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New TN User
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: SW. WI.
Posts: 42
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Abs Nightmare Still Underway
Ok folks...sit down and get ready for a Horror Story to end all Horror Stories...I bought my 2009 Corolla "S" last April...I am in the USA...I am on the west side of Wisconsin.
For the most part I have not had any issues, a rattle here and there. Three weeks ago the ABS light came on. No change in how the car was working though. I made an appointment, at Steve Low's Midwest Toyota in La Crosse WI. They said they will need it for the day. I dropped it off in the am, around 7. I asked to be dropped of at work, they said "Sure" i got in the courtesy van, the guy said "Where to" I told him, he said "We don't go that far" I said, go as far as you go, (the difference was 4 miles) and push me out of the van and I will walk the rest of the way to work. He took me to work on the verbal agreement or understanding that I would not call to be picked up. Whatever. I got a ride back to the dealership, they said "It is your ABS actuator pump, it is not getting the right voltage, it has to be replaced, it should be here Friday this week (this appointment was on a Monday), we'll call, you can bring it in around lunchtime Friday and we'll get it done in afternoon" I said ok. Friday came around...no call...all day...I called at 4 pm...to service, asking "Did you get my pump?" they said (in service) "I dunno, I'll transfer you to parts"...Parts said, yep, got here at 7 am...I asked if they informed service it was there...they said ummmm nope! So they transferred me back to service...Service asks..."did they (parts) tell you how long it will take to install?" Now...folks....I take pills for high blood pressure...These little pills were now exhausted as my blood pressure shot through my vein on my forehead...I replied..."NO, why don't you transfer me from service (you) back to parts, and I will ask them how long it should take you, service, to do it and then they can transfer me back to you, and I will tell you (service dept) how long"...They said "ummmm...that's ok", and put me on hold...and dropped my call 5 min later. I decided to walk around our building at work 3 times before calling them back. I called them back and they said, well.. parts did not fax us to tell us your part was here....I said "They are all of 6 feet from your window, why didn't someone freaking YELL IT ?!?!?" Well...he did not like that. He asked when would I like it done? I said NOW. He said they were closed, I said Saturday...he said nope, not gonna pay a tech 4 hours on a Saturday...Apparently the came to the conclusion that it will take 4 hours as that is what the service book said. They read that somewhere, or parts told them, one or the other.
So now we're at Monday...this past Monday...don't worry, it gets worse. I drop the car off at 1230 pm, was told, come back at 430...I say ok. I called at 400pm, they said "Ummm not quite yet, give us a half hour," I said ok, I gave them an hour and 20 minutes, not done yet....I waited...the tech walked up and said "Man that thing kicked my butt, I replaced the actuator pump, but it aint the pump, it's your brake light switch under your dash." So go ahead and drive it, we'll order a switch, bacause we don't have it...maybe three days or so...maybe Wednesday" I thought, sure...parts will have to tell you it's in, and they can't walk 6 feet, so if someone does not send a fax six feet, I'm screwed.
I walk out to the car, drive across the lot. I touch the brake pedal. Now...I always wear a seatbelt, but the car stopped so quickly, I almost was severed in half by the belt. The pedal took all of like 1/16th of an inch to slam the car to a stop. Tuesday I found out why. They never test drove my car when they completed the pump. So I drove home Monday...paked in my garage, heard a rattling under the hood on the way home.
I think...Now what? It took me a sec to get the hood open, there is brake fluid on my steering wheel, on my mats, on the inside of the car, on the door...on the fender? on the hood.. .and all over the inside of the engine compartment. And the mechanic was nice enough to give me a free Matco tool...left under my hood, pressed up against my fan and lower radiator hose...A green handled pry bar looking thing, kinda a hook shape. The first time they had my car to see what the problem was, they left a testing wire thing under the hood. I gave that back. I thought it fell off the car under the hood. So I called, and bitched, and only got voicemail. I bitched to my salesperson, the service manager and the general voicemail for the entire dealership.
That was Monday...let's go to Tuesday...I pull out, start driving to work. I am still amazed my brake pedal is so high on the length of the pedal to apply brakes, I assumed it was because they were just bled. The abs light is on and off...I figure, it is because it has a short. 10 minutes into my commute, the steering wheel started to shake. I called Toyota, they said, "Well, try and steer her over here...so I then had a shudder...in front...I called again, and kept the guy on the phone, thanks JBL with Bluetooth...He asked what else was going on...I said I am like flooring the car, it is only going up to 4000 rpms, but I can't get more than 30-35 mph. I am old school, I was thinking since I did not drive it home over 30 mph, but my commute was 40-45-65 mph, it was maybe vacuum related? Ummm NO. without showing any sign on the dash, the faulty brake light switch was sending a signal to my front brakes, telling them to engage. The guy on the phone, Toyota dealer service writer...said "Try pulling your parking brake, does it feel stuck?" I said no, by that time I was a half mile away, went about 5 miles from one side of town to the other to get there. I pull up to dealership, now there is smoke POURING out of my front end. I get out to look. My front brakes looked like I tried to re-enter the atmosphere. They were blaze orange hot. My silver rims were dark grey to spotty black. The wheels looked more scary than jack-o-lanterns on a Friday the 13th set. They (Steve Low's midwest toyota) were nice enough to open the garage door and ask me to pull in, I tried to pull ahead but my brakes were seemingly glued now to my pads. They suggested at that point to stop my car. Good Idea ! So a parts person was nice enough to drive me to work. I asked (he was actually a manager of some sort) I asked if the techs were paid by the hour?, he said no. They are paid by the job, if a job said in the book, 4 hours, they are paid 4 hours. I asked...so...it is possible that when they are on it for 5 1/2 hours, they might cut corners, leave tools under my hood, brake oil shmeared everywhere and not road test my car? He did not want to respond to that, so we drove in silence. The service manager, Jason, said they may have dropped the ball on that one. I did not want to rub his nose in it so I was polite, to a point and walked away. I went to work and Toyo, Jason, the all knowing service manager called me and explained that the brake light switch is two parts, one...it activates the brake lights, and two...it sends a signal to the brake system abs pump that was replaced, but did not need to be, to engage the pump, when the switch failed, it told the brakes to engage in the front only and stay on. Is this possible? So I called a different dealership in MN...I asked to speak to a tech, I was given a Lead Tech at Rochester Toyota, he said if I drove 2 blocks with my front brakes on, I may have damaged my transmission, I had caused irreperable damage to my front brakes, including the pads, rotors and calipers. My toyota dealership c/o Jason and "Steve Low's Midwest Toyota" said they disagree. They said "Ummm the pads, sure, the rotors probably, but were not touching the calipers, we just had a midwest toyo rep here and he said no way, don't replace them, they are fine"...I asked how they came to that conclusion? did they take them apart and look inside at the seals? and they said no, not necessary, the boot on the outside doesn't even look burned. "Not gonna do it, but we'll wash your car for ya and wash off the brake dust and the brake fluid from all over the outside of the car." And we'll give ya a loaner. and ummm we will hold your car till Thursday when the rotors come in, we'll complete the job and to make it easier for ya, we'll bring your car to your work, and pickup our rental, how's that Sir?"" Should I be worried? I work with truck mechanics, they said the calipers are shot. I have had knots in my stomach all week regarding this. Today I got the call from service, they actually talked to parts at 3 pm. Parts said "Thursday? Who told you Thursday??" Maybe Monday we'll see the rotors...but not before". So I went back in today after work to "Steve Lows Midwest Toyota in Beautiful LA Crosse, WI" to look at trading it. I was gonna trade a 2009 Toyota Corolla S, mine...for like a scion XB with a manual transmission. My dealership said they will only give me 13,500 for my car...I have the S, with the moonroof, spolier, fogs, JBL audio, bluetooth, automatic, tinted windows, and I added the ebay Sabre led's to the tails. 13,500. trade. I feel taken advantage of. They will not listen to my concerns regarding the calipers, citing they know more than I do. I applied for financing to trade off my S for the Scion, but I doubt it will fly. I would be upside down by like 6000 dollars. Thanks toyota, "Oh what a feeling, toyota" the feeling is knots in my stomach waiting for the calipers to fail, and not having a leg to stand on with my dealership, who just expanded their building and their lot and appraently their overhead, and lost a customer. This was my second car purchased through them in two years, financed with TMCC forall three. It is actually my third toyota, I also had a Prius, and a 1998 Camry.
Any suggestions? Thanks, Pat.
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wow thats a horror story indeed
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