1331 · 06-26-2009, 08:00 PM

Check NY law. I know in some states you have 7 days to return the car for any reason if you aren't satisfied.

Unfortunately, NY is the WORST state to buy a used car from (assuming it was owned in NY previously), because the laws are very lax about what needs to be reported, and there aren't very many checks to ensure that all documentation for a vehicle previously owned in NY is accurate.

There is also a set list of requirements for a car to be Toyota Certified. If you find anything on the checklist that wasn't done, I'd say you have grounds to return the car, or threaten legal action.

http://www.toyotacertified.com/inspection.html

When I bought my 05 it was certified and the dealer tried to hide a broken clip on the rear bumper...I discovered this a couple days later and brought it back checklist in hand and they fixed it...reluctantly of course.

Pamela80 · 06-26-2009, 09:03 PM

The carfax says everything that the car went through was in Georgia. Of course a few months before I got the car is missing. It doesnt say anything about it being taken to the auction that the car salesman says they get it from. The only thing on the checklist that I see that applies to me but it's worded too carefully is "run and print vehicle history" and "Report/Check for for outstanding special service campaigns". I see listing about the underbody and frame but i don't know if that applies to this. no one offered me a carfax. I don't know if the outstanding special service campaigns apply to me. What I would like to know is this, do they by law even if it happened on the dealership grounds have to tell me about the accident?

Btw. I saw the paper and i was charged $2500 for their bumper to bumper warranty and $1400 for autocare. The rep told me that the bumper to bumper was included with the car price, the print on the contract says (not required for credit) which means i didnt have to get that to get the car. And the car sticker says i had a free year of service contract, so what in the world is the $1400 for?! On one of my papers it says that the refund of the contract will go back to my credit account for the price of the car. In other words they (insert horrible word here) me saying i had to have this one here and stuck the $1400 for the service contract for the entire loan of the car instead of the free year that came with the car. From what i read it seems i can get that taken off. Can anyone please advise me before i call the car salesperson about this? I cant believe what a fool i was with this situation and i know its partially my fault, but if i can undo this i would like to.

gideon1331 · 06-26-2009, 11:13 PM

I don't know about NY law, but in most states I think they only have to disclose frame damage. Frame damage would have to be repaired to pass any kind of inspection, but would be blatantly obvious to anyone who looked. They have to disclose that info because even repaired frame damage greatly reduces crash-worthyness as well as the value of the car.

Cars are commonly damaged on dealer lots...most new cars have bondo and touch-up paint on them in at least one spot. Trim pieces (bumper cover, grille, hood, etc) are not structural and so not affect crash safety, so they can be repaired without reporting it (although some shops do anyway). The IIHS actually removed all the trim pieces of a camry a few years ago to show the crash results were the same.

I got them to fix my bumper because of the bit about 'ensure the bumpers are properly attached.'

If your hood still doesn't operate 100% properly I suppose you could go at them with the "Hood and trunk latches working" item and drill them hard to replace the hood and the hardware that latches it shut. I doubt that it would get the grille replaced, but might get you some satisfaction at least. In some cases I have learned to be such a huge pain in the ass that it's worth it for them to just pay for what I want to shut me up. Sadly, you need to be like that with all too many dealers.

Other than that, I can't find anything other than an outright lemon law for NY, but it's certainly worth more research if you're up to it.

Pamela80 · 06-27-2009, 12:03 AM

well at this point, im going to get the service contract and bumper to bumper off my loan and then just get them to make sure the hood opens and closes properly and i'm done with them. from what ive read i dont have to have these things and am entitled to a refund that would adjust the monthly price of my car or atleast take a year off the 5 years i have to pay them.

gideon1331 · 06-27-2009, 12:32 AM

Thats always an option. The way the dealer doesn't get their cut of the warranty price (which is NEVER manditory for any vehicle). You can technically remove the warranty at any time before it expires so long as nothing has been paid from the warranty (its pro-rated after the first 30 days).

Slaander · 06-27-2009, 07:32 AM

in Canada here you have 10 days, you can bring it back to where you bought for 10 days money back.

and don't in states have lemon car law?

Pamela80 · 06-27-2009, 08:57 PM

Well its not looking good. The dealership is trying to tell me that I got my APR rate from the bank because of me adding their insurance and maintainence products, otherwise I would be at 20% and I wouldnt want to pay that! (20% would bring me $50 a month cheaper than what im paying now btw, those liars). I told them I consulted my CPA and he would be present when i go back to talk to the financial manager to redo my paperwork to take off those programs and the salesman talked about worse comes to worse you can return the car. In other words, this dealership doesnt want to give me this car unless they can jack up the price and make money off of me using the excuse of my credit and working off the books situation. I should only be paying $301 a month as opposed to $395 a month because of these services and it says on the contract i signed that these "optional" services are not required for credit approval. What is going on here is not legal and under advisement I faxed Toyota financial about this situation and the car dealership. As well as the fact that per the 160 point certified requirements i did not recieve a FULL CarFax. Its missing a year off of it and this car has definitely been in an accident as i was told by two toyota service people. Most likely this car will be going back because I dont see them giving me this car at the 12.49% rate i was approved by the bank for without those programs. This whole situation has been awful for me, Ive already reported to the Toyota relations department and a manager is getting back to me in 3 days. I appreciate everyones help with me during this thread.

Axxis8203 · 06-27-2009, 09:41 PM

Pamela, i'm truly sorry for the horrible experience you've had with this vehicle. obviously not all "stealers" are created equal, and you have found that out the hard way.

i would suggest that you visit http://carbuyingtips.com, this website is full of a wealth of information, and tips as well as the most common scams you'll encounter when trying to buy a car new or used. in particular it'll tell you that the most money is actually made in the "lienance" office. it's truly a must read for anyone, it amazed me.

in regards to you situation in particular:

you cannot return the vehicle under lemon law, as this law only applies to new vehicles...

the vehicle probably suffered a collision on the dealer lot and therefore was not reported. the damage you describe to the grill and hood probably indicate a very low speed front end collision. a body shop can probably tell you this for sure, but it will be to no avail as used cars are sold "as-is" and they can always claim that you caused the damage after sale.

they are not required to show you a carfax, but you can always ask prior to purchase.

the extended warranty and other incidentals you speak of that were added by these liars as being required to obtain credit can be cancelled within 30days and the amount credited to your loan to reduce your monthly payments.

you can shop online for a car loan at the website i gave you above; after cancelling the extended service contracts above and making sure that the amount of your loan gets reduced appropriately; i would ask your finance company for a total payoff amount, and have the new bank cut you a check for that amount with your new LOWER interest rate.

sadly i do not think you'll be able to return this vehicle unless you are VERY willing to cause a bis a** commotion in the showroom at a primetime business hour, and then they will probably try and get something out of you for the time you had posession of the vehicle. take some friends with you when you go back and feel free to cause a ruckus, the squeaky wheel gets the grease...

Good Luck