Programming of Customizable Features Refused By Dealer

I kept calling dealers on the phone until I found one that would make the changes. I found one that did it for free, even though I did not buy the car there.

Moving forward 100% of my service needs will go to that dealer.

 

There is no doubt that money grubbing individuals will sue for all sorts of legally dubious reasons. But, how is refusing to set the reverse beeps going to remedy that?

Consider for a moment:

A family of four buys a 2010 Prius and the dealer refuses to change the reverse warning to a single beep.

Fast Forward: This family's harried mother has their two screaming kids in her Prius. She's running late trying to get them to school/daycare so she can get to work. She's already got a headache and suddenly that constant reverse beeping puts her mind over the edge and she backs into/over something or someone. Oh, by the way, her husband is a liability lawyer.

Her husband is aware that Toyota had indicated to the customer in section 6.2* of the owner's manual that such changes were available to the customer. Furthermore, Toyota's lawyers apparently had no concerns and, at the very least, implied that customers can have the dealer change such settings at their request. He notes that Toyota didn't even issue a warning that customer changes in these settings are at the customers own risk. Furthermore, there are many other adjustments listed in the same section, e.g., wireless remote, locking functions, automatic light control system, illumination, remote a/c, etc. about which no one (including Toyota) has raised liability concerns. Furthermore, the customer is aware that many other dealers have had no qualms about changing the settings upon request.

Let's assume that the mother, in her frenzied departure, ran over and killed the kid of her Nobel Peace Prize winning neighbor. The lawyer of the parents of the deceased child find out the mother's story. Who do you think the parents of the child are going to sue, besides the mother who was driving!?! I can't envision the lawyer who wouldn't sue the dealer. And I would expect the Prius owning family to sue the dealer as well.

Finally, if this case goes to jury, don't you think the jury will find the dealer liable (to some extent anyway) in this case?

My points are:

1. Toyota has implied (at the very least) that such changes are safe and common. If they didn't, their lawyers would have objected to their inclusion in the owners manual, i.e., this is not the dealer's service manual. Also, why would Toyota even provide for such changes which are then disclosed to the customer, if Toyota didn't expect the customer to be able to make choices? The dealer is clearly making decisions that are at odds with what Toyota intended.
2. A dealer's refusing to make the requested changes does not insulate themselves from related lawsuits; in fact, they may only be opening themselves up to a different type.
3. People will continue to file lawsuits, those with merit and those that are frivolous, until all the lawyers and plaintiffs are dead.:rip:
4. Finally, and most importantly, the dealers ought to recognize the reasonableness and validity of points 1, 2 and 3 and make requested changes in good conscience.

* "Your vehicle includes a variety of electronic features that can be personalized to your preferences. Programming these preferences requires specialized equipment and may be performed by an authorized Toyota dealership."

PS I'd be curious (not really! ) to know why the vehicle doesn't beep or play digitally-recorded engine noise when operating in "stealth" mode. Isn't anyone concerned about liability???

Greg

 

Well, again, other makes allow the driver to access some sort of drill-down menu in a driver information system, and make those changes in the comfort of your own driveway

 

Actually, I don't think so - Passenger cars do not have most of these features, nor are they mandated to do so. My last car did not shout at me when I went into reverse, nor did it shout at my passenger when she didn't wear the seatbelt.

Common sense would throw out the lawsuit... or I would hope.

 

If they were so concerned about safety, Why don't we have Auto head lights and Daytime running lights?

 

Good point

 

I agree. Off the top of my head, I can add turn signal mirrors and HUD to your list as well.

 

Programming of Customizable Features ended up being the only give-me from the dealer. I called the salesman pre-delivery and asked for some changes. He told me that I was the first to ask and asked me to e-mail him the list of the changes I wanted along with a copy of the pages from the owners manual Sect. 6.2, pgs 587-592.
The following items were changed:
1. Reverse to single beep
2. Seatbelt warning turned off
3. Time elapsed before headlights turn of (after door shuts) to '0' seconds
4. Shift positions to any positions other than 'P' locks all doors; I had this customized to OFF as I did not want automatic door locking.

I also told him that I felt these should be courtesy changes and I was sure the the Toyota "Mothership" would agree if there was a problem. Luckily, NO problems. Salesman even thanked me for sending the pages; he sent a copy to service and prep with the changes I wanted marked; no questions asked.

 

I wanted daytime running lights also and my salesman said the car had them. I was disappointed when I found out that they are not on the Prius. I guess Toyota was worried about additional battery drain. That's the only thing I can think of for not offering them.

 

NeilZ,

I as well wish the car had the DRL's. But I have found that since it has AUTOOFF HEADLAMPS, I just turn them on, and you can either turn the Parking Lights on (using less power perhaps but providing your tail lamps to light under this condition) or turn your headlamps on manually. It's a simple step to do once you get used to it.

When exiting the vehicle if you choose the parking lamp option they will turn off Immediately when you open the door, if you choose to turn the headlamps on when you start out, then they will auto off for the set time you have in your vehicle. I have the factory default of 30 seconds which is plenty.

Just a thought on how to get around this over sight.

 

LI dealers are something else. I went to another region because I couldn't stand them.
My dealer actually put me on priority and changed the reverse beep, and seatbelt warning for us because he didn't want us to have to come back to the dealership and cut into our vacation time. Very thoughtful and he didn't have a problem changing it at all.

 

I requested all of these changes except for the seatbelt warning buzzer. They did it with no argument.

 

I had no problem convincing my dealer to have the changes made prior to pick-up, including the backup and seatbelt beep.

However, my challenge is now in convincing my dealer to not charge me for this service. Here's where I am on this:

1. Placed order
2. Received confirmation of model/color
3. Sent list of requested setting changes
4. Confirmed they would make the changes

~Here's where the problems start~​

1. Received email "invoice", included $47.50 for "customization"​
2. Replyed to email, asking if cost can be waived.
3. Received response, no.
4. Emailed Toyota USA via contact form.
5. Response - contact "Customer Service Manager" at dealer
6. Contacted dealer, asked for the "Customer Service Manager", was given the Service Manager. Service manager said that someone has to pay for the service, whether that's me, Toyota, or the salesperson's commission.
7. Contacted dealer's rival (which is actually closer to me). Service manager told me that he would not do the work for free, but that he would only charge probably around $25. He also couldn't believe that my dealer would charge me for the service.
8. Spoke to dealer again, still refuses to do changes for free.

At this point, I'm about to say to my original dealer that they can either make the changes for free and receive a good survey, or they can not do the changes, receive a bad survey, and I will go to their rival for the service.

My SO says that I'm beating a dead horse.

Any ideas?

 

Hi Joel,

If your dealer is dead set against making the changes for free, which is the least they can do, you might be interested in the following web site, and perhaps a call to your regional office might help.

Toyota Customer Service: Tips for Getting Your Problem Solved | Tundra Headquarters

Let us know how you make out.

 

I think you answered your own question. If they are treating you like this now, what makes you think things will change later? Me, I'd cancel the order and buy the car elsewhere. It's painful, but that they will understand.

 

True enough. If they are complete dicks over something as simple as that, what happens when you have a *real* problem?

 

Picked up my car Tuesday at Heintz Toyota in Mankato , MN. When they called Monday to tell me it was ready to go, I asked to have the seatbelt beep turned off and the reverse beep set to a single beep. They said sure, no problem. They confirmed the changes when I arrived Tuesday morning and had the service department do the changes immediately. Never a mention of a charge for the changes. I was in and out of there in 45 minutes. Completely painless. I only wish they were in the Twin Cities (where I live) so I could use them for service too. Now I have to find a decent local dealer for service.

 

I just had to "state my case" to the Customer Relations Manager at my dealer to get them to agree to do a one-time customization. I had called Toyota but they were of no assistance since it's not something that is covered under warranty. If you bought your Prius from the dealership you are asking to program for you, they should give in. This dealer was NOT the one where I bought my car but since I will be going there for service, I used that to my advantage and they gave in.

 

I took my own advice. I'm picking up my car tomorrow and told them to not make the changes. They didn't even bat an eye.

I'll have the changes made when I go in for my first service at their competitor.

 

Smurf, you should get a courtesy call from someone at Toyota corporate a few days after your purchase. Make sure they get your email address. You will then receive a survey from another branch of Toyota asking how everything was at the dealership. All you have to do is mention that stuff to that first person on the phone and it generates an auto reponse back to the dealer about your complaints. From there, it is too late for the dealer to do anything but help you if they want an "excellent" mark from you on your survey that affects the dealership. Believe me, with the standards that Toyota puts on dealerships (REALLY high marks), one bad survey can tank them for months. Not to mention if their payplan is tied into it. :wink: