NEVIN BOLAND

schufamily responded

The bottom line is that it took almost a year of complaining to get anyone on your staff to acknowledge an issue. Why should a customer have to wait for multiple other customers/locations to diagnose the problem correctly when we (the customers) are paying exorbitant costs to get our cars repaired? Plus the lost personal time to make several trips trying to get your staff to problem-solve this issue on their own. I told your service dept. crew, yet they blew me off because other locations had not reported it? The accelerated wear on my tires was due to this issue, not a built-in excuse for my vibration problem but did the dealership offer to cover the cost of the tires due to this oversight by your dealership? NO! And with the severe vibration I'm now getting, I'm sure it will speed up my tire replacement AGAIN. But you don't care about these things, do you? Just keep telling customers that until a majority of car owners chime in, as an individual citing necessary repairs on the car they drive every day, your dealership will not react. You will have to play "Follow the leader." I want a dealership who is proactive for its customers, which yours is definitely visibly not!

Summit Toyota of Akron responded

The other dealers did not diagnose the problem, That's just it. They were experiencing the same issue with no apparent resolution. Toyota (and the other dealers) knew the symptoms but the repair did not come out until just recently (like I explained on the phone). This was a design flaw from the manufacturer. This had nothing to do with us waiting on other owners to chime in or playing follow the leader. I don't think you are truly understanding the issue and solution. Not one other Toyota dealer figured out the repair prior to Toyota and the part manufacturer diagnosing the problem and in turn created the fix. It is through the weekly tech meetings with Toyota that a problem is recognized on a larger volume of vehicles and through the collaboration the issue is narrowed down to a resolution. This takes time, specially when it's a design flaw.

schufamily responded

The only thing you've responded is that your people did not believe me that there was/is a problem. They kept telling me that there was nothing wrong. Why didn't they believe the owner of a car which is driven EVERY day by that owner.? Your dealership wouldn't even pursue the problem until Toyota said something. Why?

Summit Toyota of Akron responded

That is incorrect Sir. At no point did we not believe you. One part of the issue in communication, since to our recollection you have not brought the vehicle in, your wife has (which everyone remembers, extremely nice person). I do know you spoke with the Service Manager over the phone during the last visit. First noted visit - Your vehicle was here for a vibration at high speeds. We saw your vehicle was out of alignment and needed tires. We did the alignment; you did not get tires. As proper procedure, when you have a vibration and you need tires, the tires must be addressed first (and removed as the cause) before further diagnosis can happen. You came in a month and half later and had the tires put on. Since we just did an alignment, we covered the cost of another one (as you should get an alignment with tires). The vehicle left. AT your next service (your last one) you were here for a regular 5k service, there was a complaint noted of a vibration at slow to moderate speeds (completely opposite of the first complaint of high speeds). Our Master Technician (and Shop Foreman) drove your vehicle (us perusing the problem) and inspected it. It was his expert opinion that it was the wheel bearing. We explained that there had been conversations on the weekly tech meetings with Toyota (and a Technical Service Bulletin) regarding the wheel bearing on your model. That it was a known issue and Toyota was working on a fix. We did not order the wheel bearing until the true fix was announced. This is because if it was (and it was) a design flaw (not just a faulty part) we would be replacing it with the same faulty part and after some time, you would end up with the same problem. As mentioned, this turned out to be the right decision on our part. It was not about perusing the problem. It was about properly diagnosing the problem. Not only being an active participant on the tech meetings with Toyota (which can last for hours and be extremely mundane), paying attention and being able to recall the information on a dime like a well-trained, professional Toyota Master Technician should. I applaud my technician for not just throwing parts at a problem and not taking the easy route. His experience and professionalism lead to the best answer for you, the customer.

schufamily responded

First, what does it matter who brings in the vehicle? If there is a problem, there is a problem. Period! And you're trying to insinuate that my "diagnosis" of the problem changed with the various reportings. There was (is) a vibration which was conveyed to your people from day 1. I never said it decreased or in increased until the last visit. At that point there was no denying or downplaying the issue. You all were playing "backyard mechanic" claiming it was tires (prematurely worn due to the tire vibration issue) when no one could diagnose the problem correctly. And I did say to your service manager in a phone call that I wondered if it could be wheel bearings, but listen to me? No, of course not. But she was sure to tell me that the things I brought up to her couldn't be it, because no other cars had reported a similar issue. Why was that a necessity to have other cars with a similar issue? Why couldn't she react to MY complaint? And once again I say, that for the exorbitant labor charges imposed by car dealerships, a customer should be able to expect that "well-trained, professional Toyota Master Technician" to not do the old "let's try this and see if it works" technique, not at the prices you charge.