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What to do??? [Purchased in Europe, now I'm back in the US with the RAV4]

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Locombia

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I'm in the military and I pruchased my RAV almost 3 years ago while stationed in Europe, now I'm back in the US with the car. I was trying to buy a extended warranty but I couldn't do it because the VIN doesn't appear in Toyota's database. I called Toyota costumer care number, and they looked it up, and yeah, supposedly the car wasn't built for the US market and therefore for Toyota the car doesn't exist in the US. When I explained her the car is a US spec vehicle, and how I had no issues bringing it over here, she just kep saying "the VIN says the car wasn't made for the US market" when I asked her what makes a car US specs she just hung up on me.
I hope there's somebody here that had the same issues ans can tell me how you handled it Thanks and keep on RAVing!! :D
 
#5 ·
Locombia, this is a royal quagmire. I'm just trying to brainstorm with you & others here, as just saying "Well Toyota-USA should warranty it since it is a US-Spec vehicle" may not be as simple as it sounds.

NOTE: all the following brain-fart logic/questions plays out at the distributor-level and up...a dealer has no say in these matters.

The vehicle was supplied by an European distributor of Toyotas(?Italy?) and that is were the warranty info resides. Maybe more importantly, any original profit funneled to the euro-distributor.

Toyota-USA claims no vehicle info is available since sold in Europe. Is it legal for Toyota-USA to just enter this vehicle VIN into their systems (I'm thinking EPA, for recalls, etc)? They probably would not have access to all maintenance, and especially overall history (ie accidents that may have affected original warranty, etc)?

Can you force Toyota-USA to pick up the remaining warranty? I do not know if Toyota-USA gets reimbursed by mother-Toyota for warranty-repairs, or does that come out of the original distributor-profit(that in this case went to the euro-distributor)? I'm sure the euro-distributor has no desire or legal reason to send those profits to Toyota-USA.

I would send a well-composed letter to Toyota-Japan (CC-ing Toyota-USA) asking how this is normally handled. I'd also ask for an exception to normal processes in the same letter, so they can respond with the final decision in their initial repsonse.

All this is based on a Rav4 that totally complies with all US-regs at the time the car was sold. Is there is any different build-sheet issues/euro-regs for a US car driven on euro-roads (turn signals come to mind, I doubt the license plate area is a big issue, etc)? If so, I have a feeling it will be even tougher to get it transferred to Toyota-USA (do they have to replace more euro-parts to get the one-warrantied US part to fit, etc).

I understand you are trying to buy a Toyota extended warranty, not get the original warranty transferred. But I think the overall issue is the same problem.

Just my thoughts...trying to help think this thru logically. I've never worked for Toyota and am not a lawyer, but did work for GM years ago in their warranty area...but that was even a bigger quagmire!

It made my brain hurt just trying to type this stuff semi-coherently...I hope others can understand:
1) is entire car US-spec?
2) its where the profits went
3) who actually pays for the warranty repairs!

Dan
 
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#7 ·
It sounds as though whoever sold you the RAV over in Italy took a European RAV4 and simply had it modified to meet American homologation requirements. It's not actually an American RAV4; it's a European one that traded its Gucci jeans for a pair of Wranglers, so to speak.

People who buy relatively low-priced cars in the States and then bring them up to Canada go through a similar process (used to be a very lucrative proposition a couple years back). Trouble is, warranties generally aren't homologable - if that's even a word. :?

For example, if a fellow were to buy a brand-new RAV4 in Montana and drove it home to Alberta, he could pay the duties at the border, have it homologated and register it for use in Canada with no troubles. However, Toyota Canada wouldn't be bound to honour the original US warranty. As a matter of fact, most car companies' divisions in Canada refused to honour warranties on US-purchased vehicles as a means of protecting their dealers' sales at home. (I'm not certain if this is still true today). How did they know? Presumably by comparing the warranty location to the registration address. This way, American motorists who ran into car trouble while in Canada wouldn't get hung up - American warranty + American plates = no problem.

I think Toyota USA is doing the same thing here. They don't care about your European RAV4; the profit from that sale stayed in Europe. They want you to buy a RAV4 from a US dealer, at which point I'm sure they will be more than pleased to offer you a nice warranty.
 
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#9 ·
ksceric said:
I thought the warranty is honoured in USA and Canada....
Click to expand...
Most if not all auto manufacturers selling in both US/Canadian markets will submit across the border for warranty-repair reimbursement while owners are traveling within the country they did NOT purchase vehicle in. Its a common occurence for both original & extended warranties.

But I doubt there are procedures in place to do that in far-flung countries. I could be wrong...maybe...NOT!

Updates to original response in bold italics.
 
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#10 ·
Warranty is honored in USA and Canada in this sense:

I buy a Canadian Rav4 here, in Canada. I drive down to the US for a vacation and it breaks down, the US Toyota dealers will honor the warranty. However, if I bought a Rav4 in US and import it to Canada, the Canadian Toyota dealership may not honor the warranty and tell you to go back to the US to do any warranty repairs. It's almost like they are saying that since you didn't buy from Canada by choice, then you go back to the US to get your warranty done.

I've asked before in the past about getting vehicles from the US and all the dealers I've talked to said they won't honour the warranty even though if an American tourist needed warranty work done on the vehicle while they are here visiting, they can actually get it done. It almost seems like a "you don't buy Canadian, then we won't help you" mentality.
 
#11 ·
wing_woo said:
Warranty is honored in USA and Canada in this sense:

I buy a Canadian Rav4 here, in Canada. I drive down to the US for a vacation and it breaks down, the US Toyota dealers will honor the warranty. However, if I bought a Rav4 in US and import it to Canada, the Canadian Toyota dealership may not honor the warranty and tell you to go back to the US to do any warranty repairs. It's almost like they are saying that since you didn't buy from Canada by choice, then you go back to the US to get your warranty done.

I've asked before in the past about getting vehicles from the US and all the dealers I've talked to said they won't honour the warranty even though if an American tourist needed warranty work done on the vehicle while they are here visiting, they can actually get it done. It almost seems like a "you don't buy Canadian, then we won't help you" mentality.
Click to expand...

I bought a US 2009 RAV V6 Limited and shipped it to Greece, to stay permanently, although I registered it as a tourists car. That entitiles me to tourists plates which allow the car to be driven only 6 months per year . I know the Greek Rav dealer will not honor my warranty but doesnt the parent company ( TOYOTA JAPAN) where my car was made,bear any responsibilty for recalls not warrantys , worldwide?

I paid New York City sales tax and had New York State plates for 4 months before sending it over so all is legal. I dont know how this will be resolved but I hope they figure out what is wrong. Otherwise my only option will be to send the car back to the States ?
 
Discussion starter · #13 ·
I spoke wit US Toyota with noting good coming from my calls, they say the VIN doesn't show on any of Toyota's databases, they say is not even a Totota!!, and becuse it was bought overseas the warranty is not good in the US. The place I bought it from caters only to US military and civilian personnel stationed overseas; they ordered the car straight from the factory in Japan, is not a European version converted to US specs, it wouldn't be worth it doing it, with emissions and all the other changes needed. In fact, the shipping company would not ship the vehicle if is not US spec, and I had no issues with customs when I picked up the RAV. I will call the dealer in Germany tomorrow, again, and see what happens.
 
#14 ·
Locombia - I don't envy you your position. It seems this has gotten real complicated real fast.

It surprises me that Toyota USA is being so stubborn. In your original post, you said you were trying to buy an extended warranty, not transfer the factory warranty. I don't see why they wouldn't sell you an extended warranty - they're pretty much pure profit anyways.

For that matter, have you considered looking into a third-party extended warranty? I know that the Toyota-backed plans are ideal, but maybe there's more than one solution to this problem?
 
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#16 ·
Want to make it even more complex. Even if he buys a Toyota extended warranty, the original powertrain warranty still over-rides the extended warranty for repairs until 60mos/60K miles. But he probably wouldn't have a powertrain warranty and I am sure the extended-warranty-division of Toyota won't want to pick up any of those costs.

We see Toyota as one big company (rightfully so), but within this mega-corp each division has their own profit/loss goals...that effect somebody's pay/bonuses. I'm NOT defending Toyota at all, but I've seen how divisions sometimes do not get along and do what is right for the CUSTOMER.

I think his only out is to buy a non-Toyota extended warranty from some company that does not do extensive research.

I'm NOT suggesting Locombia state his VIN here, but it would be interesting to see how well his VIN matches a "normal" US-sold/spec Rav4 VIN's first 11 characters (last 6 are used for serial number). A quick check against another 2007 Rav4 or link below will tell all.

VIN-breakout link: http://rav4world.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=235173&sid=4075b0634be2a102604c04f2f3c52819

If no difference, I doubt most aftermaket companies would question his purchase. But as previously mentioned, aftermarket warranties are a second-tier choice with other risks involved.

Locombia, do your VIN's first 11 characters match a US-sold Rav4?
 
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#17 ·
wing_woo said:
Wait, don't you have proof that you bought it in NY? If that's the case, why would they have an issue?
Click to expand...
Yeah I bought registerd and have NY State Title but the car is in Athens Greece.
Like others have said that is prollly Toyota Europe and I know for certain the warrany does not follow outside the US , I do not yet know if the recall is honored worldwide.

My sense is the Greek dealerships do whatever they want. A relative of my wifes went to sweden to buy a Volvo and drove it to Greece, and, although it is illegal the Greek dealerships said you did not buy it in Greece, we will not honor any warranty. Volvo Sweden told them warranty applys . but all dealers refused to honor it . They do what THEY WANT not what anyone tells them .

Go fight city hall . He lost, and if anything goes wrong with the Volvo he has to pay to fix it or drive back to Sweden. I hope Toyota has more control over their distributors , but I have not heard they will be recalling European models , nor honoring their recall for peole stuck worldwide.

In reality my car is visiting Europe on a tourist basis, so if the Canadian Model someone mentions holds true , Toyota dealers would honor the recall . But Greece is still a third world country when it comes to certain things, and no one really holds much power over them, even the European Union
 
#18 ·
I've purchased 2 new vehicles through the US Military program.

I had some issues with a Volvo that I had bought in Europe(US Spec's) and tried getting serviced here in the US when I got back. They had to do something at the dealership to make my vehicle eligible for recalls or warranty work. Like your situation, they couldn't find it in the database and had to update their records. I believe Volvo called their system VADIS, don't know what the Toyota key word is.
 
#19 ·
fused said:
I've purchased 2 new vehicles through the US Military program.

I had some issues with a Volvo that I had bought in Europe(US Spec's) and tried getting serviced here in the US when I got back. They had to do something at the dealership to make my vehicle eligible for recalls or warranty work. Like your situation, they couldn't find it in the database and had to update their records. I believe Volvo called their system VADIS, don't know what the Toyota key word is.
Click to expand...
That's a promising piece of advice. Maybe the OP just has to luck into a conversation with the right person at Toyota. I wonder if the selling dealership over in Europe would have something to suggest - it would be hard to believe that this is the first time something like this has happened.

But I can see it's becoming increasingly unlikely that my original "homologation special" theory is correct. I still think Toyota USA would rather you bought a car from them, but you shouldn't be quite this SOL with the one you bought overseas.
 
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#20 ·
It's just not economically viable for a European dealer to retrofit a vehicle to US specs since the price is already higher on the European variants.

I'm guessing it was purchased from Auto Exchange, who I believe is another branch of ENCS/diplosales? Try taking it to the local dealer first, but if its a no go contact them as they probably have these issues regularly.
 
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