Why I Don't Drive A Toyota Anymore

February 7, 2012

To be honest, I forgot I'm still a member of this site....

So, why don't I drive a Toyota anymore? Well, they are good cars, and tops when it comes to reliability, but I didn't like the way the local dealership started using my car for spare parts (and no doubt other customer cars have suffered the same indignity).

A windscreen wiper was changed for a faulty item - I only realised when it started raining one day and instead of wiping across the screen, the 'new' wiper scratched across instead. It was easily repaired with a pair of long-nosed pliers, but a closer inspection showed it to be a slightly different design to the one on the other side.

On another occasion, when picking the car up after one of the regular services, I heard a knocking from the back even before I got out of the dealer car park. A quick inspection by one of the mechanics revealed a faulty drop-link (IIRC), but it sounded perfectly fine when I took it in. Cost £250 to repair.

The last straw occured at an MOT, during which 1/4 tank of petrol went missing, even though the mileage was the same as when I took it in.

At the time I drove two Toyotas, and traded them both in for a Volvo S60. I will not be buying another Toyota until the local dealership loses the franchise.