wait until those, who read this post and said "it's OK, who gives", or "that's the way it is, nothing can be done", will end up with say bad water pump at 61 000 miles. then do their arithmetic, and figure out, how they were cheated out of warranty by faulty mileage.

thanks, ken.

 

Got off the phone with service adviser:

"nothing wrong with the speedo"

I asked how they checked it and they used a stopwatch and mile markers. I think this was previously mentioned.

I told him (again) that I checked it with 3 different GPS units and the speed was way faster than what the vehicle was in real life. (41mph = 37mph)

He said "well that's how THEY (toyota) tell us how to check it"

So essentially Toyota is purposefully introducing human error into the testing instead of using a readily available electronic device.

Does the stock navigation have a speed read out? On my old Mazda I could see the vehicle speed according to GPS....

Anyhow I will say I'm disappointed (with the testing method) but will probably go to taller tires next time I get them.

-Mike

 

did you tell them that by having substantial speedo error, you end up with artificially shortened warranty? this sure should catch their attention....

dealers... what can i say... and it is known beyond doubt fact that gps is more accurate than vehicle speedometer....

but you see, this is how they get us.. we do not argue. we consent. they push us away with some blah-blah, and we go "for a taller tire".

i'll write letter to Toyota. see what happens.

 

If you write a letter to toyota, please have someone proof read it.

I'm going for a taller tire to be more accurate for my own personal sense.

The dealership is merely a puppet. If you wanted to pursue this you would have to go above the dealership to a regional rep or such...even corporate...

I haven't picked up my car, but I will continue to pursue it in my leisure.

I'm not sure why you think (you've yet to issue ANY PROOF) that your odometer is wrong simply b/c your speedo is wrong.

Run 10 miles (along mile markers) in the vehicle and see what the trip counter says. I will do the same.

-Mike

 

here's this:

http://toyota.custhelp.com/app/ask/p/208/s/561

Except that there is one problem with it. Allegedly, it's direct email to Toyota HQ in Japan.
Conveniently, when I got down to the "select year and model", in the drop down menu there is year only. No choice for model. As a result, site keeps requesting "model" and I could not do it, as there is no way to type it in, hence - it's a no go for my message.

I''ll try from home, using IE. Maybe it's just a Java issue or browser issue. Happens.

 

Pull down the menu to see the year numbers. Click on the little black right-pointer that you see to the left of the year number. It expands the list of model names in the menu. (I see this in Firefox. They may have coded different behavior for other browsers.)

 

i did manage to send my message through. took 2 browsers and about 12 attempts. have confirmation number and standard response back, with ticket number. been 2 days already. if i receive something from them, i'll let all know.

 

They, basically, kicked me back to dealer and their "stopwatch in the hand technique". I have no reason to doubt her, apparently, DOT has quite a tolerance for faulty speedometers. As I am NOT paying dealership to have this fixed, screw it, I'll just drive like as if that speedo is working right, especially on 40mph limits.

Response (Anita Mouton) 06/23/2011 08:24 AM
Dear Mr. Lesko:

We apologize for your concern with speedometer in your 2007 Camry Hybrid.

Because we are unable to directly inspect your vehicle, we are not in a position to provide a technical diagnosis of the vehicle. In order to properly assess your concerns, we recommend working with the Service Department at your local Toyota dealership to further evaluate your Camry. Our dealerships possess specialized technical knowledge in the areas of diagnosis and repair, and would have the opportunity to review you vehicle first hand. Also, if necessary, we provide additional support to assist our technicians in resolving unusual vehicle concerns.

The speedometer reading in your vehicle is based on the wheel rotation speed and conforms to Department of Transportation requirements. The GPS speed rating is not directly connected to your wheel speed and thus the readings will likely vary. The fact that the reading differ is not indication enough that your speedometer is not within the acceptable range.

We do rely on our dealership technicians to inspect any concern, provide a diagnosis and to make the necessary repair recommendations. The dealership also has access to technical assistance for any concern they are unable to resolve.

Please note there may be a 8%-10% variance in the speedometer, which is within acceptable parameters and with DOT (Department of Transportation) specifications.

Each Toyota dealership has a Customer Relations Manager on staff to assist you with any questions or concerns you may have regarding the diagnosis. Please feel free to contact the Customer relations Manager at the dealership where you service your Camry Hybrid with any questions or concerns.

Your email has been documented at our National Headquarters under file #1106230407.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us via email by using the following link, http://www.toyota.com/help/contactus.html, or by calling 800-331-4331. We are available from 5 AM to 6 PM, Pacific Time, Monday through Friday and from 7 AM to 4 PM on Saturday.
Sincerely,
Anita Mouton
Toyota Customer Experience

 

"end up with artificially shortened warranty"

Actually, the car knows fairly precisely what speed it is going and is quite accurate (based on my Scan Gauge and radar checks). It is just the speedometer that seems to intentionally show a lower speed and designed that way intentionally by Toyota. I believe many cars other than Toyota are the same way.

I have never checked the odometer for accuracy but I assume it is tied into the vehicle's correct speed and it should be accurate.