So my incredible string of bad luck with my BMW ended on Monday. I dropped like $500 on it over the weekend to find that I needed to drop at least $1000 more on Monday. With that news I decided it was time to hit a dealership on the way home from work that day and get a new car.
Based on a past test drive, a 100,000 mile warranty and the trade in value the dealer would give me on my BMW I chose a Toyota. Their trucks have always had a good reputation and I thought the Tundra and Tacoma 4 door trucks are the nicest looking out there.
The truck I drove a few weeks before was sold, but they had an 07 on the lot with 30K on the odometer. I pretty much immediately got to the dealer and signed the paperwork.
The next morning I’m pulling out of my development and I notice the truck sounds like a diesel and at a higher RPM it sounds like it has a rod knock. At some point the sounds got quieter.
The next day (Wednesday) I’m driving to work again and the noise if back. This time I’m sure it’s something in the lower end of the engine. The sound is identical to the sound my Cobra made when it spun a bearing. As soon as I got to work I hit the internet and looked it up. To my surprise there were hundreds of posts on Toyota forums about the 5.7L Tundra and the knock it has. I was freaked out. All these guys that posted these issues have had small wars with their dealerships trying to get their trucks fixed and have been turned away. Toyota’s response was that those engines are noisy and have what’s called piston slap cause by short piston skirts. For the most part these guys went from loving their trucks to worrying about the $30,000 + time bombs they had in their driveways.
I talked to the dealer and got the same story from Toyota. They said that’s how they are people have come to live with it. Now I’ve spent many years in automotive training and I pretty much know when I’m getting bent over by someone and this certainly feels wrong. The only thing they told me I could do was to wait until Tuesday and leave my truck with them so the factory rep could check it out.
I called them back today and told them that I just didn’t want the truck. They fed me the same lines about that just being the way Tundra’s are. When I asked them why my father’s Dodge truck with 120K on it sounded so much better than mine I got no response. When I asked them when piston slap was acceptable I also got no response.
I and everyone else I knew always thought you had like 3 or 30 days to return a vehicle to the dealership after you bought it. This isn’t the case. Once you leave the lot with the car and a signed contract you own it and all the problems it comes with.
Don’t get me wrong, I actually really love this truck. I just hope that they fix it.
![[Image: 31696_423389051252_663141252_5906644_3233611_n.jpg]](http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs542.ash1/31696_423389051252_663141252_5906644_3233611_n.jpg)
With the recent problems with Toyotas, I have to ask why? You are an ex technician right?
I hate to be Ford biased, but the gas pickups when maintained are really good.
LeNeve Wrote:With the recent problems with Toyotas, I have to ask why? You are an ex technician right?
I hate to be Ford biased, but the gas pickups when maintained are really good.
Well the largest issue they had in the news was a shitty floor mat. Their trucks usually last forever.
Honestly thought if I had my choice I would have gone with a Ford. Unfortunately the Ford dealers weren't as eager to work with me and the trucks were either too expensive or just too ugly.
If money wasn't an issue and I wanted a pickup it would be the Ford Raptor. The truck is F@#$ing amazing!
![[Image: ford%20raptor1.jpg]](http://www.freewebs.com/revvinengines/ford%20raptor1.jpg)
Interesting. I remember that Chevy had that piston slap issue a few years ago but I had never heard of Toyota having it. I've owned Toyotas since my first car...a 1978 Celica back in 1982. Never had a bit of trouble with any of them. When I needed a big 4x4 though I bought a Silverado...the comparable Tundra was almost 10K more. My Chev has 98K on the clock now and it's been a wonderful truck. I'd buy another one in a heartbeat.
My experience with Ford trucks has been terrible. When I left law enforcement to go to work in the oil and gas industry all of our service trucks were F250's and to a truck they were complete pieces of shit. Couldn't keep them out of the shop with major engine and transmission repairs. We finally switched out to Chevys and with only one exception of a bad engine casting in one truck they were great trucks. One of our affiliated companies used Tacomas for their field people and they did real well too.
Not sure what the deal is with Toyota these days...but something is definitely not the same as it used to be.
If you buy a vehicle from the dealer I work at, you are first in line for service. It can be updating the microsoft sync, an oil change, anything. The people who buy from us, if they have a problem, can pull up to the store, and 10 minutes later I got the problem solved.
Hondo Wrote:Interesting. I remember that Chevy had that piston slap issue a few years ago but I had never heard of Toyota having it. I've owned Toyotas since my first car...a 1978 Celica back in 1982. Never had a bit of trouble with any of them. When I needed a big 4x4 though I bought a Silverado...the comparable Tundra was almost 10K more. My Chev has 98K on the clock now and it's been a wonderful truck. I'd buy another one in a heartbeat.
My experience with Ford trucks has been terrible. When I left law enforcement to go to work in the oil and gas industry all of our service trucks were F250's and to a truck they were complete pieces of shit. Couldn't keep them out of the shop with major engine and transmission repairs. We finally switched out to Chevys and with only one exception of a bad engine casting in one truck they were great trucks. One of our affiliated companies used Tacomas for their field people and they did real well too.
Not sure what the deal is with Toyota these days...but something is definitely not the same as it used to be.
It was actually posted in the Tundra forums that Chevy had a piston slap issue some time around 2006 and Chevy made good on it by replacing those engines. Apparently the issue with the Tundra is because they started using the 5.7L engine in 2007 to replace the 4.7L and they didn't get all the bugs worked out in the 5.7.
I like the Dodge trucks too, but there are too many issue swith the transmissions.
Nope...all gas. A mix of V8 and V10's
woot: I would think you would have some sort of 30 or 60 day waranty. They have a lemon law in ct. i don't know too much about it but it's supposed to help you if you get sold a piece of shit. Maybe PA has something like that?
I decided to stop buying nice cars. I just drive them till they die.
Worse comes to worse, bore it out and put a turbo on it you'll totally get your money back on it. :j/k: I did that with a car i wasted like 20 grand on. It blew up like a month after it was finished and i got sick of dumping money into it.
Living in Detroit, most people around here are really, really taking enjoyment in Toyota's recent troubles.
But, right out of high school, I got a new, '98 Dakota. Just a V6 with 2 wheel drive. Other then replacing the water pump a couple times, it never had any problems. That thing was great. I hit a pole and totalled it in 2006, it had 240,000 miles on it. The gase mileage was actually a little better then it was when it was new.
There are going to be random problems, but I'm pretty sure, for the most part, all trucks will last.
Hondo Wrote:Nope...all gas. A mix of V8 and V10's
If you have any truck that is F250 size (any brand) that isn't diesel, you've just wasted your money.. The sheer size and weight alone, you need a diesel. The new gas engines in the Ford are good, but I'd still take the new 6.7 over them.
I'd like to say piston slap isn't a big issue, but that is just major damage to your wallet down the road. Engine jobs aren't cheap, carbon pistons arent cheap to replace, not to mention the damage that will cause throughout the engine.
There should be a "Lemon Law" in your area, the consumer is always protected. plus it would be bad if Joe happened to mention it to some people on the internet, especially in some random Chat what the dealer name might be. Because right now for Toyota, any pub is bad pub.
Ford pickups have some of the highest quality and resale prices around for a pickup. We have customers that will not sell their trucks, no matter what they are offered.
My neighbor has a Dodge, and he only talks to me when he's bitching about his Ram. he had an F150 before it, and he always has a complaint about the Ram in coparison to his old Ford.
Chip Wrote:Living in Detroit, most people around here are really, really taking enjoyment in Toyota's recent troubles.
But, right out of high school, I got a new, '98 Dakota. Just a V6 with 2 wheel drive. Other then replacing the water pump a couple times, it never had any problems. That thing was great. I hit a pole and totalled it in 2006, it had 240,000 miles on it. The gase mileage was actually a little better then it was when it was new.
There are going to be random problems, but I'm pretty sure, for the most part, all trucks will last.
I agree, every vehicle is gonna have its quirks and faults. But major engine problems aren't quirks.
Loud injectors, air rush through the intake, hairy exaust are quirks. Piston Slap is a pin out of a grenade bad
hitfan:
Brampton Wrote:I agree, every vehicle is gonna have its quirks and faults. But major engine problems aren't quirks.
Loud injectors, air rush through the intake, hairy exaust are quirks. Piston Slap is a pin out of a grenade bad hitfan:
I totally agree, but from what it sounds like Toyota finds a piston slap completely acceptable. Deep down I know they know it's a big problem, but because it's not causing people to die in wrecks they aren't going to spend the money on a recall. They really don't even need to recall it, they just need to fix them as they come in.
This might just have to turn into a class action lawsuit lead by me.
Joe In PA Wrote:Brampton Wrote:I agree, every vehicle is gonna have its quirks and faults. But major engine problems aren't quirks.
Loud injectors, air rush through the intake, hairy exaust are quirks. Piston Slap is a pin out of a grenade bad hitfan:
I totally agree, but from what it sounds like Toyota finds a piston slap completely acceptable. Deep down I know they know it's a big problem, but because it's not causing people to die in wrecks they aren't going to spend the money on a recall. They really don't even need to recall it, they just need to fix them as they come in.
This might just have to turn into a class action lawsuit lead by me.
You'd be surprised by how quickly a class action will get something turned into a recall. Especially if it accidentally gets leaked to the media.
Toyota doesn't need any more bad press
Brampton Wrote:Joe In PA Wrote:Brampton Wrote:I agree, every vehicle is gonna have its quirks and faults. But major engine problems aren't quirks.
Loud injectors, air rush through the intake, hairy exaust are quirks. Piston Slap is a pin out of a grenade bad hitfan:
I totally agree, but from what it sounds like Toyota finds a piston slap completely acceptable. Deep down I know they know it's a big problem, but because it's not causing people to die in wrecks they aren't going to spend the money on a recall. They really don't even need to recall it, they just need to fix them as they come in.
This might just have to turn into a class action lawsuit lead by me.
You'd be surprised by how quickly a class action will get something turned into a recall. Especially if it accidentally gets leaked to the media.
Toyota doesn't need any more bad press
This guy knew what to do when it came to his Chevy.
http://www.pistonslap.com/