Toyota Koons Tysons Toyota rip-off Sulfur Smell is not Normal They won't fix it California and Virginia

Bill,

Toyota has a Technical Service Bulletin out on the SMELL problem you are having with your Corolla. Please see the TSB listed below that I located on the NHTSA. I have also been lied to and fought with Toyota for 2 1/2 years over a problem they said was a normal charactoristic of the vehicle, another dealer could not duplicate customers concern. These are two of Toyota's favorite phrases. Bill don't let them push you around. I found 143 complaints on the problems I am having with my Camry. 1997 - 2002 the same problems that Toyota could not find. Toyota will lie to you and everyone else. IMO Toyota is run by a bunch of SNAKES.

Technical Service Bulletins Summary

Make: TOYOTA
Model: COROLLA
Year: 1900
Service Bulletin Number: 001/5884
Bulletin Sequence Number: 005

Summary Description:

SULPHUR ODOR FROM EXHAUST EMISSION-DIAGNOSIS/REPAIR PROCEDURES ALL MODELS STARLE T, TERCEL, COROLLA, CAMRY, CELICA, SUPRA AND CRESSIDA.

I was aware of the Technical Service Bulletin and gave the dealer a copy of the number, etc. They ignored it and said that it was not a Toyota number... I am proceeding to work with a very good lemon car lawyer and will advise.

First, that is not a correct Service Bulletin. TSBs start with a 3 letter code (i.e., eng for engine) representing the area of concern on the vehicle and then a 4 digit number code. Second, it wouldn't encompass ALL those vehicles, especially a Cressida since they have not been manufactured in over 10 years. A TSB is only good for the manaufacturer's warranty - 3 years or 36,000 miles. That is why a Cressida would not be on that TSB! Third, the date of this supposed TSB is 1900!!!!!! A little old, don't ya think?

Beacause a TSB is only basically for the technician to help in repairing the vehicle and not a safety issue (recall issue) and therefore would not last for the life of the vehicle.

The sulfer smell COULD be the brand of fuel being used. If you have only used one brand of fuel (and NOT the octane count, i.e., plus, super, etc.)try switching brands of fuel which may solve the problem. The additives that certain fuel companies use (example: Exxon, Sunoco, Citgo), cause a sulfer smell or egg smell from the exhaust. This is not only with Toyotas but with many other cars as well. It happens on Chevys, Dodges, Nissans, etc.

Check with your Toyaota dealer. I bet they would be happy to supply ANY TSB that has come out about your vehicle. It is not "secret" information, but rather just a help to the tech. It does not mean there is a defect. It's just a problem that some owners have experienced and is used as an aid to alert the technician to be aware of this so they can advise the customer.

So, Michael in NH, get your facts straight and know what the heck you're talking about before spreading false information.

Bill, I've read your post here and elsewhere. I'd like to keep up with your details. You use a Toyota dealership local to me. I've heard quite a few things about Koons Tyson Toyota and some of these things are not flattering.

There is a T.S.B. so something must be causing this. What are the most likely possibilities? I don't know if you know about the sludge fiasco which has involved some Corollas. Many owners are not happy with the actions currently being taken by Toyota.

You are hearing the "it's normal for this vehicle" excuse. This has been said about the pulling problem in the Sienna, too. Just because most of them are this way, it doesn't exonerate Toyota from the responsibility of delivering a vehicle which does NOT pull to the side and wear out tires continuously. This is UNACCEPTABLE, as I am sure you would agree.

It may be time for the local owners to link in order to share their stories. Isolated individuals with problems are no worry for Toyota. Will it respond to a group of owners who link together locally? Even it they don't, at least we can tell others about our experiences so that they are spared the frustration.

I would highly recommend that you file reports with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Center for Auto Safety, the Federal Trade Commission, and any state and local consumer agency that might be of help. Unexplained symptoms NOW may well be connected to MAJOR problems later. For instance, many sludge victims reported lots of increasing white exhaust smoke which Toyota said was "characteristic of the vehicle." Later, much, much, later and after the owners had to spend thousands of dollars in repairs, Toyota admits that this is one of the signs of "engine oil gelation," a condition it says is the result of abuse on the owner's part. What it won't tell you is that many owner's followed the recommended engine oil change schedule but still ended up with sludge.

Continue to post and gather similarly-affected owners. Make a database so that you can see trends. Notify the above agencies personally as you gather data and ask them to take action on your behalf. Link with me and others locally to gain support for CUSTOMER SERVICE at the local Toyota dealerships. We don't want to have the same kind of customer service given to the original sludge victims......they say it was CUSTOMER ABUSE!

I find what you say about Toyota very hard to believe. Yes, I am an employee of Toyota and very proud of it. Toyotas are not only excellently made vehicles, but the dealerships pride themesleves on customer service, which is not found in other manufacturers' dealerships.

As a matter of fact, Toyota is so intent on CSI ratings, that each and every customer gets a call and survey card after every appointment with service. ASMs (Asst. Srvice Managers) are graded with these CSI results and they are a BIG factor in performance reviews as well as awards. Trust me, have a continually low CSI rating and you will NOT last long with any Toyota dealership. Toyota corporate follows these CSIs very carefully and dealerships will have problems if they are low.

Any and all complaints filed are followed up on and satisfied. Toyota takes pride in their CSI ratings and does not take complaints lightly. After all, an unhappy customer does not make for return business and that is what every dealership is aiming for. Word of mouth is the best advertisement so without keeping the customer happy, you won't have a great business.

Granted, I work for one of the best dealership groups in the area and we consistently exceed CSIs. Employees are treated well and we get great support from the higher-ups. How many times have I called corporate to get approval for special discounts, services, and perks JUST to make the customer happy. Basically, as long as the customer walks away with a smile, we are pretty much allowed to do what is necessary. We have quality techs who take all concerns seriously. No problem is too minor or "cannot be duplicated." You don't know the times I have driven a car trying to duplicate something, taken the customers for rides to show me problems, yelled at my techs because the problem wasn't fixed (yes, I do check each and every work order to make sure that the problem is addressed and fixed), etc. Then because I have spent the extra time with that one vehicle or customer, I am backed up on other tickets and have to apologize and explain to customers that their work will be done. Believe me, if YOU were the one who got my specialized service, you wouldn't be complaining about having to wait another 1/2 hour for an oil change!

Do I have a time to go home? Sure. It's 6:30. Have I every left there at that time? Not more than 5 times and that is when I have a family obligation. Do I arrive at 7:30? No. I am there at 7 so I can get a head start on organizing things to be ready for the onslaught of customers waiting at the door at 7:30.

I am not looking for congratulations here. Beleive me, I get it from my bosses. I am just trying to explain that we do care and you make us out to be mongrals who could care less. I have been in this business for over 20 years and worked in many different capacities. Believe me, Toyota is one of THE BEST companies because they CARE about customers and NOT just the bottom line. As I said, we get support from higher-ups and that is not in every manufacturer or aftermarket (i.e., Firestone). I take pride in my work and my CSI as well as the many hundreds of customers who have followed me from place to place because of what I do for them.

We are not what you make us out to be. We work hard and DO care.

Dear John,

No one is suggesting that the dealerships are responsible for the CUSTOMER ABUSE reported by the sludge victims and others. We all understand that the dealerships can only do what they are told to do. The statements the dealerships make or do not make is often dictated at the corporate level. This is probably more true now that a lot of information is on-line.

It is a fact that customers were blamed hands down and that they had no recourse initially in the sludge fiasco. Time and time again, the owners had fingers pointed at them and they were insulted. Worse, oil change receipts were rejected without explanation (without being examined!). You know that what the owner does NOT know, can and will hurt him/her in the end!

With the advent of the internet, common experiences of owners can be shared. I hope you realize that there are "spin doctors" now trying to interfere with the owner networking.....as if to say that there is something wrong with this continued owner action!! Sure, we realize that Toyota and its affiliates might not like this action, but that isn't the point. The point is that the owners were originally taken advantage of and that the owners aren't willing to have this practice maintained.

Of late, owners have noted that there are a series of problems in Toyotas ALL of which are being blamed on the owner. Is this fair? No! The owners don't like being guinea pigs....driving vehicles that have not been adequately tested or that don't have the acceptable levels of quality assurance. You must understand the owner's side of things if you are really a highly valued dealership.

Tell your bosses....not just your immediate boss....that the owners will believe the claims of better customer service once Toyota CEASES and DESISTS with the OWNER BLAME GAME for all major problems with its vehicles! From the pulling/steering problems, to the brake/ÅBS problems, to the transmission failures, to the SLUDGE in the engine oil......WE DO NOT WANT TO BE BLAMED for problems which result from inherent characteristics of the vehicles!

Maybe THEN there would not be the volume of complaints about some Toyota vehicles on-line.