Yaris paint / finish looks poor - not holding up through the winter.

[chriswb]

Disappointing! I guess I have to be resigned to accept that my car will look unkept even if I treat it with care.

Honestly, I wish I hadn't purchased a Toyota. The Yaris' mechanics are well-designed and the contour of the hatchback makes it visually appealing. That being said, I have had nothing but bad experiences with Toyota since buying the car.

1. The dealership was bad from the start. I should have bought the car elsewhere. My family's never been treated so poorly by a dealership.

2. The dealership lost my plates. I had to call everyone up the chain to the licensing manager (who was never there when I called) before they finally found the plates at the cashier's desk. They had been sitting there for a month.

3. The dealership wrote the wrong owner on the title. When I asked about this they said I could change it by calling Toyota Financial. I called Toyota financial and they flat out refused to change it, even if I paid off the car. Consequentially I don't get the benefit of having the loan on my credit report which was the only reason I financed the car rather than purchasing it outright. I could pay the car off and transfer the title to myself, but that seems like a waste of money since the car has 0% financing.

4. The paint. I can just imagine the hassle I'm going to have to go through at the dealership to get them to fix the rusting.

I should have bought a used Honda or even a non-Japanese car. It would be worth it to have a less reliable car if the customer service behind the car was better. My hubris caused me to purchase a new car, and I don't even get the benefit of having the car look good.

[tomato]

Originally Posted by chriswb

Disappointing! I guess I have to be resigned to accept that my car will look unkept even if I treat it with care.

Honestly, I wish I hadn't purchased a Toyota. The Yaris' mechanics are well-designed and the contour of the hatchback makes it visually appealing. That being said, I have had nothing but bad experiences with Toyota since buying the car.

1. The dealership ...

2. The dealership ...

3. The dealership ...

4. .... I can just imagine the hassle I'm going to have to go through at the dealership to get them to fix the rusting.

See, all your complaints are about the dealership. You can't honestly blame Toyota because you did business with the wrong dealership.

Honestly, I went to 2 Toyota dealerships before I bought my Yaris. The first one had the Yaris I wanted, color and all, but the guy was a a jerk and I got a bad feeling right from the get go, so I walked . I forget what was wrong with the second Toyota dealership. Attitude, I think.

Also went to a Honda dealership near me, negative experience as well, I walked. I wanted that FIT so much I could taste it, but you got be able to trust the guy you're doing business somewhat. Plus it was expensive.

Finally, I found my Yaris 50 miles from where I live, out in the country, and had a decent transaction there.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't blame Toyota. Toyota makes good cars, everyone knows that. Keep in mind that the Yaris is their entry level car, doesn't have the luxury of higher end models, yes the paint is thin, but it's a good value.

I should have bought a used Honda or even a non-Japanese car.
... It would be worth it to have a less reliable car if the customer service behind the car was better. My hubris caused me to purchase a new car, and I don't even get the benefit of having the car look good.

perish the tought!!!

I would give the dealership a ration of you-know-what about the rust. I agree with you, a 6 months old car should NOT have rust.

[DerFlosser]

Originally Posted by chriswb

...The dealership wrote the wrong owner on the title. When I asked about this they said I could change it by calling Toyota Financial. I called Toyota financial and they flat out refused to change it, even if I paid off the car. Consequentially I don't get the benefit of having the loan on my credit report which was the only reason I financed the car rather than purchasing it outright. I could pay the car off and transfer the title to myself, but that seems like a waste of money since the car has 0% financing...

I would be all over somebody's ASS for this. Totally unacceptable. Have you contacted your lawyer or a lawyer?

[chriswb]

Originally Posted by tomato

See, all your complaints are about the dealership. You can't honestly blame Toyota because you did business with the wrong dealership.

Honestly, I went to 2 Toyota dealerships before I bought my Yaris. The first one had the Yaris I wanted, color and all, but the guy was a a jerk and I got a bad feeling right from the get go, so I walked . I forget what was wrong with the second Toyota dealership. Attitude, I think.

You're right. Most of the problems were with the dealership. I should have gone to a different dealer. This was my first experience buying a new car. The blame falls clearly on my inexperience.

Originally Posted by tomato

perish the tought!!!

I would give the dealership a ration of you-know-what about the rust. I agree with you, a 6 months old car should NOT have rust.

Darn tootin'! I want my car to look pristine.

Originally Posted by DerFlosser

I would be all over somebody's ASS for this. Totally unacceptable. Have you contacted your lawyer or a lawyer?

The title is in my father's name. We both signed the various papers the dealership presented since he was a joint-owner on the trade-in, but the dealership decided to put him on the loan. They did this despite the fact that we live in different states, I put the downpayment on the car, and I am paying for the car. I did contact Toyota Financial and they won't help.

Originally Posted by Hershey

we had rust form on a '03 MATRIX few years into ownership . Rust developed around driver side rear door handle and on part of the hatch door .

I'll check the doors, handles, and etc. for rust tomorrow morning.

[Kal-El]

Originally Posted by chriswb

You're right. Most of the problems were with the dealership. I should have gone to a different dealer. This was my first experience buying a new car. The blame falls clearly on my inexperience.

Yes, please don't blame Toyota. The dealer is a separate entity. Has nothing to do with the car obviously. And believe it or not, for the most part Toyota dealers are among the best. Many other brands have horrible dealers.

The Yaris is proven to be practically the most reliable car available. Problems are extremely rare. Yeah, the paint is thin, but so isn't most low end cars these days. Of course more premium cars have more layers of paint. It's only logical that every layer costs money. If Toyota added layers, we'd complain about a higher price tag.

The paint still seems more than adequate. Like I posted earlier, 70,000+ miles on mine, and still looks new (in New England). Plus, it's a dark color. Just the normal light scratches but I'm always impressed by the depth and shine of the Flint Mica.

[DevilGirl]

Originally Posted by chriswb

The title is in my father's name. We both signed the various papers the dealership presented since he was a joint-owner on the trade-in, but the dealership decided to put him on the loan. They did this despite the fact that we live in different states, I put the downpayment on the car, and I am paying for the car. I did contact Toyota Financial and they won't help.

By law, that would be correct. (At least in PA, it can vary state to state, but for the most part, that's how it is.)

Example:

My boyfriend bought a new VW TDI under the Cash for Clunkers program. The vehicle that was traded in was his mom's Jeep Grand Cherokee (they had twins, but her's was in worse shape with a tranny going bad, and it would have cost more to fix than it was worth). Because she was owner (or even part owner) of the vehicle that was traded in, her name is also on the title of the new car (even though he is paying for the car, and she will never be driving it since it's a manual tranny, and she can't drive stick shift). The loan is in both of their names also.


In regards to your issue with this, you can check with an attorney lisenced in your state to verify your state's law, or check with your local DMV (or DOT, depending on what they like to call themselves).

[MUSKOKA800]

Originally Posted by chriswb

Disappointing! I guess I have to be resigned to accept that my car will look unkept even if I treat it with care.

Honestly, I wish I hadn't purchased a Toyota. The Yaris' mechanics are well-designed and the contour of the hatchback makes it visually appealing. That being said, I have had nothing but bad experiences with Toyota since buying the car.

1. The dealership was bad from the start. I should have bought the car elsewhere. My family's never been treated so poorly by a dealership.

2. The dealership lost my plates. I had to call everyone up the chain to the licensing manager (who was never there when I called) before they finally found the plates at the cashier's desk. They had been sitting there for a month.

3. The dealership wrote the wrong owner on the title. When I asked about this they said I could change it by calling Toyota Financial. I called Toyota financial and they flat out refused to change it, even if I paid off the car. Consequentially I don't get the benefit of having the loan on my credit report which was the only reason I financed the car rather than purchasing it outright. I could pay the car off and transfer the title to myself, but that seems like a waste of money since the car has 0% financing.

4. The paint. I can just imagine the hassle I'm going to have to go through at the dealership to get them to fix the rusting.

I should have bought a used Honda or even a non-Japanese car. It would be worth it to have a less reliable car if the customer service behind the car was better. My hubris caused me to purchase a new car, and I don't even get the benefit of having the car look good.

You are not obligated to return to your selling dealer. Find a Toyota Dealer who wants your business. That said, my resolve is to never return to the dealer unless you need warranty service. I can do all the maintenance myself.