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Hello guys, wanted to express some of my frustration with my dealership experience. Won't mention the dealership location yet as the issue has not been fully resolved.
Had my 2014 ISF for ~4 weeks and noticed condensation forming in both headlights. Dropped it off on the dealership on a Monday 8/22, they confirmed the issue on Tuesday and ordered new lights. Got the new lights installed and was told to come pick it up on Friday 8/26. No big deal yet (not sure what caused the headlight seals to suddenly be bad). Went to pick it up that Friday night (it is a 70 mile one way trip to my closest dealer), took a look and noticed a sizeable gap underneath both headlights between the headlight and bumper. Worse they scratched the paint protection film on the front bumper near the driver’s side headlight (lot attendant came out with some polish and tried to polish it and just made it worse). Pointed out both of the issues and they said they would get it back in the shop (transferred to a new service advisor). Didn't call me back until Wed, states that they will have to remove and replace the paint protection film (that was evident on Friday), and that the headlights are installed just fine. I told them the bumper did not have that large gap when I brought the car in, and that it needed to be fixed. Said they would take a look. Here is where it gets even worse, the service advisor told me that it wouldn't be until Sept 12th at the earliest for me to get my car back. That's over 2 weeks from their mistakes being pointed out. I told them to update me often as to the status, and the dealer never called me I always had to call them. Checked on 9/1 and the statement was they hadn't done anything with bumper alignment yet and that they are still working on getting the adhesive off from the paint protection film. Made a surprise visit on Saturday 9/3 and the car was sitting outside covered in rain/construction dust with the paint protection film removed and bumper still not aligned. Expressed my frustration with the service advisor and his response was well it’s a big job it takes time. Yeah but you’re not even working on it…He told me he would update again on Tuesday. I did not receive a call. Called and talked to him on Wed 9/7 and the story was the same, still not aligned, still no film. Called and left a voicemail for both service managers. One of the service managers calls me back late Thursday and says the bumper is aligned and they just need to put the film on. Says he can have his installer come in on Saturday to put the film on (and acts like this is going above and beyond…) and it needs to cure for 48 hours to make sure it is ok. Expecting a call on Monday, no call. Left another voicemail. A third service advisor calls me on Tuesday (9/13, over three weeks it had been at the dealer for a headlight replacement...) and says it is ready to be picked up. So I pick it up Tuesday (again 70 miles one-way during rush hour), and of course the film installation is sub-par and worse than it was when I took the car into the dealer in the first place. Pointed out all of the debris under the film, etc and the service advisor agreed and said it would take a while before they could get it back in. So I took the car because I did not want it sitting outside the dealership collecting dust again. Also this dealership is under construction and they have no clean area to do film/tint, not sure why they would even try in the first place. Service advisor said he would get something on the installers schedule to fix it. Haven’t gotten that date, called and left a message yesterday to try and get this corrected, still waiting on a response…
Debris under film, edge of film uneven and considerable distance from the edge of the bumper.
Multiple debris spots, and a hair!
More debris
Not sure if that is debris or gel under the film..
I even asked the service advisor to look at the front bumper and make sure it was perfect before I drove all the way up there. He calls back 2 minutes later says yep looks great. SMH
Also forgot to mention they lost/forgot one of the engine cover clips.
At this point I would make them pay to get a professional near you who actually knows what he's doing to install the film. Quick side note did they say what caused the misalignment of the bumper? Mine currently has this after having a headlight damaged by hail replaced, was going to get in there and replace clips but not sure if that was the issue or not.
You've done everything right so far and its not getting the job done. Call corporate. Advise them of your delay and your phone calls not being returned in a timely manner as well as the ****ty quality. Were the lights under warranty or out of pocket? Either way good luck with it and let us know how it works out. I would be heated too.
Lights were under warranty. I started a case with corporate. Basically all she could do was apologize and offer credit towards future service. She also called the dealership to try and get the story but they hadn't called her back yet either...
That is my proposition to the service advisor if he ever calls me back. I want to take it elsewhere. There is a certified XPEL installer nearby to the dealership, already got a quote from them to remove and install it on the front bumper (and wrap the edges where possible).
Agreed with above. Make them pay for a professional near you. My dealership barely knows what an ISF is. Told me yesterday that my brembos were an aftermarket add on and that they couldn't service them
this dam dealers are a nightmare for sure, i took mine because the steering wheel feels like it jumps when i am backing out or doing a very tight turn and they blamed my aftermarket wheels for it so they wouldn't even touch it, next i took it in for the exhaust manifold leak and they also wouldn't touch it because i have an aftermarket joe z exhaust which has nothing to do with the headers. agreed with everyone on having someone else do it and make them pay for it
Agreed with above. Make them pay for a professional near you. My dealership barely knows what an ISF is. Told me yesterday that my brembos were an aftermarket add on and that they couldn't service them
If any dealership said that to me I would be walking out then and not letting them touch my car, that level of incompetence is insane.
Agreed with above. Make them pay for a professional near you. My dealership barely knows what an ISF is. Told me yesterday that my brembos were an aftermarket add on and that they couldn't service them
I would have told them they need to start reading more car magazines.....what a bunch of idiots.
I remember when they tried to fixed a flat tire once and put a gash inside the wheel. A perfectly good wheel. That was the last time I let a dealership touch my wheels. I choose to go to a high end tire/wheel shop that deals with exotics.
OP, try to find a good Toyota/Lexus shop and check their reviews first.
At this point I would make them pay to get a professional near you who actually knows what he's doing to install the film. Quick side note did they say what caused the misalignment of the bumper? Mine currently has this after having a headlight damaged by hail replaced, was going to get in there and replace clips but not sure if that was the issue or not.
They claimed to replace a "retainer clip", but I am still skeptical.
I swear I read a thread discussing the gap underneath the headlights. As a matter of fact is quite common on the 2nd gen IS. Don't get me wrong some vehicles come with little or no gap but eventually the front bumper and the rear bumper starts to droop. I'm not sure if the OP from that thread or another member found a solution by installing additional washers. So far it seems like you taken all the necessary steps to get your car right. My dealership is looking quite stellar compared to yours. Best of luck and if I find that thread I'll post the link.
09-16-16, 12:47 PM
Dealership Horror Story
