Anyone lemonlaw a Celica? [Archive]

Tony01Gts

05-17-2002, 12:48 PM

Why would anyone here be pissed off. Fact is, no matter how good the manufacturer is, when you mass produce a vehicle, some of them are going to have problems. My car is one of them. By the time they replace the rest of my interior, paint my car, and repair my tranny I will have 10,000+ worth of warranty work. Don't you think that since I spent 23000 on a vehicle, that I should have a vehicle that is WORTH at least a good chunk of that? I love my Celica, and I love Toyota vehicles. Everyone in my family has a Toyota: my grandpa has new Mr2 and a Tundra, Grandma had a Rav4, my mom had a T100 and a Tercel, I have the Celica. I'm not trying to say anything bad about Toyota, I just want the wrongs righted.

ringthree

05-17-2002, 12:52 PM

Well he wasn't as nice as you.

djm221

05-17-2002, 12:53 PM

Originally posted by SlasherX
lemongt-s did.

the sitaution was he was a big bitch :)

I think it was 'lemoncelica' not 'lemongt-s' He sure was fun though, those were the good ole days. Wonder how his Audi TT he was going to buy is doing :chuckles:

Tony01Gts

05-17-2002, 12:54 PM

OIC... he was a lil hoe about it...

SlasherX

05-17-2002, 12:55 PM

Originally posted by Tony01Gts
Why would anyone here be pissed off. Fact is, no matter how good the manufacturer is, when you mass produce a vehicle, some of them are going to have problems. My car is one of them. By the time they replace the rest of my interior, paint my car, and repair my tranny I will have 10,000+ worth of warranty work. Don't you think that since I spent 23000 on a vehicle, that I should have a vehicle that is WORTH at least a good chunk of that? I love my Celica, and I love Toyota vehicles. Everyone in my family has a Toyota: my grandpa has new Mr2 and a Tundra, Grandma had a Rav4, my mom had a T100 and a Tercel, I have the Celica. I'm not trying to say anything bad about Toyota, I just want the wrongs righted.

what ringthree said. that dude just wasnt reasonable.

SlasherX

05-17-2002, 12:55 PM

Originally posted by djm221

I think it was 'lemoncelica' not 'lemongt-s' He sure was fun though, those were the good ole days. Wonder how his Audi TT he was going to buy is doing :chuckles:

hehe, it would be funny to see, you're right.

Tony01Gts

05-17-2002, 12:58 PM

I still don't know if I'm gonna try and lemonlaw my car. They are trying to fix everything. Everytime something gets fixed something else breaks. I just don't wanna own this car when it's not under warranty. You guys get what I'm saying? If they give me another Celica, I'll be happy. I just kinda don't wanna 2002 with the rev limit. How much of a diff does the 500 rpm earlier cutoff make?

SlasherX

05-17-2002, 01:03 PM

A LOT when it come sto straight line performance. everythign else abotu the car is the same, with the exception of wider spaced gears in the tranny, etc.

Willis5050

05-17-2002, 01:44 PM

I just did this week. Toyota just put the order in to the plant in Japan for a 02 GT-S equipped exactly the same as my 00. Yeah, I got stuck with the 02, but I only paid 16,000 for the 00 in the first place and my warranty was up in September. So I guess I can live with being slow. Ever since I got my decision I have been putting mad miles on my 00, because essentially the clock stopped at the first instance of repair (11,500 miles). I do have to pay a mileage discrepancy fee based on some equation, and that will probably be about $1000, and will be based on 11,500 miles. I now just turned over 19,500 miles (I have been driving it a lot lately). Toyota is paying all my taxes, registration, fees, and all that jazz. I had to do a ton of legwork to get where I am now, but it is finally starting to pay off. My new car should get here in about 8 weeks. Let me know if you have any questions on the whole procedure.

By the way, I bitched up a red storm about the rev limiter to Toyota, and my rep is helping me look into the whole issue.

2kcarbonblue

05-17-2002, 03:07 PM

can someone tell me exactly what lemonlaw is?

Willis5050

05-17-2002, 04:15 PM

If there is something wrong with your car that impars the use, safety or value and connot be repaired in X number of attempts by the dealer, than your car *can* be considered a lemon. Usually less repair attempts are necessary it the defect is major enough to make the car unsafe for use. A car can also be considered a lemon if it is in for service for XX number of days. The specifc criteria vary from state to state. The law was put in place to protect consumers from problem vehicles, and to force manufacturers to honor their warranties in a swift manner. That is the quick and dirty definition, but much more in depth information is available. Usually enforcement of the Lemon Law results in replacement of the car or a refund for the purchase price minus mileage.

ZIGGY GTS

05-17-2002, 07:25 PM

my 00 GTS was lemon lawed last year: My car went through 2 transmissions in 2 years. both had 4th gear synchro's that grinded when i downshifted from 6th to 4th..Toyota was actually very nice about it. it took exactly a month from when i filed the paper work to the time i got my money back...overall it was a painless issue...

kabal57

05-17-2002, 07:57 PM

skipping gears seems to be how alot of people are misshifting.
Trying to downshift from 6th to 4th and hitting 2nd instead, or 5th to 3rd and messing that up..
sucks that thats such a problem here :(

ZIGGY GTS

05-17-2002, 08:05 PM

Originally posted by kabal57
skipping gears seems to be how alot of people are misshifting.
Trying to downshift from 6th to 4th and hitting 2nd instead, or 5th to 3rd and messing that up..
sucks that thats such a problem here :(

yeah but mishifting wasnt an issue for my car...its just the 4th gear wouldnt last...=)

krazyone

05-17-2002, 08:09 PM

how many miles was on ur car?

ZIGGY GTS

05-17-2002, 08:14 PM

Originally posted by krazyone
how many miles was on ur car?

when the first(original) tranny went out, it had 22,000. the second tranny went out at 55,000...thats when i said, forget it and i filed for lemon law. they actually put a third tranny in it but i still told them i didnt want the car anymore and had them take it back.=)

REdOX

05-17-2002, 08:38 PM

I wonder if there's a lemon law in Canada?

kuno

05-17-2002, 09:07 PM

In Canada if you have a lemon they give you an option of money back or a VW Beatle

Tony01Gts

05-17-2002, 10:47 PM

willis what was the problems with your car?

Willis5050

05-18-2002, 10:35 PM

Originally posted by Tony01Gts
willis what was the problems with your car?

CEL light was constantly on. Funny thing was it hasn't come on since the last time I had it in to get fixed, so they must have finally found the problem. Too late for them though.

Tony01Gts

05-18-2002, 10:37 PM

Thats it??? What was the CEL on from? You should steal the ecu and gauges out of your old car and put them in the new one to see if that helps your revlimiter! Hound toyota till they let you!

Willis5050

05-18-2002, 11:05 PM

Nobody knows what the CEL is from, that's the problem. Oh, I am already in discussion with my rep, I am getting all pissy because of the 02 rev limiter and seeing if I can bring awareness. He had no prior clue about it at all. He seems like a cool guy that may help our cause. He says I can switch anything I want to the new car, but he won't pay for that.

It will take 8 weeks to get my new car, so now I am really ragging on the one I have now. Any track events coming up:)?

Chui

05-19-2002, 06:51 AM

"I still don't know if I'm gonna try and lemonlaw my car. They are trying to fix everything. Everytime something gets fixed something else breaks. I just don't wanna own this car when it's not under warranty. You guys get what I'm saying? If they give me another Celica, I'll be happy. I just kinda don't wanna 2002 with the rev limit. How much of a diff does the 500 rpm earlier cutoff make?"

Are you crazy? You've got "$10k in warranty work" and you don't wish for Toyota to eat it? You've got over half the current value of your car in repair work... Dude, you can get another GT-S or whatever you choose... Contact your State Attorney General.

Tony01Gts

05-19-2002, 08:49 AM

Actually the car has had to be down for 30 days total or the same thing has to go 3 times and then they get a final time to fix it and if that doesn't work you can lemonlaw. Unfortunately, Just because I've had a MILLION things go wrong I can't lemonlaw. Can anyone tell me how to sabotage my belt tensioner? It's already gone twice...

2kcarbonblue

05-19-2002, 12:51 PM

30 days and you can lemonlaw? what about if you misshift and it takes 30 or more days? since its your fault could you still lemonlaw?

Chui

05-19-2002, 02:42 PM

Each state will be different. I think you may be correct about the 30 days or so, but there may be a "total number of days" clause as well...

2kcarbonblue

05-19-2002, 03:09 PM

not that im thinking about it, but my car has been at toyta for 25 days. anyone know what the number of days in NC is?

Tony01Gts

05-19-2002, 07:06 PM

Yeah in Florida its 30 days total not consecutive... I don't know about if you misshift

2kcarbonblue

05-19-2002, 07:19 PM

i doubt it applies if you misshift since its your fault its being repaired.

Tony01Gts

05-19-2002, 07:39 PM

Yeah but if toyota is repairing it as warranty work then they are accepting it as a defect (if you think about it)... Besides the lemon law people don't know that it's your fault... for all they know the valves are bent and the engine was fuct so toyota is fixing it

Willis5050

05-19-2002, 08:12 PM

In lemon law proceeedings they can argue against repairing or replacing your car, so your problem has to be legit or it will be thrown right out. Toyota knows about misshifts and all they have to say is that it is driver error and your case is gone. Once you hit 30 days it is not a sure thing, both sides get to defend themselves.

pepsiman

05-24-2002, 01:13 AM

i filed for arbitration today.. woohoo!!!
I'm gonna make toyota pay for every thing!!
That includes: amazing deappearance of toyota oil filter on I-275
right after i got off the highway on Fowler Ave. Tampa
Everything was locked... even brakes...
Thank God~ Honda Certified Mechanic was right infront of me(my friend)
basically 2 hours after i got my car back from clearwater toyota.. i almost DIED!! my car was taken back to clearwater that night.

CSteckel

05-24-2002, 05:03 AM

Ahhh,
I feel it for you boys. I went through absolute hell about 1 year ago. I had the car home from the dealer for 8 days and the engine seized on the highway. Bought the car NEW with 600 miles on it (claimed it was from a dealer transfer). Well, My local toyota rep told me that the car had the engine previously blown and rebuilt at the dealer I bought it from without me knowing. I got my lemon law attorneys (who also do FRUAD!) and they checked it on carfax (did I mention I bought this as NEW) and it had a previous title owner before me. I couldn't believe it, you guessed it, because I bought the car NEW. Well, the car has been through 1 rebuild, 1 full engine replacement and yet another rebuild. I'm waiting on Lemon Law settlement from Toyota as well as a FRAUD settlement from the %$#@! dealer in Indiana PA that fraudulently sold me the car which should have been used as a damn demo vehicle. Ahhh, I feel better. Sorry, had to vent.

gts24

05-24-2002, 05:07 AM

Originally posted by Tony01Gts
Yeah but if toyota is repairing it as warranty work then they are accepting it as a defect (if you think about it)... Besides the lemon law people don't know that it's your fault... for all they know the valves are bent and the engine was fuct so toyota is fixing it

Yeah or else they just want really high customer service ratings so they'll do it and go from there.

VZV21

05-24-2002, 05:47 AM

lemoncelica:

he blew his engine twice due to a misshift. Still wonder how he likes driving a glorified VW Golf.

Brett

06-04-2002, 10:19 PM

Damn, is it really that easy? I've had two transmissions replace, piston, piston rigns, crankshaft and bearings, belt tensioner, AC went out, 2 weeks ago, fixed, lasted a day, at dealership getting fixed again. Plus they ****ed up my head lights so I am getting two new headlights. And to top it off. I got backed into, so I need a new bumper! I've inquired legal advice, and will most likly be getting it lemon lawed. Do you all think I will have any trouble?

pepsiman

06-05-2002, 06:31 AM

Originally posted by Brett
Damn, is it really that easy? I've had two transmissions replace, piston, piston rigns, crankshaft and bearings, belt tensioner, AC went out, 2 weeks ago, fixed, lasted a day, at dealership getting fixed again. Plus they ****ed up my head lights so I am getting two new headlights. And to top it off. I got backed into, so I need a new bumper! I've inquired legal advice, and will most likly be getting it lemon lawed. Do you all think I will have any trouble?

You have one FXXXed up Celica.. you should lemon ur car ASAP

Tony01Gts

06-05-2002, 08:09 AM

Brett it's gotta be down for repairs for 30 total days or have the same thing break 3 times for lemonlaw, but you can contact Toyota corporate and tell them you want to go to arbitration and they will do somehing for you. PM me if you need more info

CSteckel

06-05-2002, 08:11 AM

30 days??
Is this FL only? You mean 30 days without the car total right, man...I've got that no prob!!

Tony01Gts

06-05-2002, 10:49 AM

Yeah that is in FL... 30 days total not necessarily consecutive... search on web for "pennsylvania lemon law" I'm sure you'll find what you need. Before you lemon law, contact Toyota Corporate and find out about arbitration. You might get a refund or exchange with a lot less hassle.

Brett

06-05-2002, 01:05 PM

Had a friendly chat with Toyota of America. They are sending me Arbitration Papers. They should get here next week sometime. I would rather get mine settled then have to go through a court. It seems I may have a very good chance of that happening. I was also wondering, how hard would it be to get them to replace the Celica as opposed to refunding it?

Willis5050

06-05-2002, 01:15 PM

Originally posted by Brett
Had a friendly chat with Toyota of America. They are sending me Arbitration Papers. They should get here next week sometime. I would rather get mine settled then have to go through a court. It seems I may have a very good chance of that happening. I was also wondering, how hard would it be to get them to replace the Celica as opposed to refunding it?

Not hard at all, I took the replacement for many reasons, but you just have to state in arbitration what you want (usually can't exceed replacement or refund) and usually they dont refund all of your money (take off a mileage based "usage fee").

Tony01Gts

06-05-2002, 02:53 PM

I'm in the process of doing the same thing (gonna try to get a different Celica) I talked to them yesterday and they are sending me the papers, too. Thing is if you get another Celica it will be an 02 or 03 and if you have a 00 or 01 GT-S then you're getting a performance kick in the balls. I am going to try to convince them to ship mine with an 01 ecu and knock sensor on the basis that I bought a car with an 8300 rpm rev limit and I want a car with an 8300 rpm rev limit. I'm gonna get a post going on here that is all complaints from 02 owners and show it to the rep at arbitration.

Willis5050

06-05-2002, 03:53 PM

Originally posted by Tony01Gts
I'm in the process of doing the same thing (gonna try to get a different Celica) I talked to them yesterday and they are sending me the papers, too. Thing is if you get another Celica it will be an 02 or 03 and if you have a 00 or 01 GT-S then you're getting a performance kick in the balls. I am going to try to convince them to ship mine with an 01 ecu and knock sensor on the basis that I bought a car with an 8300 rpm rev limit and I want a car with an 8300 rpm rev limit. I'm gonna get a post going on here that is all complaints from 02 owners and show it to the rep at arbitration.

Sorry, they most likely won't bite. I brought it up, and they simply said "I'm sure you will be happy with your new celica". They are fixing a reliablity problem, not a performance problem. Their end, if you win, is to provide you with a reliable car. They wouldn't even change the color of mine. Do you want an unreliable car that revvs to 8300, or a new, reliable one that has a 7800 redline?

Tony01Gts

06-05-2002, 04:07 PM

Be quiet you're making too much sense! Looks like I will have to buy an ecu!

Willis5050

06-05-2002, 04:49 PM

Haha, that's only because that is what Toyota told me a few weeks ago :).

JS7773

06-05-2002, 04:51 PM

I just started the arbitration process myself... There is a post about it here in general discussion. Mine is for a slightly different reason though, Toyota feels I have been 'abusing' my car and will no longer honor the warranty on the transmission. However, they haven't taken it apart yet to verify the problem.

NC LEMON LAW: 'Reasonable number of days' They do not define this number further (not that I've found yet)

Tony01Gts

06-05-2002, 05:10 PM

Is it just me or are we all maintaining the same discussion in 4 threads?

CSteckel

06-06-2002, 05:42 AM

Well,
Looks like I am going the $$ back - mileage route then. No way can I go from an 00 to an 02 or 03. (Unless I just sell the 03 right away). I'd rather get the $$ back and look into a new Z.

Tony01Gts

06-06-2002, 07:26 AM

Why not just upgrade the ecu? If I had the money and didn't need 4 seats I would definitely get a new Z!!! Or the Rx-8 or even an a 90s Rx-7 or TwinTurbo Z.

CSteckel

06-06-2002, 07:39 AM

Yeah,
That Z is looking better and better. The model I would get is the $29,000 one though (the base doesn't come with HID, Cruise, Trac ctrl, lsd, etc.) I figure I would have enough for like $7000 down. Not sure though, I kinda want to buy a house (of course then I'll never be able to get another "dream" car. Tough call.