On 6/1/04 I bought what was represented to me as a "Toyota Certified Used Vehicle" from Toyota of Berkeley. On November 11 I brought it to my mechanic for an inspection and oil change, the first since I bought the car.
My mechanics' inspection showed:
1) Rear brakes had never, ever been inspected They could tell because the rust pattern on the drum and accumulation of dust were indicative of the drum never having been removed. Since the drum had never been removed, no one could have inspected the brakes.
2) Transmission fluid was way too dirty. Recommended maintenance does not require a transmission change until 60,000 miles (we are at about 42,000 now). However, it was so dirty that it should have been changed as soon as any mechanic saw its condition
3) The air filter was very, very dirty.
The Toyota corporate office (in Torrance, CA) and the Toyota Certified Program in Iowa confirmed the following:
In order to be certified, a car must pass a 160 point inspection. If it only passes 159, it s NOT CERTIFIED.
In regard to brakes: Brakes were never inspected by Toyata of Berkeley, thus ToyOBerk could not certify the car
In regard to the transmission fluid: ToyOBerk (Hermana Campana, service manager) said, "We only need to make sure that it isn't leaking." Corporate Toyota said: Fluid must be inspected. If it needs to be changed, it must be changed before a car is Certified.
In regard to air filter: If inspected and found dirty, the air filter should be changed before the car is Certified.
The brakes, although not inspected, are fine. My mechanic changed the Trans. Fluid and Air Filt.
On 11/12 (the day after this whole thing started) I spoke to service manager Herman Campana. When I said that I wanted a refund representing the premium I paid for buying what I thought was a "Certified" car, he said, "If we gave you a refund like that, we would cancel the 6 year, 100k warranty." He later said that he was only guessing about how this might be resolved.
On Monday, Nov 15, ToyOBerk (Herman Campana) having be contacted by Corporate Toyta on 11/11 or 11/12, made this offer to me:
ToyOBer will
- Replace Trans. Fluid
- Insp. Brakes
- Replace Air Filt.
I turned down their offer, and Mr. Campana said that there was nothing else ToyOBer would do for me.
I am still trying to get satisfaction from the Toyota Corporate offices, but the current word from Corporate is, "You have a contract with Toyota of Berkeley. We cannot help you, it's a private matter between the two of you."
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