Any thoughts on Sean from SilverPeakTrading?

[silverpeaktrading]

SafariCanuck, I am the boss and I've been doing import and export since 1996.

Let a buyer decide if he trusts Toyota Diesel Engineer work or a private shop's work. Does a buyer want technical servicing and overhauling evaluated and completed by an Engineer with decades of experience or have it serviced by some body else with perhaps 3 years of experience with these trucks?

The potential buyer must decide which is more valuable.

 

[canucksafari]

Most people with any vehicle ownership experience have discovered long ago that the majority of the time you are much better off with an experienced local mechanic than a factory technician at a dealership. By the way, usually when you refer to an engineer, they actually have the equivalent credentials of an engineer in Canada. In this case it would be a mechanical or automotive engineer. These are the people that design the mechanical aspects of a vehicle. They don't pull them apart or inspect them unless they are studying a recongnized flaw like a BEB.

Well, I have had enough fun watching you bogging Sean. Hope you got some good recovery gear for whatever you plan to drive on your next post.

 

[silverpeaktrading]

Let's see if we have this right CanuckSafari, you drive a nissan safari and have no actual experience with a toyota HDJ.

You have added speculation and no real experience with the vehicles in question.

Our adding actual decades of experience via Toyota Engineers is valued by those few that want professional evaluation.

Local mechs in canada had never even seen an HDJ 4 years ago. There are a small number of trucks in Canada and many of them are high mileage trucks with multiple ownership sold at amazingly high prices by small resellers who offer nothing or perhaps their own mech or a neighborhood mechanics opinion and quality of work.

Buying a low km truck with low ownership and solid maint. history is a great way to go. If you are buying a high mileage truck, you ought to evaluate the whole picture with someone with more than 3 years of experince and perhaps a dozen trucks under his belt -- and you ought to consider a lot more than just getting stuck on BEB replacement.

Let's educate some that may not know: Techno shops here in Japan have mechanics and some have mechanics and Engineers and they are referred to as such. Some specialize in gas and some in both gas and diesel. If you value such a pro's evaluation of what is needed on an HDJ, then we add value to the purchase. If you like a local mechanic with at most 3 years of experience with these trucks, then small shops in Calgary and Vancouver can add value.

 

[canucksafari]

Too bad you are the Boss. From the tone and content of your posts, I expected an inexperienced trader.

You are quite right, I am not an owner of an HDJ. I do not know much more than what I know from my research before deciding on what to buy.

There are many of dealerships selling Japanese LCs here in Canada - especially BC. Few offer the kind of warrenty Crushers offers or do the prep work he has done - whether needed immediately or not.

Like many, I could not afford the prices he and some other dealers request for their trucks. For what they offer, I think their prices are quite fair. Buying from a broker/exporter like yourself was too much of a gamble for me. Canadian provincial and federal laws around warranties don't apply to your business unless you have a dealer licence isssued by one of the provinces. If I am not satified with a truck I buy from you or something breaks down, are you going to take back your truck and refund all the money I spent to buy it and get it imported and registered here in Canada? Duh... I think not . But some people have that kind of money to loose and will risk it or some are just too stupid or too lazy to research both the seller and the vehicle.

In the end, I bought from a local dealer who had taken all the risk. Unlike the similar LC, the 5 spd Safari offered a 7 passenger truck with no mechanical issues at a very good price. Even LC guys will admit that the 89-93 Safaris/Patrols were built exceptionally well. IMHO better than the HDJs. Did I get Crushers warranty? No, but I had a chance to drive the truck, inspect it myself and have the truck independently inspected. I also had the provincial dealer license laws protecting me. I had a few problems with it over 5 months after buying it beyond which provincial laws cover. The dealer I bought from fixed the problems himself. Will you do that 5 months later and 20,000 kms?

So to answer your question, you can keep your so called "engineers" and offer something I can take into a Canadian court room. An added bonus, it is also kind of nice to support a local Canadian business which is willing to add to our economy rather than just the Japanese economy.

 

[silverpeaktrading]

Have your servicing done by guys that have never even seen the truck before or at most have seen a few and see what you get. You've described it beautifully. You may be back again and again.

We deal only with trucks we have experience with. Let buyers decide whom they wish to deal with for the best value. When you've owned one of these trucks, your experience may be valuable.

We never intend to sell the most trucks or have the biggest prices.

We only intend to sell the best trucks with the most value added and actual Toyota Japan maintenance for those that value it.

 

[canucksafari]

Talk is cheap. Bit of an old cliche but true. If you really believe what you say then I challenge you to back that up with a warranty - legally binding in all of Canada - which equals all that you claim. If you are selling the best, that shouldn't be much of a problem for you. You know people like me appreciate good value for the money.

 

[silverpeaktrading]

I'd rather do maintenance once for a customer and do it right at Toyota Japan with a real Diesel expert that has decades of experience than hire a corner shop mechanic that can't even read the manual for one.

Take your local shop warranty for whatever value it holds for you.

Hey, maybe we'll offer that: "Have your cool new HDJ serviced and evaluated by Bob down the road. He's seen a few of them and has even messed around with the BEBs once or twice."

Or, no, we'll just stick with the same old thing we always have. Toyota Diesel Engineers in Japan that know the trucks inside and out.

Talk is indeed cheap. We provide buyers with real paperwork from Toyota Japan and if you figure the guy down the road that sold the truck and will monkey around with it for you on his fantastic warranty, more power to ya!

If the work is done by Toyota Japan it's only via www.SilverPeakTrading.com

 

[jus cruzin]

do they actualy fix things in japan? I was under the assumption that it was all replacment no repairs.....so wouldent these "Toyota mechanics" actually only be engine fitters not repairers?

 

[silverpeaktrading]

Yes, indeed they actually fix, overhaul and repair things in fact much faster and less expensive than on the ground in Canada for sure. Not to mention the training in Japan is far more rigorous than any 'mechanic' training in most countries.

A case in point is a customer that ordered a truck from us and it went to Canada. He was in a hurry and did the Toyota inspection here in Japan but wanted only parts sent with the truck. That worked good until he got it to Canada and just the labor cost as much as we could have done the parts and labor for in Japan, within a two day period. It took him 1 month just to get a small shop in Canada to actually do the work -- and then the charge was really very high.

I haven't had experience of actually owning a truck in Australia but we are in contact with a dealer there. If simple retail prices of new trucks is any guide to the wickedly high prices in Oz, a quick look at retail prices shows the same new diesel land cruiser with the same options goes for US$18,000 less in Japan than from the Sydney Toyota dealer we know.

 

[LCdreamin]

How about putting your money where your mouth is.

Let customers look and call and decide who they want to buy from and who adds the best value for the money!

An open invitation to potential buyers:

Look at LuxuryImports, call and discuss things.
Look at SilverPeakTrading, call and discuss things.
Look at other people in the business.
Buy from whomever YOU feel has the best value and options.

Let the best man win with the best value.

Oh god how did anyone else miss this? How many trucks has Luxury Moved in the last X amount of time? What about Outback?? How about Silver Peak, how are they doing? Doesn't Sliver Prick have at least 3 trucks that have still been for sale for over 6 months???? I mean maybe terrorists in Iraq have something to do with it, but I dunno.....I think the better man is always winning

 

[LCdreamin]

Maybe I can suggest a real, positive solution to this problem. Maybe you could incorporate the cost of a THOROUGH inspection into the cost of doing legitimate business. Call it marketing, call it creating a buyer trust, call it what you want. But have it done properly, DOCUMENTED and then maybe to top it off, take a picture of the vehicle number (and it should match that on the inspection report) so that prospective buyers can confirm that this inspection was actually performed on that actual vehicle, and put it on your website for everyone to see. Then price the vehicle accordingly with what any known problems might be. That way, right from the start, the buyer has confidence in the seller's ability to do proper business in this industry, and confidence that the seller is truthful. That way even with known issues, the seller can still sell the vehicle with a known issue, and still make a profit. No one is going to beat down on someone for doing work and EARNING money. At least this way, the buyer can actually buy the vehicle knowing he can budget and be rest assured that most of the unknowns have been eliminated.

Is it just me or is that basic business sense?

You will make more money by being honest and EARNING the trust right from the start, and in turn moves more vehicles. Think about it, make $1000 profit each vehicle and move 200 a year, or gouge $5000-$10000 per vehicle and maybe sell 5 a year, and earn a bad rap?

 

[crushers]

Have your servicing done by guys that have never even seen the truck before or at most have seen a few and see what you get. You've described it beautifully. You may be back again and again.

We deal only with trucks we have experience with. Let buyers decide whom they wish to deal with for the best value. When you've owned one of these trucks, your experience may be valuable.

We never intend to sell the most trucks or have the biggest prices.

We only intend to sell the best trucks with the most value added and actual Toyota Japan maintenance for those that value it.

Hiyah Sean,
so the bloke doing the service work on the BEB is a Toyota Trained Tech with over 25 years experience at Stampede Toyota here in Calgary. the difference between your Toyota tech and this one is this one has worked on Toyotas in CANADIAN ENVIROMENT which your bloke has ZERO experience.
Sean, i am curious, what EXACTLY is your warranty to a Canadian that has a problem with your trucks? what if your trucks do not meet the description you give the customer, what recourse does the customer have? let's not ignore the question this time. you say you have a warranty, what EXACTLY is it? in writting for all to see and evaluate here on Mud.

I get work done in Japan IF the unit needs it but usually if the unit needs work it goes back into auction and another one is sourced. you claim to be "high end" so here is the deal, i will purchase a truck off of you THAT MEETS MY SPECS. IF it arrives here in the EXACT condition as promised with no hidden or missed flaws then i will pay for it in full, if not then it sits here as an example of your units. MY WORD is gold, if i say i am going to pay for the unit i will. are you up to the task?

i want the truck to be COMPLETELY DOT / SAE approved wihout me having to describe what needs to be done.

up to the challenge?

cheers

 

[crushers]

I've said it before and say it again. Each truck is guaranteed exactly as represented.

If servicing is done, it's done by Toyota with paperwork behind it.

If buyers like your mech work done by whomever you get to do it fine. If they like a Toyota Engineer that does our work, fine too.

I've said it before, get off the high horse and let buyers decide where the best value is.

Is it at SilverPeakTrading.com or is it at LuxuryImports.ca?

lets see what SPT has to offer Canadian customers:
<right from your own website>
quote:
Notes on prices, sale dates and eligibility: Specials and sales are only available from date & time of posting and may expire without notice. They are not retroactive and may not be carried forward. Regular prices are subject to change without notice
end quote

so...why change your pricing if you feel the pricing is accurate and fair? why can you not post up the price change and honour it?

quote:
<this one i like the most>
Cancellation and Refund Policy: In addition to the notes abve, vehicles are used and sold 'as is' without warranty. However we inspect them carefully except in cases where a customer may opt for no on-site inspection by us. Considerable time and financial resources are devoted to each vehicle, it's transport, maintenance and preparation. Once a deposit/purchase is placed on a vehicle, it is solely available to that customer, and other purchasers are directed toward other available vehicles. A no cancellation policy applies to deposits and purchases.

end quote

hummm..."sold "as is" without warranty" NO WARRANTY OFFERED. so i ask again what recourse does a Canadian customer have with your company?
humm, i also like this one ""no cancellation policy applies to deposits and purchases". so put your money down YOU AIN"T GETTING IT BACK.

(luxury does not take a deposit on units, if the unit is special order then a deposit is taken and if we can not find a unit in a specified period of time a FULL REFUND is returned to the customer)
(Luxury also offers a FULL refund if the unit arrives and it does not meet the description given at time of payment)

quote:
Sharing of information on this site or of emails/telephone communication to customers or general inquiries: Many products carry an "Email this to a friend" link. We give full permission for free use of those links to inform friends of interesting products. However, communications with customers or may not be shared in any way with anyone. They are intended only for the recipient
end quote

Damn Sean, how do you plan on enforcing this rule? also this leads to the question WHY do you need such a rule?

http://silverpeaktrading.com/autoshop/product.php?productid=36&cat=6&page=1
curious, as asked before, why would a winch control be sold seperately on a unit that has an electric winch? i am still scratching my head over this one...

also on the same unit you post "elec winch and FULL LOAD" and yet you are saying the elec diff locks are an add on which must be prior to shipping. hummm full load INCLUDES diff locks or it isn't a FULL LOAD...

quote:
<help me on this one>

Pricing Errors: Pricing errors occur from time to time. If an item has been priced incorrectly, we reserve the right to advise you (up to the date of fulfillment) and request a revision of the price and will work with you to correct the invoice and payment arrangements

end quote

hummm, what EXACTLY does this mean? it SEEMS to mean that you can change the pricing of a unit anytime up to shipping of the unit. i am sure that is not what it means right Sean?

hummm, in a nutshell:
NO WARRANTY
NO RETURN ON DEPOSIT
NO FIXED PRICE
full load units that are not full load

these units are not sold ready to be registered in Canada, (ALL Luxury units are sold registered in Alberta)
the radios do not work here (unless you like one country station and one religeous station (Luxury offers the choice of a new radio or satilite customers choice))
so you are right, lets let the public decide if the extra that we charge for CUSTOMER PEACE OF MIND is worth it... ooops too late, my customers do like peace of mind offered by this "back yard mech"

in closing, if you really want to go head to head with Luxury then you best be getting your act together first.

oh, and since we are discussing responsibility to the customer, i noticed on your site you like to sell the 2.4L diesel. what warranty do you offer on the heads? once it is in Canada will you replace a cracked head should it happen? you see, the difference is Luxury realized the failings of these engines and refused to sell a unit with a KNOWN problem so we sat on 2 preimium units and refused to sell them to the public. we did not want our customers stuck in the boonies with a busted head. (yes, we sold a few of these and tried everything humanly possible to stop the cracking from happening. once we realized the problem we stopped importing them. we spent $9000 in less than 6 months in warrantying them (what again is your warranty? oh yah, NO WARRANTY)

it seems according to your site you are still selling these units WITH OUT WARRANTY. so where is the customer's peace of mind when buying from your company?

sorry Sean, you are comparing yourself with the wrong company. having a TOYOTA Tech in Japan go over the unit and still not offer a WARRANTY is just a bunch of hot air in my books.

and to think this blossomed from a refusal to admit there is an issue with the BEB... a shame really.

oh, and i will have to take back my ofer to purchase a unit from you, i no longer have a good feeling about your or your company.

 

[silverpeaktrading]

From the beginning, our point is that before replacing BEBs or any other part, a thoughtful evaluation with a trained pro should be done. We prefer Toyota Japan and you prefer a mech shop in Calgary that you hire for this.

If a repair is in line with mileage and service environment and maint. history, it makes sense. But the make work projects replacing this or that because you heard some guy up on northern BC spun a bearing does not make for good evaluation.

Maint. and parts replacement is about considering each vehicle and it's service history, ownership and mileage.

Offer all the warranty from your backyard guy you like. Go around and ask ten people. Would they like an actual Toyota Tech shop to look at and work on their truck with work guaranteed if they choose to do so... OR would they like you to have somebody who's just started working on them with a max of 2.5 years of experience with a small number of them to do work.

Spouting off like you do doesn't change the fact that 9 out of 10 would choose a seasoned pro from Toyota.

 

[crushers]

Offer all the warranty from your backyard guy you like. Go around and ask ten people. Would they like an actual Toyota Tech shop to look at and work on their truck with work guaranteed if they choose to do so... OR would they like you to have somebody who's just started working on them with a max of 2.5 years of experience with a small number of them to do work.

Spouting off like you do doesn't change the fact that 9 out of 10 would choose a seasoned pro from Toyota.

thanks for the early morning laugh, it started my day off right...

um, quoting ones website and offering no warranty is not "spouting off"..
love yah and would like to chat more but i have a s*** load of "backyard mech" to do today...

cheers M8

 

[silverpeaktrading]

I thought the issue you have is that you figure all BEBs must be changed in the HDJs no matter what.

And that you take issue with our reluctance to tell everybody to just replace them without consideration of the vehilce.

We don't advise shooting first approaches like blanket parts replacement but evaluation by a Toyota service pro, and the option to replace if advisable based on the vehicle and it's mileage and history.


Our customers have the option of Toyota servicing by an actual Toyota Engineer before shipping to Canada (like the 2.4 engine customers who can change the head out before shipping).

If a guy prefers your approach with servicing by a mech with less than even three years of having even seen one of these trucks and a warranty in Calgary, that is the way it works for some.

 

[crushers]

i love the discription on this one "beyond mint"...LOL!! WTF does that mean?
http://kksilverstar.com/spt_files/1991_hdj_gold/index.html

damn man, you know how to decieve don't cha...
LOL!! the more i read the better you look...NOT!

yes, we replace EVERY HDJ81 BEB for precaution...think about it buddy, if you drop the oil pan to "check" the condition of the bearings (and how else do you know for sure the condition of the bearings) for the extra $75 why not just replace them and have piece of mind for you and for the customer that is TRUSTING you to sell them peace of mind...

but then someone that would charge extra for remote for an electric winch is probably too cheap to pay for the actual bearing replacement...

which leads me to ask, how does your TOYOTA TRAINED TECH determine the condition of the BEB WITHOUT dropping the pan...oh please enlighten me of GOD of Cruisers.

i just can't seem to stay away from this thread, you evil little man. if you would just admit you screwed up when posting there is no issue with the BEB then we can let all this drop...be a man, admit you were wrong.

 

[jfarsang]

I think this thread should be closed.

 

[nickw]

I agree with Wayne here.

They are a known common issue. I don't think anyone is going to argue that. Perhaps not 100% of the bearings will fail. But given the low cost of the bearing, and the high cost of repair if failure were to occur, why not just do it as a safe guard (especially because just to check it, your already most of the way there.).

Whats the cost of bearing replacement, compared to cost of a truck?
Dealers spend $300+ to have trucks detailed to look nice.


Just my thoughts,
Cheers,
N.

 

[nickw]

The other thing I have noticed with people buying JDM imports like the Cruisers, is that they don't know what they are buying. And probably didn't do there homework first. I have talked to many, and they have no idea what they bought or any possible issues. They just like it.

Most people have no idea what BEB are, or that they even could be an issue.
So to tell people that theirs are good right now, I think is misleading. Because they have little to no idea what you would be talking about, or that it was even a know issue.


Now I know buyer beware and all that.
I think cruiser heads are a tight group of people, and they don't want to see someone else have major issues. Now, I know you have to make a living too (and someone could spend thousands doing everything, so you do have to draw a line). By why not just do them and add it onto the cost? Especially because it's simple and cheap? Rather than run the risk?

Just my 2 cents.
Cheers,
N,