New Regulation Will Have Toyota Prius Owners Scrambling For Parts | Torque News Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
That is one of the poorest "news" articles I've seen on the net this year. It's missing any source material and there are obvious errors in the text. For instance, it keeps using the word "Regulation" when it should be saying either 'rule' or 'requirement'. If there is any truth to the rumor, it is that shop owners are finding the replacement parts hard to get so they are stocking up, which further depletes the number of spare parts that Toyota has on hand for other customers, including their own dealer repair network. Dan
100% agree... Nielson is one of the laziest journalists I've ever interacted with. I actually blocked him on Facebook because when he shows up to share the articles he writes, or even just shares his opinion it's always so flawed and poorly thought through that it becomes upsetting in the same way misinformation is upsetting. I sure wish there was a way to keep his articles off of PriusChat so I don't get sucked in and annoyed by him on here.
Requiring a VIN before releasing a part to a dealer is nothing unusual; automakers often do this for parts that are in short supply, as in the early stages of safety recall or service campaign. This helps to ensure parts don’t sit unused in one dealer’s stockroom while another dealer has a customer waiting. Before now, I hadn’t heard of proof of theft being required for spare parts other than replacement certification labels or VIN plates. I wonder what proof is acceptable, and also whether Toyota would sell a replacement catalytic converter needed for another reason, such as damage from a misfiring engine or contamination. Perhaps these measures are just Toyota’s response to limited inventory, but consider another scenario: to avoid bad publicity, Toyota might have decided not to pass all of the recent run-up in precious metals prices on to buyers. If they were selling catalytic converters at a loss—and to be clear, I have no evidence of this—Toyota would want to sell as few as possible, and none to anyone who might buy them just to scrap.
Before releasing a product? I've never heard of this and have spent a large time in German and Japanese Auto Undustry, they use it to check compatibility as SKU numbers are based on a SQL type software. I have never heard of releasing anything without a VIN number if you have a part number. Even if they're on back order they will tell you to put a deposit or an acceptable sum to place the order, I once had to order an for a first gen Alpina B7's fuel tank that had to be shipped in from the factory in Bavaria, and we asked for payment upfront. But no one who has the funds will ever be denied. This is all unprecedented and uncharted response to the mass scale of massive thefts. I do supply chain and have spent a great deal of time in the Auto Industry, and I can go on about CCC (Cash conversion cycles) that nullify your entire argument, but this is all incredibly atypical and contrary to what the Auto Industry does in one of it only profitable sectors-- Parts/Labor (service) and financing. Everything else is pretty much done at a loss these days, especially for ICE cars. EVs have different margins.
Toyota’s process for Manual Allocation Control (MAC) requires the dealer to submit a VIN, after placing the order by part number, or the order will not be filled by the distribution center. Indeed, some parts are subject to a stricter (“MAC G”) process and are released for shipment only after the Technical Assistance System, the dealer-only support line, has confirmed the diagnosis. Here’s an example (PDF, see page ELT-6) that describes the two processes (MAC G and MAC B)—and note that the requirements apply even to customer-paid, non-warranty repairs.
I'm going to ask my friend who is a parts manager for a dealership in in CO when I go back if this applies outside of CA, I used to get parts for my Camry from him without ever asking a vin. In fact I don't think I have ever looked up my vin except that time I did my plate renewal online. I know at BMW if you had the SKU/part number it would be fine as I even did a few deals despite being the logistics guy when they were on break/lunch, the only issue was Reynolds and Reynolds horrible system when it came to MotorRad (which we didn't carry but was part of the OEM catalog/software bundle) or MINI parts. Or when it was warranty parts replacement with a RO which had to be verified with a VIN, but service always has to do that when any car comes in even if its for a simple oil change. But countermen are all commission based, why would that be the case?
MAC doesn’t apply to every part, just to a few high-demand, low-inventory parts that Toyota wants to manage strictly. Please do ask your friend, though; I’m sure readers would be especially interested in anything you can share about the new catalytic converter sales policy.
This is the part that makes me reluctant to accept the report as it was related. Cats do fail sometimes. Even in California.
Can't stand Nielson, all Torque News is affiliate marketing, every link to products on his blog, he gets a commission. I've stopped reading his chaff.
I had catalytic converters on order for my shop so that I would have them immediately on hand for when customers come in as result of catalytic converter theft. Today I just got this notification from my local Toyota dealership. I am in Madison, WI. I gave heard same thing from my fellow independent hybrid mechanics across the country. ****** We just got a call from Toyota and they're going to make catalytic converters a lot tougher to get. Unfortunately. Now need to supply them with... 1) Picture of the VIN label located on the driver's door frame of the vehicle 2) Picture of the vehicle's license plate 3) Picture of the undercarriage of the vehicle showing the missing catalytic converter
Crazy, and you're not even in CA either. I'm in the Industry so I just asked my countermen for qoutes and ETA, but wow... I can't say much more than we're going to see a massive sell off of CA chassis into other states.
There are literally thousands on backorder. And the list keeps getting longer. I have had a Gen1 cat on order for over 2 months. Just going to give up at this point. Selling off cars? If anyone in states that follow carb regs like California, Colorado, etc wants to sell me Prius without cats, I will buy every single one of them and send a truck to pick them up. I can put aftermarket Walker cats on them and get them into buyer's hands and back on the road here in Wisconsin.
I have a couple good cats to sell, but shipping from au wouldnt be cheap! Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
That's so awesome, EB. I wish more were like you, these cars deserve a second/third chance at life and it's so incredibly wasteful to have this happen. CA/CO/NY are the growing list of states that have these laws, I can envision this being incredibly profitable, too. Which you and this startup deserve for what you are doing, its beyond absurd to drive an environmental car under a moral pretense but scrap it due to making a repair that doesn't have a stamp on it but meets all other state regulations. If my GF didn't love her 'Kirby' and still needed it for work I'd offer to sell it to you. Lets chat in PM, you sound like an incredibly insightful guy and talk shop. I only fell into this the last 4 months while looking for one to help my GF while she is out of work.
I'm always happy to meet to people in the business. New or seasoned. I was just out in San Luis Obispo a few weeks ago helping.a guy expand his hybrid business. As far as this next part, I'm joking here, but also kinda not... I'm all ready to start a dealership just based on all the cars being being abandoned by CARB state owners because of these cat theft. We can call it Cat Cars (tm). Call me during the daytime at 608-729-4082
It's so weird how backwards the establishment's reaction is... All the govs and bureaucracies are reacting by limiting the legitimate commerce side of it and Toyota is doing something similar, but mostly just charging huge for OEM replacement, which likely isn't true OEM given the cost of rhodium these days, as well as depleted supply of replacement stock. Meanwhile on Ebay you can buy a $16 downstream O2 sensor and a $130 direct fit aftermarket replacement cat w/pipe clamp on ebay and an hour or two later the problem is solved. Compare that to the pain and suffering of tens of thousand of cat theft victims all over the country who don't have the ability to resolve it without others making it way too expensive... It's crazy!!!
