Oh so many woes caused by Toyota

I purchased a 2012 model Toyota 86 at the beginning of 2014 which had covered 9000kms. Since then, this vehicle has been nothing but a headache. From constant gearbox issues to oil leaks to check engine lights this vehicle has proven that Toyota can no longer be trusted to offer the unquestionable reliability for which they are famed. There are two parts to a vehicle manufacturers mandate though. The first is the actual vehicle and the second is the aftersales service and repairs. Toyota has proven to me that they cannot be re**** upon for either. Since me taking ownership four years ago, my vehicle has across multiple visits spent approximately six months at Toyota dealerships. So for 12.5% of the time I’ve owned the vehicle, it has been with the manufacturer. Luckily I did extend the original manufacturer warranty back in 2014. Upon purchasing the extension I was given the option of extending for either a further 2 or 3 years. The agent confirmed to me that should I choose the 2 year option, I could extend the original manufacturer warranty again at a later stage should I require (I am in possession of the call recording confirming this). I booked the vehicle in for a third time with gearbox issues on the week prior to the warranty expiring. I also called to extend the warranty but was told that I could only purchase a “pre-owned” warranty which offered limited benefits in comparison to the original manufacturer warranty. This was contrary to what I was promised by the Toyota agent previously. After two months of back and forth I was eventually given the option to purchase a warranty equivalent to the original manufacturer warranty. Then come the lies. I’ve had Toyota South Africa refuse me a courtesy vehicle because “they do not have any courtesy vehicles available”. However, Toyota does not keep courtesy vehicles but rather hires these from the likes of Avis as required. Tell me then, how is it possible for them to not have any courtesy vehicles available? The gearbox on my vehicle has now been repaired twice and replaced three times. With the first replacement, I was promised by Toyota South Africa that a “new” gearbox was being fitted to my vehicle. When I did not receive feedback for approximately two weeks I visited the dealer and as luck would have it my gearbox was being delivered. This however was being delivered by RDG (Rex Diff & Gearbox) and not by Toyota SA. Weird that RDG would be delivering a “brand new” gearbox. I have video proof of the service manager at the dealer confirming that it is in fact a “brand new” gearbox but then he goes on to say that it was fitted to another vehicle and tested for 2400km. A few things stand out for me around this explanation. The first is why would RDG be delivering a brand new gearbox to Toyota, who manufacture the gearboxes? Next, why would Toyota need to test a brand new gearbox? The third is that they managed to cover 2400km with this test vehicle within the space of two weeks. This testing was for naught though as when that gearbox was fitted to the vehicle, it was found to be faulty. I was then advised that another “brand new” gearbox was sourced from another dealer who just happened to have one in stock (so much for Toyota’s JIT or Just In Time principles). Regarding this gearbox I have written confirmation from Toyota SA that it was a brand new gearbox. This brand new gearbox also proved to be faulty with it jumping out of gear. Then a third brand new gearbox was sourced, this time from overseas. The third gearbox was fitted and thus far seems to be good. In the months that the vehicle spent sitting at Toyota, the battery was not disconnected which eventually led to it being damaged. This resulted in me having to then purchase a new battery. In addition, when I collected the vehicle from the last repair I found the fuel level sitting in reserve. The vehicle was booked in with just over half a tank of fuel. I have written to both the CEO of Toyota SA, Andrew Kirby and to the chairman of Toyota SA, Dr Johan Van Zyl only to be passed off to the customer contact centre. I have been dealing with the “Directors Escalation Manager” at the contact centre who is fairly difficult to get a hold of and could not offer much assistance. In addition to all of the above, Toyota initially rejected my repair as they claimed the vehicle had skipped the first service (which they eventually realised it had not). Next, the extended warranty dates were incorrectly captured which led to further delays and headache to me, the customer. I currently own three Toyota vehicles and after this experience I have started to sell them off. I’m glad to say I have purchased my first Nissan and I’m loving it! Perhaps Nissan will understand what is meant by Customer Service…