[MR2] MkI readio security code

[Aaron Willis]

Wayne, I don't get the impression that Kurt was being refused service.
It does not sound like they "gave him crap"; they told him the truth,
which was that the information or service he sought may not be
available, period, and was definitely not available at the time of
inquiry.  I think we both agree that that is reasonable and acceptable
thus far.

Beyond that point, I must respectfully but strongly disagree with your
opinion.

Kurt visited a dealership, and dealers exist to sell and service current
and recent products.  While the dealer *represents* the original
manufacturer, they *are not* the manufacturer, and it is not reasonable
to expect that they maintain information and training on products that
are no longer represent a statistically significant percentage of their
customer base.  It is difficult enough to train technicians on cars that
actually do come in without insisting that they know, or can somehow
repair, every Toyota ever built.  Hell, it is not reasonable (IMO) to
demand that even a manufacturer "support any product they ever made". 
The warranty was over fifteen or more years ago, and we are driving
vehicles that are now well beyond their expected service life.  The fact
that they are still useful, reliable vehicles does not mean that Toyota
is obligated to us in any way.  At this point, their product (the
vehicle) has already exceeded most reasonable expectations and can be
effectively considered a bonus.  We're not new car customers, and Toyota
gains precious little by our patronage; we're basically freeloaders,
scavenging on Toyota's outstanding longevity and build quality.  To
*demand* further support requires significantly more chutzpah than I can
muster.  The fact that we can still get brand new mechanical parts for
cars that were made twenty or thirty years ago is all the support I
need.  Toyota still supports their freeloaders (myself included) far
better than most other manufacturers.

Frankly now, what do you think the situation would be if we drove, say,
an '88 Corsica to a Chevy dealership and demanded new-car levels of
service?  Or, if one can take your comments literally, are we as
consumers somehow entitled to the same level of support in parts and
service on, say, a 1928 Model A as we would be on a freshly purchased
2008 Explorer?  After all, it's still a Ford, isn't it?  The fact that
one makes a purchase from someone else (or someone else's grandfather!)
does not mean that the seller now owes the buyer his life, or his
support, or anything more than the product he purchased, unless it is
specifically agreed upon or is reasonable and customary.

I speak sarcasm fluently but don't always read it very well, so maybe
you don't mean exactly what I read.  I apologize if I sound scathing in
any way.  I am just getting really tired of the sense of entitlement
that consumers have developed.  We get people in all the time who are
genuinely flabbergasted that we don't stock every handle, cable, bracket
and bolt for their '79 Hilux; next business day is somehow not fast
enough for these movers and shakers, and their shock and dismay is often
punctuated with, "but this is Toyota, right?  I mean, YOU'RE TOYOTA. 
What do you mean you don't have it?  The damn TRUCK says Toyota right on
it..."

That's enough lather for this early in the day.  Time for another beer.


On Sun, 14 Sep 2008 01:00:40 -0400, waynearndt at waynearndt.com said:
> I understand what Aaron is saying, but at the same time they are the
> original manufacturer and that holds them responsible to support any
> product they ever made. They should not give you crap when you ask for
> the
> code to be reset on a factory radio in a car they made, weather it was
> built yesterday or 20 years ago. They have the right to charge you for
> their services, even if that means they bill you for 3 hrs research, but
> they don't have the right to refuse support on their own product.
> However,
> with the rising rate of inflation my 2 cents doesn't hold much value. ;0
> 
> -wayne
-- 
Aaron Willis
'85 AW11 7A-GE hybrid
'77 TE51 3T/2T-G project