A FUMING driver has revealed he managed to fix an issue with his car himself for just $50 after being quoted $8,600 by a dealership.
TikTok user Earl, who’s part of Texas-based rock band Earlshreds, took a break from posting about music to reveal what he described as “one of the biggest scams in the automotive industry.”
In the video, Earl reveals he took his Toyota to a dealership in Humble, Texas, after it started “shifting rough” and displaying the check engine warning.
Hoping to get the issue fixed, he took the Toyota truck to a local dealership, but was horrified by the price of $8,600 for the repairs.
This is when it appears Earl decided to take matters into his own hands, managing to fix the problem himself – spending just $50 “in fluid and parts” and manually changing out the car’s transmission fluid.
He said: “$50 later, changed out the transmission fluid, runs just fine.
He added: “It’s the biggest scam I’ve ever seen in my entire life.”
At the end of the video, which has since gone viral and amassed thousands of likes, Earl advised his Texas-based followers not to visit the dealership, alleging he had more “horror stories” about them.
This comes as another Toyota driver was recently hit with a $4,000 repair bill after she noticed the car’s engine was making sputtering sounds.
Heather Velasco was heading out to lunch with one of her coworkers when she noticed a strong gasoline smell in the area where she parked her Toyota on September 19.
Velasco had parked her pick-up truck outside Kindred Hospital in Rancho Cucamonga, California, just west of San Bernardino.
However, Velasco immediately pushed her concerns aside when she noticed a diesel truck nearby and believed the gasoline smell emanating from there.
But, when she got in her truck and began driving, her new Toyota, which she had purchased three years before, began making sputtering sounds.
“We drove across the street, and my car started sputtering,” Velasco told KTLA.
When she pulled over and began inspecting her vehicle, Velasco said she noticed her truck was leaking gas from underneath.
“I just looked under, and sure enough, there was a hole, and it was leaking gas, and then I looked up, and I saw another hole,” the mother of three said.
Velasco had to get her vehicle towed and was forced to pay $4,000 upfront or risk paying a $1,000 deductible with an increase in her auto insurance.
“It’s hard times. We’re living in times where everything is inflated,” she told KTLA.
And elsewhere, a beloved Toyota model is being discontinued in just weeks after drivers were excited to see its recent return to US markets.
The Toyota Venza won’t make it to the next model year after four years for sale as a reborn hybrid SUV, known in other markets as the Harrier.
Toyota confirmed that Venza would cease production after the 2024 model year to make way for the first-ever 2025 Toyota Crown Signia when it was announced last year.
The auto giant is now replacing the Venza with the Crown Signia to continue offering crossover SUVs in their lineup.