Sloane Automotive - Champion Toyota
Ripoff dishonest repair diagnosis my engine seized!

About the car I bought from Champion:

2001 Toyota Corolla LE
4-door
standard amenities, incl. Power everything, A/C, leather interior (no CD player, moonroof, or factory alarm system)
approximately 41,000 miles on it when purchased
paid $10,200 for the car at the time of sale (Which I now realize was a mistake!)
date of purchase - March
approximately 70,000 miles on it when engine seized

List of complaints:

Car was taken to Champion Toyota for service pertaining to 'check engine' light at LEASE 5 times since date of purchase. The first time the light came on was within 1 month of purchase.

On the majority of those service visits, Champion 'diagnosed' the problem and recommended different solutions for the problem each time. I allowed them to do various work on the car, with the expectation that the light would go off and the problem would be solved. (Each of these visits is documented by receipts and work orders)

The more I drove the car, the more familiar I became with the problem, and eventually concluded that the engine problem revolved around high levels of oil burning/consumption/leaking. On at least 2 occasions I specifically told the Service Mgr. (who has since left Champion) that I was having to put quarts of oil in the car regularly because the oil was registering low on the dipstick. He actually was sympathetic, as apparently Champion sales representatives have been known to sell cars with problems. This can also be verified by the parking attendant at Champion, who I had casual conversations with about the car each time I brought it in.

There was NEVER any explicit communication from Champion Toyota that the problem was 1) so severe that the engine seizing was a possibility, 2) due to any ONE specific thing

The last significant work done on the car was by Peruzzi Toyota. (April or May 05) The service representative there told me that there were engine problems but they couldn't be correctly diagnosed without further testing, etc. This testing was not covered under my warranty, was quite expensive, and frankly I was very skeptical of the entire process, as I had been duped by Champion many times before. (This report is not meant to in any way implicated Peruzzi Toyota. They're a good dealership and provide great customer service.)

On Saturday, August 20th, the car simply shut off and had to be towed to the nearest dealership, which was Champion Toyota. On Monday, August 22, I was informed that the engine had seized and that I needed to replace it in order to be able to drive this car. No conciliatory suggestions were made to give me any recourse or return on my investment.

The dealer claims that I didn't tell them about the problem... Then what they hell were they 'diagnosing' and 'repairing', as indicated in the many receipts and work orders I have since March 04? I got oil changes and all that stuff too. There's no way a Toyota's engine should seize in 18 months!

I know that I won't get my whole $10K back. But, I believe that Champion Toyota sold me a car with substantive knowledge that it was defective. Had the problem been diagnosed and addressed in a professional, candid manner, this end result could have been resolved or at least delayed.

I plan to send letters to Sloan Automotive and Champion Toyota and am having my complaint legally reviewed, but I really hope I can solve this with the dealer and without involving a third party.

I'd never buy any car (new or used) from Champion Toyota again, and wouldn't recommend that option to anybody.

Company: Sloane Automotive - Champion Toyota
Country: USA
State: Pennsylvania
City: Philadelphia
Address: 7198 Castor Ave
Phone: 2157429300

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