Disgruntled Toyota Etios Sprint owner

Good day

I had a bad experience with a Toyota Dealership in JHB CBD (Imperial Toyota City).

I purchased a Toyota Etios Sprint 2018 model Metallic Silver Hatchback vehicle after originally enquiring about a Toyota Etios Sport on the internet. I got a call from one of the Toyota representatives, who took down my details and promised an agent from the Imperial Toyota City dealership will call me. Indeed, a gentleman by the name of Noah called me and advised that the Toyota Etios Sport is no longer being made, and offered me a Toyota Etios Sprint instead.

I went to the dealership to finalize the purchase, after sending Noah the necessary documents via email and was informed I could collect the car on the 4th October 2018.

Upon collection of the car, I realised that it had clocked 9 kilometres, and wasn't too concerned because I figured it had to be driven to the traffic department for its roadworthy test. From the 4th until the 9th October, I drove the car without any issues.

The problem started on the 10th October 2018, whereby I heard a strange "knocking" sound whenever I have to negotiate a speed hump, and had initially brushed it off as a one time occurrence. As the day progressed, I kept hearing the sound and advised Noah of my concerns. He advised that I bring in the car to get it checked out.

On the 11th October, I sent the to the dealership to get it checked, and after one of the dealership mechanics checked it, no problem was found. I was advised by Noah to continue driving it and report, should the problem persist. Needless to say, the problem persisted. I went back to the dealership on the 12th October, and again the car was checked, but this time by the chief mechanic, and again no problems were found. He even went as far as tightening the suspension of the car and we drove around, testing it, and no problem was found. The chief mechanic decided to do some test, where he would simulate the car going over a speed hump, and he heard the knocking sound. He did the simulation test a few times, and everytime he did it, we heard the "knocking" sound.

By this time, I was quite hopeful that this problem will be resolved, but to my dismay, I was told to keep driving the vehicle, which I did. On the 15th October, I went back to the dealership, and at that point I was furious with the way this whole matter was handled. I saw the new vehicle sales manager, together with Noah and told them I don't want the vehicle anymore, and that i was not happy with the way the matter was handled. A booking was made for the vehicle to be checked by the sister dealership in Bedfordview because they have specialised mechanics who would be able to find the problem and resolve it. It took almost 3 weeks for the car to be fixed, and I was advised that the source of the "knocking sound" was the shock absorber and the shock mounting. For some odd reason, they were factory-faulty. During the 3 weeks while I was waiting for my car, for the first 2 weeks, no courtesy car was given to me. Very little, if no updates on the progress of my car were received from Noah. I phoned the dealership in Bedfordview to enquire about the progress of repairs on my car. During the 3rd week, I got a courtesy car from Imperial Toyota City (A Toyota Yaris Sport, which I thoroughly enjoyed driving, I must say).

After my car (Etios Sprint) was repaired under warranty, I approached Noah and told him I was interested in the Toyota Yaris Sport, and wanted to find out how much it is, and how much will a have to pay for it. I tried to get my Etios Sprint traded in for the Yaris Sport, and I was told that the shortfall was too great for the dealership to write off, therefore the trade in could not happen.

My bone of contention really is to understand why can't I get the Yaris Sport that I want, moreso after the experience I had with the dealership regarding the Etios Sprint. I was treated very badly and I'm quite disappointed in the individuals involved in this whole debacle. The point is I was never happy with the Etios Sprint, and after all the problems and ups and downs and issues with it, my liking for the Etios Sprinthas dramatically decreased. Now and then, I can hear a funny sound while driving it, and now I'm not even keen on booking it in for warranty repairs. I also want the dealership to take responsibility for their part in this. I was not treated fairly by them, and I don't wish to do business with this particular dealership ever again.