Dealing with Service Dept and Factory Warranties

by **tainted** » Tue Feb 18, 2003 3:48 am

Hi everybody,

I've been following this forum for a while now and I have to say that it is the definitive source for info on the Solara.

My question is this:

Recently I skidded out on the freeway to avoid an accident. I blew out my front right tire and swapped in the spare. However, ever since that incident, I have noticed a change in the ride of my solara. Sometimes in the first mile of driving, I will hear squeaks... and sometimes at high speeds I feel some vibrations...

I really want to take it in to get serviced, and I've read my warranties booklet, but I also want to avoid getting screwed by the dealership since I'm not really a car buff. Can someone advise me?

Website · by **DavPak** » Tue Feb 18, 2003 6:53 am

well if the problem with the car is a result of the accident, the repairs will not be under warranty. sounds like the trouble could be strut related or brake pads/rotor?? brakes are rarely under warranty anyway. it might need an alignment really badly too. i dunno if this was anywhere near the answer you were looking for, but i hope it helps. if you have any questions about your warranty, let me know, i can decipher them for you!

by **Missay** » Tue Feb 18, 2003 11:14 am

yea, if it's accident related it would automatically be voided under warranty i think.

is it obvious that it was due to an accident?? remember...what you don't tell them and they can't see...they don't know :wink:

by **20SoLaRa02** » Tue Feb 18, 2003 6:04 pm

my first question to u is....are you still running on the spare tire? Either way it sounds to me like u might not have correctly put on the tire....many people over look this fact when changing or rotating their tires. vibrating at high speeds is sometimes a consequence of this. As for the sound it could also be the same thing or could be something else also. hope that helps.

p.s. try tighting ur lug nuts and if they are some what loose then take off the tire and mount it again and retighten the lug nuts

by **Yanks0114** » Tue Feb 18, 2003 8:57 pm

Also if you are running on your regular rim now with a new tire, you could have dented the rim.

Basically check for:

Alignment
That the tire is properly balanced and the correct size
The rim isn't dented

by **CrazyCraig** » Tue Feb 18, 2003 9:15 pm

Sounds to me like the tire/tires are outta balance, or you have a flat spot on the tire you didn't change. As for the squeak in the first mile of driving ........

?

by **Missay** » Tue Feb 18, 2003 9:48 pm

ok..watch out..here comes missay's roadside knowledge lol :wink:

how long ago did it happen and did you still have the spare?? solaras come w/ full size spares, so it's not really an issue about driving on the spare. i know yank was mentioning the rim which is a good point. but then again, depending on the degree of damage, usually if the rim is bent the spare can't be put on at all and the car has to be towed.

when the tire blew out did the frame of the car hit the ground in anyway? or did the rim scrape on the ground? if the axle hit then it usually guarantees you have to tow the car

also, did you change the tire yourself, or have a tow facility do it? i guess technically the lugs are suppose to be put on in a star pattern, but some places just put them on in a circular pattern :roll:

. definitely check to make sure it's on right

(damn..i've had too many calls at work where places have put tires on wrong and a customer will lose a tire while driving...so not good cause it usually damages the fenders/axles which=towing)

by **tainted** » Wed Feb 19, 2003 2:56 am

I didn't actually *hit* anything. I skidded about 200 degrees off the freeway onto the left shoulder. When I got out to inspect the tires, nothing appeared to be wrong so I drove to the nearest gas station. Once I was there, I noticed that my front right tire was completely flat. I booked a motel room cause all local shops were closed and the next morning took it to a place called wheel works to have the tire looked at. The guy said that I have driven on the flat too far to be salvageable and put the full spare on. He also rotated the rear right tire to the front right tire to minimize vibration. Thank you everyone for your help so far!!

by **supercamsol** » Wed Feb 19, 2003 7:36 am

that happen to me and it turn out to be a balance problem
but the toyota guy was honest enough to tell me that if I would
of hit it any harder that all the things mention above can happen...
wheel alignment
disk bent
basically anything in the wheel well

by **Missay** » Wed Feb 19, 2003 8:31 pm

lol..all you people who don't have your spare tire b/c it won't fit with systems in the trunk :wink:

take this as an example!!

i hate when people don't have spare tires and it's after hours so everything is closed..it's a pain in the a$$!

tainted, why didn't you just change the tire/have the tire changed?? did it not seem safe to drive?

Dealing with Service Dept and Factory Warranties

Dealing with Service Dept and Factory Warranties

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