Dealership sold me xD... without an air filter!
07-20-2015, 05:55 PM
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 2
Dealership sold me xD... without an air filter!
Hi everyone, long time reader, first time poster. Here's my situation:
I bought a Certified Pre-Owned 2012 XD from the dealership just over a year ago, and I have grown to absolutely LOVE this sharp little car! Plus, knowing it has a Toyota engine, my plan has been to keep it as long as possible (instead of trading it in). That is, until I realized I had been driving without an air filter for over a year!! Here's the back story:
Several months after I purchased the car, I finally decided to check the condition of the air filter. When I opened it up, there was no removable air filter in the housing. I thought this was odd, but I assumed the little filter-looking thing built-into the housing (anyone know what this is called?) was the actual air filter. I never bought a new-ish car, nor such a fuel efficient car before... so, while I thought this was unusual, I just figured that's how they make 'em these days. It didn't even occur to me that the dealership may have actually forgot the air filter! So, I continue to drive it for several more months. Finally, last weekend, I decided that I'm going to get to the bottom of this air filter situation. Certainly it must detach somehow. So I open the housing, and now suddenly there's a new filter in there!! I just had the oil changed with a complimentary inspection a couple weeks ago, and they must have put a new one in (even though they just marked "good" on the inspection form - suggesting it had been there the whole time). I was never told that it was missing an air filter, never charged for the air filter they put in, nothing. I've attached a photo of the new air filter to this message, just to show that there's no way a filter this clean had been under the hood this whole time.
This is our household's only vehicle, which is why I went with a reliable Toyota engine. I'm worried now that I've caused long-term damage to the engine by unknowingly driving it without an air filter this whole time (mostly highway miles, but some dirt roads too). I even called the dealership to let them know they sold a car without an air filter, and the service manager just downplayed the situation and said the engines are tough and can handle that sort of thing.
I'm just upset because I really like my white xD, and I like that it's not a super common vehicle (vs. say, the Prius, Kia Soul, etc). But I'm super sketched out about the situation. I don't want to finally finish making payments, just to have a bunch of problems arise immediately after. I'm thinking about just trading it in for something like the Yaris (even though the Yaris doesn't look as cool imo), because I want to know my car will last a long time. How can I knowingly continue to make payments on something I know has been compromised like this?
SOOO... my questions are...
1.) Are Toyota engines that good, like my dealership claims, that going without an air filter for over a year is no big deal?
2.) Is it silly for me to trade it in for another version of the same car? Or is it smart to get rid of it while it still has value?
3.) If I really wanted to keep the xD, what maintenance could I do to mitigate any damage done (cleaning sensors? that kind of thing?)
Thanks a ton!
I bought a Certified Pre-Owned 2012 XD from the dealership just over a year ago, and I have grown to absolutely LOVE this sharp little car! Plus, knowing it has a Toyota engine, my plan has been to keep it as long as possible (instead of trading it in). That is, until I realized I had been driving without an air filter for over a year!! Here's the back story:
Several months after I purchased the car, I finally decided to check the condition of the air filter. When I opened it up, there was no removable air filter in the housing. I thought this was odd, but I assumed the little filter-looking thing built-into the housing (anyone know what this is called?) was the actual air filter. I never bought a new-ish car, nor such a fuel efficient car before... so, while I thought this was unusual, I just figured that's how they make 'em these days. It didn't even occur to me that the dealership may have actually forgot the air filter! So, I continue to drive it for several more months. Finally, last weekend, I decided that I'm going to get to the bottom of this air filter situation. Certainly it must detach somehow. So I open the housing, and now suddenly there's a new filter in there!! I just had the oil changed with a complimentary inspection a couple weeks ago, and they must have put a new one in (even though they just marked "good" on the inspection form - suggesting it had been there the whole time). I was never told that it was missing an air filter, never charged for the air filter they put in, nothing. I've attached a photo of the new air filter to this message, just to show that there's no way a filter this clean had been under the hood this whole time.
This is our household's only vehicle, which is why I went with a reliable Toyota engine. I'm worried now that I've caused long-term damage to the engine by unknowingly driving it without an air filter this whole time (mostly highway miles, but some dirt roads too). I even called the dealership to let them know they sold a car without an air filter, and the service manager just downplayed the situation and said the engines are tough and can handle that sort of thing.
I'm just upset because I really like my white xD, and I like that it's not a super common vehicle (vs. say, the Prius, Kia Soul, etc). But I'm super sketched out about the situation. I don't want to finally finish making payments, just to have a bunch of problems arise immediately after. I'm thinking about just trading it in for something like the Yaris (even though the Yaris doesn't look as cool imo), because I want to know my car will last a long time. How can I knowingly continue to make payments on something I know has been compromised like this?
SOOO... my questions are...
1.) Are Toyota engines that good, like my dealership claims, that going without an air filter for over a year is no big deal?
2.) Is it silly for me to trade it in for another version of the same car? Or is it smart to get rid of it while it still has value?
3.) If I really wanted to keep the xD, what maintenance could I do to mitigate any damage done (cleaning sensors? that kind of thing?)
Thanks a ton!
07-23-2015, 01:38 AM
#2
Senior Member
SL Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Dallas/Fort Worth
Posts: 7,521
i think that if you really did drive the car for that long without a filter, you would already be noticing any damage that has been done...
the other filter you noticed is the hydrocarbon trap. it's for emissions purposes. It filters the vapors that may be coming out of your engine through the throttle body when the engine is turned off.
I recently changed the filter on our xD and it wasn't really dirty either, but I can't say i would be comfortable driving for long without a filter.
the other filter you noticed is the hydrocarbon trap. it's for emissions purposes. It filters the vapors that may be coming out of your engine through the throttle body when the engine is turned off.
I recently changed the filter on our xD and it wasn't really dirty either, but I can't say i would be comfortable driving for long without a filter.
Last edited by gjpjr84; 08-25-2015 at 12:28 AM.
08-24-2015, 04:49 AM
#3
Senior Member
SL Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 592
Pull both the MAF and check the TB for dirt build up. If both of those (especially the TB blade) look filthy then I would consider dumping the vehicle. I'm not saying oil is going to start flying pass the piston rings but I would not feel comfortable owning it.
08-26-2015, 04:24 PM
#4
Scion Representative
SCION CORP
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 10
Hey Threequalseven, we're sorry to hear about your experience. We recommend speaking with the Customer Relations Manager of the dealership to voice your concerns. Additionally, you may give us a call at the Scion Customer Experience Center at 866-707-2466 (Monday through Friday 5 AM – 6 PM PST, Saturday 7 AM – 4 PM) so we may formally document your concern. ^LL
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