Yipppeee, I just got a call from the dealer saying that they are going to pick up the tab for the calipers replacement and reimburse me the money I paid for it (parts, labor and tax). I guess going through Toyota helped. Thanks to all of you on the forum for guiding me on this one. Not sure if I should hang on to the old calipers or not :).
A rare happy ending…
My gut feeling is that this dealer could be performing this bit of good will for you because they may have a missed diagnosis/botched repair and are doing this as part of the CYA mode. (cover your axx)
If they got a call from Toyota Motor Co. inquiring about this problem as part of a Good Will warranty that would be reimbursed by TMC they may have gotten cold feet.
If TMC stepped in on a warranty like this they are going to want several things from the dealer. They will want to see:
The (allegedly) defective calipers and any other part claimed under the warranty. No parts available means TMC won’t pay for any of it.
They will also want to verify those calipers were really bad. If not, the dealer eats the cost.
Nonetheless, that’s great news for you and thank you for keeping us informed about what happened.
I suspect as much, though they did say that this was under warranty. However, the old calipers are currently with me and they have not asked for them back. I should probably wait to see if the money comes back on my credit card soon before I exhale, I guess…
I think you’re doing the right thing by hanging onto those calipers and maybe this is causing someone at the dealership to think about this more carefully, or rather think about future consequences in case they were wrong.
You asked about replacing both. Yes, that is a recommended procedure unless it’s a warranty repair. Warranty is a whole different kettle of fish.
Just for hoots, you should drop by a brake shop, etc. and have them check the piston in the caliper that is allegedly frozen. It only takes a couple of minutes and if the piston retracts into its bore smoothly then it was never frozen to begin with.