Dissatisfied customer.

I just wanted to bring the following to your attention:

On the 15th of May 2022, I booked my Toyota 86 for a service at Monument Toyota.

There was a noise coming from my engine that was concerning and I brought it up with the service advisor prior to booking the service. He then informed me that just to LISTEN to the noise would cost me approximately R750. This would be ON TOP of the +/- R3000 service.

Here is where I would also like to mention that the pricing of some of the items deemed ‘necessary’ by this Toyota to be replaced is absolutely ludicrous - compared to other Toyota branches.

For example: the air filter. I was phoned whilst my car was being serviced and advised that the air filter needed to be replaced. The cost of this air filter was R3000. This is literally **************** as I know for a fact that other Toyota branches install these air filters for LESS THAN HALF that price.

Secondly: the service advisor assured me multiple times that my car WAS NOT part of the 2012 Valve Spring Recall - I was really concerned about this because I had done some research on this matter and found that majority of the Toyota 86s that went in for this recall, came back worse for wear. Multiple examples are found where people send in their cars for the recall, and then experience detrimental problems with their car afterwards - be it in a couple of months or even a year. Needless to say, I enquired multiple times about this issue and, as mentioned, was assured that that was definitely not the problem. My service was completed and I went on my merry way, feeling that I was in competent hands and that I had nothing more to worry about.

Fast forward to June - the concerning sound was still ongoing and getting worse by the day. I decided to get a second opinion and went to Toyota Honeydew. There, the difference between the 2 branches was evident. I was immediately asked to park my car, and the engine was listened to by 2 supervisors as well as their subordinates - all with extensive experience in the motor my car is equipped with (FOR FREE). They then advised me that the engine would have to be thoroughly examined in order to determine the source of the noise.

The service manager, Kobus Benadie, then took the initiative to double check whether or not my vehicle was part of the aforementioned recall. He found (what Monument Toyota was unable to do) that my vehicle was indeed part of the recall and underwent the necessary service at Toyota Fourways at 46 000km.

I then had to face a difficult decision: either sell my vehicle, or bite the bullet and undergo the necessary procedure in order to determine what the problem was.

On the 29th of June 2022, I booked in my vehicle at Honeydew Toyota to determine the cause of the persistent (and worsening) noise. What they found was the following:

The valve shim buckets were fitted incorrectly by Fourways Toyota, presumably whilst undergoing the valve spring recall.

I then had to pay +/- R10 000 for this to be rectified, which would have been a lot more, but Honeydew Toyota acknowledged that this problem was not my fault and were gracious enough to give me discount. If this was because of my own doing, I would have had no problem and left it at that. HOWEVER: this was because of incompetence from Fourways Toyota (for creating the problem), and negligence by Monument Toyota (for failing to recognize or even to put in the effort to find out what is going on).

A huge thank you to Honeydew Toyota, especially Kobus Benadie, for their excellent service and aid in finding a solution to this problem. But I am very disappointed in Fourways & Monument Toyota, for all of the reasons mentioned above but also for their complete lack of empathy with me in dealing with this issue. In today’s world where every cent counts, I had to indebt myself in order to fix the wrong doings of others.

Kind regards, Ruan