11th May 2011, 09:17
Mice chew on wires. It has little to do with the type of wires. Do you think that mouse was waiting around in your garage for decades until you bought a car with yummy wiring? I have seen many cars with mouse damage as well as boats, snowmobiles, etc., etc. This can occur at any time. Maybe your garage has aged and there are more places for mice to enter these days? To blame Toyota for this is kind of a stretch... sorry.
As far as the paint is concerned. That is unfortunate, but hardly the norm for Toyota or any other car manufacturer. The only place our Toyota is chipping is where it was hit and repainted. The rest looks like new still, even after a long winter of salt and lots of snow. There was probably a problem on the assembly line or something got sprayed on the metal inadvertently to cause the paint to not adhere properly. Toyota should cover it completely though. Not saying they will, but they should. $1,300 for rustproofing is just money out the window. All cars are made of much more galvanized steel, and they are much better than they used to be overall for rust. I drive the average car for 3 to 5 years, and all I have ever seen is mild surface rust... on the underside of any car I have had. I keep the engine bay spotless on all of my cars, so I have seen very minimal if any rust under the hood of any newer car for the past 15 years. Rust proofing is just cash in the dealers pocket unfortunately. I have never heard of it costing that much though... maybe $800 or so.
Sorry if I ruined your day! Good luck with your car. Hope you find something better for yourself the next time.
2nd Sep 2011, 12:40
I agree with you fully on your disappointment with rusting on an almost new car. I myself have a 2010 Venza, and am having rust problems (along with some other issues I won't go into) on of all places the interior. While my wife was cleaning the car one day, she put the rear seats down and lifted the little flap that covers the hinges and seat frame, and lo and behold, everything is coated with rust. Not just a little bit, but the hinges and all the nuts and bolts look like they have been covered in salt water. Yes, I live in an area known for having a wet climate, but I would expect rust on the exterior, not the interior. I guess Toyota must only be meant for dry Arizona like climates. My 2004 Ford pickup is absolutely rust free, as was the wife's 2002 Mazda Tribute, which was traded for the Venza. Toyota's solution to the problem is to paint the rusty parts and send me on my way. What about addressing the cause? This is my first ever Toyota, and I'm sure when I have the chance to flog this thing without too much of a hit to my wallet, it will be the last.
10th May 2011, 07:44
I have to say of course it is covered by warranty, but what do you think dealership does? They will ask a contractor company to take the car and fix the rusty spots. How? I assume they have to sand off the paint and fix 20 to 30 thin spots in different areas, then paint over it. They cannot do magic, and this will not prevent the rust starting in other areas. What do I do after 5 years? I already paid 1300$ for rust and paint protection. Do I have go back and forth between the dealership and Rust Guard warranty. How about my time? How about the drop in value of the car?
As for the mouse attack, I will say, I kept my Honda Accord and Mitsubishi Outlander in the same garage for years, and no mouse was interested to chew the wires. I know Toyota wants to help the environment, but to the cost of users...
How about the quiet ride we all expect from Toyota, specially for a classy product like the VENZA? I wanted to enjoyed a quiet ride while every week I travel to the USA for my business, but because of that low pitch noise, I have to let the car run in gear 5 only (manual mode - automatic goes to gear 6). This causes the RPM to increase to over 2500, and that noise fades away to the cost of more fuel consumption.