Dealer damaged my skid plates (1 Viewer)

[snowtaco]

Disclaimer - this thread might create drama. I'm not going to name any parties, as they or their organization have members on the forum. If they reveal their part in this, then that's up to them. I will ask moderators to remove any posts in which other parties try to guess/reveal who is involved. I'm also not doing this to shame or get a last word in. I'm looking for opinions on what to do about this problem.

My LC200 has Budbuilt skids/sliders, which were installed by a shop that focuses on Cruisers. Enough said.

I recently took my LC200 in for service, and the dealer notified me that the skid plates (Bud Built) would need to be removed. They've removed them before on another vehicle, so I didn't think it would be an issue. The dealer tech, however, took a grinding wheel to two of the bolts to remove them, and damaged the skid plate. The bolts in question had round heads, and go up into the vehicle where a nut is attached & tightened. The dealership claims the bolts were cross threaded and installed incorrectly. The catch is, given who installed the plates, I simply can't believe that they would cross thread the bolts. As far as I know, this is the first time the plates have been off since installation. Should have removed them myself, but oh well.

I've asked that the dealer replace the plate, which they have denied so far. Is this an unreasonable request? My opinion is that in no scenario were the bolts cross threaded, and this is sloppy work. They might have been seized up, but I would have expected penetrating oil or something else tried first.

 

[snowtaco]

Ignore the replacement bolts - they were whatever were laying around the dealers maintenance bay. I have replacements on the way already

 

[TeCKis300]

I don't see a problem. It's a skid pate. Not a beauty panel.

 

[RET2]

Personally I would be happy with replacement of the offending bolt/washer combo with same ones that Bud Built provided. Let's face it they're meant to get scratched or gouged. The dealer solution could snag and cause issues. Probably stripped out the Hex head.

 

[PabloVTA]

so did they chase the threads out? or did the guy just cross thread the replacement back in?

 

[Nothinghead]

so did they chase the threads out? or did the guy just cross thread the replacement back in?

This would be my biggest concern.

You have high confidence the bolts were installed correctly previously and not cross threaded but you really cannot prove that. What's done is done and your skids have some scuffing that won't affect their strength or performance. I'd be more concerned with what you're going to find when you replace the hardware and how you were treated by the company.


Based on what seems like a somewhat sloppy and overly aggressive way to address a cross-threaded bolt, I wouldn't let their tech near my cruiser again.

 

[John McVicker]

There’s really very little torque to holding skid plates on. I would just run a tap on the threads & move on. Really not a big deal.

I appreciate the way you worded your opening post…& would agree with others…find a different shop to give money to.

 

[snowtaco]

I don't see a problem. It's a skid pate. Not a beauty panel.

I could care less about the appearance - the grinding marks are at least a mm on the driver side and more on the passenger side. I haven’t removed the bolts to see how deep the grinding went. The washer is only touching on a few points due to missing material

so did they chase the threads out? or did the guy just cross thread the replacement back in?

Grinding or cutoff wheel on the round bolt head until they could push the bolt out. I don’t think the frame is threaded where these bolts go in.

There’s really very little torque to holding skid plates on. I would just run a tap on the threads & move on. Really not a big deal.

I appreciate the way you worded your opening post…& would agree with others…find a different shop to give money to.

They are claiming the nut was cross threaded on the bolt they ground the top off of. I’d buy seized or overly torqued, but oil or heat might have worked instead.

 

[snowtaco]

This would be my biggest concern.

You have high confidence the bolts were installed correctly previously and not cross threaded but you really cannot prove that. What's done is done and your skids have some scuffing that won't affect their strength or performance. I'd be more concerned with what you're going to find when you replace the hardware and how you were treated by the company.


Based on what seems like a somewhat sloppy and overly aggressive way to address a cross-threaded bolt, I wouldn't let their tech near my cruiser again.

I’m not going back there again. Called another Toyota dealer in the area, described the problem and they were flabbergasted.

 

[PhuckItImDone]

The plates were meant for abuse. I'd write the dealer off as a loss and not use em again. New bolts are on the way, when they get there, try em, and see if you have any problems one at a time first? I recently had to replace a few on my BudBuilts after letting others work on it and finding them missing. Hope theres an easy solution.

 

[CharlieS]

IMO, they're skid plates and their function isn't adversely impacted by a few grinder marks.

I wouldn't be psyched about the shop's work, and I wouldn't give the shop return business, but I also don't think it is a big deal.

As I recall (could be wrong) those are carriage bolts whose shoulder fits in the slot. They go through a hole in the frame crossmember where there is a fender washer and nut. And the top nuts are in a very tight spot, especially the drivers side.

Another factor may be galling, seizing the nut on the carriage bolt if anti-seize wasn't used. Mine were stainless, and stainless fasteners could easy suffer galling that requires destructive removal.

 

[hoser]

Thread title:
"Dealer damaged my skid plates"

I could care less about the appearance -

If the new bolt threads in without issue, there's nothing more to talk about. If the bolt was seized, they did you a favor. Many shops don't work on modified vehicles. Embrace those that do.

 

[CharlieS]

Give Budbuilt a call and get the correct length carriage bolts sent out. You want that rounded head down so the fasteners don't get mangled and you have the best chance of sliding over obstacles.

The bolts they used are a fine temporary solution, but I personally would replace them before any offroad activity.

Edit: Ignore this. You said that you already have replacements on the way.

 

[tbisaacs]

Mine usually come back with missing bolts lol. I don’t know id react if they were grinding on it.

 

[ToothDr]

Bringing a modified truck to a Toyota dealer is a mistake.

 

[Killacaviar]

I’m not going back there again. Called another Toyota dealer in the area, described the problem and they were flabbergasted.

Of course they were. They want to validate your feelings so they get your business.

I agree it’s not a big deal and a replacement seems excessive.

On the other hand, the shop seems dishonest and incompetent. I would just move on to another shop. Stuff like this happens all the time, especially at dealerships with low difficulty repairs. To make a huge fuss seems like a waste of time, just move on. Both catastrophic was done to your truck. Also, believe it or not, the big ticket items seem to go better at dealerships, simply because they put properly qualified techs on the job.

 

[Dunbar]

Your lucky you didn't get major body damage and a ruined engine. I can't think of any reason to ever hand my key to a dealership

 

[bloc]

Bring anything aftermarket to a dealer with flying monkeys doing the work and this is what you should expect, as unfortunate of a fact as that is.

 

[snowtaco]

IMO, they're skid plates and their function isn't adversely impacted by a few grinder marks.

I wouldn't be psyched about the shop's work, and I wouldn't give the shop return business, but I also don't think it is a big deal.

As I recall (could be wrong) those are carriage bolts whose shoulder fits in the slot. They go through a hole in the frame crossmember where there is a fender washer and nut. And the top nuts are in a very tight spot, especially the drivers side.

Another factor may be galling, seizing the nut on the carriage bolt if anti-seize wasn't used. Mine were stainless, and stainless fasteners could easy suffer galling that requires destructive removal.

You are correct on the what bolts should be in there and how they install.

Bents, dents, dings and wear on the plate would normally be in other areas, and not at the bolt holes. It can be tough in the pics to see, but it's deeper than just cosmetic. Is it deep enough to matter? Maybe, maybe not.

The shoulder of the replacement bolts, when they arrive, will not have full contact with the plate. I removed one of the bolts and best guess is that the washer on there now only has contact with maybe a 3rd of the surface area it would normally have. What will the shoulder of the carriage bolts do with reduced surface area? No idea, I'm not a mechanical engineer - that's why I bought these and didn't make them myself.

 

[snowtaco]

Of course they were. They want to validate your feelings so they get your business.

I agree it’s not a big deal and a replacement seems excessive.

On the other hand, the shop seems dishonest and incompetent. I would just move on to another shop. Stuff like this happens all the time, especially at dealerships with low difficulty repairs. To make a huge fuss seems like a waste of time, just move on. Both catastrophic was done to your truck. Also, believe it or not, the big ticket items seem to go better at dealerships, simply because they put properly qualified techs on the job.

Well, yes and no on this one. They had worked on the LC one time, and were sorta scapegoated a bit by the dealership with Mr Grindy. I talked to their service manager about it and had them review notes to see if it's possible they dropped the plate. They are a better dealership, but takes 4x longer to drive to them.

The never ascribe to malice what can be explained by incompetence seems to be true here, and I've thought that from the beginning. Not admitting at least mistakes were made is another.

Your lucky you didn't get major body damage and a ruined engine. I can't think of any reason to ever hand my key to a dealership

Bring anything aftermarket to a dealer with flying monkeys doing the work and this is what you should expect, as unfortunate of a fact as that is.

Honestly they've worked on my cars for years without issue, and dropped/reinstalled the skid plates on the other car a few times. Those plates are bent, scratched and can be a real PIA to line up correctly once off due to use.

Lesson learned though, and won't be going back. Off the top of my head, over a decade of service work and 3 car purchases has got to add up. Oh well.