Think my parents have been done by a Toyota dealer

FrontDoor

One More Toy wrote: »

Can someone explain to me how I would work out if the wiring isn't oem?

Generally they beep when you indicate with an external light board attached.

You should see something like this behind a panel in the boot somewhere.



Note insulating tape covering spliced wires.

sc86

this is great
800 for a towbar lol
it would need to be made of gold
boom is back

iamtony

One More Toy wrote: »

Can someone explain to me how I would work out if the wiring isn't oem?

They might not actually make an oem towbar and loom kit at all but the one in the brochure is Toyota approved and that's what they should of got. If that's what they did get then you can't really complain too much and the harness should look like it's just plugged in like I explained above. Personally I dont know the new corolla but you should be able to unplug the rear light socket which will actually be the towbar harness and pull it out until you see the original socket.
This still doesn't mean they supplied OEM parts or Toyota approved parts unfortunately but it will show that its not a botch job cutting into wires and whatnot.

iamtony

sc86 wrote: »

this is great
800 for a towbar lol
it would need to be made of gold
boom is back

For a genuine kit and the ability to stop the parking sensors going crazy every time you tow on a brand new car I'd pay it.

sc86

firstly its a corolla , not a jeep, cant see him towing a horse box now can you?
anyway if you think 800 is fair for a genuine towbar then i rest my case

bear1

Don't know what's worse.
Paying 800e for a tow bar... Again 800e.
Or having a doubt over how genuine it is to allow it to ruin your weekend.
Yeah its the 800e.
If you aren't happy with it then bring it back and have them either replace it for the proper one (good luck) or ask for a refund (again, good luck)

homer90

coach22 wrote: »

Even if it is genuine which I would say it is, €800 for a tow bar is daft!

Best built tow bar's in the world.

J.pilkington

iamtony wrote: »

I'd get into toyoto Ireland twitter account with a picture and tell the story(without any anger), nothing like publicity to get the thumbs out of their arse.

Terrible advice,

I'd heed frontdoors advice and firstly find out if there is an issue, if there is then approach the dealer if no resolution then approach Toyota Ireland if still no resolution maybe what you say.

Going nuclear at stage 1 is just daft, the OPs parents possibly have to deal with this dealer for warranty / servicing so falsely accusing them of something based on an Internet forum feedback is daft

willciviceg5

Don't forget that €800.00 may sound like a lot but this is a small price to pay to not void part of your warranty that a spurious towbar definitely would.
The genuine kit should also tie in to the DSC and allow for an anti sway program when there is a tow bar plugged in. This could also affect insurance with a spurious towbar without antisway

maximum12

bear1 wrote: »

Don't know what's worse.
Paying 800e for a tow bar... Again 800e.
Or having a doubt over how genuine it is to allow it to ruin your weekend.
Yeah its the 800e.
If you aren't happy with it then bring it back and have them either replace it for the proper one (good luck) or ask for a refund (again, good luck)

Not sure why you're saying good luck. If this hasn't been done properly Toyota Ireland will resolve this if not resolved by Dealer. I have been surprised in the past how they will stand over a car well out of warranty so for a new car there's no question.

Walter2016

An awful lot of 'ifs' in the thread and assumptions.

A bit like Brazilian police.


Op has no mechanical experience (neither do I) OP has put one photo up that shows it look likes a Toyota branded hitch.

The brochure has a part number quoted.

Its dreadfully simple to solve. Get someone to check if the part numbers match.

But until you have real verifiable information it is bordering on the ridiculous for people to accuse and find guilty on the situation. - Leave that to independent newspapers who specialise in "punishment" reporting based on assumption.

my3cents

Doesn't a new tow bar have to have a visible marking on it stating the loading capacity like the genuine one does?

I've put on a few tow bars myself and the more recent ones have all had a visible certification plate on them.

Not the reference I was looking for but from http://www.malcolms.ie/towbars/information/towbar-type-approval

All towbars must carry a Type Approval label or plate, with a Type Approval number

.

JoeA3

I thought all Corolla's came out of the factory with a towbar, set of flaps and a Padre Pio sticker as standard, no?

JoeA3

On a serious note, I'm not as incredulous as some are on here re the €800 price tag. OEM parts / accessories can be eye wateringly expensive.

But for that price it would absolutely want to be factory OEM and work seamlessly with the parking sensors (if fitted?), traction control / abs systems, etc. Also I'd expect to be able to detach the visible part and/or swivel it out of sight when not in use. VW have a €750 price tag on a tow hitch for the new Passat, but it's a very neat job, swivels behind the bumper out of sight, etc.

my3cents

Question for the OP, is there a Type Approval Plate on the tow bar anywhere?

The type approval plate has to have the manufacturers name on it along with all the other approval details. If there is no plate or the plate doesn't say Toyota on it then I'd suspect it wasn't a Toyota OEM part.

If there is no plate its possible it was removed so the manufactures name could not be seen. afaik it would be illegal to fit a non type approved tow bar so with no plate it would not be type approved - saying as that might be some leverage to get the job done right if of course its wrong.

bear1

maximum12 wrote: »

Not sure why you're saying good luck. If this hasn't been done properly Toyota Ireland will resolve this if not resolved by Dealer. I have been surprised in the past how they will stand over a car well out of warranty so for a new car there's no question.

The op isn't able to determine if the tow bar is genuine or not so for me that warrants a good luck going to Toyota with no credible proof.
The op would want to find another car in the dealership with a tow bar and compare then see if they have been had or not.

clogher71

CiniO wrote: »

Surely there might be big difference in quality of towbars....

I got one installed to my civic 3 years ago for around €100 (including wiring), and after 3 years there are serious signs of rust on it.
Something I wouldn't see on more recogniseable brand product.[/quote






You have a good point, I know from a reliable source , a well known towbar manufacturer put 3 coats of paint on the ones they supply to a well know car brand and one coat of paint to the same bars that goto the 'aftermarket'.

I also know a car under warranty that had wires melted behind the light switch. It had a towbar fitted by a well known Irish towbar company, the manufacturer walked away as a non genunine bypass relay fitted, customer following the dealer, dealer following the towbar company etc , it's still ongoing ....who needs that kind of headache after buying a new car.....

Another manufacturer stipulated a certain model should have a detachable towbar fitted, as a fixed towbar would make it react differently in the event of a rear end accident. You can probably buy a fixed towbar for the model cheaper aftermarket...

By right a towbar should not obstruct the number plate of the car, so a car with a low number plate should have a detachable towbar. It someone fits a fixed towbar to the car (which would be cheaper), but the distributor would have to supply detacahable only.

OP needs to establish If the relay is genunine, if it is I don't think they have much of a case ....

mullingar

My towbar is only available from Lexus, but it's made by Brink. Nobody else makes it.

dbagman

Am I the only one that thinks the picture in the brochure and the picture of the hitch fitted look the same???

clogher71

dbagman wrote: »

Am I the only one that thinks the picture in the brochure and the picture of the hitch fitted look the same???

No I agree, I am missing the point here. They paid the advertised price and now fell ripped off.....they may be able to get A towbar fitted cheaper elsewhere, heck I fitted an wired my own towbar myself, a second hand bar and a new aftermarket relay......if I was lucky enough to be buying a new car, for warranty etc I would let the dealer fit it or some car can be ordered now from the factory with a towbar fitted and can be cheaper that way.....

Eric Cartman

Whatever about the towbar metal itself, If I bought a new car and somebody had already been hacking about with a snips and some insulation tape putting in a ropey electrical add-on id be pissed. Like some dealers were / are doing with after market heated seats.

Heres the toyota manual for the towbar wiring , in the manual it indicates that it should be left in the glovebox for the user. It also shows an interface box in the rear left side of the boot. As for parking sensors it appears to advise manually turning them off and theres no coding instructions. Go through this and see if everything lines up. If that interface box in the boot is either not present or has no toyota markings on it, id say your well within rights to go mad at the dealer. Im even sure toyota corporate would love to know that a dealer is peddling non genuine accessories.

https://carmanuals2.com/get/toyota-corolla-2016-towbar-wiring-kit-7-pin-lhd-94841

dbagman

clogher71 wrote:

No I agree, I am missing the point here. They paid the advertised price and now fell ripped off.....they may be able to get A towbar fitted cheaper elsewhere, heck I fitted an wired my own towbar myself, a second hand bar and a new aftermarket relay......if I was lucky enough to be buying a new car, for warranty etc I would let the dealer fit it or some car can be ordered now from the factory with a towbar fitted and can be cheaper that way.....

Yeah I can't help but feel they got the hitch fitted and someone reacted with shock when they told them how much it cost so they now feel aggrieved. Price is well advertised and product looks as advertised to me so they haven't a leg to stand on really.

One More Toy

dbagman wrote: »

Yeah I can't help but feel they got the hitch fitted and someone reacted with shock when they told them how much it cost so they now feel aggrieved. Price is well advertised and product looks as advertised to me so they haven't a leg to stand on really.

I get ya, but my parents only buy new corollas and oem parts every decade, theyre odd like that.


Im leaning towards it not being genuine, theres no type approval plate on it

clogher71

One More Toy wrote: »

I get ya, but my parents only buy new corollas and oem parts every decade, theyre odd like that.


Im leaning towards it not being genuine, theres no type approval plate on it

Why do you think the wiring is not genunine ? Have you popped of the panel and checked it? What aroused your suspicion in the first place?

Maybe someone reading this has a genunine Toyota hitch and could take a look at it and help the OP and tell them what is/is not marked on it?

edburg

Post with brochure has to much light from flash for me to see difference, but the post with a Toyota hitch by Atlantic is a detachable job if its same as brochure, then the one fitted to car is fixed bolt on job and that's clearly wrong.

Finding the cert/approval badge thing would be first job and identify it. Once that's found you have something to politely query the dealer with. What happens next depends on there reply.

Dont go in kicking off as it most likely put there back up and they will make things harder as they feel your trouble.

As far as wiring goes you cant say until you pull interior bits out and follow it to source.

Giacomo McGubbin

One More Toy wrote: »

I get ya, but my parents only buy new corollas and oem parts every decade, theyre odd like that.


Im leaning towards it not being genuine, theres no type approval plate on it

The other thing you're up against is Toyota in general having been using cheaper and lower quality parts in recent years. Their cars and and many of their genuine parts are definitely not the quality they used to be. The loom quality could have been recently downgraded across the range, it wouldn't surprise me.

SuperS54

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Is there a genuine Toyota towbar available for a Corolla in the brochure?

This looks like the genuine one...

That's a removable towbar, I believe intended for a RAV 4. The corolla brochure is a different type of towbar.

Regarding the cost, if it's a genuine Toyota unit correctly wired to the car then the 800 euro is not completely crazy. Looking a spurious unit from Mick Garage, http://www.micksgarage.com/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=5633736&carid=52440 it's 275 for the towbar plus another 70 for the wiring kit so 345 still in the box. Correctly wiring the loom is a fairly involved process if done correctly, https://carmanuals2.com/get/toyota-corolla-2016-towbar-wiring-kit-7-pin-lhd-94841 . I'd hate to have to pay 800 for a towbar however on a brand new car I would rather than risk insurance and/or warranty issues, particularly if the car is running LED rears.

The picture from the brochure is not very clear, a check of the wiring and a non-confrontational visit to the dealer should sort everything out.

FrontDoor

You really would have to wonder why car makers don't allow you to specify this sort of wiring in the car as it's being made.

I think Skoda do.

clogher71

Any update OP?

Agricola

Fúcking main stealers. If I needed a towbar on a new car, it would be going on for free as a thank you for me being to kind as to buy the thing off them. Shocking carry on.

Needles73

Agricola wrote: »

Fúcking main stealers. If I needed a towbar on a new car, it would be going on for free as a thank you for me being to kind as to buy the thing off them. Shocking carry on.

Such rubbish. How much do you think the margin is on a new Corolla....very little

Agricola

Needles73 wrote: »

Such rubbish. How much do you think the margin is on a new Corolla....very little

And whats the margin on an 800 quid towbar?

Needles73

Agricola wrote: »

And whats the margin on an 800 quid towbar?

It doesn't make any difference what's the margin on the tow bar, you said it should be fitted for free with the car. The margin on the Corolla might only be €1200. If someone was daft enough to agree to pay €800 for it then that was there mistake. I agree it's not worth 800 but the margin on new cars is very little.

Stallingrad

That dealer has some (swan) neck.

denismc

One More Toy wrote: »

my parents are the old fashioned type and get hung up on being scammed.

Not making fun O.P, but this has to be the best line I have read in any thread this week.

Agricola

Needles73 wrote: »

It doesn't make any difference what's the margin on the tow bar, you said it should be fitted for free with the car. The margin on the Corolla might only be €1200. If someone was daft enough to agree to pay €800 for it then that was there mistake. I agree it's not worth 800 but the margin on new cars is very little.

Yes, it should be fitted for free in my opinion. They've just forked out €20k plus for a new car and since these places live or die by new car sales, it seems a good point of negotiation for a buyer. I love this mentality. Blame the victim not the crook. No thanks, I'll blame the profiteering suits in these dealerships for taking advantage of people.

One More Toy

Nothing much to update except Toyota Ireland to get back to them last I heard

JohnBoy26

Agricola wrote: »

Yes, it should be fitted for free in my opinion. They've just forked out €20k plus for a new car and since these places live or die by new car sales, it seems a good point of negotiation for a buyer. I love this mentality. Blame the victim not the crook. No thanks, I'll blame the profiteering suits in these dealerships for taking advantage of people.

Would you expect a shop to throw in a free loaf of bread with every pint of milk you buy?

Any buisness that's going to be giving away things for free won't last very long.

Giacomo McGubbin

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

Would you expect a shop to throw in a free loaf of bread with every pint of milk you buy?

Any buisness that's going to be giving away things for free won't last very long.

Irish Toyota main dealers can continue to try and play cute hurism with elderly customers and they can continue to loose market share.

Avns1s

One More Toy wrote: »

Thanks for the replies lads


And here is what they got (notice its missing the red plate, also there are no identification marks on the towbar or the wiring loom)



Nearly certain it isnt the geuine, the salesman wont answer his mobile conveniently.

Where do they go from here? Weekend ruined it looks like; i know its a trivial thing but being conned out of 800 quid is a bummer

OP, I have a genuine Toyota towbar on a Rav and it's pretty much identical to the one you picture on your Corolla.

Toyota dealers will now only fit a genuine Toyota towbar on a new car and as already stated, the fitting and the wiring is a pretty engaged process and takes a fair amount of time.

I think you and your parents will have to move on and put your feelings of being aggrieved behind you.

my3cents

Avns1s wrote: »

OP, I have a genuine Toyota towbar on a Rav and it's pretty much identical to the one you picture on your Corolla.

Toyota dealers will now only fit a genuine Toyota towbar on a new car and as already stated, the fitting and the wiring is a pretty engaged process and takes a fair amount of time.

I think you and your parents will have to move on and put your feelings of being aggrieved behind you.

Does your towbar have a type approval plate fitted and who made the towbar?

Did you also get the the type approval cert that comes with all approved towbars?

Giacomo McGubbin

Avns1s wrote: »

I think you and your parents will have to move on and put your feelings of being aggrieved behind you.

Actually they are perfectly entitled to verify it and decide for themselves.

Needles73

Agricola wrote: »

Yes, it should be fitted for free in my opinion. They've just forked out €20k plus for a new car and since these places live or die by new car sales, it seems a good point of negotiation for a buyer. I love this mentality. Blame the victim not the crook. No thanks, I'll blame the profiteering suits in these dealerships for taking advantage of people.

Again what's 20k got to do with the actual margin a dealer will make. Dealers are making SFA on a new Corolla. Flash showrooms and suits hide the reality that car dealers are not as profitable as you think. No one forced anyone into a dealer for an overpriced tow bar

corglass

Shocking mileage being got out of this thread.


Coming next week:

I think my neighbour overpaid for fuel at the local Esso.

Kenny Logins

corglass wrote: »

Shocking mileage being got out of this thread.


Coming next week: I think my neighbour overpaid for fuel at the local Esso.

Ruined my day.

Sam Kade

Avns1s wrote: »

OP, I have a genuine Toyota towbar on a Rav and it's pretty much identical to the one you picture on your Corolla.

Toyota dealers will now only fit a genuine Toyota towbar on a new car and as already stated, the fitting and the wiring is a pretty engaged process and takes a fair amount of time.

I think you and your parents will have to move on and put your feelings of being aggrieved behind you.

I saw a 98 rav 4 yesterday with a tow bar. The rav 4 had no rust but the towbar was completely rusted with flakes of rust coming off it with the name plate intact. Doesn't say much for geniune toyota tow bars.

GustavoFring

corglass wrote: »

Shocking mileage being got out of this thread.


Coming next week:

I think my neighbour overpaid for fuel at the local Esso.

The fella behind him got a free magic tree Joe...

Sam Kade

corglass wrote: »

Coming next week:

I think my neighbour overpaid for fuel at the local Esso.

You'd better warn him in advance so

Mikefitzs

Toyota don't make towbars, they just give licence to a towbar manufacturer to make them under their specification.
Anyway most car manufacturers offer 2 types of towbar these days. A permanent one or a detachable one. Nissan do the permanent one at €500 and the detachable one for €800 to fit the Qashqai. It will have the Toyota mark somewhere on it, might not be on the neck.

Giacomo McGubbin

corglass wrote: »

Shocking mileage being got out of this thread.


Coming next week:

I think my neighbour overpaid for fuel at the local Esso.

Some of the posts are useful, helpful and informative and contribute to the discussion and the OP's query, but you're right a lot of them are like yours.