Round Rock Toyota (aka Classic Toyota) Only Cares About Themselves

I bought a new Toyota 4Runner from them with the XREAS suspension system

option at Round Rock Toyota (aka Classic Toyota) in Round Rock, TX back

in 2004. This option costs about $500. It is a special system where

front struts are connected to rear shocks to help distribute fluid in

the system and help compensate for excess roll. It all sounded great,

but I can't say it ever really worked, and now I am really paying the

price. My vehicle only has 38,000 miles on it, and the front struts are

leaking. The dealership tells me it will cost $942 to just replace the

two front struts (full parts and labor $ markups). The dealer is the

only place that can replace and repair the XREAS system unless you scrap

the system and buy standard components. If I went to an auto repair

shop like NTB, I can get a set of standard, standalone components for

$600 with a lifetime parts warranty. As a side note, if any of the

struts or shocks in the XREAS system go completely bad (i.e. leak too

much fluid), then you have to replace the WHOLE system at the dealr at a

cost of about $2500!

Since my 4Runner only has 38,000 miles on it, I complained to Toyota and

the dealer that they should cover the cost. I laid out a very strong

case, and to make a long story short, Toyota and the dealer refused to

cover any of the cost. The dealer would not even reduce the price to a

fair amount, they stuck by the $942 quote. I never expected them to

cover 100% of the cost, but I thought they would "do the right thing"

and help reduce my portion of the cost in order to show good will and

retain me as a future customer. Boy was I wrong, and I will never do

business with them again.

My advice is to STAY AWAY from Round Rock Toyota (aka Classic Toyota)

and any of their sister Honda, Hyundai, Scion and Smart dealerships in

Texas. They will take your money, then leave you high and dry when you

need them the most. Also, don't get scammed into buying snake oil

options like the XREAS suspension system. Stick with standard options

that you can have replaced by anyone if they fail after the warranty is

expired.