Imported Cars Have Problems Too

The frustrations of car ownership often overwhelm us. We expect so much from our cars and from the companies that produce them that when they malfunction we are left feeling cheated and humiliated for paying thousands of dollars for the experience.

It used to be that car owners could expect rotten treatment and defective goods from Detroit’s Big Three car producers, which drove them to imports. Now, however, the same horror stories are sometimes surfacing about imported cars.

I can’t fault anybody for buying an imported car. But motorists should realize that imports, as well as domestics, have their share of mechanical and safety problems. Moreover, import dealers can provide service just as uncaring and incompetent as domestic dealers.

I recently was sent a copy of this letter from Steven A. Garcia, a schoolteacher in Fullerton, addressed to Yuki Togo, president of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A.:

“Dear Mr. Yuki Togo:

“We have been loyal Toyota customers for many years. Everyone in our family has a Toyota, and everyone is extremely satisfied with the car’s quality and with the customer service. I write you today, however, about a small problem with our 1988 Tercel DX air conditioner. Since we bought the car, we have always had semi-cool air from the unit. A week after we bought the car, we took it to the dealer and explained our problem. They simply told us to push the a/c lever more to the left and that the ‘a/c had to be broken in.’ ”

Of course, that mindless advice did not fix the problem. Although Garcia and his wife, also a public schoolteacher, knew that the air conditioning wasn’t working properly, they were too busy with their jobs to get to the bottom of the matter.

The real problem with the inadequate air condition was a factory defect in the air conditioning’s mechanical system. Toyota quietly sent dealers a secret warranty program, called a “special policy adjustment bulletin,” under which they would repair these systems at no cost.

For some reason, the Toyota dealer did not inform Garcia of his rights under this policy. And after a period of time, Toyota withdrew the extended warranty, even though the system was just as defective three years after the date of manufacture as it was the day the car left the factory.

Silent warranties of this type are one of the biggest maintenance nightmares facing motorists. They are virtually impossible to find out about, until a dealer informs you that a particular problem is covered. If the dealer fails, through carelessness or malice, the consumer is left with the bill.

The original air-conditioning system in 1987 and 1988 Tercels could not reject enough heat, resulting in the compressor developing excessive pressure. The fix was to install a different condenser, ducting and cooling fan, and add some packing and insulation.

Now that the extended warranty policy has expired, a dealer is asking Garcia for $1,066 to make the repairs.

Garcia’s letter states, “Mr. Togo, once again, we are teachers and can not possibly afford this repair. Also, I strongly feel that it’s unfair for us, the consumer, to have to pay for this defect repair kit when in fact the a/c should have been working properly when we purchased the car new in 1988.”

Although they want to continue buying Toyotas, the family states that their “confidence in Toyota is a little shaky now.” They asked Togo to personally look into this problem.

That was last August. As of January, they were still waiting for his reply.

Vartabedian cannot answer mail personally but will attempt to respond in this column to automotive questions of general interest. Do not telephone. Write to Your Wheels, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA. 90053.