Hi all,
I’m wondering how to handle a charge on an inspection report upon a lease return and if anyone has any experience disputing similar charges. I was dinged about $500 for scratches to doors and bumpers which I would’ve considered ‘normal’ wear and tear, but willing to accept this; The annoying part was being charged $550 + tax for replacing the steering wheel. It literally had a couple of wrinkles on the material, entirely cosmetic and fully functional. In any event, I tried arguing with TFS that the car is still under warranty and if they deem the steering wheel needs to be replaced, it should be done under warranty and I should not be charged. So far not having any luck convincing TFS. I’m wondering if this issue is also common with Toyota Miras.
I have the same issue on my steering wheel. There is an area where it bunches and causes some wrinkles. How does Toyota charge us for that when they use cheap materials on the steering wheels. I change cars every 2-3 years and have multiple cars in the family and never had another steering wheel have this happen. This is terrible and Toyota should not hold us at fault. How do they expect us to grip the steering wheel? It doesn’t seem to be an isolated incident…Initially, I thought it was just me, but now it seems like I am not by myself. My MIRAI experience is a complete disaster from the beginning. Toyota doesn’t seem to care and always pointing fingers.
Thanks for the input. That was my mistake - I made a bad assumption that a pre-inspection wasn’t necessary and I ignored going through it, as I assumed the car was in good condition and any imperfections were ‘normal’ wear and tear. I don’t have a lot of experience with leases - this is only my 2nd one - I didn’t do a pre-inspection for my previous one but didn’t get charged for any excess wear and tear either. Lesson learnt.
Always, always get the pre-inspection done, otherwise you might end up surprised.
Agree with @Jon - pics would help, but a Toyota/Mirai specific forum is probably a better place to get an answer about how often it happens, and resolutions.
Your lease agreement will also spell out what is allowable at disposition. If TFS is telling you with documentation it doesn’t meet their criteria for waiver, you can certainly push but it’s unlikely they will waive it.
Glad to know that it’s not just me - sounds like it is, as you said, Toyota not being entirely far-sighted in material selection for the steering wheel.
To be fair, other than the lease return, my experience with my Mirai has been quite positive. I didn’t have too many of the fuel shortage issues (I can remember 2-3 times in 3 years running into it) - and the car was entirely trouble free during the 3 years and 34k miles I put on it.
My biggest issue with Toyota is that they have many flaws on the Mirai, and want to pass the buck to the customers who have owned it less than 3 years…I told my service advisor that my Navigation screen goes out from time to time, and I lose my Bluetooth access when that does happen. He told me I just needed a software update, and it would be $280 dollars and this wouldn’t be covered under warranty. I had about 11 months on my lease left and decided it wasn’t worth it. I had to pull over and restart the car for the system to reset. My issue is that certain things like this and steering wheel shouldn’t be the consumers responsibility. How can I misuse the navigation screen or steering wheel for it to go bad?
This is also to let it be known that my Mirai doesn’t get 309 Miles per fill-up. This last year I have only be getting 248 Miles per fill-up, which means I need to go more often to these stations that sometimes aren’t operable.
After seeing the picture I cannot believe toyota is charging you for that matter. That is 99999% on them. If I were you I would fight that consistently until it’s resolved. $500+ for something that is their fault for using cheap material should not be billed to you.
That has to be the most ridiculous thing i have see a customer charged on a lease return. Next the will start charging for the farts trapped in the seats.
I am over the 36K miles warranty already…Unfortunately, I don’t think this is covered.
I have issues with my Bluetooth/NAV screen going dark on me while driving, and mentioned it to my service advisor, and he told me that I needed a software update, and that’s $238. He said because I am over 36K, the Bluetooth/NAV isn’t covered.
What can an owner do to a NAV/Bluetooth screen that causes this issue? I am really tired of Toyota and how they seem to always pass the blame or cost to the customer. When people ask me about my Mirai, I tell them if Toyota gave it to me for free to drive with free fuel, I would still not take it. They just don’t care about customers…
